Threats to the press

I would like to comment on PDI-P leader threatens press, students (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 24, 2003). Minister of manpower and transmigration, Jacob Nuwa Wea's rage about Rakyat Merdeka's often hair-raising coverage of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's leadership might be in some way understandable. But threats like "Rakyat Merdeka, I warn you ...", and "... if they insist on insulting PDI Perjuangan leaders, they will have to face thousands of PDI Perjuangan supporters" allow no excuse. In a democratic country the media should be free to publish whatever it thinks necessary.

But every democratic country has also to deal with an unavoidable by-product of press freedom: The so called yellow press. In order to boost sales, those tabloids tend to satisfy the lowest and most primitive instincts of the masses. They produce suggestive headlines, but no substance except for gossip. They stop at nothing for a sensational, slippery story.

Journalists working for the yellow press are mostly not an honor to their demanding profession -- to put it mildly. Only a journalist without a sense of shame and responsibility could produce a headline like Mega lebih ganas dari Sumanto (Rakyat Merdeka, Dec. 30, 2002), meaning to say that president Megawati was more ferocious than Sumanto, who is accused of cannibalism.

I am sure that millions of people share Minister Jacob's indignation about such disgusting journalism, but the threat to mobilize thousands of supporters of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) against those who permanently abuse press freedom is in every respect the wrong answer.

The serious question arises: What will be the impact? Who will bear the responsibility if the PDI Perjuangan supporters run amok? Since the law protecting press freedom took effect in 1999, more than 100 violent attacks against journalists and newspaper offices have occurred. I only recall the storming of the Jawa Pos (in May 2000), when about 100 of NU's Banser members occupied and destroyed the offices and forced the newspaper to close down.

Oppressed by an authoritarian government or by an authoritarian mob: What is the difference? In a democratic country, slander and libel cases should be solved by the criminal code, and not by misled masses of supporters who see violence as rightful means to enforce their will.

German researcher Thomas Hanitzsch said that "The task of the media is not to educate ... as this is the task of ... teachers ..." (the Post, Dec. 31, 2002). I disagree. I think that the media has a very important educational task to fulfill, especially when it comes to political education. The media should, for instance, educate their readers, listeners and viewers that press freedom implies also their freedom, and that the end of press freedom will end their freedom too.

HILDE MAY, Jakarta