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Most journalists in Jakarta are underpaid: Association
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) found that most respondents earned less than the living wage of Rp 8 million per month.
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Three journalists report on Constitutional Court justice and bribery suspect Patrialis Akbar at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office on Jan. 27, 2017. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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ost journalists working in Jakarta earn less than the Rp 8 million (US$558) a month needed to cover basic needs, a survey conducted on April 1 by the Jakarta branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) survey has showed.
This was the situation for 89 out of 99 journalists from 60 news companies surveyed between November 2021 and February 2022, with fewer than five years of working experience and living in the Greater Jakarta area.
More than a third of journalists surveyed were paid below Jakarta’s minimum wage last year of Rp 4.41 million a month with some receiving as little as Rp 1.2 million a month. AJI Jakarta expects wages to rise this year, as the minimum wage has been raised to Rp 4.6 million.
Only 16 respondents knew their employer provided an annual raise, whereas the rest did not know such a policy even existed in their company.
“There are only a handful of companies that pay their journalists on a par with our standards. We will not stop campaigning for companies to meet these standards,” said Irsyan Hasyim, head of the manpower and advocacy division at AJI Jakarta.
Read also: A third of local professionals may resign from career rut: Survey
Poor wages are among the main reasons for low-quality journalism in Indonesia. Journalists often produce sensational news and accept bribes to make ends meet. Many are forced to find non-journalistic side jobs, reducing their availability to produce quality journalism.
