How media can create cultural dialog

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 01/25/2007 3:44 PM | Opinion

Jakob Oetama, Nusa Dua, Bali

I start our discussion by quoting Ian Hargreaves' book, Journalism: Truth or Dare. He wrote, ""Where once journalism's reach was confined by the time it took to hand bundles of newsprint from one end of a country to the other, now it is global, instantaneous and interactive.""

We experience it not just daily but every time an event occurs in any part of the world and we instantaneously witness it. The dissemination of news as information in the current multimedia era is global, instantaneous and interactive in nature.

In the context of our meeting, our attention is attracted to interactive qualification. Interactivity makes information become communication. The traffic is not one way, but two way, and even multi ways. The opportunity and the stage for dialog are open then. This open opportunity is the central subject of our meeting; i.e. to make ""current media and information/communication systems work better for cultural dialog and peace"".

We start the issue by asking, ""Of the many events and problems, which one we will choose as news and material for commentary."" Of course, what is interesting for readers, listeners and viewers.

Is the criteria limited only to its attractiveness or also to its benefit? Interesting and beneficial for the public, it also becomes useful for the continuation of dialog among citizens of a nation and between citizens of different nations. Such dialog is needed by a nation, because of the plurality of society and the existence of different and even conflicting interests.

I am including the people who have the view that the media need an outlook and goals. The media need policy, say editorial policy.

The media outlook or editorial policies are the benchmarks and criteria to select event and issues to be raised as material for information and communication.

Outlooks and editorial policies also give value to the news, apart from the criteria of attractiveness and public attention.

Currently, the world is confronted with problems like conflict, war, poverty, injustice, prejudice and suspicion. The world is confronted with problems that hamper the continuation of cultural dialog and endanger peace. Therefore, the media must pay attention and raise such problems and situations as materials for news, coverage and commentary.

All these issues have become the focus of the media. A further effort that needs to be taken by the media and communication systems is to answer the challenges posed by the fact that information and communication have become ""global, instantaneous and interactive"". This effort should include more meetings and dialogues like this Bali Global Forum.

The media society has periodically met in global forum. This meeting is caused by internal and external challenges. Internal challenges include the major changes and developments being experienced by the media. There are also technological changes that have big and determining influences on the print, electronic and digital media.

There are also periodical meetings between publishers, editors and reporters at the regional and global levels. The direction and spirit of those meetings are preoccupied not only with internal media affairs, but also with the external obligations, roles and functions of the media, which is also the theme of this Bali forum.

In the media community what is often discussed is not just the what, but also the why, the how and the background. They discuss how to provide in-depth and comprehensive news coverage, which combines background, relations and interactions. An event is put not just in the national and regional context, but also in the international context.

We still need old practices. Placing journalists abroad and regularly conducting in-depth reports about the respective countries and the reportage conducted in the countries.

Of course, the media society and members of the media themselves have the role of determining what urgent tasks are expected from the media. That is, ""How can the current media and communication media and information/communication system work better for cultural dialog and peace.""

Such a big job can only be carried out by knowledgeable, hard working and committed media and media people, with care for the fate of fellow human beings, especially those suffering from hunger, poverty, conflict and war.

The writer is the CEO of Kompas daily/Gramedia Group. This paper was presented during the three-day Bali Global Forum, organized by UNESCO recently.

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