Broadcast Media
Ruai TV is a lesser known television station, but its engagement with local communities in reporting on issues affecting their control of land makes the station unique. Locals, communities, and indigenous people will text the station –as well as government officials and the police– when, for example, companies violate legal obligations and exploit land to which they have no right. Up until 2010, some 200 conflicts between communities and palm oil producers were reported across Indonesia. RuaiSMS, developed by Knight Internationalism Journalism in a partnership between Riau TV and Internews, is a form of participatory monitoring that Ruai TV uses to empower grass roots organizing and bring those often left out of the media into public discourse and discussing issues that are often overlooked or underreported. For indigenous Indonesians, RuaiSMS in South Kalimantan has allowed for communication of customary territory control violations. In many of these areas, communication infrastructure is underdeveloped or nonexistent. However, mobile phone penetration is quite high –68% in 2009– making RuaiSMS an effective communication and engagement strategy. Ruai TV’s RuaiSMS is improving government and company accountability.
Content Samples:
Ruai TV has reported on climate and pollution, especially when the environmental problems cause direct damage to the public. It has reported on the extreme forest and peatland fires that often occur during Indonesia’s dry season. Riau TV reported on the difficulties putting out the blaze due to a lack of water sources. The reporting has also highlighted the deleterious effects of the smoke on public health. In one report, Ruai TV with its partners provided the SMS frontline program that allowed a civilian to communicate to the public and the police that the Kapuas Hulu District government ordered PT RAP (Riau Agrotama Plantation), a palm oil company, to stop illegal forest clearing outside their concession. By drawing attention to the district order, the police moved to take action. Riau TV, Internews and Knight International helped the civilian install the SMS system and trained other civilian journalists in how to monitor the palm oil company. Ruai TV is an excellent news station for primary source material relating to environmental and climate issues, especially from the local level.
Website link: http://www.ruaitv.co.id/ and link to citizen journalism program: http://www.ruaitv.co.id/category/ruaisms/
Contact: Office address: Jalan 28 Oktober No 25-26 Siantan Hulu, Pontianak Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia
Office Tel: (+62 561) 88 1983 / 88 4524
Online Media
Mongabay.org was founded in California in 2012 as a nonprofit organization by Rhett Ayers Butler, a conservation journalist. It operates extensively in Indonesia, publishing in both Indonesian and English. It employs Indonesian journalists who work on the ground and recruits volunteers as well. Most of its funding comes from grants and donations. Mongabay.org’s first project was Mongabay – Indonesia. It has a network of correspondents in 30 cities across Indonesia. Mongabay’s focus is on environment and especially tropical rainforests and so often discusses the Paris Agreement in its articles. Mongabay is a very responsive news source to current events, often being the primary source for current environmental issues. It has been a great resource for Climate Scorecard research. As a definitively conservationist news source, it supports the Paris Agreement and strongly backs government climate change policies, even blowing whistles when those policies are poorly implemented or infringed upon.
Content Samples:
Mongabay has recently published articles on illegal forest burning that benefits local elites seeking to collect rents or derive benefits from palm oil enterprises seeking cleared. This particular article drew upon academic writing. Mongabay also draws on Indonesian NGOs, research organizations, and locals who provide Mongabay with primary source information on the climate. In another article, Mongabay reported on the amount of carbon that would be protected from a government peatland development moratorium at 5.5-7.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide through 2030, but also raises issues with the regulation’s failure to protect peat domes; making the moratorium potentially futile. Mongabay provides important, up-to-date and very in-depth information on climate related issues.
Website link: http://www.mongabay.co.id/
Article on illegal burning: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/01/how-local-elites-earn-money-from-burning-land-in-indonesia/
Article on effects of GHG emissions from fires, the public health effects, and the effectiveness of the government moratorium:
https://news.mongabay.com/2016/12/green-groups-raise-red-flags-over-jokowis-widely-acclaimed-haze-law/
Contact: Program Editor: Ridzki R. Sigit (rrsigit@mongabay.co.id)
Editor and writer on climate: Rahmadi Rahmat (Rahmadi@mongabay.co.id)
Print Media
Media Indonesia is the third largest newspaper in Indonesia. Kompas Daily is the highest circulated newspaper. Media Indonesia is headquartered in Jakarta, owned by the Media Group. Its director is Lestari Moerdijat. In a study from 2016, Media Indonesia provided substantially different climate change reporting than Kompas. Kompas’s discussion of climate change is largely focused on international news; only 25% focused on the Indonesian context. Media Indonesia’s coverage of climate change in the Indonesian context was 81% of climate change articles. Media Indonesia also focuses on climate change more often than does Kompas.
Media Indonesia is probably the best high-circulation Indonesian-language newspaper source for climate change articles.
Content Samples:
Media Indonesia has reported in depth on the government moratorium on peatland development. In one article, Media Indonesia reported on the secretary general of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry enforcing the moratorium. The Secretary General halted the opening of a canal in PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP)’s concession. Media Indonesia also discussed how the company would be involved in restoring drained peatland with the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) and the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry. Media Indonesia also recently released an article on how peatland destruction by foreign companies greatly increases the haze over the country and contributes to global warming. The article quoted the vice president calling on foreign actors to contribute to the restoration of peat, given the lack of incentives for foreign companies to follow regulations and the importance of Indonesia’s forests as the “lungs of the world”.
Website link: http://www.mediaindonesia.com/
Article on moratorium enforcement with RAPP: http://www.mediaindonesia.com/news/read/66223/rapp-hentikan-pembukaan-kanal-lahan-gambut/2016-09-09
Article on foreign companies contributing to illegal logging and the responsibility of
the international community in restoring and protecting Indonesia’s forests and peatlands: http://www.mediaindonesia.com/news/read/68328/indonesia-tuntut-perusahaan-asing-restorasi-lahan-gambut/2016-09-22
Study on Media Indonesia and other newspapers in Indonesia: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/arS240588311630003X?np=y&npKey=1c406ec21b0c0b3919e9f2772d53cd592a086fa25b18564db36df8edd48ae2b3
Contact: Office address: PT. Citra Media Nusa Purnama Jl. Pilar Mas Raya Kav A-D Kedoya Selatan, Kebon Jeruk Jakarta Barat, DKI Jakarta 11520, Indonesia
Office Tel: +62 21 5821303, Email: redaksi.micom@mediaindonesia.com
Submitted by Indonesia Country Manager Tristan Grupp