Terms used for bogus journalists

Terms used for bogus journalists

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In Bahasa Indonesia, bogus journalists are popularly called
WTS -- standing for Wartawan Tanpa Surat Kabar (journalists with
no newspaper) -- or bodrex. WTS also stands for Wanita Tuna
Susila (hooker).

They are also called muntaber -- standing for Muncul Tanpa
Berita (those who attend a press conference but produce no news
reports).

Bodrex is also the brand name of an over-the-counter pain
killer, while muntaber is a stomach ailment.

It is unclear when people started calling bogus journalists
these terms.

According to Ensiklopedi Pers Indonesia written by Kurniawan
Junaedhie (published in 1991 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama), the
phenomenon of journalists demanding money or gifts from news
sources dates back to the 1960s. The term wartawan amplop
(literally envelope journalists), which refers to authentic
journalists who accept cash from news sources, is also believed
to have surfaced at this time.

Veteran journalist Atmakusuma Astraatmadja, former chairman of
the Press Council, said bodrex was initially used to refer to
real journalists who failed to do their job professionally.

This type of journalist mostly focused on looking for money
from news sources. They usually worked in groups, rather than
alone like professional journalists looking for scoops.

"When I was very young, I saw an advertisement on TV for the
pain killer showing a group of people in a line. The leader of
the group was yelling: "Pasukan Bodrex, maju, jalan!" (Bodrex
troops, move forward!). My colleagues and I became familiar with
the term Pasukan Bodrex upon seeing groups of these bogus
journalists," Atmakusuma said.

Today, bodrex is mostly used to refer to people posing as
journalists but who work for no media outfit.