Time for press to be criticized: Senior Journalists
Time for press to be criticized: Senior Journalists
By Santi WE Soekanto
MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Senior journalists greeted with
grace President Soeharto's criticism of the press in Indonesia
and its occasional tendency to overstep its boundaries.
The president said that such infractions could place the
nation at risk and suggested that it was now the press' turn to
be open to criticism.
Jacob Oetama from Kompas daily, Albert Hasibuan of the Suara
Pembaruan, and Sjamsul Basri of Suara Karya told The Jakarta Post
that the criticism was timely and should be welcomed as an
opportunity for the press to engage in self introspection.
In his speech at the National Press Day ceremony yesterday,
Soeharto urged the press not to sacrifice idealism for an
increased readership.
In the view of the three senior editors, the president's
comments did not really address the questions of press freedom
and were more a criticism of the press' proclivity for the
sensationalized stories that today's readers crave.
Sjamsul Basri said the criticism should be accepted with an
open mind. "The press is part of society and one of its functions
is to control other institutions in the society," he said. "This
means that the press, too, should be open to criticism coming
from other parties".
"When President Soeharto spoke about how the press sometimes
crosses the line and creates unrest, I believe he meant
matters ... such as obscenity, which attack a public sense of
propriety," Jacob said.
"The point is, the press doesn't have any option but to grow
as an industry...and, in this process, conflicts of interests are
bound to arise between the idealistic and commercial aspects of
the press," he said.
"This is not an 'either or' choice. We need both idealism and
commercialism," Albert Hasibuan said. "Capital does have an
important role in the press industry, but if capital is allowed
to run the whole show single-handedly, we'll end up with a
sterile press."
Idealism
Idealism should still be the main force in the development of
the press, he said. "We need skills, experience...idealism, to
improve the quality of our press."
Jacob and Hasibuan agreed that President Soeharto was likely
being critical of the press' coverage of domestic, social and
political development issues.
"Perhaps the press wants to go further in its coverage ... and
demand more transparency. It wants to bare all ... but this is
not responsible," Jacob said.
He acknowledged that the Indonesian press has a number of
limitations and needs to balance freedom with responsibility.
The discourse on press freedom and the responsibility of the
press to preserve national stability is long-standing, and has
never been completely resolved. The government usually stresses
and calls on the "responsible" side of the press, while the press
itself struggles for more openness and room for its reporting.
Last June, the government banned three major publications --
the news magazines Tempo and Editor and the tabloid DeTik -- for
the way they reported news events and for administrative
violations.
ASEAN
The National Press Day celebration, which will last until
Sunday, is also being attended by a number of journalists from
some member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations. The Philippines, for instance, sent 15 journalists to
take part in the activities.
One of the delegates, Leonilo G. Claudio, editor-in-chief of
the Daily Express in Davao City, has visited Indonesia four times
and has been observing developments in the Indonesian press.
Regarding the press ban, he said, "We have never had one in
the Philippines, perhaps because we have a different system," he
said.
"In any case, the Philippine press has always been liberal and
would resent such pressure," he said. "But," he hastened to add,
"if that is the way your country improves the quality of its
press, good luck."