BALI, THE IMAGE – Bali Police Chief, Inspector General Pol. Putu Jayan Danu Putra asked his staff, so that if there are cases or complaints from the community in Bali regarding news disputes or press disputes, coordinate first with the Bali Province Indonesian Cyber Media Union (SMSI), before following up on cases or public complaints regarding news disputes in Bali.
Police Chief Putu Jayan made this statement when he received the Board of the Indonesian Cyber Media Union (SMSI) for the Province of Bali, at the Andalan Lounge, Bali Police Headquarters Rupatama, Monday, March 8, 2021.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the Bali SMSI management for providing additional information and knowledge to us as police officers in carrying out the police function, especially when later we find cases or complaints from the public regarding disputes over press reports. I ask that the Regional Police Reskrim have a more technical discussion with SMSI Bali, in order to add information and knowledge needed, “said Kapolda Putu Jayan.
Present to accompany the Bali Police Chief in the hearing, the Director of Criminal Investigation of the Bali Police, Kombes Pol. Djuhandani Raharjo Puro, SH and the Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Kombes Pol. Syamsi, SH.
Meanwhile, from the Bali SMSI Management, present the Chairman of SMSI Bali, Emanuel Dewata Oja who is familiarly called Edo and the Secretary of SMSI Bali, Arief Wibisono.
Kapolda Putu Jayan Danu Putra explained that currently, with the various facilities that are obtained by the public in accessing information, it is possible for the public to be free to question the content of the news media in the press. The police, too, said the two-star Police General, could not possibly not have paid attention to complaints or reports from the public who felt that he was being harmed by the press coverage. Because in essence the main duty and function of the National Police is to serve the public, including following up on reports or complaints about news disputes.
Meanwhile, the Director of Criminal Investigation of the Bali Police, Kombes Pol. Djuhandani Raharjo Puro, SH, who was given the opportunity by Kapolda Putu Jayan to provide a technical explanation regarding public reporting or complaints related to press disputes, emphasized that currently in Bali there has not been any disputes regarding press reports that have raised public objections and are followed up through the legal process.
However, this Melati Tiga Police Officer said that it was often difficult for them to distinguish between legal online media and illegal online media, in the sense that it did not meet the requirements to operate as legal online media according to various applicable regulations.
“We ask that SMSI can provide a list of online media which have met the requirements as true online media according to the law,” he said.
In response to the things conveyed by both the Bali Police Chief and the Bali Regional Police Director, Head of the Bali SMSI, Emanuel Dewata Oja explained that currently in Bali there are more than 400 hundred online media from more than 46 thousand online media throughout Indonesia. However, not all of these online media have met the requirements for the establishment of an online media according to the conditions determined by applicable regulations.
It was also explained that there is a tendency for the Police to handle disputes over the Press coverage only by referring to the presence of the disputing media in the Press Council. Whereas SMSI encourages the Police to examine cases of press disputes, not only by questioning whether the media, especially online media, have been registered with the Press Council or not.
More than that, the police are expected to refer to the question of whether the disputed news is a journalistic work or not.
“We from SMSI encourage the police if they receive complaints or reports from the public regarding news disputes, to use Law number 40/1999 on the Press. Because there has been an MoU between the Press Council and the National Police in 2017 which regulates the use of the Press Law as a regulatory tool for resolving press disputes, “said Edo.
At the end of the hearing, the head of the Bali SMSI, Emanuel Dewata Oja alias Edo handed over a book entitled “Journalist’s Pocket Book” to the Bali Police Chief, Putu Jayan. The book contains all press work regulations that have been regulated by the Press Council, such as Law Number 40/1999, the Journalistic Code of Ethics and several documents of the MoU between the Police and the Press Council and the MoU between the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Press Council.***(rls)
