INDONESIA: 'Obscene Beyond Porn'

The events leading to the execution of what is now popularly called the 'Bali bombers' brought to the spotlight once again ethical questions that the media need to address in the name of 'public interest'. 

A recent 'Jakarta Post' editorial entitled, 'Obscene Beyond Porn', criticised the way media entities have sacrificed principles in the name of public interest. It questioned the way the media portrayed the Bali bombers, and how it made a circus of the execution to the point of glamourising the convicted terrorists.

The paper cited one report featuring the younger brother of Amrozi, one of the Bali bombers executed on Nov 9. The brother said he was "proud his brother had never burdened his parents". In another report prior to the execution, added the editorial, Amrozi's mother was shown "receiving little guests, a kindergarten class, with their laughing teacher among her many visitors".

"For some, media outlets delivered more than their audience cared to know about the convicted terrorists and their families. The media's strategy, nevertheless, is to give as much information as possible to satiate public curiosity," stated the editorial.

Coming in the heels of a much-debated issue of Indonesian government's efforts to protect society from porn, the daily said: "We may have forgotten what is more obscene than the parade of flesh: the parade of violence and religious rhetoric justifying violence.

While stressing that they are not "for harsher measures against the press", the editorial maintained that the media could use some self-regulation, which should not be mistaken for self-censorship.

Some excerpts:

"Media consumers have the complete freedom not to read or watch what they do not like. But the perception we possess unbounded freedom with no degree of prudence in how we use it has provided ample excuses for introducing laws to curb such liberty

"But the media here, in spite of and because of all its freedom, has yet to draw the line distinguishing what is human interest from what does not merit the ink and costly airtime, when it comes to those convicted of heinous crimes or anyone briefly in the spotlight for their questionable behaviour.

"A responsible and open media should not just convey random, crude and unadulterated information. It is our task to ensure a free media presents knowledge to civil society."

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