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Lawsuit against KompasTV raises fresh press freedom concerns
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Chief editor of KompasTV Rosiana Silalahi (left) meets with chairperson of the Press Council Ninik Rahayu (right) on May 10, 2023. (The Jakarta Post/Net News)
T
he Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Press Council have warned about the damage a recently settled lawsuit against Jakarta-based television station KompasTV could inflict on Indonesia's already declining press freedom.
KompasTV was sued for Rp 1.3 billion over its coverage of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), a joint venture between Indonesian and Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) responsible for constructing the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway.
KompasTV editor in chief Rosiana Silalahi said the lawsuit had been filed by a content creator who was partnered with PT KCIC.
"We were sued for using footage from PT KCIC’s official YouTube channel in our news coverage of the company's ballooning debt of Rp 8.4 trillion [US$570.5 million]," Rosiana said on Wednesday.
"Strangely, we had used the footage in other news coverage on the trial run of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway back in November, and we did not receive any complaints," she added.
Rosiana said the issue had been settled out of court but warned that similar tactics might be used in the future to limit press freedom.
"This is a new way to stifle press freedom in the digital era, what happened to us might also happen to other news companies," she said.
