JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Pacific Media Watch): The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has identified rampant violations by broadcasting companies, particularly television stations, of laws that govern the content they air to the public.
“We found journalistic content showing violence, descriptions of criminal acts in too much detail, insufficient protection of victims, inaccurate news and repetitive reporting of tragedy,” said KPI chairman Judhariksawan in a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing intelligence, defence and foreign affairs on Monday.
The KPI had imposed 49 sanctions, including discontinuing two programs and limiting the duration of two others, across several television networks in the first two months of 2016, he said, adding that there was still a lot of broadcast content that violated the Broadcasting Code of Conduct and Programme Standards (P3SPS).
Among those remaining violations are: the use of public channels to serve the interests of their owners, physical and verbal abuse on various television shows and featuring personal and private matters as infotainment, Judhariksawan added.
He also said that the broadcasting commission planned to evaluate the 10 television networks whose permits were set to expire this year.
Lawmaker Elnino M. Husein Mohi of the Gerindra Party said that House Commission I had discussed several changes in the revision of the Broadcasting Law, including the extension of the KPI’s power to fine unresponsive television networks and the restriction of cigarette and political advertising.
“We are proposing one point to be included in the hearing’s conclusion: stopping all unfair and unequal political ads, so that there will be no more complaints from the public about kids memorising political party anthems,” he said.
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