Government Denies Restricting Media Coverage of Protests

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid has stated that the government has never restricted the mass media from covering and reporting on demonstrations taking place in Indonesia. According to her, the mass media is open to reporting various information occurring in Indonesia in accordance with Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press. “From the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, we have not imposed any prohibition on the mass media from carrying out any form of coverage as long as it adheres to journalistic principles and is within the corridors of the Press Law. So that is not true,” Meutya said at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Monday. She conveyed this in response to circulating public concerns that the government was restricting the mass media from reporting information about demonstrations, which in recent months have been intensively staged by the public, from labourers to students. Particularly approaching the Republic of Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations, she noted that a lot of disinformation is currently circulating in the digital space, causing fear and unrest among the Indonesian public. Therefore, the role of the mass media is crucial in countering the negative impact of these hoaxes through accurate and precise reporting amidst the rapid flow of information. “In fact, Komdigi wants our friends in the media to please cover and report the truth quickly, so as not to give room for disinformation to enter,” Meutya said. This aligns with a statement from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) some time ago when students were actively demonstrating in June. On Monday (15/6), the Central KPI stated that the government respects press freedom in reporting national issues, including the student demonstrations that occurred on 12 June 2026. “The statement that no national television stations reported on the student demonstrations is inaccurate. Our monitoring shows that at least nine television stations covered the event,” said Central KPI Commissioner and Coordinator for Broadcast Content Supervision, Tulus Santoso, in a statement received in Jakarta. Tulus said accusations of government co-optation of the mass media to prevent coverage of demonstrations were baseless. He said the KPI as a regulator and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs do not have the authority to dictate or direct the news content of mass media. “Media outlets have their own editorial boards and independent editorial policies,” Tulus said.