Camelia Pasandaran

Coverage of the anti-terror raid at this house in Temanggung, Central Java, has been compared to reality TV. (Photo: Bagus Indahono, EPA)

Indonesian Media Seen Helping to Spread Terror

The media’s saturation coverage of terror events since last month’s hotel bombings in Jakarta has effectively helped the terrorists spread fear and uncertainty in society, media watchers said on Thursday.

Muhammad Izzul Muslimin of the Indonesia Broadcasting Commission (KPI) said the media were helping terrorists achieve their goal of sowing fear in the minds of the nation’s citizens.

“The saturation and often sensationalistic media coverage may have the effect of generating terror,” Izzul said. “It’s as if media support is part of the terrorists’ plan to stir up unrest. The media should inform the public about terrorism, but it should give balanced coverage.”

The KPI has warned some members of the media about ignoring journalistic ethics. Earlier this month, the commission summoned two private TV stations for their coverage of a police raid on a house in Temanggung, Central Java, and for their reports — based on one unconfirmed source — that one of the men killed in the raid was fugitive terrorist leader Noordin M Top.

“We warned them not to over-report on terrorism,” Izzul said. “We also warned them that they should not jump to conclusions when investigating stories, and that they should stick to the facts and not mislead the public with their opinions.”

He said that sensationalizing the news was probably largely driven by the need to reach economic targets.

The media, Izzul said, should also take into account the sensibilities of their audiences and those people affected by the news, such as the families of victims and perpetrators.

“Both the victims and the terrorists have family,” he said. “The media should exercise care and not show close-up shots of killed in these events.”

Ade Armando, a communications expert at the University of Indonesia, said the media tended to cover anything related to terrorism, no matter how insignificant.

“The media have become a garbage bin for any scraps on terrorism, while neglecting the significance of the news,” Ade said.

He said that despite the almost nonstop coverage of terrorism, the media still failed to provide a complete picture of what was really happening, and showed little understanding of the real problems. “The media tends to accept without question any information from the police, and is often provocative with the news,” he said.

Ade, a former KPI member, demanded that the commission take a stronger stance when dealing with the media.

“The KPI should stand up to outlets that violate journalist ethics,” he said. “It should clearly state what the media may cover or not. And it should sanction the offenders, not just give them warning after warning.”

He said that television was part of the public sphere, meaning that it had a duty to provide accurate information.

Izzul said the commission applies sanctions based on the type and number of violations.

“If media outlets ignore our warnings, we will apply stronger sanctions,” he said.

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