Child-Friendly Reporting

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

A mother holds up her baby while waiting in line on Sunday (16/6/2019) for the public child health service program at Posyandu (integrated health service post) Matius 25 in Pondok Karya, South Tangerang, Banten.

The Press Council is publicizing its Child-Friendly News Reporting Guidelines in collaboration with the Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Ministry.

This effort should be appreciated because the Press Council did not merely draft a regulation. After it was agreed on 9 Feb. 2019 with the ministry, the council actively collaborated with various parties, including local administrations, to intensify the publicization of its guidelines.

The broad efforts at publicization also reminds us all that child protection is the responsibility not only of parents, teachers and the PPPA ministry. All parties must participate, not just the media.

A variety of media-specific rules exist on protecting children, such as the Journalistic Code of Ethics (KEJ), Law No. 32/2002 on broadcasting, as well as the Broadcasting Behavior Guidelines and Standards for Broadcast Programs. Even so, we must admit with all honesty that some media outlets still publish news that is not child-friendly, especially in coverage on children who are implicated in a legal case.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A child stands over a toddler during a weighing on Thursday (20/6/2019) at a Posyandu (integrated health service post) in Dukuhsari village, Ngampel district, Kendal regency, Central Java.

Now, with the 12 detailed provisions in the Child-Friendly News Reporting Guidelines, all media, both print and electronic, must be more careful in reporting news about children. The media is encouraged to produce news that is positive and empathetic towards children.

It also points out that the media must protect children from negative reportage so that children can grow in a environment conducive to their development. The Child-Friendly News Reporting Guidelines, for example, prohibits journalists from interviewing children who are witnesses in criminal cases of which the perpetrators have not been caught.

This provision is a significant development, as the KEJ prohibits journalists from "only" revealing the identity of a child who has been identified as the perpetrator of a crime.

The guideline also corrects several rules in the KEJ, especially regarding the legal age of children. The KEJ defines a child as below the age of 16 years and unmarried, whereas the latest guideline defines a child as below the age of 18, regardless of marital status.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A boy naps on a sheet of cardboard as his mother queues to receive zakat (alms) on 31 May 2019 in the Kota Lama (Old City) area of Semarang, Central Java. The Tasripin family distributes zakat to the poor every year ahead of Idul Fitri.

The Child-Friendly News Reporting Guidelines are indeed more stringent, and actually prevents the media from being criminalized for violating Law No. 12/2011 on the Juvenile Justice System, which carries a five-year prison sentence and a fine of Rp 500 million.

Beyond the Child Friendly News Reporting Guidelines, which is a reference for the media, it is more important to increase the collective awareness of all parties to create a good and healthy environment for children. A good environment can give birth to virtuous and high-quality children that this nation sorely needs.