Maverick Indonesia September 23, 2024
When media training, we tell participants that one definition of news is something that someone, somewhere wants to cover up.
They should therefore never give the impression to journalists (and these days, netizens who act as citizen journalists too) that they are trying to cover up something.
A sure way to give the impression that you are covering up something is when you evade answering or acknowledging a question and proceed to spin the story.
This is the reason why both of President Jokowi’s sons, Gibran and Kaesang, remain so much in the news today. Gibran can easily end the media (and netizens’) interest in him by letting everyone know whether he is behind the Fufufafa account on Kaskus.
Yet, he has chosen to remain smug and cryptic (just ask the account holder) or silent. The result is a perception that he is trying to cover up his alleged ownership of the account.
Kaesang first tried to dodge answering by keeping silent and out of public view. When that didn’t work, he “voluntarily” reported himself to the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) and even held a short doorstep interview with journalists outside the KPK’s office.
There, he admitted being on the private jet but said that he was merely hitching a ride from a friend who was headed in the same direction. He then declined to answer all other questions, such as who the friend was, who else was on the plane, and whether he did not think that this could be misconstrued as a case of gratification, given who his father is.
In not answering these questions, he gave the impression that he was trying to cover up the details of his trip and the ethical questions it raised.
To compound things, he was perceived to employ what some critics would classify as a dodge-and-run tactic of not answering by passing it off the onus to some other person or body, in this case the KPK.
Because of these perceived attempts at covering up, Gibran and Kaesang will continue to be in the news and at the center of attention of netizens and the chattering class.
This is why spokespersons should never, ever give professional and citizen journalists the impression that they are covering up something, because by trying to quash or downplay the news they inadvertently make it more newsworthy.
Written by Ong Hock Chuan, Founder & Managing Partner
