Proper media organizations needed

Proper media organizations needed

JAKARTA (JP): The registration of around 300 new newspapers,
weeklies and tabloids at the Ministry of Information has
heightened the need for professional associations and unions,
journalists and newspaper proprietors said here on Saturday.

Speaking at a discussion, Atmakusumah Astraatmadja of Dr.
Soetomo Press Institute said that while a conflict of interest
between owners and journalists was a "classic problem", the
latter would have better bargaining power if they retained their
professionalism.

Media observers such as Christianto Wibisono have said that
under the previous government the permits required for printed
publications became a political commodity. Even with billions of
rupiah in capital, it was not possible to get a permit without
good political connections.

"Now anyone with money can issue a publication," Atmakusumah
said.

The talk was organized by the Api Foundation, which publishes
the new Bongkar tabloid. The topic of discussion was a new
translation of a 1997 book on the media in the United States by
Robert McChesney entitled Corporate Media and the Threat to
Democracy.

Since former president Soeharto stepped down in May, more than
10 journalists' organizations have been set up. Under the
previous regime only the Indonesian Journalists' Association
(PWI) was recognized by the government.

Among the new professional bodies to have sprung up since May
are the Indonesian Television Journalists' Association (IJTI)
chaired by Haris Jauhari and the Alliance of Indonesian Radio
Journalists (ARI) chaired by Fajroel Rahman.

Lukas Luwarso, chairman of the Alliance of Independent
Journalists (AJI), said that while the post-Soeharto government
was no longer an obstruction to press freedom, "the press now
faced (a threat from) media owners."

Atmakusumah said that sanctions for any party proved of
obstructing press freedom have been proposed in a bill being
drafted on the media.

Jacob Oetama, president of the large PT Gramedia publishing
group which runs the Kompas daily, agreed that greater
professionalism on the part of journalists could help reduce the
influence of media owners.

In response to the case of Paron tabloid, which closed down
earlier this year after its owner withdrew his capital, Fikri
Jufri, general manager of Tempo weekly, said that journalists
should be "selective" in choosing investors.

Paron staff said that the investor, timber tycoon Mohammad
"Bob" Hasan, had objected to their increasingly critical reports.

Atmakusumah cited the former Target tabloid, which once failed
to publish after reporters, angered by the owners intervention to
prevent publication of a critical report, went on strike.

"The strike was an attempt to say that editorial policy should
not be influenced by owners." (01)