The President said the press played a constructive role in teaching the public, as mandated by the 1945 Constitution, and as one of the pillars of democracy, the press played a role in supervising and controlling the executive body.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said capital owners unsound intervention in the media industry harms the constructive role and freedom of the press in carrying out its mission as one of the pillars of democracy.

"The constructive role of the press, the one which exercises its journalistic code of ethics, may be harmed when capital owners intervene in the media industry unsoundly. Consequently, the press will lose its freedom, lose what it must do to carry out its mission," the President said when addressing the commemoration of ANTARA News Agencys 76th anniversary here on Wednesday.

On the occasion, the President was accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and a number of ministers.

ANTARA was founded on December 13, 1937 by Soemanang, Adam Malik, Pandu Kartawiguna and Albert Manoempak Sipahutar.

The President said the press played a constructive role in teaching the public, as mandated by the 1945 Constitution.

Also, as one of the pillars of democracy, the press played a role in supervising and controlling the executive body, he said.

To that end, the press must write stories based upon facts, cover both sides in writing stories, ask for confirmation of the truth of stories and refrain from writing false and defamatory statements, he said.

He noted that capital owners intervention in the media industry occurred not only in Indonesia, but also in other democratic countries, including western countries where democratic traditions have existed for hundreds of years.

As a democratically growing nation, Indonesia must be able to stay away from such intervention, he warned.

He added that government intervention in the media industry might also harm the press role. Normally, government intervention was only found in autocratic countries.

"Where an autocratic system flourishes in a country, democracy and freedom of the press will not grow. The press is controlled, and to some extent, may be dissolved and banned so that it fails to play its role as a pillar of democracy," he said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013