Thoughts on Press Day

Thoughts on Press Day

As Indonesians commemorate their 49th National Press Day
today, it cannot be denied that a good deal has changed since the
1920s, when the Indonesian nationalist movement was young.

As many of us may be aware, our National Press Day, which
falls on Feb. 9 each year, actually marks the birth of the
Indonesian Journalist's Association on that date in 1946, just
short of six months after the Indonesian Republic was born. At
the time, the nation was poising itself for a war of
independence, which was to last for almost five years.

The birth of the national press, however, may be regarded to
have taken place long before that event. Although a few
publications that catered to certain segments of the population
and served certain specific social interests already existed in a
number of regions at as early as around the turn of the last
century, it was not until the rise of the nationalist movement
that a truly national Indonesian press emerged.

Not surprisingly, this national press reached its heyday in
the 1920s and 1930s, which was when the nationalist movement
reached its apex. Not surprisingly, too, many of the leaders of
that nationalist movement were also dedicated and articulate
journalist and writers who found a platform for their ideas in
the national press.

With that background in mind, it is only logical that the
preoccupation with serving the cause of national independence
remained the primary characteristic of the Indonesian press after
the nation proclaimed its independence in August 1945. That is
also the reason why the Indonesian press has always prided itself
on being first and foremost a pers perjuangan -- meaning, a
fighting press which serves the interests of the nation as a
whole.

In the present context, of course, the term is considered to
remain valid in the sense that the nation's ultimate goal of
establishing a just and prosperous society still requires a
struggle. In the meantime, however, changes continue to take
place. Big business is making inroads into the media and fear is
being expressed in some quarters of our society that the press
may be losing its independence.

Still, Indonesian journalists today are as much imbued as
their forerunners with a sense of mission and of responsibility
towards this country's future and towards the welfare of its
people. Obviously, in order for it to carry out those
responsibilities properly, the leeway which the press enjoys must
grow in step with the maturing of our society. To many, it is
growing too slowly. As more and more Indonesians gain access to a
better education, the nature and quality of the information which
they require must also improve.

A few official statistics may be indicative of this need for
better information. In 1990, the 64 newspapers that existed
accounted for a total nationwide readership of 5,143,779. In
1991, there were 68 newspapers and 4,956,993 readers nationwide.
In 1992, there were 73 newspapers and 4,694,693 readers. In 1993,
a total of 75 newspapers accounted for a total readership of
4,691,313.

Figures for last year have not yet become available, but the
message seems rather clear: Although the number of newspapers has
increased, the number of readers has been constantly declining.
Several conclusions may be drawn from the trend. We hope it is
not that the printed media is losing appeal and credibility due
to an inability to provide the required information to its
increasingly educated readership.