RI, Aussie senior editors meet to discuss coverage
RI, Aussie senior editors meet to discuss coverage
SYDNEY (JP): Senior Indonesian and Australian editors met here
yesterday to review some of the problems related to their
coverage of the other's country.
Steve Harris of the Herald and Weekly Times underlined the
wide disparity in the way the government and the people in
Australia look at Indonesia.
"Many Australian people still see Indonesia as the chief
enemy," Harris said as reported by Ratih Hardjono, Kompas
correspondent in Australia.
One of the questions posed by Indonesian delegates to the
meeting concerned the way the Australian media cover East Timor.
They said the coverage has not been objective.
The Australian participants were divided on the issue. One
camp said they did not see any problem in the way they covered
East Timor, while another admitted that their coverage had not
been fair.
Paul Kelly of The Australian pointed out that the discussion
about East Timor was an indication that there was a problem in
the way Australia treats East Timor and the issue, therefore,
requires further attention and thoughts.
The meeting was organized by the Australia-Indonesia Institute
and chaired by its director Richard Woollcott. This is the second
meeting between senior Indonesian and Australian editors. The
first one was held in 1989, also in Sydney.
Among the nine Indonesian editors taking part were Jakob
Oetama of Kompas, Parni Hadi of Republika, Dahlan Iskan of the
Jawa Pos, Sutrisna of Suara Merdeka and Aristides Katoppo of
Suara Pembaruan.
Australia was represented by 12 editors, including John Lyons
of The Sydney Morning Herald, Michael Gawenda of The Age and Jack
Waterford of The Canberra Times.
Jakob of Kompas related the problems Indonesian editors have
in reporting on Australia because they still have difficulties in
obtaining a clear perception of the Australian people.
He said that the increasing realization that Indonesia and
Australia have many common interests will motivate both countries
to strengthen their relations.