The Jakarta Post has urged the Indonesian Association of Journalists (AJI) to issue a statement protesting against the intimidation of journalists from its rival paper Jakarta Globe over the latter’s front page report Monday alleging that the President’s son was involved in vote buying, said one of Unspun‘s sources at the paper. (for background see here)
“This is getting ridiculous,” said the source. “It’s no longer something about jakarta Globe but about Press Freedom.” The source said that his information is that a reporter from the Globe had been called in for questioning by the police yesterday and today either Globe editor in chief Wim Tangkilisan or Deputy Editor Bhimanto Suwastoyo might be called in for questioning by the Police.
So far, however, there’s scant information about the episode from official sources. Most of the information has been tricking in from Facebook status updates and Tweets from Twitters. As a result nobody seems to know for sure if the reported police questionings have actually taken place, and if they have then whether this activity has been directed by the President himself; or if it is an individual effort by his spokesperson Andi Mallarengeng.
Whatever it is, journalists and editors talk and there may soon be a concerted effort among the journalists to oppose what they see as an encroachment on the Press Freedom that Indonesia has enjoyed all these years.
Unspun 
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