Jakarta. The press needs to cover both sides when it comes to reporting the presidential race, and fair reporting can help pave the way for a peaceful election, according to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) journalists. 

Indonesia is seeing a three-way presidential race between Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, and Ex Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo. Although Indonesians already cast their ballots earlier this month, the vote counting process is still ongoing with preliminary results putting Prabowo on a huge lead. Public tension typically runs high as not everyone is voting for the same president. Amidst these differences, the media needs to report all sides of the story.

“Journalists should not be part of agenda setting. They should not take the position of one party, as they have to listen to all sides. They have to [include] context. The more professional the media are, the more likely an election will be peaceful,” Rodion Ebbighausen, the head of the DW Asia desk, said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

However, the media does not hold the sole responsibility of maintaining a peaceful election. 

“It is not their [journalists’] duty to guarantee a peaceful election. Their duty is to do good reporting. It is about professionalism,” Ebbighausen said.

He added: “It is important for the media to not be too close to a particular party, and to stay away from political parties … to give the users the best informed, full picture they could get.” 

Chia-Cun Yeh, the vice chief of DW Taipei Bureau, agreed with Ebbighausen’s comment, saying that a journalist’s job is to observe, witness, and report, but not to interfere with what is happening on the ground.

“It is important to interview different political parties and candidates. You [media] are not promoting [a certain candidate] or giving them a stage. You have to challenge them. … The decision is on the readers,” Chia-Cun Yeh said.