Comments on: My gate’s keeper

By: Media Channel 2.0 — Blog — Indonesian Bloggers: Views on the U.S. Financial Crisis

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:43:24 +0000

[...] questions the imprecise reporting of Indonesian newspapers about the financial crisis. Via Twitter, vmahmud [...]

By: euandus

euandus — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:59:39 +0000

I think the failure of Lehman’s corporate governance was evinced in back in the summer of 2008 when the top execs viewed the market rather than the stockholders as “demanding that we hold ourselves accountable,” according to Skip McGee. I’ve just finished a blog post arging that while self-accountability is a laudable goal, we can’t (or shouldn’t) rely on it. In fact, “holding ourselves accountable” suggests the absence of accountability through corporate governance.

By: treespotter

treespotter — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:45:57 +0000

Totally agreeing with you, i think the local news coverage is bordering on negligence. Media ppl really should understand what they’re talking about before trying to talk about it.

I was watching TV One coverage (and Metro TV), even in talkshow formats, they’re obsessed about a ‘crisis’with an obvious lack of understanding of wats happening. The persistent comparison to 1997 crisis is silly at best and dangerous at worst.

By: Global Voices Online » Indonesia: Views on the U.S. Financial Crisis

Global Voices Online » Indonesia: Views on the U.S. Financial Crisis — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:53:59 +0000

[...] questions the imprecise reporting of Indonesian newspapers about the financial crisis. Via Twitter, vmahmud [...]

By: metty

metty — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:45:45 +0000

When saying “cheating”, I think the journalist wants to point out that financial institutions who sold subprime mortgage securities actually cheated on their customers because they sold “junks” but had AAA ratings labeled on the products.

Whoever the journalist is, he/she does not understand that investment contains risk. The higher the return you get from the investment you make, the higher the risk is. You can’t blame those financial institutions and accuse them for cheating, because investors were supposed to be aware from the start that they were investing in securities of higher risk.

However, I learn from international websites, that many Americans share the same belief. So what begins as a misunderstanding of the issue turns into “socialization” of the wrong idea because the public read it.

I can’t say I could blame those journalists right away because after all they lack of the required education in economics/finance/investment. Just check on their background education and you’ll get what I’m saying. It’s the responsibility of editors to ensure that their journalists get additional education they need. For us, the readers, we should be more critical to what journalists write because it is not always the fact/truth they write. Opinions get tangled here and there when they write, so use your head when reading.

By: dian

dian — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:42:08 +0000

@unspun, I read Kompas 2 times a week only as I am not living in Indonesia. I read many other news/mags from outside Indo.I do not read any Indo news daily anymore as I feel my soul get a sudden attack of impoverishment (it doesn’t matter which news/mags).I rather keep my self healthy.

Long time ago, I think it might be a problem of ‘articulation’or vocabulary or just plainly ‘knowledge’. But now, I think it is mentality and cultural problem.

sad…

In other country mis-use of a words like ‘cheating’or ‘lie’or other similar on public media could lead you to legal problem.

I am just a frustrated reader/consumer…

By: bayi

bayi — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:10:15 +0000

If the writer is wrong, he is wrong. Facts are facts. While reading Unspun’s account of the journalist’s article, I was suddenly alert when I came to the word “cheating”. I have been very critical of the way the US regulatory bodies have handled the loans, leading to the sub-prime problem but cheating? I have never thought of this…

By: rima fauzi

rima fauzi — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:49:09 +0000

I think all answers are legitimate, but most likely it’s either nobody sees what’s wrong with it or he is such a senior journalist nobody dares to say anything.

btw, could you please change the link to my blog to my new one as I have moved to my own domain since several months now. the new link is http://rimafauzi.com/blogs
Thanks!

By: delvi

delvi — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:40:50 +0000

Dear Unspun,
I think those journos need to re-attend journalistic class no matter how senior journalist or editor they are. I hope that particular journo or the editor read this piece to make them realize that they should have not entertained any idea that today’s readers are ignorant who will gallop whole-heartedly whatever stories they write and fail to spot ‘flaws’in them. This kind of mistake for Kompas, the so-called Indonesian premiere newspaper a, is hilarious.

By: unspun

unspun — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:57:36 +0000

@Dian: If only this was an isolated story..but read the Kompas habitually and you will find that this is a regular occurrence. So while it may apply to this particular article, editors and writers on holiday mood does not wash when you try to comprehend the larger picture.

@Rob: I too am inclined to think that the journos these days don’t give a damn but it does not jive with my image of Indonesian journalists being the heirs of activists and freedom fighters who opposed the Dutch and the Suharto regime.

On the second point: Culturally bad thinking that results in a skewered reality of the world? A scary thought if this applies generally to the whole nation.