MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the country’s Press Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at combating terrorism more efficiently.
The document includes a number of guidelines on how national media should cover terrorism-related topics, according to news website Khabarsoutheastasia.com.
“We found a common ground. We came up with an idea to organize a workshop during which BNPT will provide insight into what they have done so far while the press will give them perspective on how we work in covering terrorism issues,” said Nezar Patria, board member of Press Council of Indonesia, about how national media outlets will work with the BNPT.
Anti-terror raids carried out by Indonesian law enforcement’s special units are sparking a debate in Indonesian society.
"Shooting citizens dead, who are suspected terrorists without the court processes, will only make terrorists seek revenge,” Dai Bachtiar, former national police chief told Republika newspaper, commenting on one of the raids in January.
The MOU is not the first attempt to guide the work of journalists covering terrorism in Indonesia. In 2011, the Alliance of Professional Journalists published a book of guidelines for journalists covering terrorism.
Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, has been facing more Jihadi terrorism over the last decade. In 2002, a bombing targeting a street popular with tourists in Bali killed 202 people. The Indonesian police’s anti-terror wing has been organizing massive raids against suspected militants.
