Prospek Bisnis Online

Digital and Mobile Distribution to Account for 24 % of Entertainment and Media Growth in Next 5 Years

Growth in global entertainment & media industry will be driven by strategic alliances Internet advertising and internet access remain fastest u.s. growth segments with double digit gains expected for next five years NEW YORK, June 18, 2008 – Although digital and mobile distribution comprised only 5 percent of global entertainment and media (E&M) spending in 2007, these revenues will account for 24 percent of all growth throughout the industry during the next five years, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2008-2012 (Outlook) released today. The report also underscores the importance of continuing to extract revenues from traditional business segments while emerging technologies continue to solidify their consumer position. PwC's annual report pegs global compound annual growth rate (CAGR) at 6.6 percent for the sector, anticipating it reaching $2.2 trillion in 2012. The U.S. E&M market will grow at 4.8 percent CAGR reaching $759 billion in 2012. “In the U.S., consumers are showing a preference for free, or heavily discounted, ad-supported content and services in the new digital and mobile environment,” said Jim O’Shaughnessy, global chairman, entertainment & media practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers. “This ensures that the importance of advertising will continue to grow – both to entertainment and media companies themselves and to their customers.” Strategic Alliances Will Replace Vertical Integration According to the Outlook, entertainment and media companies hoping to drive growth during the next five years will need to accommodate dramatic changes in devices, market and consumer behavior through strategic business alliances. Several critical technologies are now reaching tipping points that will deeply influence both the pace and direction of entertainment and media growth during the next five years. Broadband penetration continues to accelerate globally. Mobile is gaining ground quickly—adding subscribers and upgrading infrastructure to enable the next wave of mobile expansion, driven by Internet access, advertising and television. Modern movie houses, digital cinemas and 3-D upgrades are enhancing the cinema-going experience, while high-definition television subscriptions and a resolution of the high definition DVD format wars will invigorate digital living rooms. The global broadband boom continues unabated, fuelling overall growth, and more than doubling again to 661 million households in 2012, a 16.4 percent compound annual increase. According to the Outlook, U.S. broadband households will reach 101 million households in 2012, a 10.5 percent CAGR. While digital and mobile are driving growth, according to the Outlook, established and traditional business segments will continue to dominate revenues, with the exception of recorded music, where digital distribution will surpass physical distribution in 2011. By 2012, digital and mobile revenues will account for just 11 percent of total E&M spending, or $234 billion of the $2.2 trillion global market. In comparison, by 2012, digital and mobile revenues will account for 10 percent of total E&M spending in the U.S., or $75 billion of the $759 billion U.S. market. “We’re seeing a new business model solidify for entertainment and media companies,” said Marcel Fenez, managing partner, global entertainment & media practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Some, such as the film industry, have dabbled in this in the past, but those will be small movements compared to what lies ahead. No single company will be able to successfully go it alone over the next five years. The challenges are too significant and the demand for innovation too complete.” Health of media is driven by the Net Generation and maintained by consumers over the age of 50 The Net Generation continues to set the pace and direction of change in the entertainment and media industry while exhibiting an influence that is driving new business models that are revolutionizing the relationship between companies and their customers. As they make these technologies regular components of their everyday lives, the Net Generation is also driving the technology engagement of prior generations, connecting older generations with the latest trends in emerging media technology. What is more, this is truly a global phenomenon to which companies are increasingly paying attention. Consider: In the BRIC countries, people under the age of 25 comprise at least 31 percent of the countries’ total populations – 43 percent in Brazil, 31 percent in Russia, 50 percent in India and 38 percent in China. Meanwhile, in the United States, people under the age of 25 represent 34 percent of the total population. The imperative, then, is that companies must expand their global reach to young people who will propel spending on Internet access and digital entertainment and media during the coming years. Meanwhile, consumers over the age of 50 are creating a balance in the industry by devoting significant amounts of attention to the more traditional media of their generation as the Net Generation drives growth in digital and mobile entertainment. In every region of the world except EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), the 50+ population will see double digit growth rates and globally, this population will increase from 1.1 billion to 1.25 billion, a 13.1 percent rise through 2012. This growth will help sustain traditional formats even as this generation becomes increasingly interested in the platforms embraced by their children and grandchildren. “Companies are rapidly embracing new and emerging technologies in the entertainment and media industry, while adapting to the demands of the Net Generation. And rightly so, because it will help to drive their business forward and remain competitive in a marketplace driven by innovation. However, they must also remain focused on managing their traditional businesses, a key component and driver of their revenues. By effectively managing emerging and traditional business lines, they will be able to identify opportunities they can exploit so they can migrate to the new digital environment and meet the demands of the Net Generation,” added Fenez. Regional Highlights – U.S. remains largest but slowest growing; Latin America and Asia Pacific are fastest-growing The U.S. currently remains the largest but slowest growing E&M market, growing at a 4.8 percent compound annual growth rate reaching $759 billion in 2012. Internet advertising and Internet access spending will be the only two segments with double-digit growth during the next five years, boosted by continued growth in broadband. Video games will be the next leading growth segment, expanding at a 7.9 percent CAGR. During the next five years, Asia Pacific and Latin America will be the fastest growing regions. Double-digit increases are expected in each region for Internet advertising, Internet access spending, TV subscription and license fees, casino and other regulated gaming and video games. Latin America will total $85 billion in 2012, up from $51 billion in 2007, advancing from a relatively small base at 10.6 percent CAGR. Meanwhile, spending in Asia Pacific will average 8.8 percent CAGR, the second highest of any region, increasing from $333 billion in 2007 to $508 billion in 2012. EMEA, the second largest market, will expand at a 6.8 percent CAGR to reach $792 billion in 2012. Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East/Africa will fuel growth in this territory. Internet advertising, Internet access spending and video games will continue to average double-digit compound annual increases during the next five years. Segment highlights - Growth is driven by the rising value of online and mobile opportunities While Internet advertising growth will moderate from that in recent years, it will see the most robust growth globally, at 19.5 percent CAGR through to 2012. Internet access (12.1 percent CAGR), video games (10.3 percent CAGR) and television subscriptions and license fees (10.1 percent CAGR) will all experience double-digit growth, globally. Yet in the U.S., the three leading segments will be Internet advertising (15.1 percent CAGR), Internet access (10.9 percent CAGR) and video games (7.9 percent CAGR). More established segments—television advertising (global 5.9 percent; U.S. 4.9 percent CAGR), theme parks (global 5 percent, U.S. 3.9 percent CAGR), casino gaming (global 6.5 percent; U.S. 4.0 percent CAGR), filmed entertainment (global 5.3 percent; U.S. 4.6 percent CAGR) and sports (global 6.5 percent; U.S. 6.1 percent CAGR)—are all set to grow at between approximately 4 percent and 7 percent compounded annually. The publishing segments including newspapers (global 2.2 percent; U.S. -0.7 percent CAGR), consumer magazines (global 3.5 percent; U.S. 3.8 percent CAGR), consumer & educational books (global 2.8 percent; U.S. 2.5 percent CAGR), business-to-business publishing (global 3.2 percent; U.S. 2.6 percent CAGR) as well as recorded music (global -0.6 percent; U.S. -5.3 percent CAGR) face the stiffest challenges, where the declines in physical distribution are at their most significant and growth in digital distribution—although rapid—is struggling to make up for the shortfall. While the rest of the world expects growth, the U.S. newspaper segment is expected to decline. However, U.S. newspaper web site advertising will reach $6.4 billion, a 15.1 percent compound annual increase by 2012. Web sites will account for 15 percent of total daily newspaper advertising, more than twice its 7 percent share in 2007. Beyond the BRIC: New forces emerging As the trend towards globalization in the entertainment and media industry continues, Brazil, Russia, India and China will remain important sources for growth throughout the entire E&M sector, driven by rising disposable incomes and an increasingly urbanized middle class. In addition, a large and diverse group of countries are also breaking away from the pack. According to the Outlook, E&M markets across fifteen countries will expand at double-digit annual rates during the next five years, with Saudi Arabia and the Pan-Arab region experiencing the fastest growth. Vietnam will be the world’s fastest-growing television subscription and license fee market over the next five years—growing at 29.3 percent CAGR. About the Outlook PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2008–2012, the ninth annual edition, contains in-depth analyses and forecasts of 15 major industry segments across five regions of the globe – the United States, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Canada – plus a Global Overview. It is available in hard copy or electronically (PDF) for US$995 at www.pwc.com/outlook. The "Global Overview" is available separately for US$95 in hard copy or electronically, and individual segment chapters are also available for US$95 in electronic format only. About PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 146,000 people in 150 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. "PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

Revenue

(Ini laporan yang menarik tentang pengalaman Le Figaro, tentang bagaimana akhirnya wartawan print dengan wartawan online bisa bersatu, berintegrasi ... dan akhirnya menghasilkan )

Le Figaro: 20% of Revenues from Online by 2010

Posted on June 4, 2008 by Laura Oliver

Le Figaro is predicting that 20% of its revenue will be generated by its online operations by 2010.

But the French newspaper has plans to beat this, Pierre Conte, deputy managing director for new media and advertising for Le Figaro Group, told delegates at the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) conference today.

After rising from 2 million unique users to its websites to 8 million in two years, the group’s web traffic now accounts for 1 French internet user out of every four.

Last year its online revenues accounted for 13% of its total income – so how will the publisher build on this?

Gradual integration
Online success will only be achieved if all the group’s editorial teams want to take part, Francis Morel, managing director, said.

As such Le Figaro adopted an ‘invite not assign’ policy, giving journalists the opportunity to do work for the websites if they wished (though initially for no extra pay).

According to Morel merging editorial teams for print and online was seen as essential, despite concerns raised by the unions.

Journalists became increasingly enthusiastic about working for the websites and now both editorial teams are on the same floor under the same editorial head, though Morel insists this has been about building bridges and not enforced integration.

Advertising
The group has sought to recoup floundering revenues from print classifieds by making a concerted push with this advertising online, setting up a team to find advertisers for online-only.

Contextual and behavioural advertising is also being experimented with.

E-commerce and diversification
Building around the flagship portal of Le Figaro, the publisher has launched specialist sport, finance and lifestyle websites, in addition to acquiring several e-commerce sites.

Content has also been syndicated to other websites, though this is not a long-term business model, Conte says.

“This business [selling content to other websites] will continue to be weak and limited. We need to work on ad revenue. We are not reinventing anything by saying that, but we need to integrate our sales house.”

Content
News remains a priority online for all the group’s content-based websites. On the Le Figaro site a commenting function has been added to articles and submissions from users are welcomed.

Le Figaro has also set up its own TV studio to produce video clips for online and mobile.

As a word of warning, Morel stresses that the digital developments in these areas have not been at the expense of the print product.

“It is indispensable to continue to invest and focus on print, because while the internet is a key territory, it will not replace print.

“We need to be extremely cautious and prudent. The internet is a very volatile market. We need to be very flexible at any time to change our course because we do not know what tomorrow holds.”

Masa depan koran

(Laporan berikut ini adalah bagian dari wacana lama yang berkembang dari pertemuan ke pertemuan pimpinan media massa internasional. Tapi tetap saja laporan seperti ini masih diupload, sekedar untuk mengingatkan kembali betapa penting inovasi yang harus dilakukan surat kabar. Apalagi, Internet sudah hadir di hadapan kita. Yang menarik, kita disadarkan untuk mulai berpikir "kita punya website yang kebetulan punya koran, bukan sebaliknya, kita punya koran yang juga punya website." Menarik bukan?)


Experts: Innovation key to newspapers' survival
By DOUG MELLGREN

GOTEBORG, Sweden - Good journalism, innovation and reader interaction are key to the survival of newspaper companies in the new media world of cyberspace, said experts at the World Newspaper Congress on Wednesday.
"Our industry survives by producing good journalism," said Juan Antonio Giner, a founding partner in the Innovation International Media Consulting group, which presented its 10th annual report on innovation in newspapers to the meeting.
"I'm not worried about the future. I'm worried about the present," he told delegates, noting the slowness of some newspapers to adopt to change. However, he also warned about rushing into new designs and formats, citing examples of what he called "crimes against journalism."
"I am very worried about the future of journalism ... that is the soul of the industry," he said, adding that "great stories" remain newspapers' strongest assets, whether print or digital.
The 80-page report said newspapers must adapt to the new media of Internet, mobile phones and other wireless devices and communicate with readers immediately if they hope to survive. A second report, called "Trends in the Newsroom 2008," was presented separately and reached many of the same conclusions.
"Innovate or die," said Juan Senor, also of Innovation. "We must stop thinking of ourselves as wonderful newspapers that happen to have Web sites. We must start thinking that we are beautiful Web sites that happen to have wonderful newspapers."
During his talk, Giner presented examples of newspapers that he said were so caught up in their new designs that they overlooked basic journalism. In one example, he showed the newly redesigned front page of a newspaper that cut out the key element of a photo to make it fit the space allotted.
Try wild ideas
His advice to newspapers struggling to survive includes: try wild ideas, be different, shake things up, make readers smile, be local, integrate print and digital, hire talent, produce great stories, nurture good journalism and have good business management.
Senor said the first step is for editors and reporters to change their way of thinking to include print, Internet editions, mobile phone updates, and related television and radio services.
He said adapting means integrating traditional print reporting with new media, such as by having a multimedia editor in charge rather than one for print and another for digital.
With readers expecting to be heard, through blogs or e-mails, newspapers have to listen. One way to do so, he said, is by setting up a community desk that readers can exchange information with.
The three-day congress, ending Wednesday, brought together about 1,800 members of the World Association of Newspapers. They met in the Swedish city of Goteborg.

cetak vs online

[Melihat judul besar laporan di bawah ini tentu menggembirakan bahwa kehadiran media massa cetak masih diperlukan oleh pembaca. Hanya saja, ini tidak boleh membuat lengah industri koran cetak mengingat tingkat kenaikan oplahnya begitu kecil dibandingkan dengan kenaikan jumlah pembaca berita melalui internet dari waktu ke waktu. Beberapa laporan dari Eropa maupun Amerika bahkan mengabarkan adanya sejumlah koran yang terpaksa tutup dan beralih ke online.
Laporan dari Australia ini kiranya menjadi bahan informasi yang bisa dishare baik oleh kalangan media massa cetak maupun online. ]

Readers Need Print Despite Migration Online

* Newspaper circulation rates vary from a decrease of 5.4 percent to an increase 11.6 percent

The Age
Friday, May 16, 2008

By Matthew Ricketson

ONLINE readership of newspapers is surging around Australia while print editions are moving marginally up or down.

The average number of monthly unique browsers of the most popular online news websites -- smh.com.au, ninemsn news and theage.com.au -- grew 66%, 21% and 56% respectively in the first quarter of this year compared with the same time last year, according to Nielsen Net Ratings.

Readers are developing an online habit at a galloping rate, with all but one of the top 50 news websites experiencing growth.

In comparison, among the nation's metropolitan daily newspapers across Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday editions, the circulation of 19 editions fell in the January to March quarter year-on-year, two remained flat and 12 increased, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations figures.

The biggest circulation drop was 5.4% for the Saturday edition of The West Australian, from 367,899 to 348,153 copies.

The largest circulation gain was recorded for the weekend edition of The Australian Financial Review, which grew 11.6%, from 91,528 to 102,114 copies.

The national financial daily benefited from having an additional bumper edition in the audit period.

Total newspaper sales for the quarter were down by 1.1%, but readership of most newspapers increased, according to figures supplied by Roy Morgan Research.

The largest drop in readership among metropolitan daily newspapers was 10.2%, for the weekend edition of The Australian Financial Review.

This contrasted starkly with the newspaper's strong circulation gain and prompted the head of Fairfax Business Media, Michael Gill, to strengthen his complaints about the methodology of Roy Morgan Research. Of the top 50 news websites, PerthNow and Newsphotos increased their readerships more than threefold.

Eight news websites more than doubled their readerships, including Realfooty, produced by The Age, heraldsun.com.au and dailytelegraph.com.au.

Realfooty averaged 294,849 unique monthly browsers between January and March compared with 122,289 for the same time last year, an increase of 141%. Heraldsun.com.au and dailytelegraph.com.au grew 146% and 156% respectively, from 755,801 to 1,855,902 average monthly unique browsers and 579,169 to 1,482,210 average monthly unique browsers.

The exception was The Australian newspaper's stand-alone information technology site, which dropped 1% year-on-year.

The circulation of news magazine Time and business weekly BRW fell by 5% and 3.5% respectively, despite the demise of news magazine The Bulletin early this year.***

Foto diambil dari: www.sweden.se

Cara Membayar Wartawan Online

RBI considers pay-per-page view for online journalists

Posted: 06/05/08
By: Laura Oliver

(Saya belum sempat menerjemahkan tulisan Laura Oliver ini. Tapi ini gagasan yang baru, dan mungkin menarik untuk dikaji. Meskipun, komentarnya -- dari orang dalam, seperti yang tercantum di bawah artikel ini -- sudah sepatutnya begitu. Namanya juga ide, pasti ada yang pro dan kontra, tergantung dari kepentingan mana kita melihatnya. Ya, kan?)


Journalists working online at Reed Business Information (RBI) titles could be paid on a pay-per-view basis, according to a managing director of the publisher.

Speaking on a panel at the PPA's annual conference, Jim Muttram, who founded RBI's Estates Gazette Interactive, said rewarding journalists for the number of page impressions generated by their content online had been mooted by the company.

Journalists would take a lower basic salary in return for the chance to earn a commission style bonus for online content if such a pay model was implemented, Muttram told Journalism.co.uk.

"We have done some thinking about how we might reward journalists for page impressions. It's such a controversial view I think it would take some time before that comes around but it makes good sense," he told delegates.

Fellow speaker John Barnes, managing director of digital strategy and development at Incisive Media, said senior editorial staff within the publisher's titles received bonuses for reaching set online and digital targets.

Incisive has also experimented with performance based pay for blog contributions by journalists, he added, with the fee for each post raised if 'a certain threshold of unique visitors' is reached.

Comments

I am an RBI employee and I cannot tell you how angry this nonsense makes me. From a practical point of view and a HR point of view it is completely unworkable. As the company is up for sale I would prefer the management to put their efforts into something that makes the company a better place to work, not a worse one.

The Future of Mass Media

The Future of Mass Media

Ini adalah blog baru, yang masih sedang dikembangkan. Blog ini akan berbincang-bincang sekitar perkembangan media massa hari ini dan masa depan. Sebab itu, wacana tentang perkembangan internet, milis, blog dan lain-lain akan lebih mendominasi, daripada wacana tentang outlet berita tradisional, yang menggunakan kertas koran.

Mengapa?

Jawaban inilah yang akan kita cari, dan saling berbagi. Tetapi yang pasti, harga kertas koran terus membumbung, stok makin terbatas, sehingga kesempatan orang untuk mengikuti perkembangan informasi akan lebih banyak diperoleh dari dunia maya - internet - melalui fasilitas yang makin canggih dan makin simpel......

(vik)

Foto dikutip dari http://www.sports-online.biz/

Media Asing

Munginkah Pers Australia-Indonesia Berbulan Madu?

UNTUK meningkatkan hubungan baik antara Indonesia dan Australia, keterbukaan dan dialog menjadi dua hal yang penting. Demikian dikatakan Presiden Soeharto ketika menerima Ketua Lembaga Indonesia-Australia Bruce Grant di Bina Graha hari Selasa (24/9).

Setelah keesokan harinya membaca berita itu, muncullah pertanyaan: Apakah soal keterbukaan dan dialog di antara kedua bangsa itu selama ini memang kurang? Lantas, kalau kurang, melalui sarana apa saja keterbukaan dan dialog itu dapat ditingkatkan?

Jawaban untuk pertanyaan itu muncul di "Seminar Hubungan Indonesia-Australia: Masalah Budaya, Sosial, dan Politik" yang berlangsung 23-26 September 1991 di Universitas Indonesia. Yaitu bahwa, keterbukaan serta dialog antara kedua bangsa itu memang kurang dan media massa dapat menjembatani kesenjangan itu.

John Schauble, editor luar negeri The Sunday Age - sebuah harian di Australia yang cukup berpengaruh - di seminar itu menjelaskan secara rinci persoalan kesenjangan dialog ini dari perspektif sejarah hubungan media massa Australia dengan Pemerintah Indonesia dan hubungan media massa Australia dengan rekannya di Indonesia sejak tahun 1975. Penjelasannya dimulai tahun 1975 ketika enam wartawan Australia tewas dalam kemelut di Timor Timur. Kematian enam wartawan itu kemudian membawa dampak yang sangat serius dalam peliputan tentang Indonesia oleh media Australia tahun-tahun berikutnya.

Sejak itu, berbagai tulisan mengenai Indonesia pun gencar, apakah itu yang bersifat kritik atau bahkan menuduh, terutama yang menyangkut Timtim, tahanan politik, dan hak asasi manusia. Tulisan itu datang dari wartawan Australia di Australia atau dari lima wartawan Australia yang berkedudukan di Jakarta. Yang paling vokal adalah Radio Australia (ABC). Akibatnya, kegiatan para wartawan Australia itu menjadi keprihatinan pemerintah dan masyarakat pers Indonesia. Pada akhir 1970-an itu, visa bagi kelima wartawan tersebut tidak diperpanjang lagi sehingga pada tahun 1981-1983 tidak seorang pun wartawan Australia berkedudukan di Jakarta.

Visa kemudian baru diberikan lagi tahun 1983 kepada kantor berita Australia (Australian Associated Press). Pada tahun 1985, Australian Financial Review juga menempatkan seorang wartawannya di Jakarta. Hanya kepada kedua media itulah visa diberikan.

Tahun 1986 tampaknya merupakan "puncak perselisihan." Tepatnya adalah tanggal 10 April 1986 ketika The Sydney Morning Herald memuat artikel David Jenkins di halaman mukanya menyangkut Kepala Negara Indonesia. Pemerintah Indonesia, para politikus, dan ABRI menilai tulisan itu merupakan penghinaan terhadap Kepala Negara.

Disebut "puncak perselisihan" karena dampak dari tulisan itu begitu besar, baik terhadap hubungan media kedua negara, maupun terhadap hubungan bilateral. Rencana kunjungan beberapa menteri ke Australia dibatalkan, demonstrasi terjadi di depan gedung Kedubes Australia di Jakarta, dan perundingan mengenai Celah Timor ditunda. Semua itu merupakan bagian dari akibat tulisan itu.

Wartawan Australia juga terkena dampaknya. Selama dua tahun berikutnya tidak satu pun wartawan Australia yang diizinkan mengunjungi Indonesia. Dua visa bagi wartawan Australia yang berbasis di Jakarta juga tidak diperpanjang. Artinya, akses bagi wartawan Australia ke Indonesia sementara ditutup.

Larangan kunjungan wartawan Australia ke Indonesia itu baru dicairkan kembali Maret 1988 ketika wartawan AAP diizinkan tinggal di Indonesia selama setahun. Sebulan berikutnya, lima wartawan Australia juga diberi visa, tetapi waktunya singkat. Sejak saat itu, lebih dari 100 kali kunjungan dilakukan wartawan Australia. Tetapi sampai saat ini, baru wartawan ABC yang diizinkan membuka kembali kantornya di Jakarta setelah ditutup selama 10 tahun.

Kesenjangan informasi

Dalam perspektif Australia, pembatasan penempatan koresponden di Jakarta dan kunjungan wartawan Australia ke Indonesia selama satu setengah dasawarsa itu sangat berpengaruh terhadap memburuknya hubungan antara masyarakat kedua negara.

Sebab, pemahaman sejumlah kecil masyarakat Australia pada umumnya tentang Indonesia dan masyarakat Indonesia menjadi sangat sedikit. Informasi yang mereka peroleh selama itu cenderung berupa gambaran yang negatif dan kurang lengkap tentang Indonesia.

Mengapa demikian? Bukan suatu kemustahilan jika sebuah media massa yang sering dilarang masuk ke sebuah negara menjadi tidak menyukai negara tersebut. Selain itu, situasi demikian sangat tidak memungkinkan bagi wartawan tersebut untuk menjadi ahli atau setidak-tidaknya paham tentang Indonesia dan masyarakat Indonesia.

Artinya, selama itu memang telah terjadi kemacetan dialog yang pada akhirnya menimbulkan kesenjangan informasi dan komunikasi. Sementara berbagai perbedaan, seperti bahasa, ras, kultur, sejarah, politik, perundang-undangan, dan agama telah cukup menyulitkan dibangunnya dialog antara kedua bangsa yang bertetangga ini.

Kemacetan dialog itu ternyata tidak hanya berpengaruh terhadap komunikasi antara kedua bangsa, tetapi juga terhadap hubungan bisnis antara pengusaha kedua negara. Para pengusaha Australia itu hanya memiliki sedikit pengetahuan tentang perkembangan ekonomi Indonesia. Akibatnya, upaya ke arah penciptaan berbagai kesempatan bisnis menjadi lamban. Kerugian bukan saja di pihak Australia, tetapi juga di pihak Indonesia.

Mitos Barat

Media Australia adalah media Barat dan tampaknya akan tetap menganut prinsip-prinsip kebebasan liberal. Sebab, Pemerintah Australia tidak memiliki kekuatan konstitusional untuk mengatur kegiatan media massa, yang dimiliki oleh swasta. Pemerintah Australia juga tidak mengenal pemberian izin penerbitan media massa sehingga pemerintah tidak berhak untuk menutup surat kabar.

Situasi demikian merupakan pilar utama dalam sistem politik di Australia. Media massa memiliki kesempatan luas untuk bertindak sebagai pengawas sistem politik negara tanpa rasa khawatir.

Kehidupan media massa di Indonesia, menurut perspektif Australia, terlalu menekankan pendekatan harmoni. Pemerintah mengatur izin terbit dan juga dapat membatalkan izin tersebut. Ini merupakan perbedaan yang fundamental. Perbedaan pola budaya atau kehidupan masyarakat pers itulah yang kemudian berkembang menjadi semacam tradisi konflik karena pers Australia kemudian dinilai kurang sensitif terhadap adanya perbedaan budaya tersebut.

Bahkan masyarakat pers Australia menilai bahwa Indonesia melihat peliputan pers Australia mengenai Indonesia itu di luar batas, mencampuri, dan mengancam stabilitas politik. Artinya, secara ideologi, pers Australia dinilai tidak bertanggung jawab, hanya mencari-cari, dan tidak memiliki pertimbangan-pertimbangan mengenai akibat politik dan sosial. Mitos lain mengenai media massa Australia adalah mereka sering terlibat dalam persekongkolan anti-Indonesia.

Jelas bahwa dewasa ini telah berkembang suatu tradisi saling tidak percaya dan saling tidak mengerti antara kedua pihak. Upaya untuk menghapuskan tradisi ini akan memakan waktu beberapa tahun.

"Kami semua tahu tentang adanya keberhasilan yang gemilang dalam proses pembangunan di Indonesia selama 46 tahun terakhir. Sayangnya, keberhasilan itu tidak selalu diketahui negara-negara lain. Kami juga mengetahui adanya pengorbanan dalam perjalanan pembangunan itu," ungkap John Schauble.

Namun, segala pengakuan itu tidak akan ada gunanya jika Indonesia sendiri tidak mengakui adanya kekurangan atau kesalahan. Maka, jika media Australia berdosa karena hanya berkonsentrasi kepada kesalahan-kesalahan Indonesia, mungkin hal itu disebabkan mereka tidak diizinkan untuk melihat keberhasilan-keberhasilan itu.Sebab itu, di masa datang kita bisa berharap bahwa Indonesia akan menerima lebih banyak wartawan Australia dengan penuh keyakinan dan tanpa rasa curiga.

Dubes Australia untuk Indonesia Philip Flood pada pembukaan seminar itu juga menyatakan, salah satu langkah untuk menghapuskan ketegangan dan meningkatkan saling pengertian antara kedua tetangga itu adalah pengenalan lebih banyak lagi tentang Indonesia di dalam media massa Australia. Demikian juga sebaliknya.

Kita berharap agar kedua negara bertetangga itu akan menempatkan masa lalu di belakang kita dan menatap masa depan dengan visi yang selaras satu sama lainnya. (Taufik H. Mihardja)