Sudah lama penulis nyatakan, bahwa segala pertelingkahan sebahagian rakyat Indonesia terhadap Malaysia adalah disebabkan media, bukan rakyat kedua negara itu sendiri. Akan tetapi, masih banyak orang awam yang tetap terbawa-bawa dengan arus media yang tersebar secara bebas. Entah orang awam yang benar-benar tidak memiliki latar belakang pendidikan yang mapan atau bahkan pergerakan-pergerakan mahasiswa yang seharusnya memiliki landasan ilmiah yang cukup juga terhanyut dengan fitnah-fitnah yang terkutuk. Alhamdulillah, dalang bagi kasus yang pahit ini dapat terungkap. Walaupun belum 100% tapi ia sudah mampu menunjukkan kepada semua rakyat, bahwa ini semua fitnah. Fitnah dan salah faham belaka. Semoga umat Islam dapat bersatu. Amin.
How Positive Coverage Can Be Bought: An Insider Tells of Dirty Journalists
Danu Pratama (not his real name) has worked as a
journalist for nearly seven years, covering beats ranging from
technology and politics to human rights and legal issues. During that time he has also taken bribes from sources and others to “play up issues in the media,” essentially presenting deliberately biased or inaccurate news stories to benefit those paying him.
“We can play up any issue in the media, especially political, legal and economic issues, because politicians, law enforcement officials and businessmen are willing to spend a lot of money to attack their rivals through the media and make them look bad,” Danu told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.
He said his demands for bribes ranged from Rp 7.5 million ($830) into the hundreds of millions, depending on the urgency of the issue, who the source was and whether they wanted an issue manipulated in print, broadcast or online media — or all three.
“I never play up an issue alone, because then it’d become obvious,” he went on. “I usually work with a team of five other journalists, where I act as the coordinator and make the deal with the source. I assure you that even the so-called cleanest media outlets have journalists who have taken part in this ‘mafia’ practice.”
As shocking as Danu’s revelation is, senior media figures say this culture of strings-attached reporting is the norm in Indonesia, fueled by a liberal official stance on bribery and a largely underpaid press corps.
“Government institutions and companies often allocate a portion of their budget to a media development fund that provides journalists with so-called transportation money,” said Nezar Patria, chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).
“They maintain a list of journalists covering their beats, whom they usually give anywhere from Rp 250,000 to Rp 1 million each. Unfortunately, this money is often accepted by journalists who work for less-than-credible media outlets that don’t pay them well.”
Nezar said AJI and the Press Council had for the past 15 years been campaigning against the practice of journalists taking bribes. “Indonesian journalists and the media have taken part in the fight because they understand the importance of not losing our sense of objectivity when reporting a story,” he said.
“That commitment can be seen in every media outlet, which all state that journalists may not receive any gifts or money.”
He added that this value was clearly enshrined in the journalistic code of conduct.
“Other than compromising a journalist’s objectivity, receiving a gift or a bribe will harm the wider profession because it needs to be understood that journalists are agents of information between the state and public,” he said. “A journalist must convey only the truth because society has a right to know the truth.”
Agus Sudibyo, a member of the Press Council, agreed.
“But we can’t accuse any journalists of doing this unless we have evidence, such as phone recordings,” he said.
“If the Press Council does receive evidence that a journalist has taken a bribe or a gift, we will notify the media outlet or their journalists’ association.”
Wartawan Indonesia siar laporan palsu
JAKARTA 11 Nov. - Demi ganjaran wang berjuta-juta
rupiah, segelintir wartawan Indonesia didakwa sanggup menyiarkan
laporan tidak tepat atau berat sebelah.
Bertambah parah, sebagai menjaga kepentingan pihak yang menawarkan
suapan itu, wartawan-wartawan terbabit sanggup 'mereka cerita' termasuk
isu-isu yang melibatkan politik, undang-undang dan ekonomi.
Amalan buruk itu didedahkan seorang wartawan yang hanya mahu dikenali
sebagai Danu Pratama (bukan nama sebenar) kepada akhbar Jakarta Globe
hari ini.
Danu yang sudah tujuh tahun bekerja sebagai wartawan berkata, dengan
melakukan pekerjaan terkutuk itu, dia mampu mengaut upah antara 7.5 juta
rupiah (RM2,623) sehingga ratusan juta rupiah.
Jelasnya, upah suapan tersebut mengambil kira sejauh mana kepentingan
sesuatu isu itu didedahkan, sumber yang membiaya dan sebesar mana
dakwaan mahu diperbesar atau dimanipulasi sama ada di media cetak atau
elektronik serta media baru.
''Saya tidak melakukannya (menerima suapan) sendirian kerana jika hanya saya seorang, ia nampak terlalu ketara.
''Kebiasaannya, saya akan melakukannya bersama rakan-rakan lain.
Semuanya lima wartawan dan saya bertindak sebagai koordinator dan
berurusan dengan sumber yang memerlukan khidmat kami,'' katanya Danu
sambil mendakwa kerja terkutuk itu turut diamalkan oleh wartawan
organisasi media yang kononnya dianggap 'bersih' dan memiliki
kredibiliti.
Sementara itu, pendedahan Danu turut menarik perhatian seorang
wartawan kanan tempatan yang mengakui budaya 'menyogok' wartawan menjadi
sebahagian daripada amalan dalam kerjaya kewartawanan di Indonesia.
''Bahkan, sesetengah pejabat kerajaan dan syarikat swasta menyediakan
peruntukan kepada pihak media yang kononnya disebut sebagai 'elaun
kenderaan'," kata Pengerusi Gerakan Wartawan Bebas Indonesia (AJI),
Nezar Patria (gambar).
Dakwanya, pihak-pihak yang menyokong budaya negatif itu lazimnya
memiliki senarai nama wartawan yang selalu membuat liputan acara mereka
dan kumpulan wartawan terbabit dibayar antara 250,000 rupiah (RM87)
hingga 1 juta rupiah (RM350).
''Kebiasaannya yang menerima wang itu terdiri daripada wartawan yang
bekerja di organisasi media yang tidak memiliki kredibiliti atau
syarikat yang menawarkan gaji kecil," dakwa Nezar.
- Utusan
No comments:
Post a Comment