Banned 'Editor' to get new license

Banned 'Editor' to get new license

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Harmoko promised
yesterday that the government will soon issue a new publishing
license for journalists of the defunct Editor news weekly.

Harmoko told a hearing with Commission I of the House of
Representatives yesterday that the new license should be out
within this month.

The minister specifically praised the former employees of
Editor for accepting the government's decision to revoke its
license in June and working to consolidate and establish a new
magazine.

"From the beginning, they never questioned the decision to
revoke their publishing license," he said.

Sources at the old Editor office said they have been working
on a new magazine which they intend to call Proaktif.

Editor lost its license together with two other magazines,
Tempo and Detik. Editor and Detik were faulted for administrative
reasons, while Tempo was faulted because of its editorial
content.

In contrast to Editor, many employees of Tempo and Detik
protested at the government's decision to revoke their publishing
licenses.

Harmoko said that as far as the government was concerned, it
has already issued a new publishing license to former employees
of Tempo for a magazine called Gatra.

He said that the fact that not all former employees of Tempo
have joined Gatra was the internal affair of Tempo.

Tempo employees split into two groups after the magazine was
closed down. One camp joined tycoon Mohammad (Bob) Hasan to
establish Gatra, while another has attempted to establish another
magazine, but have not been given a license.

Harmoko said the Ministry of Information has not received any
application for a new magazine from the former employees of
Detik. (emb)