'Pantau' monthly magazine stop publication for bankruptcy
'Pantau' monthly magazine stop publication for bankruptcy
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Financial constraints have caused local magazine Pantau to stop
publication, adding to the list of print media falling to tight
competition in the industry.
The director of the Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of
Information (ISAI), Goenawan Mohammad, owner of the monthly
magazine, announced the decision on Tuesday.
"It is a difficult decision for me. This is a good magazine
and the only one of its kind in Indonesia. But we need money and
need parties that could subsidize us," senior journalist Goenawan
said in a press statement.
The February 2003 edition, which hit newsstands early this
month, was the last appearance of the magazine.
Pantau specialized in media evaluation and other activities to
support a free and responsible press in the current era of
reform.
Press freedom has been flourishing since the fall of dictator
Soeharto in May 1998, with the number of print media surpassing
1,300. But the economic crisis, which remains unabated, and the
arrival of more TV channels have halved the figure.
Pantau began publication in 2000 and provided readers with in-
depth reports on issues related to media development and its
condition.
Goenawan underlined that such reports needed a lot of funding
and the magazine had managed to finance its activities for the
two years since its birth.
He apologized to subscribers of the magazine and promised to
return the retainer fee of the unpublished edition of the
magazine.
"We will settle the debts issue immediately and return both
retainer and advertising fees for the unpublished edition," said
Goenawan, who founded leading news magazine Tempo.
Regarding subsequent layoffs affecting Pantau employees,
Goenawan said they would be transferred to other working units of
ISAI, such as 68H Radio Station, the Islam Liberal Network, the
cultural center Utan Kayu Theater, Kalam cultural journal, Kalam
bookstore and Lontar Galery.
Media evaluation activities would continue, but on a smaller
scale for publication every three months in the form of a
newsletter, the original form of Pantau, said Goenawan.
"We are still discussing the design of the newsletter," he
added.
Pantau was published as a newsletter in 1999, and in March
2001 with support from the Ford Foundation and the Partnership
for Governance Reform, it was redesigned as a magazine.
Pantau is the first magazine to introduce an ombudsman to
accommodate readers' criticisms and complaints regarding the
magazine's reports.
In its last issue, which was 25-pages long, the magazine
reported on life in war-torn Aceh as its feature article.