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Dipo slammed over media boycott threat
Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam repeated threats that the government would cut access to information and state-funded advertising to several media outlets, which he claimed were biased in their reporting
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abinet Secretary Dipo Alam repeated threats that the government would cut access to information and state-funded advertising to several media outlets, which he claimed were biased in their reporting.
Dipo said the sanctions would be imposed on several news outlets, including Metro TV, TVOne and Media Indonesia daily. “These outlets have excessively attacked the government in a very one-sided manner and are very politically influenced,” Dipo said on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
He said that unless the media companies upheld fairness and independence in their reporting, the government would order all government institutions and state-owned companies to block them from gaining access to information and stop advertising through these media.
Metro TV and Media Indonesia are owned by tycoon Surya Paloh, a close associate of former vice president Jusuf Kalla, while TVOne is owned by the politically wired Bakrie family.
The family’s chief patron, Aburizal Bakrie, is the chairman of the Golkar Party, which recently backed an initiative to form a legislative committee to probe graft in the tax office — a move that could possibly lead to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s impeachment.
Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD slammed Dipo’s statement, saying it was a form of restriction on press freedom. “The media is an integral part of the long-championed democracy we have in the country. Dipo himself in the past fought for press freedom,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
He said the government could express its opinions to counter the editorials published in the media without threatening media outlets. “Let the media make criticisms. It is not right to punish them, particularly in the name of the state. The Constitution guarantees press freedom,” he said.
Press Council member Agus Sudibyo said Dipo’s statement implied that the government only advertised in less critical media. “Such practices, if implemented, would damage the notion of press freedom,” he said, adding that the government could consult with the Press Council if it disagreed with the news published in the media.
“We very much welcome the government to use the Press Council to judge whether a news article violates journalism code of ethics,” he said.
Metro TV news director Suryapratomo denied accusations of biased reporting, saying his station exposed only facts.
“Metro TV’s reporting is not biased against the government. We don’t work based on personal likes or dislikes,” he told the Post.
Suryapratomo insisted television advertising by government institutions were purely business matters and nothing to do with the newsroom. He said the Dipo’s threat indicated that the government was still sensitive to criticism and quick to wield power to restrict press freedom.
