Democracy Classroom: Engendering Media Freedom in Southeast Asia

New Naratif’s Democracy Classrooms are a safe space where our community can come together, articulate our thoughts, and practice democracy.

Media freedom is an essential pillar of democracy to shape a transparent and informed society. From our Media Freedom Voices series, we have featured stories that highlight the pressing issue of media freedom across Southeast Asia. The road to true media freedom in Indonesia has been riddled with obstacles, from the most subtle of queerphobia in newsrooms to the most violent with the murders of journalists. 

This month, we invite you to join the discussion on the state of media freedom in Indonesia. We’ll be joined by Widia Primastika, a freelance journalist in Jakarta, as well as our Editorial Manager Bonnibel Rambatan, and our Freedom of Expression Researcher Wailiang Tham. Through this discussion, we hope to shed light on two interconnected aspects of media freedom in Indonesia: queerphobia in newsrooms and protecting journalists’ safety. We will also be presenting findings from our Media Freedom Insights report, beginning with an introduction by our speakers before launching into a group discussion.

Bonnibel Rambatan has been founding and leading content strategy for various organisations for over a decade. Having worked in fields of journalism, media analysis, and critical theory, their experience in content production has spanned various industries: novels, film, television, comics, online videos, and podcasts. An independent scholar and artist, they are passionate about finding new possibilities for solidarity and liberation.

Wailiang Tham is an editor and currently a literary scholar-in-training, with a particular interest in memory studies. He has been published in the Southeast Asian Review of English and co-curated the “Transpacific – An Asian-Canadian Literary Journey” exhibition.

Widia Primastika is a freelance journalist in Jakarta, Indonesia. They specialise in doing reports and research on gender, media, as well as mental health.

For this event, there is a minimum donation of US$5, for which you’ll receive a month’s New Naratif membership. Existing members can attend this event for free! Join New Naratif as a member today.