Soeharto concerned by inaccurate media reports

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto expressed concern yesterday over media reports on the country's situation which he believed to be inaccurate and misleading.

The President said such imbalanced reports, in both the print and electronic media, could hinder government efforts to restore the country's economy as they had tarnished Indonesia's image abroad.

"It seems that the (media) does not understand the real situation," Minister of Information Muhammad Alwi Dahlan quoted the President as saying during their meeting at the Bina Graha presidential office.

The President told the minister to pay serious attention to the situation in his supervision over the national media.

The imbalanced and inaccurate reporting disinformed rather than informed the public, Alwi noted.

The minister declined to say whether the President gave him any specific examples of inaccurate media reports but indicated that Soeharto complained about reports on the country's economy and their impact on social and political stability.

Alwi, a mass communications professor, however, acknowledged that government officials sometimes failed to give comprehensive information to the media.

"It is very often that information given by officials is so brief that people do not catch the meaning," Alwi said.

He also noted that officials sometimes became uncomfortable when they could not answer journalists' questions and reacted by giving "unproportional" statements.

"Sometimes, as oriental people, we do not have the heart to say that we do not know enough or just say 'no comment'," Alwi remarked.

According to Alwi, Soeharto told his ministers early this month not to talk about issues outside of their jurisdiction.

The minister also said he could understand journalists' complaints about how difficult it usually was to obtain accurate and prompt information from government officials.

"The President told me to coordinate and talk with other ministers so the media can get complete information," Alwi pointed out.

Minister of Trade and Industry Mohamad "Bob" Hasan sparked some controversy Monday when he said the government would not lift its ban on crude palm oil exports this month in order to stabilize the domestic supply.

Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita had to counter the statement because it contradicted the government's agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Alwi also criticized yesterday reports of private television stations which he described as unproportional and failing to put things into perspective.

"It does not help to restore the situation," he noted.

When asked about the media coverage on the ongoing student demonstrations, the minister said the demonstrations had not been professionally covered. He questioned, for instance, the media's estimates of the number of people participating in the demonstrations.

The media reports created an image "as if Indonesia is full of student (demonstrations), and the perception could eventually become a realty," said Alwi. (prb)