Press slammed for election reporting

Press slammed for election reporting

JAKARTA (JP): A human rights campaigner slammed Indonesia's
press yesterday for lopsided reporting of the May general
election with its "empty words".

The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association's
executive director, Hendardi, said the press published little
more than campaign speeches and promises.

"The media ran... speeches which said the same thing, gave the
same old promises like eradicating corruption," said Hendardi, a
former student activist. "The press failed to remind the parties
of their past promises."

Hendardi told a seminar on media coverage of the general
election that his organization had trouble informing the press
about "things beyond the election".

"The election drowned the press coverage of other things," he
said, citing various social political issues.

On May 29, Indonesians went to the poll for the sixth time
under the New Order government. They had a choice of three
parties: the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), the
dominant Golkar and the conflict-ridden Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI).

Golkar won 325 of the 425 contested seats in the House of
Representatives, the PPP won 89 while the PDI got 11. The
remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces whose
members do not vote.

During 27 days of campaigning before the election, riots
erupted in many parts of the country, including Jakarta, South
Kalimantan, East Java and Central Java. Hundreds died in traffic
accidents while campaigning or in campaign-related unrest.

Another speaker, broadcaster Ishadi S.K, admitted that the
television station he worked for, TPI, had not screened full
pictures of unrest in Jakarta.

"During the election we were very restricted, including by
self censorship," he said. "We did not show the riot in Warung
Buncit (South Jakarta) because we feared it would influence the
people."

Ishadi said that today's media was closely linked to
commercial and other interests.

"We are caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between four
parties -- the professional (journalists), the owner, the
government and the political elite," he said.

"News is only a small component of the media business. If
there is news that will endanger the business, we should take
careful steps," said Ishadi, a former top official at the
government television station, TVRI.

Indonesia has five private television stations: RCTI, SCTV,
AnTeve, TPI and Indosiar. All of them are owned by politically
well-connected conglomerates. RCTI is part of a business group
owned by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, the
Bimantara group. AnTeve is under the Bakrie Group. Indosiar is a
subsidiary of Indogroup, owned by tycoon Sudono Salim.

Ishadi denied that self-censorship reflected Indonesian
media's lack of professionalism.

"The quality of professionalism should not be judged by one
single item (news)," he said. "We have many broadcasts and news."

But Hendardi insisted that the press should always stick to
its role of educating people.

"The press should play a role in raising people's
understanding of the true meaning of general elections, and not
get trapped in what the government wants it to report," he said.

The seminar was held by the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute to
mark the closing of its annual journalism course for mid-career
journalists. (35)