'Tempo' verdict

'Tempo' verdict

The Central Jakarta District Court handed down on Thursday two historic verdicts in the same case. It sentenced Tempo magazine chief editor Bambang Harymurti to one year in prison, but acquitted Tempo reporters Akhmad Taufik and Teuku Iskandar Ali in the same defamation case filed by businessman Tomy Winata.

The decision to jail a journalist is the first of its kind in this era of reform, where intimidation and other crimes against the press have continued to occur.

Journalism is not above the law. A journalist is not a saint. We see stories that do not meet the principles of journalism.

However, Indonesia's mainstream press has more positive attributes than negative.

It is disappointing to see crimes against the press continue to occur at a time when Indonesia's socio-political and economic life is dominated by ill practices.

Members of the press are ready to face the consequences if found guilty by the courts, but the courts should make use of the press law and not the Criminal Code.

In journalism, the search for truth is a process. There is room for debate and discussion. We fear the press will be discouraged from searching for the truth, considering that we are not yet ready to adopt transparency in this era of reform.

-- Republika, Jakarta