Tempo’s newsroom has been terrorized by a package containing a pig’s head and rat carcasses sent to one of its journalists.
Long before this, several other forms of terror were often directed toward the journalists hosting the podcast Bocor Alus Politik.
This act of terror involving dead animals aims to silence the press, even though freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution.
Dr. Wisnu Martha Adiputra, a Communication lecturer from UGM’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM), explained that the terror attack against Tempo’s office is clearly an effort to silence the press.
“Intimidation against the media has been carried out through arbitrary actions and blocking access to information. But in this case, it is at a higher level,” he said on Tuesday (Mar. 25).
According to Dr. Adiputra, press freedom and democracy, which were built post the 1998 reform, have seen a decline, not only from the state but also from society.
This kind of terror still occurs because hatred is being cultivated.
In fact, every citizen should respect and value others’ opinions in a nation’s life, especially since the press is a key pillar of upholding democracy.
To counter the silencing of the press, support for strengthening law enforcement is necessary.
In addition, resolving differences of opinion or disagreement with the information conveyed by the media should follow established procedures.
If there are differences of opinion or objections to the news or information broadcast or published by the media, they can be reported to the Press Council for mediation.
“Perhaps it is indeed time for the public, especially the government, to be reintroduced to the proper procedures for resolving differences of opinion,” he explained.
Regarding the terror against critical journalists, Dr. Adiputra expressed his support for Tempo and urged law enforcement officers to conduct an investigation promptly.
He also advised journalists to always be careful and vigilant. This is particularly true for journalists from smaller or campus media outlets, who may not have the same privileges as those from larger media organizations.
Nevertheless, members of the press should never be involved in conflicts.
“Press freedom is essential in democracy; if there is no press freedom, then there is no democracy,” he concluded.
Author: Jelita Agustine
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Image: Iran Freedom Press