The Difference Between Media Bans Then and Now
The President Director of Tempo Media Group, Arif Zulkifli, also known as Azul, believes that the pressure on mass media today is not much different from the New Order era. The difference lies only in the method, but the goal remains identical: to limit press freedom.
According to him, whereas during the New Order era pressure was applied openly through censorship or the revocation of publishing permits, it now takes more covert forms, such as digital attacks and doaks against journalists and media outlets.
“Such as doxing against journalists and media. To this day, we are still fighting against it,” said Azul during the “Ngopi Media Talks: Censorship, Past and Present” discussion at the Tempo TV Studio, South Jakarta, on Monday, 22 June 2026.
The former Editor-in-Chief of Tempo for the 2013–2019 period also highlighted pressure originating from media owners. According to him, such pressure has the potential to disrupt the independence of the newsroom.
“Independence can be affected by various threats, for example, if other business interests are disrupted,” he said.
The current Editor-in-Chief of Tempo, Setri Yasra, added that modern forms of censorship often appear in the form of digital attacks that are difficult to trace back to the perpetrators.
He cited Tempo’s experience, noting that they have reported attacks on their website to the police several times, yet no perpetrators have been identified to date.
“Digital attacks against Tempo occur almost every day. In fact, just three hours ago, our site was hit by a DDoS attack,” said Setri.
According to him, the intensity of these attacks has increased over the last five years. He assessed that there is a systematic effort to instil fear within the newsroom.
In addition to digital attacks, pressure also arrives through legal channels. Setri mentioned that Tempo has previously been sued in court by parties who did not accept the Press Council’s decisions regarding news disputes. However, those lawsuits were ultimately rejected by the court.
Nevertheless, Setri emphasised that the Tempo newsroom will not be intimidated. He ensured that journalistic work will continue to adhere to verification and field facts, regardless of the parties involved.
“Whoever it may be, whether a president, a politician, or any other party, we will report based on the facts,” he stated.
He also reaffirmed that Tempo’s reporting does not side with any specific interests.
“We work professionally and without bias,” said Setri.
The “Media Talks: Censorship, Past and Present” discussion was held to commemorate the resistance against the government’s banning of Tempo Magazine, Editor, and Detik on 21 June 1994.
In addition to Azul and Setri, the event also featured former Tempo Editor-in-Chief Bambang Harymurti, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia Usman Hamid, Executive Director of SAFEnet Nenden Sekar Arum, and Co-founder of Malaka Project Cania Citta.