A.
Background
Southeast
Asia is a region of Asia with distinctive feature of cultural diversity from
the ten independent countries:
1. Brunei
Darussalam,
2. Cambodia,
3. Indonesia,
4. Lao
PDR,
5. Malaysia,
6. Myanmar,
7. Singapore,
8. Thailand,
9. The
Philippines, and
10. Vietnam.
The
countries reach from eastern India to China and is generally divided into
‘mainland’ and ‘island’ zones. The ‘mainland’ zone consists of Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, while the ‘island’ zone consists of
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei.
Virtually
all of Southeast Asia lies between the tropics, and so there are similarities
in climate as well as plant and animal life throughout the region. Temperatures
are generally warm, although it is cooler in highland areas. Much of Southeast
Asia is rainforest and the climate is very wet. The wet weather makes the area
prime for rice patty agriculture making rice the main staple food in the
Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia is rich in wildlife with animals such as
orangutans, leopards, elephants, water buffalo and rhinos. There is also
significant diversity in culture, language, and religion.
It
seems like there is nothing really hold Southeast Asia together as the
countries are very diverse. But the region has learned how to become one, with
the shared desire to be joined, expressed by a handful of national leaders who
saw the gains in collective strength as contributing to each state’s national
good.
The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August
1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN
Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of
ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei
Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and
Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today
the ten Member States of ASEAN.
B.
Media
System in Southeast Asia
According
to Dr. Sascha Helbardt from University of Passau, Southeast Asia have a large
diversity of media systems. In some countries like Vietnam the state still
plays a leading role in determining the role of the media, despite all attempts
at liberalization. Elsewhere, like in the Philippines, the market is the
decisive force.
According
to an article in www.bbc.com, the
government and military control nearly all the national terrestrial television
networks and operate many of Thailand's radio networks. The media are free to
criticize government policies, and cover instances of corruption and human
rights abuses, but journalists tend to exercise self-censorship regarding other
sensitive issues like the monarchy or the military issues.
Before
1998 in Indonesia, the situation is more complicated compare to current
condition. During the Suharto era, it took political connection, patience, and
significant amounts of money under the table to get permission to publish a
newspaper or newsmagazine. After Suharto resign in 1998 and the early 2000,
where people characterize as democracy or reformation era, an explosion in news
media occurred. Approximately 1,000 newspapers had registered and begun
publishing around the turn of the millennium.
In the field of journalism and news, a greater solidarity has emerged among the region’s communities who have opted for a system of freedom and democracy. Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA - www.seapa.org) , a non profit organisation was established in November 1998 in Bangkok. It is campaigning for press freedom in Southeast Asia and has objectives to provide a forum for the defense of press freedom, giving protection to journalists and nurturing an environment where free expression, transparency, pluralism and a responsible media culture can flourish.
In the field of journalism and news, a greater solidarity has emerged among the region’s communities who have opted for a system of freedom and democracy. Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA - www.seapa.org) , a non profit organisation was established in November 1998 in Bangkok. It is campaigning for press freedom in Southeast Asia and has objectives to provide a forum for the defense of press freedom, giving protection to journalists and nurturing an environment where free expression, transparency, pluralism and a responsible media culture can flourish.
Membership
in this organisation is open to independent press advocacy organisations with a
proven track record of working for press freedom. SEAPA’s founding members—from
Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand—are among the most well established
press advocacy organizations in Southeast Asia. Together they bring an
innovative regional perspective to the practice of journalism and a vision of a
Southeast Asia that is the home of a free and vibrant media.
C.
The
Role Southeast Asian Media in the World
As
stated in the book of International Media Studies by Divya McMilin,
International Communication defined as the communication that occurs across
international borders, that is over the borders of nation states” (Fortner,
1993 p.6). Other definition by McPhail is “The cultural, economic, political,
social, and technical analysis of communication patterns and effect across and
between nation states” (2002 p.2).
We
are now in the era of globalization where the big countries such as USA and UK
that are equipped with more economic power and military giants are leading in
almost every sectors. Making them the core nation in the centre, looking at
other communities in the periphery. Southeast Asia could also be considered as
the third world countries who are standing at this periphery.
These
leading countries are basically feeding the world with their news coverage of
what is happening in the world. According to Piers Robinson (2013) in one of
his article entitled “Media as a
Driving Force in International Politics: The CNN Effect and Related Debates”
the issue of the role of media in terms of driving political responses remains
a source of considerable academic interest. Back then, it was the newly
emerging global media players such as CNN that were seen by many to be the
driving force between purportedly humanitarian interventions during crises in
countries such as Somalia (1992-1993) and Bosnia (1995). Proving that
international media or journalism has great impacts toward international
politics as a tool for propaganda.
For
Southeast Asian media to arise in this market and to make their voices to be
heard by international communities, I can see it feasible to happen in a minor
scale. For example the Southeast Asian media can control the flow of information
of things that happen within the region, like the natural disasters Tsunami in
2006, Mount Merapi eruption, and Haiyan typhoon that stroke Philippines, as
well as news that cover about human trafficking happens in this region.
Regarding
Southeast Asian news agency, as I mentioned above, the initiative has already
been taken by one organization named SEAPA. Although it can not be considered
as a leading association that will lead the world’s media system in the future,
it already becomes helpful for the member organizations to be in touch with one
another, either to share lessons and to draw from a bank of best practices. The
network allows members to build up experience in the many aspects of journalism
and news that can be useful, despite the differences that remain. Need more
commitment and willingness from the Governments of the member countries to
support this kind of organization and their initiatives in confirming the place
of news in ASEAN nations.
Press
freedom should also be adopted in the national law, with strict rules,
regulations and control. Because as mentioned by Melinda Quintos de Jesus
(2012) in her speech during a seminar-workshop on “Media ownership trends:
protecting and promoting the diversity of media platforms in Southeast Asia”
held in Bangkok, Thailand in early 2012, one of the many challenges that
confront the growth of news organization in Southeast Asia is press freedom.
She
also highlighted the fact that technology has introduced dramatic changes in
the field of communications. We must take account of the growth of social media
networks and the engagement of citizens in the sharing of their news and the
creation and delivery of news as it happens. More and more studies show how old
media can join the new to create better and stronger platforms for news. The
challenge is to review what conventions still apply to make sense in this new
world and what we need to hold on to so that journalism retains its assigned
function in a democracy. It would be a waste of such power if there is no
effort to use these tools for the highest purposes of human communication.
It
will be a great challenge for media in Southeast Asia to lead the world’s news.
It should start from the idea of ruling the news within the region by creating
a harmonious relationship among the media from all ASEAN countries. It would
then later be expanded into a larger area like the Asia continent.
References
De
Jesus, Melinda Quintos (2012). Media in
Southeast Asia. Retrieved from http://www.cmfr-phil.org/inmediasres/media-in-southeast-asia-2/
McMilin,
Divya (2009). International Media Studies.
Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=3wi-TVaL3oYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=INTERNATIONAL+MEDIA+studies&ots=wn7cd-iBq_&sig=NDMVUmxTeXInNEySB-AGN1051XE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=INTERNATIONAL%20MEDIA%20studies&f=false
Robinson,
Piers (September 17, 2013). Media as a
Driving Force in International Politics: The CNN Effect and Related Debates.
Retrieved from: http://www.e-ir.info/2013/09/17/media-as-a-driving-force-in-international-politics-the-cnn-effect-and-related-debates/
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