KPI Reprimands Six Broadcasting Companies

Jakarta (Antara) - The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has reprimanded six TV stations for their disproportionate coverage of political news, talk-shows and advertisements. "The six broadcasting stations reprimanded by the KPI are RCTI, MNC TV, Global TV, ANTV, TV One and Metro TV," KPI chairman Judhariksawan told the media here on Thursday. Judhariksawan said that KPI had reprimanded the six television stations and urged them to change their broadcasting coverage, given the upcoming general elections in 2014. "We are of the view that several broadcasters have given disproportionate coverage to political news, including advertisements containing political messages, which, according to the KPI, contain elements of campaigning," the KPI chairman noted. He added that the KPI had recorded the forms of their violations, which differed for each station. "In some cases, the political coverage is not disproportionate, but is dominated by information from a particular group or affiliated groups, political party advertisements or financed by election candidates," he added. Judhariksawan said the KPI reprimand for the six TV stations constituted an administrative sanction. "If the General Election Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Agency issue sanctions, they will be directed at the political parties or the individuals of the Regional Representative Council's nominees, not the broadcasting institutions (TV stations)," he added. (*)