Broadcast commission told to have courage in face of TV stations


Jakarta, (Antara News) - The Indonesian Broadcast Commission was expected to have more courage in the face of television stations especially those without official permits or frequently carrying unworthy programs, a legislator has said.

"The commission should be consistent in imposing sanctions on the delinquent television stations," a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission I, Mutammimul Ula, said here early Sunday.

The legislator made the remark to ANTARA in response to the commission`s warning against four television programs which were considered to have problems.

"The four television programs show that media are still oriented to capital interest rather than quality improvement of human resources in Indonesia," Mutammimul said.

Thus he said it was a must for the media owners to have social responsibility.

However, the commission should also deserve an appreciation for its measures in favor of the public in the face of the current global effects from the media.

"We should however appreciate the commission for its hard works," he said.(*)

Think he means Fashion TV.

Al-Manar? No worries mate.

According to Al Manar's news director, Hassan Fadlallah, Al Manar does not aim to be neutral in its broadcasting, "Neutrality like that of Al Jazeera is out of the question for us," Fadlallah said. "We cover only the victim, not the aggressor. CNN is the Zionist news network, Al Jazeera is neutral, and Al Manar takes the side of the Palestinians...He said Al Manar's opposition to neutrality means that, unlike Al Jazeera, his station would never feature interviews or comments by Israeli officials. "We're not looking to interview Sharon," Fadlallah said. "We want to get close to him in order to kill him."