Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

owners paying little attention to this issue. KIPPAS
used research as a tool to develop the media circle by
researching all topics about North Sumatra, particularly
the disputes between people and officials up to topics
concerned with the mass media. All studies were
published in the journal of the office named Kupas.
After that, the research of KIPPAS proved its worth
and was accepted by media circles in Medan and North
Sumatra. Now, in addition to research, KIPPAS plays
the role of mediator in linking up the media in Medan
and North Sumatra in order to develop the media circle
and its professionalism. It also urges the attention of the
mass media on the struggle for media freedom. They
arrange seminars for the executives of publications and
radio and TV stations in Medan and North Sumatra in
June 2005.
CONCLUSION
From the study of five months in the Philippines and six
months in Indonesia, I found that if communities have
their own media that present comprehensive news from
their locality, and provide useful information or check,
criticize or disclose corruption, the community and
society will be advanced. However, the world’s media
all go in the same direction, emphasizing marketing and
efficiency. The effective execution of their media project
means that they gain a profit. The result will be straying
from the presentation of news and information from
the public arena because the public news is unprofitable.
The businesses calculate gains and losses and hold less
to the concept that the media should serve society. This
condition occurs in Indonesia, as well. The executives
of the big press groups are proud with the expansion of
their businesses and the ownership of as many media
outlets as possible. Their idea is that effective execution
means a profit from their investment. This idea forces
the companies in their nets to make profits for the
mother companies. Moreover, the giant media groups
in Indonesia are close to politicians and political parties
or the media owners go into politics themselves. This
certainly affects the neutrality of the media whenever
there are sensitive cases like corruption.
In the Philippines and Indonesia, there are a number
of media that have survived. Some of them have existed
long enough to become icons, such as Sunday Punch
and the Baguio Midland Courier in the Philippines
and Kadualatan Rakyat, Pikiran Rakyat, and Waspada
in Indonesia. These give full space for local news but
the contents depend on the policy of each press. From
interviewing student organizations’ leaders and the
leaders of non-governmental organizations, I learned
that after the Suharto despotism, the news that concerned
SOCIAL JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
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the movement of the poor was given more heed from
both the mainstream and local media but the period of
presenting and whether it would be the lead news on
the first pages depended on the issue of protestation and
the struggle of the poor. Making the media more closely
follow the news of the poor and present it continuously
is thus a challenge for the movement of the poor.
In each province, besides the local media, there are
also alternative media that are growing up both in the
Philippines and Indonesia. In case of the Philippines,
we can see the example of Ms.Yasmin Arguiza, the
founder of the Bandillo ng Palawan Weekly in Palawan.
A former reporter with international news agencies in
Manila who had reported news about the environment
for more than ten years, she decided to resign to work in
Palawan because she felt that the international agencies
did not help people in local areas. She saw many
problems in Palawan including those involving forests,
water, and marine areas. She wants to protect the sea
from bad fishermen. She feels that reporters have to be
responsible to society as well. Her newspaper influences
the locale but fails economically. The reporters work like
volunteers, including herself; her income comes from
working for alternative mass organizations like PCIJ
and other news agencies abroad. But she still works for
this newspaper.
In Indonesia, we see the alternatives of community
radio like Angkringan Radio in Yogyakarta. This
sprang from a group who saw corruption in the local
administration and the policy of moving money for the
community into the hands of cronies of the authorities.
The Angkringan thought that this was unrighteous
so they thought of activities they could do to solve
the program. They began with issuing a newsletter to
present the problems and surveyed the number of poor,
and gained the interest of the people and the authorities,
as well. Their efforts caused the money to really reach
the poor. The newsletter was regularly published and
gained more co-operation from locals. Later, the media
changed its form from publication to community radio
to communicate the information. One important point
in the case of Angkringan Radio is the building up of
people like the current president of Angingan. He was
a normal youngster when the Group was founded but
when he learnt about its activities, it made him change
himself to pay more attention to the problems in the
local communities and to join in finding solutions.
Now, many young people in the communities are more
interested in developing their own communities.
Many organizations are now growing in Indonesia such
as KIPPAS in Medan. Organizations like Media Watch
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows