“Quality Media Will Not Ask Journalists to Rush for News and Ads at the Same Time”
INTERVIEW ANDREAS HARSONO
Journalism is facing a major change thanks to the internet. This creature has given birth to various platforms, which take over the advertising cake of press companies. But independence still needs a firewall. Advertising must be distinguished from journalistic work.
Andreas Harsono is an Indonesian journalist, born in Jember, who lives in Jakarta. In 1994, he co-founded the Alliance of Independent Journalists, when the New Order regime prohibited the establishment of journalist organizations other than “single forums.”
He then worked for several regional newspapers including The Nation (Bangkok) and The Star (Kuala Lumpur), co-founded the Institute for the Study of Information Flow in Jakarta and was an early member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington DC, as well as a judge for the Fetisov Journalism Awards (Geneva), which provides awards globally.
He wrote two books including Literary Journalism and My “Religion” Is Journalism. His intellectual journey prompted him to write Race, Islam and Power: Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Soeharto Indonesia.
Since 2008, he has worked for Human Rights Watch, a human rights organization in New York, writing about violations of freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia, as well as discrimination against indigenous Papuans.
He is also known for reporting on so-called "virginity tests" in 2014-2015 for women applying to become police or soldiers, until this practice was stopped because it was unscientific and discriminatory.
Gafur Abdullah met Andreas Harsono at his home, to talk about journalism. (Saturday, June 25, 2024)
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How did you start your career as a journalist?
In 1984, I studied at Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga. I joined the engineering faculty magazine, called Imbas . It is published once a year. This magazine was banned in 1987 when I was editor-in-chief. Imbas published a short article about the letter from Arief Budiman, a lecturer and scholar, to the Chancellor of Satya Wacana.
Arief Budiman questioned campus idealism. There are more and more projects on campus. The rules are not clear. Some campus officials were angry. I was beaten, beaten and Imbas was banned . I reported it to the police, the incident was covered by the mass media, inviting student press solidarity from Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Bandung, Jakarta. Salatiga is so busy. A perpetrator of the beating was tried and convicted.
When did you first work for mainstream media?
In 1991, I finished college. After one year, I started as a freelance journalist in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The United Nations holds elections and forms the Cambodian government. Indonesia is a sponsor of the Cambodia peace negotiations.
I wrote about the "Indonesia battalion" for several media including the daily Suara Merdeka in Semarang and Matra magazine in Jakarta. Returning from Phnom Penh, I translated a book about East Timor, then applied for a job at The Jakarta Post . I only worked for one year and was laid off in October 1994.
Why were you fired?
Management said I was a partisan journalist. The Jakarta Post does not want to have partisan journalists. Many people believe that I was dismissed because I co-founded the Alliance of Independent Journalists in August 1994.
At that time, there were two journalists from The Jakarta Post, who also helped found AJI. One was transferred to the library. Another was transferred to the layout section. They were already permanent employees. I was a contract employee, laid off.
The Jakarta Post seems to be afraid of both the Information Department and the Indonesian Journalists Association. Information Minister Harmoko is a shareholder of The Jakarta Post .
At that time, the daily Kompas had two journalists, who also co-founded AJI. They were dismissed with severance pay. Forum magazine also had journalists dismissed, including Santoso, at that time, secretary general of AJI.
The Association of Indonesian Journalists, in short, pressured media that had journalists to sign the Sirnagalih Declaration regarding the founding of AJI in August 1994. There was a regulation from the Minister of Information, Harmoko, that there was only one journalist organization: PWI.
During the New Order, all professions were only allowed to have a “single container,” from laborers to teachers, from journalists to doctors. So, the establishment of AJI was considered an illegal act. Several AJI members were even arrested, tried and imprisoned.
How important is it to join journalist organizations and certification, especially for young journalists?
Now there are dozens of journalist organizations, from print media to online, especially local ones. I prefer journalists to join organizations. They will have many networks and knowledge. It is also a place to raise solidarity if a journalist becomes a victim of criminalization.
Journalist certification was a decision made by various journalist organizations – including PWI and AJI – in Palembang in 2010. You certainly know that AJI became an officially registered organization after the resignation of President Soeharto in 1998. In Palembang, the Press Council was designated as the only organization that officially carries out journalist certification. .
In essence, these organizations are worried about the rise of fake journalists and fake media. Many journalists come to government offices, sub-districts, schools or other places, threaten and ask for money. Many government officials complain about asking for envelopes. So a certification was made. But the Press Council cannot create many journalist certification programs. Big budget, right?
According to the chairman of the Press Council, Yosep Adi Prasetyo, in 2018 there were 43,000 media organizations, from television, print, radio, and online. Most of them are new and online media. Imagine 43,000! Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest media density in the world.
I estimate the certification program should train perhaps up to 200,000 journalists. On average, one media person is trained by up to five people. This certification helps journalists understand journalistic ethics, criminal and civil law – especially rubber articles in the field of defamation – as well as various elements of journalism. The small budget means this training runs slowly.
Today, many media do not pay journalists. Journalists are told to cover while looking for advertisements. How do you see this practice?
If you read Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel's book on the elements of journalism, it is explained that journalism requires journalists to be independent of their sources. Journalists are even required to be able to cover their own media, especially when their own media boss is suspected of doing something wrong.
This independence requires a firewall. It is a firewall that separates business from the editorial office. Advertising must be distinguished from journalistic work. Advertising and sponsorship are handled by the advertising people. Journalism is handled by the editorial office. Quality media will not ask journalists to rush for news and at the same time rush for advertising.
In fact, in various Indonesian cities, this practice often occurs. In Jakarta, I know that Kompas and Tempo strictly regulate their journalists not dealing with advertising.
I have lived in Cambridge and New York. I also studied journalism at Harvard University. There, the practice of fire fencing is strictly enforced. The New Yorker magazine , for example, separates the elevator for the editorial crew and the business room. Business people and editors are not expected to meet even in elevators.
At the board of directors level, of course, there is communication between the president director and the business director and operations director (editor in chief). But at the operational level, there is no mechanism for meetings between journalists and businesses.
Lately there has been a term “freelance journalist.” What do you think?
I used to be a freelance journalist. After I was laid off from The Jakarta Post , I freelanced for The West Australian (Perth), The Nation (Bangkok) and The Star (Kuala Lumpur). It's common in journalism. Being a freelance journalist requires discipline and consistency. You need to have a network and monthly targets.
In the United States, many prominent journalists started out as freelancers. In Indonesia, many media outlets are now opening up opportunities for contributors. The pay is pretty good.
What about media that are not incorporated?
I co-wrote the press law draft in 1998-1999. The idea is that journalistic media is intended to be a separate legal entity. The form can be a limited liability company, cooperative, or foundation.
The idea is that many organizations, from economics to religion, from education to the military, have magazines or websites as their medium for providing information to the public. This medium is not a journalistic activity. He was guided by the leaders of each organization. It is certainly not a journalistic medium.
This idea is stated in the 1999 Press Law. If a journalistic media is sued, the resolution can be done through mediation by the Press Council.
In essence, journalistic media is different from public relations media. But having a legal entity is complicated, right? You have to take care of taxes, for example. If the media is not financially stable, it will be difficult, right?
How important is Press Council verification for a media outlet?
It is especially useful when there is a journalistic dispute. The Press Council can mediate. Media that provide coverage in Indonesia also do not have to be legal entities in Indonesia. Mongabay, for example, is a legal entity in California, United States. But Mongabay provides Mongabay Indonesia to cover Indonesia. That's fine.
I was involved in drafting the 1999 Press Law. I think the mediation procedures for mainstream media have been completed and are neat. What is not yet finished is for the student press.
It means?
When talking about student press, on the one hand, it functions as an independent media. On the other hand, it is under a non-media legal entity (university). In general terms, media that are under the auspices of another legal entity tend to be the public relations of their parent organization.
Student press, right ? Even though it is under the auspices of the campus, the student press is not the mouthpiece of the campus. The long history of the student press in Indonesia proves that they can be critical of campus management. If there is a journalistic dispute, the student press should be under the auspices of the Press Council, not the police.
Fortunately, this year, the Press Council and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education made an agreement that if there is a dispute with the student press, it should be submitted to the Press Council to find out the truth – not reported to the police or prosecutors.
Is the student press wrong? Or are they right? The Press Council can investigate and issue a decision. So the student press has practically received mediation procedures starting this year. It's been a very long road, from 1999 to 2024, it's been 25 years. Better late than never .
How do you see the rise of non-profit media?
That's a great breakthrough. Non-profit media doesn't mean they don't have capital. They have capital, some even have a lot of money. Mongabay Indonesia is non-profit, right? Also Project Multatuli, Konde, The Conversation Indonesia, Bollo.id. In America, there's ProPublica, Marshall Project.
They live on public funds, donations from individuals and foundations. They each developed criteria for which donations they could accept.
Human Rights Watch, where I work, does not want to accept funding from any government, extractive industry (mining, plantations and giant livestock), as well as aristocratic plus oligarchic families.
How do you see the disruption of the internet to journalism today?
Now journalism is facing huge changes thanks to the internet. This creature gave birth to various platforms, such as Google, Facebook, Whatsapp, Tiktok. They take the press company's advertising cake. Legacy media revenues are shrinking as advertising flows to technology companies.
The budget for the newsroom is shrinking. This is a problem for press companies. It happens everywhere. Europe, America, Africa, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Everyone is facing this problem.
This condition, like it or not, forces press companies to be more agile. Ways that can be done, according to research from the Reuters Foundation, include asking the public for donations. In Indonesia, this method is starting to be developed.
Project Multatuli for example, they created the Kawan M program so that the public would donate. Tempo and Kompas created subscription news programs. Readers were asked to subscribe. Media like this must have high value: create quality coverage. It will encourage readers to pay.
The New York Times now makes more money from subscribers than advertising. By the end of 2023, this legacy media will have 10.36 million subscribers, of which 9.7 million are digital subscribers only – without paper daily newspapers. This is the method that the media in Indonesia should emulate. Instead of asking journalists to hunt for information and at the same time forcing them to ask for advertisements from agencies or sources.
Unfortunately, in Indonesia, there is an impression in society that information via the internet is free.
Accident? Free information?
Yes, Indonesia experienced a media accident. Traditionally , information from the press media is considered free. It started with the emergence of detik.com and several online media. This makes it difficult for legacy media such as Tempo, Kompas and others to ask readers to pay.
In fact, journalists and editors make a lot of sweat, hunger, sleepiness or other sacrifices to be able to get accurate information and present news to the public.
But Tempo, Kompas and others also made mistakes. They made different outlets that were free. Tempo with a free website but paid magazines, including magazine websites. Kompas made Kompas.com free but paid daily website.
Coverage standards also differ between print and online. Print standards remain strict but online are made quicker and looser. It clouds people's perception of their quality. If online it gets worse, it affects the name of the print side.
Pay attention to The New York Times. They still use a single standard. News also doesn't have to be published quickly without a verification process. In Jakarta, these different standards will slowly be changed, creating a “ single standard ” for all their output. This is the right step so that legacy media can also collect payments from readers.
Gafur Abdullah: Journalist and freelance writer whose route to studying journalism started with LPM Activity 2014 at IAIN Madura. Recipient of the 2022 Pantau Foundation Literary Journalism Course Scholarship. His journalistic work has received awards from Kompas, AJI, UNICEF, ECONUSA and received a number of Journalism Fellowships. Now serving through Indoklik.id as Editor-in-Chief.
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