IN carrying out journalistic activities on a regular basis, journalists must be able to distinguish between public and private spaces so that they respect the privacy of sources and do not sacrifice sources in journalistic activities. However, in practice, in certain cases, it is difficult to separate the public interest from the private interest because the two are interrelated.
This was stated by the Chief Editor of Kabartamiang.com, Ayi Jufridar, when he was a presenter in a journalistic study activity held by the Indonesian Citizen Journalists Association (PPWI) in Lhokseumawe City, Indonesia, recently. In his presentation, Ayi reminded, among other things, of three regulations related to journalistic work in accessing and disseminating information.
The three regulations are Law Number 40/1999 concerning the Press, Law Number 14/2008 concerning Public Information Disclosure, and Law Number 19/2016 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions. "Besides that, there is also a Journalistic Code of Ethics which must be a reference for journalists' journalistic activities," added Ayi, who is also a fiction writer.
In carrying out their journalistic duties, journalists can also use Law No. 14/2008 to obtain information and data concerning the public interest. “In investigative reports, for example, data accuracy and completeness are needed as support. Law No. 14 can be an entry point to get the data needed. Unfortunately, few journalists or mass media use this regulation to obtain data,” added Ayi Jufridar who is also a journalistic lecturer at the Communication Sciences Department at Malikussaleh University.
Meanwhile, the existence of Law Number 19/2016 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions is a sign that journalists must pay attention to in reporting. There are at least four articles that can ensnare journalists through the regulation, which is more often called the ITE Law. Among them, Article 26 Paragraph 3 concerning the deletion of electronic information, Article 27 concerning defamation and insults, Article 28 concerning hate speech, and Article 40 concerning blocking.
“A number of journalists have had problems with the law as a result of the ITE Law, including in Aceh. Therefore, there are journalists who demand the abolition of the rubber articles in the ITE Law," explained Ayi.
He added that in the practice of journalism there are several situations that make it difficult for journalists to distinguish between private and public spaces. He gave an example of cases of domestic violence that are difficult to come to the surface because many still consider them to be part of the private sphere.
When mentioning infotainment news as an example of the study material, the views of the participants were divided because some considered it part of journalistic work and some participants thought it was not.
“Infotainment workers also get news like journalists. The elements of the news are complete, they also confirm the sources so that it deserves to be called a journalistic work," said Teuku Saifuddin Alba, a journalist in North Aceh.
Ayi alluded to the results of a research which stated that infotainment news is not part of journalistic work with a number of arguments such as the process of coverage, interviews, and the production of infotainment coverage that is not in accordance with journalistic corridors. Many infotainment products also violate the journalistic code of ethics and the Broadcasting Code of Conduct and Broadcasting Program Standards (P3SPS).
“Infotainment programs are not based on facts, but gossip. There is no discipline to verify information, and the news presented is not related to the public interest. On that basis, there are those who think that infotainment is not a journalistic product," said Ayi.
The head of PPWI Lhokseumawe City, Desriadi Hidayat, said that the journalism study held by the PPWI Journalism School took the theme of backbiting, journalistic work, and public information disclosure. "The three of them are in contact with the public and journalists need to know which area they work in," said Hidayat. []
Karya Jurnalistik, Antara Ruang Publik dan Ruang Privat
DALAM melaksanakan kegiatan jurnalistik secara teratur, wartawan harus mampu membedakan ruang publik dan privat sehingga lebih menghargai privacy narasumber serta tidak mengorbankan narasumber dalam kegiatan jurnalistik. Namun, dalam praktinya, dalam kasus tertentu sulit memisahkan antara kepentingan publik dengan kepentingan privat karena keduanya saling berkaitan.
Hal itu Pemimpin Redaksi kabartamiang.com, Ayi Jufridar, ketika menjadi pemateri dalam kegiatan kajian jurnalistik yang digelar Persatuan Pewarta Warga Indonesia (PPWI) Kota Lhokseumawe, Rabu (27/4/2022). Dalam pemaparannya, Ayi antara lain mengingatkan tiga regulasi yang berkaitan dengan kerja jurnalistik dalam mengakses serta menyebarkan informasi.
Ketiga regulasi tersebut adalah Undang-Undang Nomor 40/1999 tentang Pers, UU Nomor 14/2008 tentang Keterbukaan Informasi Publik, dan UU Nomor 19/2016 tentang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik. “Selain itu, juga ada Kode Etik Jurnalistik yang harus menjadi acuan dari kegiatan jurnalistik wartawan,” tambah Ayi yang juga seorang penulis fiksi.
Dalam melaksanakan tugas jurnalitik, wartawan juga bisa menggunakan UU Nomor 14/2008 untuk mendapatkan informasi dan data yang menyangkut kepentingan publik. “Dalam liputan-liputan investigasi, misalnya, akurasi dan kelengkapan data dibutuhkan sebagai pendukung. Undang-Undang Nomor 14 bisa menjadi pintu masuk untuk mendapatkan data yang dibutuhkan. Sayangnya, masih sedikit wartawan atau media massa memanfaatkan regulasi tersebut untuk mendapatkan data,” tambah Ayi Jufridar yang juga pengajar jurnalistik di Jurusan Ilmu Komunikasi Universitas Malikussaleh.
Sementara, keberadaan UU Nomor 19/2016 tentang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik menjadi rambu yang harus diperhatikan wartawan dalam pemberitaan. Setidaknya ada empat pasal yang bisa menjerat wartawan melalui regulasi yang lebih sering disebut UU ITE tersebut. Di antaranya, Pasal 26 Ayat 3 tentang penghapusan informasi elektronik, Pasal 27 tentang pencemaran nama baik dan penghinaan, Pasal 28 tentang ujaran kebencian, serta Pasal 40 tentang pemblokiran.
“Sudah beberapa wartawan bermasalah dengan hukum akibat Undang-Undang ITE tersebut, termasuk di Aceh. Makanya, kalangan jurnalis ada yang menuntut penghapusan pasal-pasal karet dalam UU ITE itu,” jelas Ayi.
Ia menambahkan, dalam praktik jurnalistik ada beberapa situasi yang membuat wartawan tidak mudah membedakan ruang privat dengan ruang publik. Ia menyontohkan kasus kekerasan dalam rumah tangga yang sulit mencuat ke permukaan karena masih banyak yang menganggap sebagai bagian dari wilayah privat.
Ketika menyebutkan berita-berita infotainment sebagai salah satu contoh bahan kajian, pandangan peserta terpecah karena sebagian ada yang menganggap sebagai bagian dari karya jurnalistik dan sebagian peserta menganggap bukan.
“Pekerja infotainment juga mendapatkan berita seperti wartawan. Unsur-unsur berita lengkap, mereka juga melakukan konfirmasi kepada narasumber sehingga layak disebut karya jurnalistik,” ungkap Teuku Saifuddin Alba, seorang wartawan di Aceh Utara.
Ayi menyinggung hasil sebuah riset yang menyebutkan berita infotainment bukan bagian dari karya jurnalistik dengan sejumlah argumen seperti proses liputan, wawancara, dan produksi hasil liputan infotainment tidak sesuai dengan koridor jurnalistik. Produk infotainment juga banyak yang melanggar kode etik jurnalistik dan Pedoman Perilaku Penyiaran dan Standar Program Siaran (P3SPS).
“Program infotainment bukan berdasarkan fakta, tapi gosip. Tidak ada disiplin verifikasi informasi, dan berita yang disajikan tidak berkaitan dengan kepentingan publik. Atas dasar itu, ada yang menilai infotainment bukan produk jurnalistik,” sebut Ayi.
Ketua PPWI Kota Lhokseumawe, Desriadi Hidayat, menyebutkan kajian jurnalistik yang digelar Sekolah Jurnalistik PPWI mengambil tema tentang ghibah, karya jurnalistik, dan keterbukaan informasi publik. “Ketiganya bersentuhan dengan publik dan wartawan perlu tahu di wilayah mana mereka bekerja,” ujar Hidayat. []
