Freedom of the press has increased slightly but we shouldn’t become complacent. We still have to fight.
By
TATANG MULYANA SINAGA
·5 minutes read
PANDU WIYOGA
Chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) of Batam City, Slamet Widodo (left) during a speech demanding the police to ensure the safety of journalists' work at Engku Putri Square, Batam, Riau Islands, Monday (30/9/2019).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The Indonesia’s Press Freedom Index (IKP) score rose by 1.86 from last year to 77.88 this year. This slight increase, however, is overshadowed by several problems, such as violence against journalists, minimal journalist welfare guarantees as well as inadequate access to information for people with disabilities.
An IKP score of 77.88 is still classified as fairly good, although this means that the country’s IKP has yet to reach the free category by scoring 90-100. Several indicators still need to be improved to support press freedom in the country.
“Freedom of the press has increased slightly but we shouldn’t become complacent. We still have to fight,” said Press Council chairman Azyumardi Azra at the announcement of the 2022 IKP survey results in Jakarta on Thursday.
His party has submitted feedback to the government and House of Representatives to improve the draft Criminal Code (RKUHP), since the draft includes articles that can potentially threaten press freedom. “Hopefully this will create the momentum to increase press freedom, especially to strengthen democracy,” he said.
According to Ninik Rahayu, head of the Press Council’s Press Research, Data Collection and Ratification Commision, the 2022 IKP survey used a mixed quantitative and qualitative method, involving 340 expert informants from across 34 provinces.
Expert informants consist of administrators of journalist organizations, leaders of media companies, government representatives and the community. The survey used both questionnaires and interview data. The IKP score is then assessed based on three variables: the physical and political environment, the economy and the law. Each variable includes 20 indicators and 75 sub-indicators.
Effort
The slight increase in the IKP score shows that planned, systematic and measurable efforts are needed from all stakeholders of the press. “There must be support for a conducive environment from government agencies, law enforcement and the people,” said Ninik.
She mentioned that the three provinces with the highest IKP scores this year were East Kalimantan (83.78), Jambi (83.23) and Central Kalimantan (83.68). Meanwhile, the three provinces with the lowest scores were West Papua (69.23), North Maluku (69.84) and East Java (72.88).
From 2018 to 2022, provinces with IKP scores in the lowest classification include Papua (5 times), West Papua (4 times), North Maluku and East Java (3 times each) and Banten (2 times).
There must be support for a conducive environment from government agencies, law enforcement and the people.
East Kalimantan’s high IPK score was influenced by the Provincial Information Commission’s quickness in disseminating information to journalists and the public as well as support for communication and information services to increase the capacity of journalists.
Meanwhile in West Papua, press companies still heavily rely on local administrations and political parties for funding. Additionally, no local regulations are in place to protect press freedom while access to information is still often hindered by security apparatus.
Ninik explained that based on the survey, a number of things need to be maintained, including freedom of association for journalists (86.87%), alternative media freedom (80.45%), access to public information (81.98%) and education for press personnel (83.51%).
KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI
A number of journalists from the Cirebon Journalists Coalition held an action to commemorate World Press Freedom Day at the Proclamation Monument, Cirebon City, West Java, Monday (30/5/2022). The action was initiated by the Alliance of Independent Journalists to voice the importance of press freedom.
Threats of violence
Moreover, there are many issues concerning press freedom, such as violence against journalists. “Three provinces need to pay attention to this, namely North Sumatra, North Maluku and East Java,” she said.
Journalists also face intimidation and non-physical violence from state officials because of the news. Thus, journalists are often prevented from doing their job. “There are cases where the press is brought to court by law enforcement officers,” she said.
Ninik added that there was also minimal guarantee of journalists’ welfare. A total of 12 provinces scored low on indicators of good corporate governance; they did not pay journalists the minimum wage stipulated in the province and this occurred 13 times a year. “Some press companies have not complied with the regulations to provide welfare for journalists. This has had an impact on their independence,” she said.
The survey also noted that 25 provinces have yet to form local regulations that obligate mass media outlets to broadcast news that can be consumed by people with disabilities. This is due to limited human resources, technology, costs and media awareness in the regions.
The Press Council has also submitted their recommendations based on the 2022 IKP survey. Recommendations to press companies include creating a conducive environment so journalists are free from sexual harassment in the workplace, welfare of journalists are improved and increasing the capacity of journalists from a gender perspective.
Asmono Wikan, chairman of the Press Council’s Organization Empowerment Commission, expressed hope that law enforcers, namely the police, prosecutors and the Supreme Court will improve the knowledge and skills of its personnel when responding to reports that involve bringing journalists and press companies to court. “This is so that [such reports] can be resolved through mechanisms regulated by the Press Law,” he said.
Recommendations submitted to the House of Representatives include harmonizing the draft Criminal Code with the Press Law. Meanwhile, the government is expected to actively prevent the increase of poor quality media by using the Press Council’s press company verification procedure.
Cyber Media Association (AMSI) chairman Wenseslaus Manggut said that the results of the 2022 IKP survey need to be further elaborated. “The score has increased but how is it relevant to the public? Perhaps our IKP score is higher than Malaysia’s but Malaysia scored better on the Corruption Perception Index,” he said
National Development Planning Agency (BPPN) politics and communications acting director Wariki Sutikno said that efforts to improve the quality of press freedom requires collaboration from many parties.
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