Indonesia
Media Environment | News Gathering | Practical Tips
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Media Environment
After the downfall of President Suharto, the infamous Ministry of Information, which used to maintain a stranglehold on media in the country, was shut down. Since then, a diverse range of newspapers, television and radio stations has sprung up to feed the country’s newly discovered appetite for news of all shades and political persuasions. Racy tabloids now compete with haughty traditional Muslim dailies, sleazy reality cop shows are a staple of day-time television, and Indonesia’s press has become one of the freest and most diverse in Southeast Asia.
This deregulation has encouraged the emergence of media magnates. One of the most important, Surya Palloh, is also a politician and the owner of the influential Metro TV broadcaster, Indonesia’s version of CNN.
However, although the press in Indonesia has been freed from overt political interference, journalists are still fearful about reporting on corruption — especially in politics, the police and the military. The Indonesian Ministry of Information has been revived, though it is not expected to take on its former internal censorship role.
Several national commercial television networks now broadcast in competition with state-run Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI), including Surya Citra Televisi Indonesia (SCTV), Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI) and Rajawali Citra TV Indonesia (RCTI) and a number of provinces have set up their own stations.
Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) runs regional and local stations, along with six national networks and the external service, Voice of Indonesia. However, neither radio nor television stations are permitted to re-broadcast live news programmes originating outside Indonesia.
The Jakarta Post (www.thejakartapost.com) remains the only daily English-language newspaper in the country, while the English edition of Tempo (www.tempointeractive.com), Indonesia’s version of Time magazine, is a good weekly news digest. Useful articles from the quarterly publication Inside Indonesia, covering the country’s culture, economy, environment and politics, are available on its website (www.insideindonesia.org).
International publications include Asian Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times, all of which at times carry stories about Indonesia.
Internet use is increasing, with almost 20 million users. An excellent independent Jakarta-based English Internet news site, run by an Australian, is www.laksamana.net. New Zealand-based www.scoop.co.nz often carries information from Indonesian activist groups. For Indonesian speakers, www.detik.com is a useful news portal. The national Indonesian newswire service, Antara (Indonesian for ‘in between’), has English-language pages (www.antara.co.id).
News Gathering
Since the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, journalists have been free to enter the province of Aceh, an area that under the Megawati regime was virtually off-limits to foreign reporters. However, all journalists must still apply for permits to visit the province of Papua and applications are often turned down. Technically, the regulations allow the Government to expel any journalists it dislikes.
Although permits are still required for Papua, journalists can, and do, enter the province without them. The expulsion from Aceh of an Australian academic who had earlier written critical newspaper articles about the activities of officials in the province suggests that security elements in the Indonesian government have compiled a journalist blacklist.
The most significant issue for journalists is violence, especially when trouble-spots flare up. Journalists were specifically targeted by anti-independence militia forces in the former province of East Timor. In Ambon, at the height of the religious killings, journalists needed to hire their own bodyguards — usually armed soldiers. Mob violence in Indonesia is less common these days, but crowds can still turn ugly very quickly and a press pass is no protection. Seek as much information from resident correspondents as possible, especially about travel in outlying areas where the security forces may be unable to control riots.
Press visas are required for journalists and photographers travelling in Indonesia. They are now relatively easy to get and applications should be made to the Indonesian Embassy in New Zealand. Residency visas take longer and can be expensive due to corruption within the immigration department. Journalists wanting to register in Indonesia should go to the Department of Foreign Affairs (Deplu), at Jalan Taman Pejambon 6, Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat), tel: 21 344 1508.
There are many NGOs in Indonesia that can supply information on a variety of issues, from AIDS to political prisoners in Papua and Jakarta’s urban planning – or lack of it. Some are trustworthy, while others are not. It is not unknown for scam NGOs to spring up to help spend foreign aid money. The United Nations also has a major presence in Indonesia and is useful for up-to-date country information. Government statistics differ in quality depending on the branch or department and can sometimes be out-of-date, misleading or just plain wrong.
The Jakarta Foreign Correspondents’ Club does not have a club house, but runs regular drinks evenings and lunches with guest speakers. President: Shoeb Kagda, The Business Times; tel: (21)-3983-1474, 3983-1475. Many Jakarta hotels also offer special rates for journalists. Contact the FCC for details.
Most of the international media, including all the wire services, have offices on the top floors of the Deutsche Bank building on Jalan Imam Bonjol, in the heart of central Jakarta. Tell the taxi driver ‘Hotel Indonesia’ and when he points it out, drive around the large roundabout until you see the bank tower. The building is also the base for Asia Works, www.asiaworks.com, a television studio that services international television journalists and can provide professional fixers for important interviews.
Cinnabar, just down the road in the Plaza Gani Djemat building, is one of the flash watering holes for international media people, UN workers and interesting, generally wealthy locals. It is a useful place to go to make contacts and has a good, but relatively pricey, restaurant.
Department of Information (DEPPEN), Foreign Press Division: Jalan Merdeka Barat, rear building, tel: (21) 384-1972, ext 658/668.
Practical Tips
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Some English is spoken in major cities. However it is very difficult to work in Indonesia without at least a rudimentary grasp of Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and a translator. Many young graduates are available to work for foreign reporters — Jakarta-based journalists should be able to help.
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Indonesia has only a moderately reliable health system in the major cities and very little by way of emergency care beyond them. Hospitals often require up-front payment or proof of medical insurance cover before offering assistance — even for emergency medical care.
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In the cities, taxi drivers often don’t know individual street addresses. They can also readily spot newcomers — asking to go somewhere in English being their biggest clue — and are likely to take a longer route if it is obvious that you don’t know where you’re going. This will cost a pittance (one hour in a cab can cost less than NZ$12) but it will waste time. It is a good idea to become familiar with basic phrases, or to engage an Indonesian-speaking guide, especially if staying in an area for some time.
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Trains can be used to travel across Java but they are slow and subject to delays. For long distances, air travel is the best option. The recent deregulation of the airline industry has resulted in cheap flights to many destinations. However, there are few services to more remote areas in the archipelago, which have to be reached either overland or by boat. Poorly maintained and crowded roads mean travelling a distance that would take little time in New Zealand can take many hours.
Contributor: Chris Holm | Updated by Vaughan Yarwood
Latest update September 2008
