The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post
The front page of The Jakarta Post on July 9, 2009
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) PT Bina Media Tenggara
Founded April 25, 1983 (12965 issues)
Headquarters Jl. Palmerah Barat 142–143
Jakarta, Indonesia
ISSN 0215-3432
Website www.thejakartapost.com

The Jakarta Post is a daily English language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara, and the head office is in the nation's capital, Jakarta.

The Jakarta Post was started as a collaboration between four Indonesian media under the urging of Information Minister Ali Murtopo and politician Jusuf Wanandi. After the first issue was printed on 25 April 1983, it spent several years with minimal advertisements and increasing circulation. After a change in chief editors in 1991, it began to take a more vocal pro-democracy point of view. The paper was one of the few Indonesian English-language dailies to survive the 1997 Asian financial crisis and currently has a circulation of about 40,000.

The Jakarta Post also features an online edition and a weekend magazine supplement called J+. The newspaper is targeted at foreigners and educated Indonesians, although the middle-class Indonesian readership has increased. Noted for being a training ground for local and international reporters, The Jakarta Post has won several awards and been described as being "Indonesia's leading English-language daily".[1] The Jakarta Post is a member of Asia News Network.

History

Founding and development

The former logo of The Jakarta Post. Used until 31 March 2016.

The Jakarta Post was the brainchild of Information Minister Ali Murtopo and politician Jusuf Wanandi. Murtopo and Wanandi were disappointed at the perceived bias against Indonesia in foreign news sources.[2] At the time, there were two English-language dailies, The Indonesia Times and The Indonesian Observer.[3] However, due to negative public perception regarding the existing papers they decided to create a new one. In order to ensure credibility, the two agreed to convince a group of competing newspapers (the Golkar-backed Suara Karya, the Catholic-owned Kompas, the Protestant-owned Sinar Harapan, and the weekly Tempo) to back the nascent paper.[2] It was hoped to become a quality English-language paper, similar to The Straits Times in Singapore, the Bangkok Post in Thailand, and the New Straits Times in Malaysia.[4]

After founding PT Bina Media Tenggara to back the paper,[5] Wanandi spent several months contacting influential figures at the targeted newspapers. To receive their cooperation, Kompas requested a 25 percent share in the new newspaper, for which it would handle the daily business operations, such as printing, circulation, and advertising. Tempo offered to assist with management in return for a 15 percent share, while Sabam Siagian of Sinar Harapan was hired as the first chief editor, for which Sinar Harapan received stock. The establishment of the paper was further aided by incoming Information Minister Harmoko, who received 5 percent interest for his role in acquiring a license. In total, the start-up cost Rp. 500 million (US$700,000 at the time).[6] Muhammad Chudori, a co-founder of The Jakarta Post who formerly reported for Antara, became the newspaper's first general manager.[7]

Further details, including the matter of Sinar Harapan's share of stock and the publisher, were decided at a meeting at Wanandi's office in March 1983.[8] The next month, on 25 April, the first edition — totalling eight pages — was published.[9] The first newsroom of the new paper were located in Kompas's former laundry room, a one story warehouse; the first employees had to do the layout by hand, using pica poles as straight edges.[10] During the first few months, the writers translated and recycled previously published stories from Indonesian media, which were later picked up by foreign wire services. Original reporting was rare as the editors at first did not want to deal with the censorship of Suharto's New Order government.[11]

During the early years of publication, The Jakarta Post had difficulty attracting advertisers, to the point that some editions ran without ads.[12] However, circulation increased dramatically, from 8,657 in 1983 to 17,480 in 1988. Although it was originally hoped that the paper would begin to turn a profit within the first three years, the recession in the early 1980s led to the start-up funds being depleted. Eventually, in 1985 the paper took out an interest-free loan and received Rp. 700 million from its owners. After advertising increased, The Jakarta Post was able to turn a profit by 1988,[13] and was considered "one of the most credible newspapers" in Indonesia.[14]

Activism

Susanto Pudjomartono, former chief editor of Tempo, became The Jakarta Post's second chief editor on 1 August 1991, after Siagian was chosen to be Indonesia's ambassador to Australia.[15] Under Pudjomartono's leadership, the paper began publishing more original work and doing less translation; reporters were also asked to take a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the paper.[16] The paper also became more vocal regarding politics, taking a pro-democracy stance like Tempo.[16][17] It soon converted its offices into a new, two-story building built using the Kompas pension fund[18] and expanded to 12 pages.[19]

In 1994, The Jakarta Post signed a distribution agreement with the British news service Reuters and the American Dialog Information Services, allowing its stories to be more easily promoted overseas.[20] By the mid-1990s, it had established a workshop to assist its new, foreign-born staff in learning the local culture.[21] By December 1998, The Jakarta Post had a circulation of 41,049,[20] and was one of the few English-language dailies in Indonesia after the 1997 Asian financial crisis;[22] six other English-language dailies had failed.[23] That year it also became a founding member of the Asia News Network.[24]

Editors-in-chief

To date, The Jakarta Post has had five editors-in-chief: Sabam Pandapotan Siagian (1983-1991), Susanto Pudjomartono (1991-2001), Raymond Toruan (2001-2004), Endy Bayuni (2004-2010), Meidyatama Suryodiningrat (2010-2016) and Endy Bayuni (2016-2018). The newspaper in late January 2018 announced that Nezar Patria would take over as chief editor on 1 February 2018.[25]

Editions and other publications

Sunday edition and J+

The Jakarta Post's Sunday edition was launched on 18 September 1994. The Sunday edition included more in-depth stories, as well as entertainment and fiction that would not be published in the weekday editions.[26] As part of cost-cutting measures amid declining print advertising revenue, the Sunday edition ceased publication in April 2016. It was replaced by a lifestyle and culture magazine called J+, which is included with the newspaper's Saturday edition.[27]

Online edition

The Jakarta Post features an online edition, which includes both print and internet exclusive stories that are free to access. There are also news flashes that are developed as they happen. The paper hopes to digitise the entirety of its printed stories, with at least 50,000 articles dating to June 1994 already digitised.[28] In 2017, The Jakarta Post began charging subscriptions in order to access "premium" online content.[29]

Bali Daily

On 9 April 2012 The Jakarta Post launched Bali Daily, a four-page daily newspaper produced in Bali, after noting that 4,900 of the flagship paper's subscribers lived on the resort island.[30] Bali Daily ceased printing in 2014.

Market

The Jakarta Post is targeted at Indonesian businesspeople, well-educated Indonesians, and foreigners.[1][9] In 1991, 62 percent of the paper's readers were expatriates. Under Pudjomartono's leadership, it began targeting more Indonesian readers.[18] As of 2009, approximately half of its 40,000 readers are middle class Indonesians.[23]

In 2008, The Jakarta Post faced new competition, dubbed "a wake up call", when BeritaSatu Media Holdings, an associated company of billionaire James Riady, began publishing a rival English-language daily newspaper, The Jakarta Globe.[31] The Jakarta Globe even hired several defectors from The Jakarta Post, paying them higher salaries, and the Globe's print run was 40,000.[32] However, by May 2012, The Jakarta Globe converted from broadsheet to tabloid size, and in December 2015 it became an online only publication.[33]

In 2018, The Jakarta Post is sold at 7500rp per single copy and 9500rp in Bali and Nusa Tenggara per newspaper. It has monthly package for 11$/month for the online version and 12$/month for the paper version.[34]

Layout and style

The Jakarta Post follows a broadsheet format. In the beginning, it featured an index on the front page, as well as short offbeat stories under the title "This Odd World". The lifestyle section had eight comic strips, and it used more photographs and graphics than was normal for Indonesian publications at that time. The editorials tended to be shorter than their Indonesian counterparts.[11]

The Jakarta Post uses the inverted pyramid style of reporting, with the most important information at the beginning of the article;[14] during the 1980s, many Indonesian papers put the lede further down.[9] Bill Tarrant attributes this to the different writing styles in English and Indonesian, with English favouring the active voice and direct statements, while respectful Indonesian favours the passive voice and a circuitous approach.[21] Regarding this topic, Wanandi has said that "You cannot bullshit in English, like the Javanese way."[14]

Public opinion

Peter Gelling, of The New York Times, notes that The Jakarta Post has been considered a "training ground" for local reporters, and offers apprenticeship programs. In 2009, six former The Jakarta Post reporters worked for Bloomberg.[23] In 2014 The Jakarta Post was behind Kompas in terms of online visits.[35]

Awards and recognition

In 2006, the Reporters Union of Indonesia recognised The Jakarta Post as being one of the Indonesian newspapers that best followed the journalism ethics and standards; other papers so recognised were Kompas and Indo Pos.[36] The paper received the Adam Malik Award in January 2009 for their reporting on foreign politics; the coverage was considered accurate and educated, with good analysis.[37] The following year three reporters received the Adiwarta Award from Sampoerna for excellent photography in the fields of culture, law, and politics.[38] Another journalist received the Adam Malik Award in 2014 for his writings which assisted the ministry to distribute information regarding foreign policy implementation.[39]

See also

  • The Jakarta Post TV

References

Footnotes
  1. 1 2 Eklöf 2003, p. 14.
  2. 1 2 Tarrant 2008, p. 47.
  3. ↑ Siagian 2003, Grabbed at the creation.
  4. ↑ Tarrant 2008, p. 67.
  5. ↑ The Jakarta Post, The Jakarta Post.
  6. ↑ Tarrant 2008, pp. 54–56.
  7. ↑ The Jakarta Post 2013, Senior journalist.
  8. ↑ Tarrant 2008, p. 57.
  9. 1 2 3 Tarrant 2008, p. 66.
  10. ↑ Tarrant 2008, pp. 60–61.
  11. 1 2 Tarrant 2008, pp. 66–67.
  12. ↑ Tarrant 2008, pp. 70–71.
  13. ↑ Tarrant 2008, pp. 92–93.
  14. 1 2 3 Tarrant 2008, p. 104.
  15. ↑ "Former editor and diplomat Susanto Pudjomartono passes away". The Jakarta Post. 2015-01-14. Archived from the original on 2015-01-14. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
  16. 1 2 Tarrant 2008, pp. 107–109.
  17. ↑ Tarrant 2008, p. 120.
  18. 1 2 Tarrant 2008, pp. 109–111.
  19. ↑ Tarrant 2008, p. 121.
  20. 1 2 The Jakarta Post, Progress and Development.
  21. 1 2 Tarrant 2008, pp. 128–129.
  22. ↑ Tarrant 2008, p. 171.
  23. 1 2 3 Gelling 2009, Indonesian billionaire takes.
  24. ↑ The Jakarta Post 2011, Pakistan's 'Dawn' joins.
  25. ↑ "'Post' welcomes new chief editor". The Jakarta Post. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  26. ↑ The Jakarta Post, Sunday Edition.
  27. ↑ "Final Sunday edition". The Jakarta Post. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  28. ↑ The Jakarta Post, Online Edition.
  29. ↑ "Package Details". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  30. ↑ Media Indonesia 2012, Jakarta Post Luncurkan.
  31. ↑ Je-hae, Do (2 February 2009). "New Indonesian English Daily Aims for Regional Recognition". The Korea Times. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  32. ↑ Gelling, Peter (18 January 2009). "Indonesian billionaire takes on the Jakarta Post". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  33. ↑ Gutierrez, Natashya (15 December 2015). "Jakarta Globe prints final edition, goes digital". Rappler. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  34. ↑ {{http://www.thejakartapost.com/packages}}
  35. ↑ The Jakarta Post 2014, The Jakarta Post ranks.
  36. ↑ Gatra 2006, PWI Berikan Penghargaan.
  37. ↑ Pakpahan 2009, The Jakarta Post.
  38. ↑ Tempo 2010, Tempo Raih Dua.
  39. ↑ The Jakarta Post 2014, 'The Jakarta Post' journalist.
Bibliography

  • Eklöf, Stefan (2003). Power and Political Culture in Suharto's Indonesia : the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and Decline of the New Order (1986–98). Copenhagen: NIAS. ISBN 978-87-91114-18-2.
  • Gelling, Peter (18 January 2009). "Indonesian billionaire takes on the Jakarta Post". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  • "Jakarta Post Luncurkan Bali Daily" [Jakarta Post Launches Bali Daily]. Media Indonesia (in Indonesian). 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  • "Online Edition". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  • "Pakistan's 'Dawn' joins ANN". The Jakarta Post. Jakarta. 26 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  • Pakpahan, Desy (6 January 2009). "The Jakarta Post Raih Adam Malik Award" [The Jakarta Post receives the Adam Malik Award]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Jakarta. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  • "Progress and Development". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  • "PWI Berikan Penghargaan bagi Tokoh Pers" [The PWI Honours Press Figures]. Gatra (in Indonesian). Jakarta. 10 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  • "Senior journalist and 'Post' founder dies". The Jakarta Post. 24 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  • Siagian, Sabam (23 June 2003). "Grabbed at the creation — my years at the 'Post'". The Jakarta Post. Jakarta. Archived from the original on 23 June 2003. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  • "Sunday Edition". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  • Tarrant, Bill (2008). Reporting Indonesia : the Jakarta Post Story. Jakarta: Equinox. ISBN 978-90-04-04331-2.
  • "Tempo Raih Dua Anugerah Adiwarta Sampoerna 2010" [Tempo Receives Two Sampoerna Adiwarta Awards (2010)]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Jakarta. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  • "The Jakarta Post History". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  • "'The Jakarta Post' journalist wins Adam Malik award". 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015.
  • "The Jakarta Post ranks second on RI most popular newspapers list". 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
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