Nowadays, Press Puts Pressure On Govt, President Says

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Oleh Astra Desita, Rabu, 10 Februari 2016 | 14:14 WIB - Redaktur: Filmon Warouw - 757


Mandalika, InfoPublik - President Joko Widodo assessed the media's role by revealing that the past governments asked the press to report only good news, unlike today.

"In the past, the press was suppressed to release good news only [by the government]. Now, it is the press who is pressing the government," the President said at the main event of National Press Day (HPN) 2016 celebration in Kuta Beach, Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Tuesday (2/9).
 
Actually, President Jokowi added, it is the press industry itself who suppresses the press. It is because of the intense competition in today’s press industry. “Who suppresses the media? In my opinion, it is the press industry itself because of the competition. Pressed by their own environment. This is what we must avoid together,” he said.
 
The President also criticized today’s media's performance. For the sake of having the most updated news, the principles of journalism are sometimes overlooked, especially in online media that can be accessed easily by public wherever they are.
 
"Journalism ethics are often overlooked, because the press want to have the most updated news, the news is sometimes  inaccurate, unbalanced, and mixed between facts and opinions. Besides that, sometimes the news judges someone. This is very dangerous," he said. (Translator: Erik Limantara)