Ways and means of fighting 'envelope journalism'

Ways and means of fighting 'envelope journalism'

Anett Keller
Leipzig, Germany

I read the stories about bogus journalists in The Jakarta
Post's edition of March 20 with great interest. Press officers
from companies and the bureaucracy apparently feel terrorized by
crowds of wartawan tanpa surat kabar ("journalists without
newspapers"), as bogus journalists are often called, a word play
on an Indonesian abbreviation for prostitutes.

These bogus journalists arrive at offices, claim to work for
certain media, and proceed to combine the demand for money with
the demand for press freedom. They are hard to root out because
many of their "real" colleagues may also show up at a press event
simply seeking to leave with some cash in their pockets.

Doing research on the media in Indonesia leads quite quickly
to the phenomena of "envelope journalism". Certainly, Indonesia
is not the only place in the world where bribing journalists
takes place, but there are not many countries where it is so
rampant and openly practiced.

It's easy to avoid bogus journalists by simply refusing to
give out envelopes or other gifts, as a press officer from the
Ministry of Finance stated in one of the articles. However, it
seems that nobody is really interested in such a solution. Press
officers frequently rake off half the "PR funds" for themselves.
Both companies and ministries are attempting to buy good
publicity rather than trying to convince the public with results.

In fact, there is no other way around bogus journalism than to
eliminate "envelope-culture". That means seeing the practice for
what it is: bribery, and not some small, meaningless gift. It is
important to explore the reasons that force journalists to seek a
'second income', as Nezar Patria put it. And it is important to
remind media owners that they have to provide adequate
remuneration for their staff. But lamenting that Indonesian
journalists are too poor to act professionally is not enough. Nor
is it necessarily correct: there is empirical evidence that
journalists with the lowest income are not always the most
corrupt.

As Nezar also pointed out, we cannot just blame one side.
Constructing a solution requires understanding of both public
relations and journalism. It also requires more empirical data,
which requires funding that should be provided by all those who
claim to have an interest in ending envelope culture. This
information needs to lead to open discussion and finally,
collective agreements that contain precise declarations of
intent.

However, all of these factors depend on improved transparency.
During my research on the Indonesian press in Jakarta last year I
had the chance to talk to many newspaper journalists in the
capital.

I learned that there are some media companies who return
money to the respective sources after press events, as it is
assumed to be impolite to refuse it at the event. Data about
sources and amounts are collected for administrative reasons.
Theoretically, everybody could know which ministry pays how much
for attending a press conference, or which multinational is
"supporting" its product launchings with dollars.

Why is it not possible to publish these lists? If a media
company feels clean, I see no reason to hesitate. Especially if
we come to the engagement of multinational companies in bribing
local journalists, it is likely that the public in their home
countries also would like to know. There should be follow-up,
investigated and published by foreign journalists.

In strengthening transparency, media journalism could play a
vital role. Media journalism has the media itself as its topic.
In the USA and in Europe, media journalism has a long tradition
and is not just present in special interest magazines but also in
newspapers.

Almost every national daily has a permanent media page that
is filled by writers specializing in covering media subjects. It
contains more than just a TV program guide and some movie
previews. If journalists are kidnapped or killed, it becomes a
topic. If a certain media owner tries to terminate a collective
agreement with his staff, then this is a subject for coverage.

If a TV station excessively uses product placements in its
daily soaps, it is addressed there. Decisions of the press
council are discussed. And, if journalists are faking interviews
or stories, such as the German Tom Kummer or his American
colleague Jayson Blair, it is published there. Media experts are
interviewed on current topics, or analyze the role of media and
journalism in their own articles.

I asked Indonesian colleagues about media journalism here in
Indonesia. I learned that criticizing competitors is widely
viewed as trying to drag them through the mud. Sungkan was the
term one journalist used for the feelings journalists have about
reporting on their fellow colleagues. What goes on in other
newspapers or TV stations is mostly considered to be their own
business.

Media journalism, if executed in a professional way, means
neither praising the home media company nor disparaging
competitors.

Media journalism means that the media feels responsible for
informing the public. As the German journalist Rupert Neudeck
once stated, it means transparency of the media, within the
media, and with the media.

Media journalism can play a very important role - some
scholars even say it can function as a fifth pillar of democracy.
With media journalism, the media is explaining its role, its
structure, its constraints and its opportunities to the public.
Therefore it should become a permanent issue in the general-
interest media and not just in media watchdog magazines with a
small circulation that is only read by media experts and
journalists.

"The role of the media is not confined solely to information.
The media must also play a role in organizing discussion and
public debate," said Jakob Oetama, the founder of Kompas and CEO
of Kompas Gramedia Group, recently in this paper. This is also
true for debates about the role of journalists and media
companies.

Media journalism could help to reduce envelope journalism.
And, as a by-product, it could help strengthening the public's
trust in the Indonesian media.

The writer is a freelance journalist who studied in Leipzig
and Yogyakarta. She is currently finishing her thesis on the
press in Indonesia. She can be reached at anett_keller@web.de.