Discourse over free press resonated in the world press community yesterday during the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), which this year took place in Jakarta.
Discourse on "freedom for what" was preceded by discourse on "freedom from". The above phrase for Indonesia is still relevant in the present era.
After the Reform Era, the nation’s press was free from beredel (license revocation) of the iron fist of the New Order era. Then a question arose, what is the freedom for?
The question was reiterated by President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla at the opening of WPFD, Wednesday (3/5). From the statements of the President and Vice President, we can take away a number of messages.
First, the government supports the freedom of the press, with which objective and critical information can be presented. Here problems frequently arise. Driven by impulse, political competition and lack of competence, the criticism frequently becomes not objective, at least disproportionate.
In this context, not infrequently do we hear that the freedom of the press is considered to be excessive. Perhaps, as the President pointed out, this is sparked by very high dynamism among the press. It was only natural for the Vice President to say that the freedom of the press should be maintained.
The press also needs to be introspective. It should be acknowledged that Indonesian press resources are still inadequate. Out of 70,000 to 100,000 Indonesian journalists -- jumping from only 6,000 journalists during the New Order Era -- only 10 percent have undergone competency tests or have obtained certification.
When competence becomes a demand, it starts to lack relevancy amid a diminishing media industry. What’s the point of a competency test when salaries are not increased following certification?
At WPFD 2017, two issues we need to underline are the safety of journalists while on duty and the rise of fake news. For journalists who fall victim to violence, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova notes that there is still a lot of impunity.
In regard to fake news, many say the mainstream media has to become a reference.
We are of the same opinion with the nation’s leadership that the freedom of the press is needed for the progress of the nation. On the other hand, we are also aware that in order to utilize press freedom for the above purposes, better press resources and an environment conducive for journalistic work are needed.