Twisted media reports deplored

Twisted media reports deplored

BOGOR, West Java (JP): The civil emergency administrator in
Maluku, Governor Saleh Latuconsina, has urged the National Press
Council to help the media in "telling the truth and being
objective in reporting the Maluku case".

"Since the ministry of information no longer exists, we would
like to ask the National Press Council to help us deal with the
twisted media reporting on Maluku, he told a session with the
press council's chairman Atmakusumah Asraatmadja here late on
Monday.

"Many national media have run stories that are completely at
odds with the true facts and they have a tendency to exploit
incidents which could arouse anger in both the Muslim and
Christian camps," he said.

Monday's session was part of a meeting titled Journalism in
Conflict organized by the British Council, National Press Board
and Independent Journalists' Alliance (AJI).

"It's hard to keep things under control in Maluku with so many
misleading reports," the governor complained.

Latuconsina further singled out a Jakarta-based daily which in
several of its editions had employed bombastic titles and partial
reporting.

Atmakusumah shared Latuconsina view, saying that he had
"softly criticized the daily for its writing".

"Besides that, I have also noticed several local (Maluku)
media carrying provocative reports," Atmakusumah said.

He further said that a new system for dealing with media bias
needed to be set in place.

"The governor could fax copies of media reports that are
considered provocative to the press council so as to help us deal
with the problem," Atmakusmah added. (edt/49)