Responsibilities of the press

Responsibilities of the press

As quoted by the Minister of Information Hartono, President
Soeharto harbors the hope that the entire national media continue
to be aware of its responsibilities. To judge by the remarks made
by Hartono, a certain comforting guarantee is contained in the
President's affirmation that the government will never act
arbitrarily in deciding to revoke a news publication's license,
as long as the media remains genuinely aware of the functions of
a free and responsible press.

There is of course no exact measure to gauge that
responsibility. The responsibilities of the press are dependent
on the situation that exists at any given moment. It is up to the
national press to assess its responsibilities toward the nation
and country.

We are confident that Soeharto's words regarding the
responsibilities of the press will be taken to heart by the
press. After all, there isn't one press publication that harbors
evil designs toward the nation -- much less wants to impair its
unity.

Our hope is that the government will open itself to dialog
with the press in order that the two institutions may develop a
rewarding partnership and beneficial interaction in attempting to
comprehend the development that is taking place in society. With
such a channel for dialog, the press will be able to perform its
basic function -- which is to provide information to the people
and to exert social control -- with the greatest possible
efficiency.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta