The Future of Media Freedom in Indonesia

Each year the ANU Indonesia Institute marks International Human Rights Day with an online panel discussion about a pressing rights issue in Indonesia. This year's event will focus on media freedom. As Indonesia’s democracy enters a new phase under President Prabowo Subianto, media independence and freedom are more critical than ever. Our panel will discuss the challenges of reporting during Indonesia's democratic decline, and the shifting nature of professional journalism in an era of social media influencers, disinformation and A.I.

Panel details will be shared closer to the event.

Speakers:

Adisti Sukma Sawitri

Adisti joined The Jakarta Post in 2006 and currently serves as Deputy Chief Editor. As an editor and journalist with over 15 years of experience in the media and news publishing industry, she has specialized in writing news and op-eds on issues relating to the environment, energy, and national politics. In 2023, she won a grant from Thomson Reuters Foundation to run a series of special reports and documentaries on the energy transition in Indonesia. She has also played a key role in the digital transformation of the largest English language news publisher in Indonesia.

Ika Ningtyas

Ika is the fact-checking coordinator at Tempo, Indonesia’s most prominent investigative independent media group outlet. She has been a professional journalist and press freedom activist for 15 years. In 2021-2024, she was the Secretary-General of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). She also currently serves on the supervisory board of AJI and the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet).

Revolusi ‘Revo’ Riza Zulverdi

Revo is currently the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of CNN Indonesia TV. Revo is one of the team members who helped to establish CNN Indonesia in 2014. Revo was also entrusted as Secretary General of Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia from 2017 to 2021, and was Secretary of the Board of the South East Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) from 2018 to 2021. In 2019, Revo, together with Abdul Manan, represented AJI Indonesia in suing the President of the Republic of Indonesia and the Minister of Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia over the government's decision to cut off the internet in Papua. This lawsuit was granted by the Jakarta State Administrative Court.

Convenor/Moderator:

Ross Tapsell is an Associate Professor at the Australian National University's School of Culture, History and Language. He is the author of Media Power in Indonesia: Oligarchs, Citizens and the Digital Revolution, amongst other publications on media in Southeast Asia.