Reported to the Police Regarding the Empty Chair Interview, Najwa Shihab Speaks Out

Kapanlagi.com - As suspected, it seems that some parties are unhappy with the concept of the empty chair interview video conducted by Najwa Shihab on the Mata Najwa program some time ago. As it is known, the empty chair was prepared for the Minister of Health, Terawan Agus Putranto. Unfortunately, he did not attend.

Based on this fact, Najwa and her team took the initiative to conduct the interview with the empty chair. The points asked by the daughter of Quraish Shihab are certainly about the handling of Covid-19 in Indonesia.

Previously, Najwa had anticipated that her action could potentially lead to accusations of bullying government officials. And it turned out to be true because there are individuals who tried to report Najwa to the police.

1. Ready to Attend if Summoned by the Police

Najwa Shihab / Credit: Instagram - najwashihab

The news finally reached Najwa's ears. The mother of one admitted that she was not afraid if she had to attend a summons from the authorities for questioning.

"I just found out about this report from my media friends. I don't know exactly what the basis of the report is, including the articles that are being accused. I heard that the Jakarta Metropolitan Police rejected the report and asked the complainant to bring this issue to the Press Council. If there is a need for questioning, of course, I am ready to provide a statement to the official institution that has the authority for it," Najwa responded to the news of her being reported to the police.

2. Not an Imaginary Interview

Furthermore, Najwa also explained the meaning of the empty chair interview she conducted. It was not an imaginary interview. Najwa simply asked questions that could be answered anytime and anywhere by the Minister of Health.

"The empty chair segment was intended to invite public officials to explain their policies regarding pandemic management. The explanation does not have to be on Mata Najwa, it can be anywhere. However, the appearance of the Minister of Health has been minimal in the press since the pandemic has worsened, not only on Mata Najwa. And over time, more and more people are questioning the presence and proportion of the Minister of Health in handling the pandemic," Najwa continued.

"These factors are what drove me to create content that appears on the Narasi YouTube channel and social media. The mass media needs to provide space for discussing and overseeing public policies. The questions I ask come from the public, both experts/institutions who have been concerned with pandemic management from the beginning and ordinary citizens. All of this is an effort to fulfill the role of the media according to the Press Law, which is 'developing public opinion' and 'conducting oversight, criticism, correction, and suggestions regarding matters related to public interest'," she further explained.

3. Treatment that is Still Unfamiliar in Indonesia

Najwa Shihab / Credit: Instagram - najwashihab

This empty chair treatment may still sound unfamiliar in Indonesia. However, according to Najwa, similar things have often happened or been done in other advanced countries, such as America and England.

"To the best of my knowledge, this 'empty chair' treatment has never been done in Indonesia, but it is common in countries with a long history of press freedom. It has been done in America since 2012, including by Piers Morgan on CNN and Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC's Last Word program. In 2019, in England, Andrew Neil, a BBC journalist, also presented an empty chair that was supposed to be filled by Boris Johnson, the candidate for British Prime Minister, who often declined BBC invitations. Similar things were also done by Kay Burley on Sky News when Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly did not attend the show," Najwa concluded.

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