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The scent – or stench? – of Indonesia's press freedom
It’s not surprising that Indonesia’s score on the press freedom index is low, as democracy in the country has been in decline since the beginning of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration.
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Members of the Corruption Eradication People’s Committee rally outside the State Palace on Jan. 8, 2019, to demand that the government abolish articles in the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law they deemed to be a threat to the freedom of expression. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
D
o you miss the days when one pleasure of your morning routine was the scent of a newly printed newspaper, the aroma of fresh coffee and the rustling of the pages as you flipped through them while sipping your morning brew?
The coffee is still there but the newspaper? With the rise of digital media and its devastating impact on print publishing, the newspaper and other forms of print media have disappeared, or at least become a rarity.
Nowadays, most people access news through their smartphones and laptops, even older folks. Yup, I asked my fellow baby boomers. Even they do that too!
Not to worry. Fragrance manufacturers have capitalized on the decline of the newspaper and created a coffee and newspaper scent combo as a fragrant oil, or if you prefer, a scented candle. Well, I never!
There are advantages to digital media. It’s a greener option, it’s more efficient, lets news travel faster and even makes corrections online possible. With print media, once it’s printed, that’s that, it’s there to stay.
But the lack of a physical newspaper is hardly the biggest problem with the news media these days.
Mainstream media used to be what reflected and shaped prevailing currents of thought, and the main influencer of the public. Is this still the case, and can mainstream media, which includes “churnalism” (press releases, news agency stories and other prepackaged materials), be considered the highest standard of journalism, and do readers still trust it?
