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Attacks against journalists spill over into digital sphere
International and local media observers and practitioners have warned of a shift in the nature of threats against journalists as physical violence appears to have declined while online harrassment seems to be on the rise.
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The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has revealed that violence against journalists in Indonesia decreased from 64 reported cases last year to 43 this year. However, that data did not necessarily reflect greater freedom of the press in the country, because a rise in digital attacks on journalists was mostly left out of the debate, media observers and practitioners said. (Shutterstock/ImYanis)
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nternational and local media observers and practitioners have warned of a shift in the nature of threats against journalists despite a decreasing number of cases of physical violence in the country.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has revealed that violence against journalists in Indonesia decreased from 64 reported cases last year to 43 this year. However, that data did not necessarily reflect greater freedom of the press in the country, because a rise in digital attacks on journalists was mostly left out of the debate, media observers and practitioners said.
Febriana Firdaus, 36, then-journalist for news site Rappler, said she had experienced a series of online attacks from people who claimed to be supporters of then-Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama after she wrote about evictions in Jakarta in 2016.
She was also condemned by netizens for an article on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people published by Rappler earlier that year. She said online attacks against her reached a peak when she wrote about the 1965 tragedy and the alleged relationship between the hardline Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and Indonesian military generals.
As a result, she received death threats, was called a neo-communist in a derogatory manner, her pictures were spread over the internet and her family – without her consent – was informed of all the threats and bullying against her as well. It took her three months to completely return back to a normal state after the attacks.
“The impact of online attacks was horrendous. The online account used to post hate messages against me was followed by hundreds of thousands of people. Can you imagine how many people targeted me? I was scared, and it has traumatized me until now,” Febriana told The Jakarta Post.
Febriana, who is now a freelance journalist for Al Jazeera and focuses on Papua, said she was still being attacked online for her work. While the AJI and Free Press Unlimited had done a good job in protecting her, she said she hoped the government would strengthen protection of all Indonesian journalists.
