Press Community Requests Discussion of Broadcasting Bill to be Stopped

The press community has asked that discussions on the Broadcasting Bill be stopped because it threatens press freedom and democracy.

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A protest atmosphere rejecting the Broadcasting Bill took place in front of the DPR building in Jakarta on Monday (27/5/2024). Similar protests were held in several cities in Indonesia.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Rejection of the draft revision of the Broadcasting Law which contains a number of controversial articles is getting stronger. The press community asked the House of Representatives to stop discussing this bill because it has the potential to suppress press freedom.

Dozens of journalists from various organizations voiced their rejection of the draft Broadcasting Bill while demonstrating in front of the DPR Building, Jakarta, Monday (27/5/2024). Apart from giving speeches, they also unfurled banners and posters criticizing the bill because they considered it a threat to freedom of the press, freedom of expression and democracy.

The Chairman of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI), Herik Kurniawan, stated that the Broadcasting Bill not only affects the press community but also the wider public. This is because it contains controversial clauses that can hinder journalistic work in delivering quality information to the public.

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The General Chairperson of the Indonesian Television Journalist Association (IJTI), Herik Kurniawan, attended a protest against the Broadcasting Bill in front of the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Monday (May 27, 2024).

Therefore, the discussion of the draft bill must be stopped. According to him, if the draft bill is still being discussed while maintaining problematic articles, democracy in Indonesia will experience a setback.

"There are articles that are very likely to undermine press freedom. The draft is currently being worked on in the legislature. We know that it will be discussed soon, that is why we reject it," he said.

Also read: Why is the Broadcasting Bill Controversial?

One controversial article in the draft Broadcasting Bill is Article 50B Paragraph 2 Letter C regarding Broadcast Content Standards, which includes a point that prohibits the exclusive airing of investigative journalism. However, investigative reporting is crucial in revealing the truth of a case.

“Investigative journalism is the crown of journalists' work. Imagine if the public didn't get clear information about what happened. "How can this country run well," he said.

Another controversial article is Article 50B Paragraph 2 Letter C regarding the airing of Broadcast Content and Broadcast Content containing false news, slander, insults, and defamation of character. This article is highly open to interpretation, especially regarding insults and defamation of character.

In addition, Article 8A Letter Q and Article 42 Paragraph 2 related to the settlement of broadcasting journalistic disputes are carried out by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) in accordance with the provisions of the laws and regulations. These provisions are related to Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press which mandates that the settlement of journalistic disputes be conducted in the Press Council.

Given the various controversial articles, the Broadcasting Bill should not be rushed for discussion. Especially since the term of the DPR members for the period 2019-2024 is only about four months away.

One controversial article in the draft Broadcasting Bill is Article 50B Paragraph 2 Letter C regarding Broadcast Content Standards, which includes a point that prohibits the exclusive airing of investigative journalism. However, investigative reporting is crucial in revealing the truth of a case.

"If it indeed has an impact on the overall termination of the Broadcasting Bill, then we must do it. We take the risk of longer time, but the results are maximum," he said.

Secretary General of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Bayu Wardhana, suspects that the Broadcasting Bill is part of a larger scenario to weaken democracy in Indonesia. Other efforts are being made in revising the Constitutional Court Law.

"Therefore, this is not only related to the press and Broadcasting Bill, but also to the many things we reject regarding the suppression of critical power of journalists and the community," he said.

KOMPAS/TATANG MULYANA SINAGA

Secretary General of the Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI), Bayu Wardhana (left), gave a speech during a protest rejecting the Broadcasting Bill in front of the DPR Building in Jakarta on Monday (May 27, 2024).

Bayu said that similar actions were taken in several cities throughout the country, such as Banda Aceh, Jambi, Pontianak, Bontang, and Jember, in addition to Jakarta. According to him, the bill also has the potential to threaten the creativity of content creators.

"So, let's unite our aspirations to reject this Broadcasting Bill without compromise," he said.

Previously, the Working Committee for the Broadcasting Bill or the DPR Legislative Body promised to absorb public aspirations and consider them because the norms in the legislation draft can still be changed. The draft of the Broadcasting Bill circulating in public is still being discussed.

"The bill in circulation is not a final product so it is still very possible for changes to norms in the Broadcasting Bill," said member of the Broadcasting Bill Working Committee (Panja) from Commission I of the DPR, Nurul Arifin, in a written statement (Kompas.id,< /i> 5/14/2024).

Also read: Press Council Rejects Draft Broadcasting Bill

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Journalists unfurl posters during a demonstration against the Broadcasting Bill in front of the DPR Building, Jakarta, Monday (27/5/2024).

Nurul added that the DPR also had no intention of silencing the press through the Broadcasting Bill. This is because efforts to revise the Broadcasting Law have been underway since 2012. The urgency of changing the Law is also getting stronger in line with technological developments that require strengthening digital broadcasting regulations, especially regarding over the top (OTT) and services. >user generated content (UGC).

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Wana Alamsyah said that the Broadcasting Bill has become one of the triggers for the government and DPR (People's Representative Council) to hinder investigative journalism in uncovering corruption cases. The press often reports on corruption cases involving officials. In some cases, the initial information comes from reports by the community.

"When restrictions on investigative reporting are included in the Broadcasting Bill, it adds to the long list of ways in which the government and the DPR are deliberately suppressing ongoing corruption cases," she said.