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Indonesian - It is almost 10 years old that the press council was born, one year after the birth of the Press Act, in 2000 several press organizations and companies formed a press council in order to meet the needs of the national press life in order to be strong in unity and achieve the ideals and hopes of complete press independence.
Here the author considers that there needs to be a complete change, perhaps it is time that the Press Council was reformed both structural reform and operational reform, aiming for the Press Council to return to the duties and functions mandated by Press Law No.40 of 1999, where the goal of the Press Council was to develop press independence and improve the quality and quantity of the press so that a healthy, quality and dignified national press ecosystem could be realized.
As a matter of consideration and study, the author will show some of the actions, policies and activities of the press council that are deemed to have exceeded the limits of the duties and functions of the press council under the Press Law, among others;
1. The Press Council maintains and develops a negative paradigm, namely discrimination.
The Press Council has always maintained and developed a discriminatory paradigm by giving rise to the term constituent rather than a press council constituent, and there are even press councils vulgarly issuing statements that outside the press council constituent are perverse and illegal, This ridiculous statement had a major impact on the lives of the national press, resulting in a major split between journalists, then being used by some government officials in responding to journalists by following the stigma of the press council, namely journalists, or illegal.
Press councils should play an active role in building the unity and unity of the press and creating a healthy and quality national press ecosystem, Moreover, the press council is an independent institution that should not take sides with some communities, let alone discriminate and dichotomize national press people with constituent statements and not constituent press councils, this was the beginning of a split and a major cause in tearing up and destroying the unity of national press people.
2. The Press Council makes rules to regulate the Organization of Journalists, Press Companies and Journalists.
The Press Council has made many rules for the benefit of the press council itself and made rules to regulate the affairs of press organizations, press companies and journalists. Such as the issuance of press council statutes, Journalists Competency Standards, Journalists Competency Tests, MoU with state institutions and others. The function of the press council is to facilitate the press organization in drafting regulations in the press sector and improving the quality of the journalist profession, not making rules for them.
The definition of the word 'Facilitating' means that the press council does not act as a regulatory body because the preparation of regulations in the press field is carried out by the press organization and the press council only as a facilitator rather than a regulator because the press council does not have the authority to make policies and regulations that are carried out. It is evident that none of the rules of the press council were enacted and recorded in the Indonesian State Gazette or the State Gazette.
3. The Press Council verifies the Organization of Journalists and Press Companies.
The press board has made a big mistake in verifying which journalists and press companies are considered to have passed and failed to pass the verification, the press board seems to have the authority and power to determine which press organizations and companies are considered to have passed and failed to pass the verification. Those who pass will be included in the constituent community of the press council and those who do not pass or who have not taken the verification are considered not to be the constituent of the press council, this is a fatal mistake, misapprehending the differences in data collection and verification. Data collection is a process of collecting data, while verification is a process of checking the correctness of data, as for the duties and functions of the press council, namely data collection (collecting) not verifying.
It is hoped that the press council can record all journalist organizations and press companies in Indonesia, both large and small organizations and companies, so that with the help of large funds from the government, the press council should be able to build a healthy ecosystem of national press people by maintaining large organizations and companies and then attempting to facilitate the organization and companies that are still weak to become large so that they can compete healthily in the digital era that will Coming.
4. The Press Council conducts MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with state institutions.
From the results of the verification, the press council issued an official decision that the press council constituent consisted of 10 journalist organizations (minorities) from journalist organizations (majority groups), meaning that the press council constituent was only 20 percent and those that were not 80 percent constituent. Suddenly, the press council conducted an MOU with state institutions, for example with the police, while doing this press council MOU in the name of whose representative? While the majority of the national press do not feel represented and ironically, they protest against the many things the press has done, even today most press organizations and companies do not consider the press council, Some of them want the press council to be disbanded because it is not in accordance with the mandate of the Press Law.
Conclusion:
Looking at the four examples above, it is strong enough to assess that the performance of the Press Council is very poor, plus almost the majority of the national press people do not feel the positive effects of the press council's program and policy, which is divided by national press unity and unity, so here the authors draw conclusions and argue, among others;
1. That it is time for the press council to be completely reformed both structurally and operationally, considering that the press council is an independent institution that can help all journalists and press companies organization without distinction from each other and can build a healthy and quality press ecosystem.
2. In forming the new press council management, it is hoped that all journalist organizations, which are around 50 organizations, will be united and united in determining the leadership of the press council, selecting people with commitment and professionalism in carrying out their duties to maintain and fight for complete freedom of the press with transparent management and accountability.
Author,
Aceng Syamsul Hadie, S.Sos., MM.
Lecturer and social media observer.
