Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – The propensity of Indonesian news media, particularly on television, for highlighting dramatic conflicts is not helping promote peace and pluralism, experts said on Thursday.
"The kind of journalism we have loves highlighting drama instead of emphasizing the spirit of peace and multiculturalism, without looking at its effect on our diverse audience," said Agus Sudibyo, of the Technology Aesthetics and Science Foundation (SET), which promotes pluralism, freedom of information and media democratization. "Media should not serve as a conflict intensifier. It should give something positive to our diverse community," he added.
Agus was speaking at the Television Journalism Awards for Peace and Multiculturalism in Jakarta on Thursday. The awards recognized Trans7 for featuring the plight of families from East Timor and East Nusa Tenggara who meet in border areas to maintain their relationship, and DAAI TV for its report on a Sundanese-Chinese musical group.
The awards were organized by the SET Foundation, USAID-Serasi and the Union of Indonesian Television Journalists (IJTI).
Prominent Indonesian director Garin Nugroho cited the coverage of Wednesday's vicious brawl outside a Jakarta court house, in which three victims had their limbs hacked off, as an example of inappropriate coverage.
"Our television environment is not healthy as the parts of events they air are the violent ones and, sadly, they air them repeatedly," Garin said. "This is a threat to the virtue of unity of diversity in Indonesia, our people always see symbols of violence on television."
Wednesday's brawl was the latest in a recent spate of local violence, including tribal clashes in East Kalimantan that have left five dead, communal violence in West Nusa Tenggara and a spike in interfaith conflict that saw two protestant church leaders attacked in Bekasi.
Competition, Agus said, contributed to this divisive media culture. "Capitalism and consumerism are to blame for this condition," he said
Separately, Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, the chairman of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), said journalism in Indonesia must evolve beyond base sensationalism.
"We have not reached the level of journalism that has responsibility and ethics by promoting peace and multiculturalism," he said, adding that many things still needed to be done to fix the journalism industry in the country, especially television.
The organizers said they hoped the award could reset the path for Indonesian media, away from sensational reporting and toward thoughtful dialogue.
"We hope this award will be able to encourage more people who work in media to promote peace and multiculturalism as media have a big role in building this value," said Imam Wahyudi, the chairman of IJTI. "Media should not be provoking violence in the society."