INDONESIA: Partisan print media proven short-lived

Thirty percent of a typical publication today has an idealistic agenda, says Press Council chairman

The Jakarta Post
Thursday, February 26, 2009

By Harry Bhaskara

The increase in newspapers directly affiliated with certain political parties is nothing to be worried about because history shows they do not survive, says a veteran journalist.

"Based on Indonesian history, these kinds of newspapers will collapse sooner or later," says Atmakusumah Astraatmadja, chairman of the first independent Press Council set up in 2000.

"Papers that based their publication on certain religions and ideologies simply do not last."

As the legislative and presidential elections approach, numerous newspapers linked with political parties have sprung up throughout the archipelago.

"History has shown us that only independent papers survive because they remain of interest to the public," Atmakusumah told The Jakarta Post following the launch of his two books marking his 70th birthday Tuesday.

"Consequently I have never worried about the emergence of these kinds of newspapers, or those that dedicate all their coverage to certain issues such as the porn law or criminality. The public will eventually respond to them according to their liking," said Atmakusumah, a tireless fighter for press freedom throughout three decades of the autocratic Soeharto regime, famous for its draconian press laws.

Atmakusumah said Jurnal Nasional, a newspaper linked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party was no different to the Suara Karya publication from past elections, which was owned by the Golkar Party.

Under the Soeharto government, circulation figures hit a record high when the Information Minister bought 500,000 copies of Suara Karya for distribution at government offices.

Atmakusumah said the rising role of external commercial influences in the media industry following the collapse of Soeharto's New Order government is natural and not something to necessarily criticize.

"Media organizations cannot separate idealism from its publications. It is just impossible," he said.

Atmakusumah said whereas in the past around 70 percent of a publication would be concerned with its idealistic agenda, in recent times that figure has sat more around 30 percent.

"Even during the days of Indonesia Raya, the welfare of our staff always came first," he said, referring to the paper he once led with the late Mochtar Lubis, renowned for its daring investigative reporting, was banned by the Soeharto government in 1974.

The book launch at the Jakarta Media Center included a discussion between Dr. David T. Hill, an Australian professor with an interest in Indonesian media and Henry Subiakto, an expert from the Ministry of Information and Communication.

Commenting on the concerns raised by the audience about the rise in foreign franchised magazines in Indonesia and their possible adverse impact on Indonesian culture, Hill said the phenomenon was not unique.

"There are numerous foreign publications in Australia as well and they don't even have to be translated because they are already in English," said the Chair of Southeast Asian Studies at Murdoch University.

Whether or not these publications have a negative impact on Indonesian society depends entirely on the individuals themselves, he said.

"Indonesians have to ask themselves how strong their cultural resilience is in the face of these influences," he said.

Date Posted: 2/26/2009