Nivell Rayda & Ismira Lutfia – Taking note that today is World Press Freedom Day, activists and experts said on Sunday that journalists in Indonesia still faced intimidation and the threat of criminal defamation suits.

Despite improvements, especially since the fall of the late President Suharto in 1998, Indonesia still ranked a dismal 101 out of 175 countries surveyed by the group Reporters Without Borders late last year.

Freedom House, a US-based watchdog, ranks Indonesia 107 out of 196 in its annual survey, released last week. It said the Indonesian press was "partly free" but the situation was improving.

Former Press Council deputy chairman Leo Batubara said the negative impression was largely due to the government's reluctance to protect press freedom and reform the legal system.

"There are twice as many articles on criminal defamation today than there were in the Dutch colonial era," Leo said. "Despite the enactment of the 1999 Press Law and the 2008 Freedom of Information Law, police continue to charge and imprison reporters for criminal defamation."

Leo cited the 2009 arrest of Doan Tagah, the editor in chief of North Sulawesi's Media Sulut newspaper, for allegedly defaming former Manado Mayor Jimmy Rimba Rogi by publishing an article citing the fact that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had charged him with embezzlement.

"The KPK charged the mayor with embezzlement and the police arrested the chief editor for defamation," Leo said. "Cases like this are abundant."

Jimmy was sentenced to seven years in prison but police are still investigating Doan for libel.

Usman Hamid, chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the government should eliminate criminal defamation from the legal system.

"The government must instead empower institutions like the Press Council, LBH Pers [Press Legal Aid Foundation], the Commission on Information and the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission [KPI] to mitigate press-related disputes," Usman said.

Andreas Harsono, Indonesian coordinator for Human Rights Watch and a former journalist, said intimidation of the media was still rife.

"In Papua, journalists receive death threats almost on a weekly basis, while in Aceh reporters who write about attacks on the local Aceh Party often become targets of attacks themselves," he said.

Andreas added that commercial factors may also inhibit press freedom. "In Papua, for example, most of the news outlets are owned by businesses operating in the province, so it is hard to find media that are not siding with businesses and have a local perspective," he said. "There are also news organizations established or partially owned by political parties and public officials to voice certain political agendas."

Leo said the quality of journalism was still largely appalling.

"The recruitment and training process should be improved. The government still controls much of the journalism schools' curriculums, while journalists in Indonesia are among the worst paid in the world," he said. "This makes journalists below standard."

A survey by the Jakarta chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) suggests the minimum monthly wage for a journalist in Jakarta should be Rp 4.6 million ($510).

The survey found some journalists were paid not much more than Rp 1 million and were not given permanent status despite having worked in their media organizations for more than two years.

In a statement marking International Labor Day, AJI chairman Nezar Patria said many journalists still received less than the provincial minimum wage.

Andreas said poor pay contributed to a serious shortage of qualified journalists. "Being a print reporter is considered only a stepping-stone toward becoming a public relations officer or a politician, so there is little commitment to the profession," he said.

Leo said poor pay also led to unethical or even criminal conduct. "Many journalists resort to accepting bribes in return for a favorable article and even to extorting public officials," he said.