JP\/5\/JOURNO<\/p>\n
Indonesian Chinese fight to position themselves in RI media<\/p>\n
ID Nugroho
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
As if enthralled, a crowd of people attending an event in a field
\nin Madura suddenly turn their heads toward a fair-skinned female
\nwalking past them on the edge of the field.<\/p>\n
Their eyes were glued to her wherever she went, followed by
\nlaughter, wolf cries and whistles.<\/p>\n
\"Isn't that the Yellow Princess,\" said a spectator, followed
\nby howls of laughter from the crowd.<\/p>\n
This is just a another day for Fabiola Ponto, a female Kompas
\njournalist posted in East Java. In every news assignment she
\nembarks on, this woman of Manadonese-Chinese descent always faces
\nproblems relating to her skin color. \"Perhaps I look too Chinese,
\nso people look at me strangely,\" Febi told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Discrimination against ethnic Chinese journalists carrying out
\ntheir journalistic duties is one of the many problems highlighted
\nwith the commemoration of World Free Press Day which fell on
\nTuesday last week.<\/p>\n
Although exact data is hard to come by, the Surabaya chapter
\nof the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) estimates that
\nat least 2 percent of the 2,000 or so journalists working in the
\n269 media companies in East Java are ethnic Chinese. Among them,
\nFabiola Ponto.<\/p>\n
Febi said that it was sometimes difficult for citizens of
\nChinese descent to carry out their jobs as journalists,
\nespecially because they are not universally accepted by many
\nindigenous Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"Very often, questions arise about whether I'm Chinese or not.
\nIt shows that Indonesians still have reservations about the color
\nof skin and race,\" she said.<\/p>\n
According to Feby, who has been a journalist for two years
\nnow, the racial ridicule she encounters in fact comes from middle
\nclass people.<\/p>\n
\"People from remote areas have no qualms about whether I'm
\nChinese or not. The mockery usually comes from middle class
\npeople,\" said Feby, who was once discouraged by her family to
\nbecome a journalist.<\/p>\n
One female Indonesian-Chinese journalist who is inseparable
\nfrom the world of journalism in East Java is Nany Wijaya. The 45-
\nyear-old woman is now a director at the Jawa Pos daily and the
\nNyata tabloid.<\/p>\n
Nany, who still is still active writing, told the Post that
\nher career in the world of journalism began when she was \"forced\"
\nto write an article. She was on her way to Malang when a traffic
\naccident occurred.<\/p>\n
\"I still remember how I was forced to write about the accident
\nby Jawa Pos deputy chief editor Subali. It was really hard then,\"
\nshe recollected.<\/p>\n
But it was the start of her passion for the world of
\njournalism. \"Since then, it was as if I couldn't stop writing,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
In her 25-year career, Nany acknowledged that she had never
\nencountered any significant obstacles, including discrimination.
\n\"Communication savvy is the key,\" she said.<\/p>\n
A media observer from Airlangga University Henry Subiyakto
\nsaid that the presence of journalists from the Indonesian-Chinese
\ncommunity was not something new.<\/p>\n
Henry mentioned the name of an Indonesian-Chinese journalist
\nfrom the Kompas daily who is acclaimed as a legend. \"The name is
\nThrees Nio, a Kompas journalist posted in the USA, whose reports
\nhave become Indonesia's political reference to the international
\nsphere,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian-Chinese are disinclined to be involved in politics,
\nwhile a journalist's job cannot be separated from politics.<\/p>\n
\"People are still wary about Indonesians of Chinese descent.
\nThey shouldn't be, because basically everyone has the same
\nopportunity in any field, including journalism,\" explained the
\nMedia Consumers Agency (LKM) member.<\/p>\n
Henry said that the public had started to realize this. The
\npresence of a journalist like Nany Wijaya for instance, is such
\nan example.<\/p>\n
\"How Nany became a director of a large media company in East
\nJava should be noted, that a journalist of Indonesian-Chinese
\ndescent can also be accepted into the media world,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp5journo-1447899208",
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