Press Council Spells Independent Media In Indonesia - Janet Steele

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- The setting up of a proper press council has led to a more independent media in Indonesia, according to an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs. Prof Dr Janet Steele said based on the Indonesian experience, the establishment of a press council in the 1960's demonstrated to the Indonesian public that journalists could regulate themselves in order to sustain press freedom. "The council provides an alternative to the legal system in regulating the press. For example, if you write something that others don't like, the matter can be brought up to the council's attention to be discussed without involving the court. "The problem at hand will be discussed at a public forum, and the findings made known to the public and the offending parties be made to offer a public apology," she said in her talks on 'Press Freedom: Challenges for the Media-Lessons Learned from Indonesia' at Wisma Bernama here Friday. Steele, who was fluent in the Indonesian language, noted that the existence of the council ensured less interference from the government, hence more freedom for the press. She told the function organised by National Press Club (NPC) Malaysia that the presence of a press council would also serve as a platform for journalists to explain to the public about good and bad journalism practices. A familiar figure among Malaysian and Indonesian media circles, Steele was a former Fullbright professor in the American studies programme at the University of Indonesia from 1997 to 1998. She writes a weekly newspaper column called 'E-Mail from America' for 'Surya' daily in Surabaya. Present at Friday's event was NPC president and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Domestic News Service deputy editor-in-chief Mokhtar Hussain.(photoBernama) -- BERNAMA