Phony journalists hit Central Java

Phony journalists hit Central Java

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto

More than 100 phony journalists have been defrauding people of
money across Central Java over the past few months, causing
unrest among local senior government officials, businesspeople
and politicians.

Carrying fake press cards, they often force their way to meet
with regents, other government officials and news sources within
the province on the pretext of interviews to be published in
their print media, but in the end they blackmail them for money.

"We have observed that they (bogus reporters) started to
appear here over the last year. As genuine journalists, we are
offended and our image is tarnished by their action," said Didi
Wahyu, an activist of the Central Java branch of the Indonesian
Journalists' Association (PWI).

He said there were more than 100 bogus journalists, locally
known as wartawan bodrek or reporters without newspapers,
magazines or tabloids, ostensibly "working" in regencies across
Central Java.

"Recently, they have begun to operate in the town of
Banyumas," Didi told The Jakarta Post.

He admitted he had frequently been informed by officials at
local administrations about the spread of bogus journalists in
their regencies.

He said that local officials and businesspeople should not
hesitate to report any genuine journalist who attempted to extort
them to the police.

"Such practices are against the journalistic code of ethics
and journalists who try to extort their news sources should be
reported to their own employers to be dealt with in accordance
with the code of ethics," he said.

Didi said the local PWI office and prospective victims were
powerless to stop or crack down on bogus journalists.

However, he said his association had continued to try and deal
with bogus reporters by organizing workshops for government
officials and politicians in Central Java.

Last Saturday, a one-day workshop was held in Purwokerto
regency, in which the subject focused on how to face phony
journalists.

Earlier, the regencies of Brebes and Tegal hosted similar
workshops.

The Post observed that almost all the phony journalists
claimed to work for dubious publications based in Jakarta, but
were unable to produce copies of the newspapers, magazines or
tabloids mentioned in their press cards.

In Purbalingga, at least three phony journalists reportedly
tried on Friday to force staff members of the regency's
legislative council to allow them to meet the council's speaker.

Earlier, other bogus journalists were also involved in a
verbal clash with Purbalingga Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus
Sofyan Abadi, who, at the time, pretended to be his own adjutant.

The phony reporters wanted to meet the local police chief, but
they were unaware that the police officer who talked with them
was the man they actually wanted to meet.

"We know the Purbalingga police chief well. We want to meet
him," Agus recalled the three bogus journalists as saying,
quoting from their statement.

After they had waited for some hours to meet with the local
police chief at his office, Agus eventually said that he was the
man they sought.

Finally, the three were so ashamed they left the building
without asking for permission.

In other parts of the country, particularly Jakarta, there are
also many unscrupulous people posing as journalists. They extort
government officials, politicians and business tycoons,
especially those involved in criminal cases.

The problem is difficult to solve as there is no law in place
to prevent or punish unscrupulous people from posing as
journalists.