Defunct weekly 'Editor' is back under new name

Defunct weekly 'Editor' is back under new name

JAKARTA (JP): The defunct magazine Editor hit the streets
yesterday, more than six months after it was closed down, with a
new name and some changes in the shareholders.

Tiras, as the new magazine is called, is very much like Editor
both in appearance and content. It is managed basically by the
same people who ran Editor.

Last night, Tiras was officially launched in a ceremony at The
Financial Club, although copies of the magazine were already
being touted on the streets since yesterday morning.

State Minister for Administrative Reform T.B. Silalahi was the
sole cabinet minister to attend the reception. Former home
minister Rudini gave an oration about Indonesia after 50 years of
independence.

Editor disappeared from the news stands in June when the
government, in one swoop, revoked the publishing licenses of
three news magazines. The other two were Tempo and DeTik. The
government said Editor's license was rescinded because it
repeatedly ignored the government's warning about repeated
administrative violations.

Now the same people who ran Editor have launched Tiras, with a
new publishing license which was only issued on Jan. 6. The
magazine is published by PT Indepenindo Bangun Media.

The publishing company is a joint venture between PT Adidaya
Visi Selaras, a company established by several former Editor
employees with a 36 percent equity, Bobby Arief Rudianto, a
businessman who also owned some of Editor's shares (14 percent),
and PT Pranadipa Persada, a subsidiary of ALatief Corporation (30
percent). The remaining 20 percent equity is held by Tiras'
employees.

The publisher Eddy Herwanto and chief editor Marah Sakti
Siregar are both from Editor, as are most of the members of the
editorial board. Tiras has also recruited new journalists.

The first edition of Tiras runs a cover story about the
upcoming reshuffle in the Armed Forces's top leadership and
carries a portrait of the would be Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.
R. Hartono.

Shortly before it lost its publishing license, Editor also ran
a cover story about the Armed Forces, but it was about divisions
within the military. This article apparently offended many people
and was believed to have been one of the reasons for the
government's decision to close down the magazine.

Tiras also caught up with the major story of the month -- the
police investigation into the triple murder in Los Angeles
allegedly by Oki, an Indonesian.

The magazine has apparently also secured the contributions of
noted if not outspoken columnists and the first edition ran
articles by sociologist Arief Budiman and poet Emha Ainun Nadjib.

A caricature in the first edition is one of Minister of
Information Harmoko saying that he won't revoke any press
publishing license this year unless ...

It also runs an interview with former Tempo chief editor and
proprietor Goenawan Mohamad who, unlike Editor, has been
contesting Harmoko in court for the reinstatement of his
magazine's publishing license. In the interview Goenawan airs his
views about press freedom and his struggle. (pwn)