Press Freedom? Hmm ....

Since the last entry, I had been thinking about things to be shared here. Let’s try if I still remember them.

I read about this Swedish’s magazine case. Honestly, I actually hoped that Denmark’s Jylland Posten would be the last. But, there are still a lot of people who think that press freedom is above every kind of moral stuff. Press freedom is everything.

Why do they insist that they can do everything based on press freedom? Because they are THE PRESS! As simple as that.

Learning from the history, press often showed the truth about circumstances that seems OK. In Indonesia, we can track what media could do, from Indonesia Raya newspaper till Bondan Winarno’s independent investigative reporting about Busang case. In international scoop, Washington Post with President Nixon’s Watergate scandal is the best pioneer for investigative journalism.

But, hey … that’s investigative journalism. It’s the best journalism that reflects what journalism should do: serve the public. And that “serve the public” thing should be done by every kind of journalism product, and by every human being involved within.

Mass media, which always relates with every kind of journalism, has to do what journalism should do. We are serving people. We are fighting for public concern, not making us as the public concern.

I learned journalism at college, so I do agree about freedom of press. But, the freedom of press is supposed to be used for public concern only, not to create conflict(s) among people. Mass media is only allowed to use press freedom for their defense if they are doing something to fight for public concern.

In these cases, for me, it's shallow to use press freedom as the shield. Every journalism's soldiers know that media has to write about conflict(s), not to create conflict(s). Every media should use their power wisely: as the fourth pillar in a country, so the governance can't act as a dictator.

So, what's the summary? Don't make fun about other's religion! If there's something wrong made by the follower(s), it's not the fault of the religion. It's on the follower(s). And, we don't have a right to judge a religion by some of it's followers. We already have a Mighty Judge for it.

Talking about that Mighty Judge, I remember what Emha Ainun Najib wrote in Gatra Magazine as a response for Jyllands Posten case. He said, “I don't care about what others said, because I love my God too much.”

Terrorism is the main reason why Moslem people get this negative stereotype. That could be happened to me if someday, some people bring terrors for this world, and then all of them are identified as Christians. What if, for political purposes, one country declares that Christianity is terrorism? I assure that all of the Christian will get these bad stereotype and prejudice every where they go, including me.

Till now, I do believe, along with billions people in the world, that our religion – whatever it is – never teach us something bad. That's why, no living creature has a right to accuse any religion as something bad. In any possible accusation.

Because, above everything, above that freedom of press, we are still human beings. And, as a human being, I have this obligation: RESPECT OTHER HUMAN BEING(S).