Has press freedom matched expectations?
JAKARTA (JP): The greatly simplified procedure for obtaining a press publishing licensing that was put in place following the downfall of former president Soeharto has resulted in the birth of hundreds of new press publications across the country.
New quality publications and sensationalist tabloids hit news stands every other week.
The newfound freedom in which the nation's press can now work has worried many people and there have been a number of claims for damages filed by people defamed in sensationalist tabloid reports.
The Jakarta Post asked some of its readers for their views on the recent unprecedented press freedom.
Bambang Subianto, Minister of Finance: I expect the press will become more introspect.
Ichsanudin Noorsy, Golkar legislator: I used to be a journalist. The major weakness of our journalists is in their way of thinking. An ideal journalist has to have a well-structured way of thinking.
Journalist must also be aware of the impact of their articles on the economy and the life of our country.
The press is a pillar of democracy and the Indonesian press has an opportunity to play an important role promoting greater democracy.
Iwan Prawiranata, Bank Indonesia director: I expect the press not to report groundless rumors. Please write stories which help to bring calm to the market.
Nia Sarinastiti Regar, marketing communications manager for Andersen Consulting: I am not interested in trying to read new tabloids. I stick to established publications that I have read for a long time.
At first sight, we can see that many of new tabloids present sensationalized news. From the titles, we know that some of them are very subjective.
Although there are many options in the market, I limit myself to the established publications.
Yoga Kasta Suberi, insurance company employee: I think most tabloids run the same stories. No tabloids, magazines or newspapers publish genuine exclusives. It becomes boring because the media reports the same topics.
I still believe in the established publications because they have better and more experienced journalists. If newcomers want to get credit from their readers, they must be able to demonstrate the quality of their stories.
Suharno, National Sports Council (KONI) public relations officer: I am still a big fan of big-name newspapers, such as The Jakarta Post, Kompas and Media Indonesia. The only tabloids I'm interested in are sports tabloids.
From my point of view, many new tabloids are less qualified than the existing ones. They usually put sensational titles on the front page, but when you read it, you realize it's nothing but hocus pocus.
Some of them report gossip instead of facts and I always feel really disappointed after reading them. The quality of writing is not very good. They try so hard to attract attention, and they sometimes do, but only for a few seconds... after that I have to turn back to my newspaper! (rei/yan)