PRESS FREEDOM AT THIS ERA

 Assalamualaikum Wr.Wb

The honoroble judges

The distinguished audiences

Dear my friends who participate in this speech contest

It’s a great pleasure for me to stand here for joining this contest. And, in this good occasion, I’d like to deliver a speech with a subject  ” PRESS FREEDOM at this era”

Ladies and gentlemen,
Press is one of mass communication medias that gives a lot of information or news required by public. To meet the people’s need, freedom is one of the most essential component that should be obtained by the press. In the course of previous reigns, Press freedom in Indonesia was limited by the interests of the government. The press was forced to load each item that was not contrary to the government. Though it was touted that the press freedom existed, but it was more limited to reinforce the quo status rather than build the balance of function for executive, legislative, judicial, and public control. Therefore, it is not surprising if press freedom was more visible as the freedom form (free will) of the government, not the media managers and free press consumers, to decide the pattern and direction of the press’ content.

Since 1998, the progress of press has been felt because the press has absolute freedom to express various kinds of news, either supporting or resisting the government system or the other things. The presence of the press is considered to have been able to fill the void of public space into a gap between the authority and the people. The press in Indonesia experienced tremendous changes in the expression of freedom. The phenomenon is marked by the emergence of new media with various print and electronic packaging and segments. The courage of the press in criticizing the ruling is also a new feature of the Indonesian press.

The freedom given by our government to the press really changes the previous condition that sometimes make us proud of it. But, the fact happening at this time is that the freedom has been abused by the press itself. Why I can say that?

Ladies and gentlemen,

Press has function to explore sources to give information or news as factual as possible, and as objective as possible. But, in reality, nowadays press tends to exploit the news regardless of whether it was true or not. We can see that many media industry compete each other to find benefits as much as possible by ignoring its function as an instrument of public educators. The expectation to provide education to the community in order to establish the character of a moral nation has faded away. It was clearly seen in the media that presents political news and entertainment like sex. Such media tend to spit provocative, sensational news, or trapped indulgence in obscenity. Relating to this matter, the media offers the content and also the pictures of news vulgarly. Not only that, the media also exaggerates the real fact.

Ladies and gentlemen,

 As the result of this, The freedom of the press complained, was sued and criticized because many of the changes to "the press too far."

The complain can be derived from the victims involved in that news, or the readers who are critical to what was happening in their surrounding. Let’s take example, there were some artist claiming some media because their privacy were invaded by them. The newest thing is that governmental apparatus did some intimidation to press, like local Television station in Kediri East Java and also to 4 journalist in Garut. These all happen because the involved persons were harmed too much by the press regardless of seeing the real fact.

Ladies and gentlemen

Those bad things, of course, will not happen if the press in our country use its freedom to deliver news with responsible, true and unbiased information with the reliable sources.  The press must be responsive to public situations. Besides, the press should also act as facilitators to be able to appreciate what the public wants.

Ladies and gentlemen

Before closing, let me conclude my speech

Nowadays press tends to exploit news rather than explore it. As the consequence, complaint can appear from any sides.
To avoid such a bad thing, I think the press had better explore news with polite statements and be careful in arranging them especially related to the privacy of a person involved in that news. Besides, Government and people in this country especially the figures as the object of speaking or  the potential targets of media must have a great awareness to do their life normally so, the news will also deliver the good things about them as well.

Ladies and gentlemen,

That’s all my speech

Thanks for your attention.

Wassalamu’alaikum wr. wb.