[Kabar-indonesia] Yudhoyono asks media to promote tolerance

[Joyo at aol.com]

also: Journalist unveils path to inner journey

The Jakarta Post 
Sunday, September 3, 2006

Media asked to promote tolerance

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the international media Saturday 
to play a mediating role in conflicts rather than fanning animosity.

"You are society's conscience, you are the agents of change and we count on 
you to help the human race by promoting freedom of speech, spreading tolerance 
and advancing peace and understanding," he said in his opening remarks at the 
Global Inter-media Dialog here.

The forum is co-sponsored by the governments of Indonesia and Norway and has 
brought in around 70 media people from 44 countries. It was organized in 
response to the controversy over European editorial cartoons satirizing the Prophet 
Muhammad.

The row over the cartoons prompted media people from around the world to talk 
about the need for the media to promote peace and tolerance in view of 
religious and cultural sensitivities.

Yudhoyono said the media had to walk a thin line between supporting free 
speech and taking part in discrimination.

"Addressing cultural sensitivities does not mean you are compromising free 
speech," he said, citing the American media in the 1960s, which employed 
self-censorship in the portrayal of race riots and later race relations. This did not 
reduce press freedom but did help ease the violence.

Yudhoyono said many Muslims felt they were not being portrayed fairly by the 
international media and had complained of double standards.

"When non-Muslims are killed in the line of fire, they say, Western news 
coverage is more significant than when Muslims are killed routinely in Palestine, 
Iraq and now Lebanon," he said.

As the leader of the world's most populous Muslim nation, Yudhoyono said the 
Muslim community worldwide was not asking for special treatment but for the 
respect given to other religious groups.

He said the media should encourage people to move beyond their image of Islam 
through learning about one another and discussing any differences or 
similarities.

"In times of hostility, it is always critical to narrow the perception gap, 
avoid misunderstandings and maintain communication through accurate 
information. No one can do this better than the media."

Speaking on the same occasion, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store 
said it was important to discuss the extent to which the media should take into 
account sensitivities that are not protected by the law yet deeply held.

"Freedom of expression can never be exercised in isolation from its context. 
Awareness of other people's sensitivities and of their right to be treated 
with respect should be part of all normal, civilized behavior," he said.

Any inter-media dialog, said Store, should provide media practitioners with a 
broader range of background information, ideas and interpretations to manage 
fundamental differences.

The international forum, titled "Freedom of Expression and Diversity: The 
Media in a Multicultural World", is expected to be held on a regular basis. Store 
said his government would be pleased to host the next one. 

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, September 2, 2006

Journalist unveils path to inner journey

Award-winning video journalist Desi Anwar, executive producer and talk show 
host of MetroTV, launched on Aug. 30 at The Peak at Sudirman her first book, A 
Romantic Journey: Notebook of a Traveller, and accompanying photograph 
exhibition.

Published by Yayasan Pendidikan dan Pengembangan Budaya Visual Oktagon, A 
Romantic Journey is a collection of photographs and bilingual expository text -- 
the original English translated into Bahasa Indonesia by writer Ayu Utami via 
email correspondence -- and is the fruit of Desi's travels across the country 
and abroad.

Oktagon curator and photographer Firman Ichsan commented, the book is an 
"exploration of her identity, a search of her other side from how we (the public) 
know her, as an objective journalist... And we can see this process in the 
exhibit. She is still searching, still experimenting, as she herself said that a 
journey has no destination".

During her opening remarks, Desi said that A Romantic Journey "started as 
something personal ... a seeking of mystery in the journey. But what is personal 
is ultimately universal". She refrained from explaining the book or exhibit 
further, as this would "take away the romance" of discovery for the 
reader/viewer.

BNI commissioner Felia Salim, who spoke at the launch in a personal capacity 
as a self-confessed art lover, said: "We have known Desi as a journalist who 
has opened many windows for us. Today, she has opened a window to her heart... 
Notebook of a Traveller is a history of moments from her journeys, and (it is) 
full of heart, simple, clear and honest. There is no prejudgment in (any) of 
the photos."

Fans of the Griffin & Sabine series by Nick Bantock will feel an immediate 
kinship with A Romantic Journey, which invites readers to embark on an internal, 
almost spiritual journey through the exploration of visual and literary 
prompts.

>From New Zealand through Europe, across China and inside The Vatican, most of 
the images appear as portraits -- whether of objects, people or spaces -- and 
exude a tangible sense of closeness.

"As a photographer, I can say that her work is esthetically perfect, patient 
and colorful. There is no pretension," Firman said. "It is also warm and, 
surprisingly, feminine," he added, explaining that this latter quality was 
unexpected because of Desi's established professionalism.

Meanwhile, Aceh-born Surya Dharma Paloh, MetroTV owner and chairman of the 
Sukma Foundation, remarked: "I am completely impressed by Desi's work... I hope 
that she will continue to produce such work long into the future."

Part of the proceeds raised from book sales will go to the Sukma Foundation 
-- which has completed building a school in Bireun regency, Nanggroe Aceh 
Darussalam, and is constructing two others in Pidie and Lhokseumawe -- to provide 
assistance to the children of Aceh.

A Romantic Journey: Notebook of a Traveller photo exhibit runs from Aug. 30 
through Sept. 10 at the Viewing Gallery, The Peak at Sudirman, Jl. Setiabudi 
Raya 9, Central Jakarta. Open Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat-Sun, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 
The book is available at most major bookstores in Jakarta. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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