Indonesian televison news-making before and after Suharto

The first part of the article sketches the fast-changing Indonesian television landscape: until a few years ago Indonesian audiences were used to watching the state-owned TVRI channel only. Nowadays they can choose among five additional commercial stations. The second part of the article looks at the extent to which the national context allows for ‘quality’ in television news or if, on the contrary, it constitutes an impediment to it. In-dept interviews with local news-makers and policy-makers in both state television and commercial television stations highlight two major problem areas for news-making: an omnipresent political control and a lack of professionalism. Finally, the article examines the roles played by Indonesian television news departments during the current period of political upheaval and reform. © 1999, SAGE PUBLICATIONS. All rights reserved.status: publishe