Women's paper launched amid hopes, skepticism
Women's paper launched amid hopes, skepticism
JAKARTA (JP): High hopes and skepticism greeted the
introduction of a special women's newspaper called Koran
Perempuan, the first of its kind here.
Launched on Thursday in a discussion on the role of the media
in empowering women, participants hoped the daily would voice the
perspectives of women in its reports, while executives assured it
would not "exploit women".
The edition at the launch was a demonstration copy, with the
first issue coming out next week, an executive said.
A businesswoman, however, questioned the income of the
newspaper, saying she had trouble convincing colleagues to place
advertisements in the publication.
"A colleague said they would be better off placing
advertisements in publications with Desy (Ratnasari, a newly
divorced celebrity) on their covers," Meilani Suharli, chairwoman
of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Association of
Businesswomen.
A reporter said the paper made little sense in terms of its
targeted readership.
"We need men reading about things like injustice toward
women," she told The Jakarta Post.
The newspaper targets 80 percent of women and 20 percent of
men, according to its brochure, but gives no estimated figures.
Reinhard S., the business consultant of the paper's publisher,
the Koran Indonesia Foundation, told the forum that proposals for
the newspaper had gained an unexpected response.
"When I was marketing a city afternoon paper we never got this
many advertisements," he said. "We've got Rp 45 million in
revenue from initial ads and that's not bad."
Executives declined to mention the amount of capital involved
in the venture, saying there was "considerable help" from
acquaintances. The paper is priced at Rp 1,500.
Agents have approached the newspaper's office on Jl.
Proklamasi, Central Jakarta, saying there was readership
potential, Reinhard said.
Public shares of Rp 1,000 are being offered. Minimum purchases
are Rp 500,000 for 5,000 shares.
Several executives of the newspaper are former reporters of
the Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily.
One of them, the new daily's chief editor, Tuti Gintini, said
in the demo version's editorial that one reason to set up the
paper had been "the awareness that no one except women themselves
should be expected to fight for women's interests."
State Minister of the Empowerment of Women Khofifah Indar
Parawansa, a speaker at the forum, urged the media to support
efforts toward emancipation along with continuing to support
efforts for democracy in general.
She stressed that the media should positively use the "current
high trust in the media", citing mass actions triggered by media
content, by without any further clarification.
The minister said she had met media executives at the
beginning of her term, "but on issues of women they said the main
consideration was business."
Other speakers included philosopher Tommy F. Awuy and activist
of the Kalyanamitra women's organization Myra S. Diarsi. (anr)