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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Bakom Clarifies 'Homeless Media' Partnership Controversy

From Tempo · (12m ago) Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Indonesian Government Communication Agency (Bakom) clarified its relationship with "homeless media," defined as outlets primarily using social media.
  • Bakom stated it views new media as equal partners to conventional media and has engaged with the Indonesia New Media Forum (INMF) for dialogue, not formal partnerships.
  • The agency emphasized that no contracts or editorial directives bind any media outlets to support the government, and it welcomes criticism.

Tempo, as a leading Indonesian news publication known for its independent and critical stance, reports on the Indonesian Government Communication Agency's (Bakom) clarification regarding its engagement with "homeless media." This term, referring to digital-native outlets that leverage social media platforms, has sparked controversy. Bakom's Acting Deputy of Partnership and Media Relations, Kurnia Ramadhana, sought to dispel misunderstandings, asserting that the agency treats new media as legitimate communication partners on par with traditional media.

Bakom’s perspective is that new media must be engaged to improve the quality and standards of their content.

— Kurnia RamadhanaExplaining Bakom's approach to engaging with new media outlets.

Ramadhana confirmed Bakom's recent audience with the Indonesia New Media Forum (INMF), during which the forum presented a document mapping digital industry players. He stressed that Bakom's engagement is purely for fostering communication and improving content quality, explicitly stating, "There are no contracts, editorial directives, or partnerships that bind specific media to support the government." This stance is crucial for maintaining media independence, a principle Tempo consistently upholds.

There are no contracts, editorial directives, or partnerships that bind specific media to support the government.

— Kurnia RamadhanaEmphasizing the lack of formal, binding agreements between Bakom and media outlets.

Tempo notes the INMF's own clarification, which indicated that the list of outlets mentioned by Bakom chief Muhammad Qodari was part of an industry mapping exercise and that some were not even official forum members. The INMF is also strengthening its internal governance and has not yet established formal partnerships. This situation underscores the evolving media landscape in Indonesia and the government's efforts to navigate it. From an Indonesian perspective, ensuring the autonomy of both new and traditional media is vital for a healthy democracy, and Bakom's assurance of no binding agreements is a welcome, albeit necessary, clarification.

There are currently no collaborations or contracts between Bakom and the INMF, or with any of the entities mentioned in the INMF document.

— Kurnia RamadhanaClarifying the absence of formal collaborations with the Indonesia New Media Forum.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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