Fifteen years of service
The Jakarta Post is 15 years old today. Normally, the fifteenth anniversary in a newspaper's life would be cause for a special celebration. But these are not ordinary times. The economic crisis, which has been hitting us for the past several months, has forced us to scale down all of our activities. Shrinking advertising revenues and the soaring price of newsprint have given us no choice but to implement austerity measures. Therefore, the Post will not hold a large anniversary party, but just a very simple thanksgiving luncheon for its staff.
The austerity measures we have taken include a salary cut for the Post's top executives. And surely you, our readers, have seen -- and felt -- some of the results of our cost cutting measures: fewer pages and an increase in the subscription rate. For certain, none of us feel happy about these measures. It was a decision that had to be taken to ensure the newspaper's survival. Much to our regret, the measures have meant a necessary decline in our service to readers.
Yet, in spite of all the difficulties, we are touched by the understanding which most of you have shown us and by the continued support you have been giving us. Last year, on our 14th anniversary, our paid circulation surpassed the 50,000 mark. Due to the country's economic meltdown, which has already forced millions of people out of work, we regrettably have lost a few thousand of our subscribers. We were down to a circulation of 45,000 at the end of February, when we decided to raise our subscription rate.
Frankly, we prepared for the possibility of losing as many as 10,000 of our valued subscribers after raising our rates. How wrong we turned out to be. We underestimated our readers' loyalty. Today, the Post's paid circulation is about 43,700. On the one hand, we are saddened by the loss of more than a thousand loyal readers who could not afford the new rate. On the other hand, we are deeply moved by your devoted and continued support. The support of our loyal readers and advertisers has not only strengthened our commitment to maintain the quality of this paper, it has also renewed our capability to continue to strive for excellence. You have put your trust in us. We will do our best to deliver.
From the very beginning of its existence, The Jakarta Post has committed itself to giving the public the best possible service as a truly independent quality newspaper. We believe that the duties of a newspaper in a developing country such as ours is not only to inform, to educate and to entertain, but also to empower the public: to disseminate awareness of a citizen's duties and responsibilities and to help in the building of a society within the framework of a harmonious, pluralistic Indonesia.
We believe that it is also the duty of a newspaper to enlighten the public so that they will be better able to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, between what is right and what is wrong, and between good taste and bad taste. In times of crisis such as what we are experiencing today, we not only want to maintain our sanity, we also want to try to offer a voice of reason.
We believe we are not swimming against the current. Instead, we think there are many others who share our beliefs. But in order to pursue those ideals and turn them into reality, we need our readers' continued support. Hence, with your trust and backing, we will continue to strive to give you all the information you are entitled to know. With God's blessing, we will persevere in giving a voice to the aspirations of the people, particularly the voiceless and powerless, in our journey toward a more democratic and better Indonesia.