JOURNALIST HAS TO FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

         Jakarta, 29 Muharram 1435/4 December 2013 (MINA) – A senior journalist of Indonesia’s ANTARA News Agency, Parni Hadi called on all of Islamic journalists to fight against corruption and to help the poor. He cited an ayat of Al-Qashash from the Holy Quran that forbids the human being to do corruption in the earth.

        “Journalists have the duty of delivering information which is educating, entertaining, advocating, enlightening and empowering as well as a tool of social control in public affairs for the public interests,” Parni said on Wednesday (4/3) at “The 3rd Int’l Islamic Conference on Media” in Jakarta.

         He also explained the media conspiracy as the real corruption of journalism practice. According to Parni, the real corruption of journalism practice is the ‘Envelope Journalism’ (a colloquial term for the practice of bribing journalists to do favorable media coverage) that was well-known in Indonesia as “Jurnalisme Amplop”.

       Media conspiracy is a clandestine arrangement in editorial policies between media owners, rulers and business people. “It’s a kind of big corruption because it is against spiritual and moral purity and professional journalistic code of conducts,” Parni said.

         To act against it, Parni urges all of Islamic Journalists to follow the examples of Prophet Muhammad PBUH did as the Messenger of Allah. They were Siddiq (truth), Tabligh (diseminating in educative ways), Amanah (accountable) and Fathonah (full of wisdom).

          Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister, Suryadharma Ali officially opened the 3rd International Conference on Islamic Media themed “Media and Social Responsibility” which are followed by representatives of international media including Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), an international Islamic news agency based in Indonesia, at Sangri-la Hotel, Jakarta, Tuesday. (L/P01/P015/E1).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)