Bagir Manan: No Need to Comment on Collapsed Bridge Case
http://dervishcom.blogspot.com/2011/11/bagir-manan-no-need-to-comment-on.html
Press Council Chairman Prof. Dr. Bagir Manan called on observers and incompetent parties not to comment a lot about Saturday`s collapse of Kartanegara bridge in Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara district, East Kalimantan.
"It (comment) will make the people confused, all parties should refrain from giving comments about the disaster in Tenggarong," Bagir said on the sidelines of a media dialogue here in cooperation with the national radio broadcasting system RRI on Monday.
"What should be done now is to spread sympathy to the bereaved families of the victims of the collapsed bridge tragedy," he said.
According to him, the media cannot share material contribution, but the government does that. However, in this case the press has functions to distribute information that can raise the people’s feeling of sympathy which will later turn into solidarity.
Bagir also reminded that one of the press functions is to distribute advantageous information to the public because it is the public rights to know. In the meantime, President Yudhoyono had ordered the related parties to investigate immediately the cause of Saturday`s collapse of the Kutai Kartanegara bridge.
The 700-m long bridge over the Mahakam river in East Kalimantan province collapsed at 4.30 pm on Saturday causing a number of vehicles to fall into the river. The number of dead victims found at the location of the collapsed bridge in Tenggarong, Kutai Kertanegara, East Kalimatan until Monday afternoon reached 13, a provincial administration spokesman said.
"It (comment) will make the people confused, all parties should refrain from giving comments about the disaster in Tenggarong," Bagir said on the sidelines of a media dialogue here in cooperation with the national radio broadcasting system RRI on Monday.
"What should be done now is to spread sympathy to the bereaved families of the victims of the collapsed bridge tragedy," he said.
According to him, the media cannot share material contribution, but the government does that. However, in this case the press has functions to distribute information that can raise the people’s feeling of sympathy which will later turn into solidarity.
Bagir also reminded that one of the press functions is to distribute advantageous information to the public because it is the public rights to know. In the meantime, President Yudhoyono had ordered the related parties to investigate immediately the cause of Saturday`s collapse of the Kutai Kartanegara bridge.
The 700-m long bridge over the Mahakam river in East Kalimantan province collapsed at 4.30 pm on Saturday causing a number of vehicles to fall into the river. The number of dead victims found at the location of the collapsed bridge in Tenggarong, Kutai Kertanegara, East Kalimatan until Monday afternoon reached 13, a provincial administration spokesman said.
