Student newspapers told to change their strategies

Student newspapers told to change their strategies

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

Student publications need to shift their direction
as the social and political landscape has changed since their
inception, a student activist says.

In the New Order era, the student press' orientation was clear
in that it was critical of the military-backed government. But,
when the New Order government collapsed and press freedom
flourished, student publications lost their direction,
said Roni Supriyono, the editor in chief of Teknokra Magazine.

"At the time of the New Order government, student publications
ran many opinion pieces that challenged the repressive
government. But now, as even the mainstream media can publish
stories freely, student newspapers must change their
strategies so their coverage is better," said Rony.

However, to publish stories based on event coverage poses a
challenge for these publications. The lack of students interested
in journalism is another problem as are human resources and
funding shortages.

"Also, we cannot be fully independent as in terms of funding,
we rely on the university. If we write stories critical of the
university, we could be shut down," said Rony.

Rony said that before going to print the editorial staff of
Teknokra Magazine must submit a proposal to the university's
rector to disburse the money. Four editions of the magazine come
out a year, each edition costing Rp 35 million (US$3,500).
Besides the university, the magazine relies on student donations.
Teknokra also puts out a newsletter 15 to 20 times a year.

Juwendra Ardiansyah, another student activist, agreed with
Rony. He said that for the survival of the magazine it was
important to maintain a good relationship with the university.

"It is the price that we have to pay to survive," he said.

Another weakness of Teknokra is that it is published
quarterly. Many stories are outdated before the magazine
is available to readers. This also makes it difficult for student
publications to compete with weekly magazines or newspapers, said
Juwendra.