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gathering of some 200 chief editors in Nusa Dua, Bali last week had a number of noble objectives. They included a 'campus media empowerment program, capacity-building for local journalists, as well as infrastructure assistance to improve education in remote areas nationwide.'

The Chief Editors Forum cost some Rp 5 billion (US$506,000). According to the chairman of the forum, who is also chief editor of Tempo magazine, Wahyu Muryadi, there was surplus funding from sponsors, which included Pertamina, Garuda Indonesia and Artha Graha Peduli.

In its statement, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) said that ahead of the 2014 general elections, the gathering of so many chief editors could 'raise unecessary political speculation'. The media bosses, AJI said, should avoid accepting a variety of perks that could influence editorial independence.

To all the criticism, Wahyu responded: 'I'll give back the sponsorship [money] if there is any attempt [from the sponsors] to intervene in the news.' Many of the media represented in Bali carried both positive ' and negative '
sounding views of the event, which was closed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

However, the summit's declaration was drowned out with criticism and ridicule, especially given the goody bags that reportedly included condoms. The manufacturer's aim for the media to help campaign for male participation in birth control was also lost amid the sordid image of highly mobile, mostly male press workers.

Antara news agency reported that the nine-point 'Nusa Dua Commitment' was the chief editors' vision 'to build a strong Indonesia' that included the reiterated intention 'to use press freedom professionally'.

But one pledge was conspicously absent ' to strive to improve press impartiality amid increased political maneuvering ahead of 2014.

The urgency of this commitment was because the legislative candidates' list included a number of media professionals. The General Elections Commission (KPU) is to finalize the list by end of this month. Before that, media companies whose professionals are on the provisional list should tell their audiences that their personnel will be non-active in the media at least until after the election results are announced.

Given the clout of media companies in the face of oversight institutions like the Press Council and the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), we would not be surprised if the media professionals on the provisional list made it into the final list. In Bali, there was no elaboration of how the media should uphold the code of ethics, particularly regarding the elections.

And this is why we are still pessimistic about the professional ability of the Indonesian media in general in covering politics ahead of 2014. People must work with each other, with elements in the media, to closely watch the coverage of politics and other issues, for it is clear that one cannot rely on these chiefs alone.