Veteran Indonesian journalist Parni Hadi urged Muslim journalists to apply principles set out by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) in their work to enhance their credibility. Addressing the International Islamic Media Conference in Jakarta on Dec 14, the former chief of Antara news agency also called for the establishment of an international Muslim media development centre in Indonesia. Hadi, who has 40-year experience in journalism, spelled out the four principles set out by the Prophet as truthfulness, dissemination of the truth, reliability and trustworthiness. He said Muslim journalists of today have much to learn from the Prophet who had practised what he had professed. “It must be admitted that many leaders, preachers and media professionals in the Muslim world have not yet implemented what Prophet Muhammad had said and done. They talk too much with less action and their actions are often contrary to what they say,” he said.
Hadi said freedom of expression, independence and objectivity are prerequisites for Prophetic journalism to give optimal results. He emphasised that Muslim journalists should work for world peace, justice, and economic and social wellbeing as well as to create an atmosphere for people to achieve mental peace. Spelling out his experience in the field, he said democracy is a basic requirement for journalism to thrive. He said while he was working for Antara he had faced a lot of difficulties from governments of different countries. “We should enhance people-to-people contact to progress in the media,” he said while talking about the growing influence of the social media.