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Press Council rejects controversial broadcasting bill
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Press Council chairwoman Ninik Rahayu speaks on May 14, 2024, during a press briefing to reject the widely-criticized bill that will revise the 2002 Broadcasting Law in Jakarta. (Antara/Walda Marison )
T
he Press Council has come out with a stern rejection of the widely criticized broadcasting bill, saying on Tuesday that it goes against the principles laid out in the Press Law and will only churn out bad journalism in the future.
The bill, which will revise the outdated 2002 Broadcasting Law, is currently being discussed at the House Legislation Body (Baleg), after lawmakers on House of Representatives Commission I overseeing communications and information, defense, intelligence and foreign affairs, produced the draft in October of last year.
The bill’s latest draft has also been met with opposition from journalist alliances, which fear that it will curb the freedom of the press through the provisions, particularly those that prohibit the exclusive broadcasting of investigative journalism content.
Press Council chairwoman Ninik Rahayu said that the restriction of investigative journalism content alone contradicts the Press Law, which has banned censorship or restrictions in journalism since 1999.
The council also took issue with an article that would grant the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) the authority to handle complaints regarding broadcast journalism, which overlaps with the council’s responsibilities as mandated by the Press Law.
“The draft ignores the Press Law. This shows that the draft [is not aimed at] producing quality journalism in broadcasting,” Ninik told a press briefing on Tuesday.
“If some of these [controversial] articles push through, our press will end up producing bad material that is both unprofessional and not independent,” she added.
