The media as scapegoat

The media as scapegoat

Today The Jakarta Post celebrates its 18th anniversary. This,
for us, provides us with a most propitious moment to reflect on
role of the media in this country. For, if any institution in
this country has benefited the most from the reformation movement
which was set moving in 1997-1998, it is the press.

Since its "liberation" three years ago, the Indonesian press
has bloomed and has enjoyed a freedom that is almost without
limit.

While many people complain that the reform movement has failed
or has since stagnated -- for instance and in particular where
political reform, education, or the eradication of corruption are
concerned -- the press at present is experiencing its heyday in
terms of unparalleled freedom.

In 1999, for example, when the euphoria of press freedom
reached its height, it was reported that more than 2000 new
publications appeared and the number of journalists jumped from
some 8,000 in 1997 to some 30,000 that year.

However, experience has taught us that gaining freedom and
becoming more professional are two very different things. The
emergence of hundreds of new publications caught media circles by
surprise. It is obvious that the media was not prepared for such
an onslaught.

Three decades under President Soeharto's authoritarian regime
forced the media to concentrate on survival rather instead of on
building an infrastructure for itself by providing proper
training and education for journalists.

The consequences have been devastating: Untrained and
unskilled journalists suddenly flooded the market, causing waves
of complaints and protests from both the public and the
government.

As the social system of law and order had practically
collapsed, the public took the opportunity to take their protests
directly to the media, resulting in incidents such as newspaper
offices being ransacked by mobs or journalists being beaten up by
protesters.

Fortunately, this euphoria is currently beginning to die down
and the process of natural selection has begun to filter out the
"amateurs", and only the few newcomers who are true professionals
have prevailed.

Still, the question remains: does press freedom bring higher
standards of professionalism?

Judging by the high number of complaints still received by the
press, the answer is no. But a line must be drawn between honest
complaints and the remainder.

That the media has its shortcomings is a fact. On the other
hand there are people, including government officials, who
continuously accuse the media of always twisting or dramatizing
the facts.

For example, President Abdurrahman Wahid has repeatedly
complained that the media has been "bought" by his opponents,
leading to unbalanced reporting at the expense of the President.

Meanwhile, the old practice of government officials denying
their statements and attributing unfavorable reports to bad
reporting or misquoting by the press, continues. Thus, the
practice of turning the media into a scapegoat persists.

Many people tend to forget that the media is a reflection of a
country's situation, and that the media is aware of its
responsibility.

A recent meeting of the Jakarta Editors Club, a forum of
editors of Jakarta's mainstream media examined the role of the
media in this kind of "messy" situation. Should the media merely
play the role of "recorders of history" or should it do more?

The conclusion of the meeting was the media should share the
burden of responsibility with other sectors in society. Within
the limits of its ethical and professional standards, the media
should contribute to building democracy in this country.

One way to do this is by empowering the public in the exercise
of its duties and responsibilities. And also by informing and
educating the public to differentiate between what is good and
what is bad, right and wrong, and what is good taste and bad
taste.

Up to this moment in time, and for the days and months that
are to come, this newspaper has pledged its commitment to these
principles.