Journalists call for a return to basics

Harry Bhaskara ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Nusa Dua, Bali   |  Fri, 05/09/2008 12:28 AM  |  Headlines

American journalism as practiced under the George W. Bush administration has come under fire by journalists here at the Global Inter-Media Dialogue (GIMD).

Examples of bad practices abound, they said, with terms like "war on terror" and "Islamic terrorists" proliferating while journalists fail to question their accuracy.

Participants in the two-day dialogue on the resort island agreed they need to scrutinize the practice and go back to the basic tenets of journalism.

These include reporting facts, presenting as close to the truth as possible and promoting professionalism, independence, social responsibility and tolerance of other cultures.

Participants said they should be vigilant of definitions circulated by other parties, as they had often been used by people in politics or military circles.

"Now we know 'war on terror' is simply propaganda cloaked in a public relations euphemism," one journalist said.

"We have become puppets without realizing it," said another.

Another said the so-called War on Terror was a new Cold War designed to divide the world into two opposing camps.

About 130 journalists from nearly 70 countries attended the forum which ended Thursday. It was cohosted by the Norwegian and Indonesian governments and also had support from New Zealand.

The third GIMD is titled "Ethical Journalism in Extreme Conditions: The Challenge of Diversity".

A journalist who worked in Bosnia for years said she had witnessed many journalists coming there without prior knowledge of the country.

"But as soon as they write stories, especially when they represent a global media firm, people take their stories as impartial," she said.

Greg Sheridan from the Australian said journalists were vulnerable to making mistakes.

These mistakes can run the gamut from false analysis to false perception, he said, adding that well-known American columnist Tom Friedman was also prone to mistakes.

Friedman once wrote that John Howard won the premiership because he was a champion of globalization as opposed to incumbent Paul Keating.

People in Australia would surely not buy this line of thinking, he said of the columnist for whom he claimed to have great respect.

It is important, Sheridan said, for journalists to be able to see and feel a story by being present in the places described in their stories.

He also said there were analyses saying Australia could never be part of Asia as it was a country with a different race.

"But how could one explain the fact that the country has very close relations with China and Japan?" he asked.

As in the past, good journalism has always been the fruit of hard thinking and good writing, Sheridan said.

Norwegian Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs Wegard Harsvik, who was present in many sessions of the two-day forum, said in his closing remarks: "I am going home a little bit changed and a little bit wiser."

There were times, he said, when he almost could not resist the temptation to ask questions and join the discussion.

"The lively debates resembled those in the Norwegian parliament," he said.

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