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 Maluku islands and Central Sulawesi, two provinces in Eastern Indonesia, were hotbeds of religious conflict from 1999 to 2004. Some sections of the Indonesian press have been partly blamed for fanning communal violence between Muslims and Christians through biased reporting. Although the hostilities between the two communities in the two areas have been contained, friction can resurface. The challenge for journalists is how to enhance religious tolerance in these conflict-prone regions.

The Dr. Soetomo Press Institute (LPDS) in Jakarta, in cooperation with the New Zealand embassy, brought 20 journalists from Maluku and Central Sulawesi as well as from the provinces of West and East Nusa Tenggara to the Indonesian capital Aug. 2008. In a four-day exchange, they shared experiences, hopes, and ideas on the appropriate approaches in reporting conflict and in helping to maintain interfaith harmony.

The practice of peace journalism was duly discussed. Traditional war journalism focuses on the conflict between warring factions but gives insignificant attention to the innocents caught in between. Peace journalism departs from this. It analyzes the conflict and explains its history in its political and social context to allow the public a deeper understanding of the conflict. Further, peace journalism also emphasizes the plight of the victims and the senselessness of the conflict. The intent of such reporting is to stop the conflict and bring peace.

Reporting that enhances religious tolerance if not appreciation for other faiths depends on efforts to advance the professional competence of journalists. The twin tenets of accuracy and verification are imperative. Noor Huda Ismail, director of a peace advocacy institute who has written frequently on religious conflict for The Washington Post, warned the journalists they should not assume the things they do not know well.

Reporting on religious conflict demands serious checks and rechecks on the information used. Thorough research is one means to verify information. Journalists must also report with fairness, balance and a humanist perspective, declared Ismail who has reported on the insurgency involving the Muslim community in Southern Thailand.

Accuracy is so crucial because the lack of it breeds uncertainty. And “nothing spreads terror faster than uncertainty”—a quote credited to Colin Shaw of Oxford University during a 2002 seminar in Kuala Lumpur on violence and the media.

Another speaker, Catholic scholar Mudji Sutrisno, further underscored the primacy of the truth. He cited the adage “the first casualty of conflict is the truth.” Getting to the truth is a big challenge particularly if it is encircled by fabrications and lies. So much so that one participant suggested that the term “truth journalism” has a more relevant ring than peace journalism.

Religious conflict coverage must also be done with prudence and caution, more so by the broadcast media. Television footage depicting violent conflict could be traumatic for viewers, said Pius Pope, a broadcast instructor. On the other hand, a news cast should create a sense of peace and not provoke more conflict, Pope continued.

A visit to the offices of Kompas, perhaps Jakarta’s most esteemed daily, gave the journalists from the post-conflict regions an idea of how the media with a humanist approach can promote communal peace. The paper places humanism above news value, managing editor Budiman Tanuredjo explained. If an event has news value but could stir unwanted controversy, the paper would treat it very carefully or not report it at all. In covering the conflict in Maluku and Poso, Central Sulawesi, Kompas withdrew its local correspondents and flew in reporters from Jakarta to give impartial, balanced reporting, Tanuredjo said.

Journalists have “a prophetic mission”, declared Muslim scholar M. Syafii Anwar. “They report the truth with the intent that the conflict situation would improve. Don’t insert opinion that would only escalate the conflict. Facts are sacred. Refrain from provocative headlines and misleading analysis. Journalists have a mission of education to state the truth,” he said.

Reporting the truth, verifying it with faultless checking, and adhering to a humanist perspective are ways journalists can help to enhance religious tolerance and establish communal harmony.

NB The name of the meeting journalists from the post-conflict regions attended was “Journalism Course on Enhancing Religious Tolerance”, Jakarta, Aug. 25-28, 2008.