EYE ON ETHICS

Mr. Basorie teaches journalism at the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute (Lembaga Pers Dr. Soetomo, LPDS) in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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The Indonesian press recovered its freedom when President Soeharto abruptly resigned on May 21, 1998 after 32 years in office in the heat of widespread student-led demonstrations. The demise of Soeharto’s New Order saw the end of print media licensing, the banning of newspapers, the obligation of journalists to join a government sanctioned journalists’ association, information ministry press directives, and the removal of restraints to criticize the First Family, the military and their business cronies—all once taboo subjects for coverage.

The press spared no effort to expose corruption and other wrong-doing. But after a spate of privacy violations, defamation charges, and an assortment of ethical breaches, the press has earned the public wrath for what critics call the excessive use of its freedom.

Now, 10 years later, how does the Indonesian public perceive press freedom?

The Press Council, the independent press complaints agency, and the Tifa Foundation, a media development non-government organization, conducted a survey to find out. The April 2008 research exercise involved 305 respondents in six cities: Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Pontianak, Makassar, and Jayapura. The respondents were randomly chosen from a 2007 telephone directory and were polled by phone. Some 59% of the respondents graduated from high school and 24% have earned a college degree. They were asked nine questions ranging from the usefulness of the media, how to respond to incorrect reporting, to the imposing of censorship and outright banning of media, and the role the press plays in public service.

The response to six of the nine questions was favorable to the press, with more than 50% of the respondents giving it a thumbs up.

Are the media free to choose and report events free from pressure? Some 54.43% agree the media are free. On the degree of usefulness, 56.39% of the respondents say the media are useful, 32% said so-so, and 6.5% said no. Asked if they agreed or disagreed that the state should guarantee and protect press freedom, 80.33% agreed, 16.07% were doubtful, and 3.61% did not answer or did not know.

On the key question as to whether the media have used their freedom excessively in reporting an event, 62.95% did not agree, whereas 25.9% replied yes, the press has been excessive. On censorship, 57.05% did not agree that the government should be able to decide what the media can and cannot cover. Some 22.30% agreed the government should have that power whereas 20.66% did not know.

On the role of the press, 60.00% said it has done a good job in controlling government actions and policy making.

On the downside, a greater number of respondents rebuked the press in three areas. On the best course of action a person should take if the media report incorrectly about a news subject, 44.92% of the respondents said people should report directly to the police. Only 35.08% favored the use of the right to reply, the course recommended in the journalistic code of ethics for the public to use. Meanwhile 2.62% advocated demonstrating against the media organization concerned.

On how the media generally have done their job, only 40.98% said they have done a good job. Some 43.28% said the media have done a so-so job, and 8.20% said they have done poorly.

On whether the government should have the power to ban a media organization deemed bad for the public, 33.44% agreed, whereas 42.30 % disagreed. A sizable 24% did not know.

In conclusion, the survey’s findings favor the press. The majority of respondents support press freedom and find the media useful to society. Only a minority (25.90%) said the press has used its freedom excessively.

However, the survey also underscores the need for the press to do its homework: to upgrade its performance and augment its public service value. It needs to convince people to use the right to reply in complaining about an incorrect news report. In line with this, journalists should minimize the occurrence of inaccurate reporting. For its part, the Press Council needs to intensify and increase the number of its public education activities to inform people of their rights and how to best address their grievances.

Another lesson learned concerns the ninth question on the role of the press. Although 60% agreed the press has done a good job in monitoring the conduct of government. On the function of education, only 37.05% said the media have done a good job in this category. On information dissemination, just 46.89% said the press has done well.

If the press is to be a meaningful service to mold a civil society, it will have to put more substance in its role as information and education provider.