Phony journalists hit Central Java<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto<\/p>\n
More than 100 phony journalists have been defrauding people of
\nmoney across Central Java over the past few months, causing
\nunrest among local senior government officials, businesspeople
\nand politicians.<\/p>\n
Carrying fake press cards, they often force their way to meet
\nwith regents, other government officials and news sources within
\nthe province on the pretext of interviews to be published in
\ntheir print media, but in the end they blackmail them for money.<\/p>\n
\"We have observed that they (bogus reporters) started to
\nappear here over the last year. As genuine journalists, we are
\noffended and our image is tarnished by their action,\" said Didi
\nWahyu, an activist of the Central Java branch of the Indonesian
\nJournalists' Association (PWI).<\/p>\n
He said there were more than 100 bogus journalists, locally
\nknown as wartawan bodrek or reporters without newspapers,
\nmagazines or tabloids, ostensibly \"working\" in regencies across
\nCentral Java.<\/p>\n
\"Recently, they have begun to operate in the town of
\nBanyumas,\" Didi told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He admitted he had frequently been informed by officials at
\nlocal administrations about the spread of bogus journalists in
\ntheir regencies.<\/p>\n
He said that local officials and businesspeople should not
\nhesitate to report any genuine journalist who attempted to extort
\nthem to the police.<\/p>\n
\"Such practices are against the journalistic code of ethics
\nand journalists who try to extort their news sources should be
\nreported to their own employers to be dealt with in accordance
\nwith the code of ethics,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Didi said the local PWI office and prospective victims were
\npowerless to stop or crack down on bogus journalists.<\/p>\n
However, he said his association had continued to try and deal
\nwith bogus reporters by organizing workshops for government
\nofficials and politicians in Central Java.<\/p>\n
Last Saturday, a one-day workshop was held in Purwokerto
\nregency, in which the subject focused on how to face phony
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the regencies of Brebes and Tegal hosted similar
\nworkshops.<\/p>\n
The Post observed that almost all the phony journalists
\nclaimed to work for dubious publications based in Jakarta, but
\nwere unable to produce copies of the newspapers, magazines or
\ntabloids mentioned in their press cards.<\/p>\n
In Purbalingga, at least three phony journalists reportedly
\ntried on Friday to force staff members of the regency's
\nlegislative council to allow them to meet the council's speaker.<\/p>\n
Earlier, other bogus journalists were also involved in a
\nverbal clash with Purbalingga Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus
\nSofyan Abadi, who, at the time, pretended to be his own adjutant.<\/p>\n
The phony reporters wanted to meet the local police chief, but
\nthey were unaware that the police officer who talked with them
\nwas the man they actually wanted to meet.<\/p>\n
\"We know the Purbalingga police chief well. We want to meet
\nhim,\" Agus recalled the three bogus journalists as saying,
\nquoting from their statement.<\/p>\n
After they had waited for some hours to meet with the local
\npolice chief at his office, Agus eventually said that he was the
\nman they sought.<\/p>\n
Finally, the three were so ashamed they left the building
\nwithout asking for permission.<\/p>\n
In other parts of the country, particularly Jakarta, there are
\nalso many unscrupulous people posing as journalists. They extort
\ngovernment officials, politicians and business tycoons,
\nespecially those involved in criminal cases.<\/p>\n
The problem is difficult to solve as there is no law in place
\nto prevent or punish unscrupulous people from posing as
\njournalists.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/phony-journalists-hit-central-java-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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