Nivell Rayda & Dessy Sagita – Footage of the mob violence and apparent killing of an Ahmadiyah member in Cikeusik, Banten, on Sunday was too brutal for the country's national television as most channels aired a heavily edited version to avoid adding fuel to the flames of hatred.
Metro TV deputy chief editor Makroen Sanjaya said the TV station acquired 30 minutes of footage from the clash – which was shot by another member of the sect – but decided to air only two minutes of it, leaving out the graphic mob killing scenes.
"The video was showing too many inhumane acts. It would have been unethical to show this on TV," he said. "No violence at all. We cut out all parts containing any brutality in line with our internal standards."
Makroen said the media should be cautious in deciding to broadcast pictures as violent as those of the Cikeusik attack to prevent stirring further negative sentiments.
"Videos like these can provoke people or give them the idea to copy the violent acts. It is our social and moral duty as a media outlet to prevent that," he said.
Another national TV channel, TVOne, was notably cautious in its reports on the Cikeusik attack, in which three Ahmadiyah members were killed and several others injured.
While TVOne showed scenes of the mob attacking the residence of an Ahmadiyah member in the village and pelting it with rocks, it did not show any of the violent content from the original video, which can also be accessed through YouTube.
When asked to comment on their decisions on the matter, TVOne and RCTI, another national TV channel, refused to comment.
Ezki Suyanto, a member of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), said TV stations in the country have their own regulations regarding what to broadcast, which are in line with those of the KPI.
"TV stations are not allowed to show graphic acts of violence or excessive amounts of blood, while the faces of victims must be blurred," she said, adding that TV stations are only allowed to describe such extreme situations by narration.
Ezki said any TV station violating the broadcasting rules would face severe administrative sanctions.
The footage of the attack, seen by the Jakarta Globe late on Sunday, showed police avoiding going out of their way to stop the mob from attacking the house of local Ahmadiyah cleric Ismail Suparman.
Around 30 policemen were overwhelmed by some 1,500 people carrying thick bamboo sticks and machetes.
"Police get out. Burn these Ahmadiyah people!" one man shouted to the rest of the mob. The mob immediately started pelting the house with rocks and the people still inside were forced to flee. The mob then chased the scattered Ahmadiyah members.
In another scene, the mob attacked an Ahmadiyah member with sticks and rocks as the man lied flat on the ground with his hands protecting the back of his head.
One of the attackers then picked up a heavy rock and smashed it against the man's skull – seemingly killing him instantly. The man's lifeless body continued to be pelted and hit long after he appeared to have been killed.