Indonesian Television News-Making Before and After Suharto

Abstract

The first part of the article sketches the fast-changing Indonesian television landscape: until a few years ago Indonesian audiences were used to watching the state-owned TVRI channel only. Nowadays they can choose among five additional commercial stations. The second part of the article looks at the extent to which the national context allows for `quality' in television news or if, on the contrary, it constitutes an impediment to it. In-dept interviews with local news-makers and policy-makers in both state television and commercial television stations highlight two major problem areas for news-making: an omnipresent political control and a lack of professionalism. Finally, the article examines the roles played by Indonesian television news departments during the current period of political upheaval and reform.