International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 35

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
about crime, I believe we will help to create a more safe and secure feeling in our
society (Interview with the editor-in-chief of Lampu Hijau, 25 December 2011).
‘Crime issues have been the main topic in Lampu Hijau from its beginni ng’ (Interview
with journalist 1 of Lampu Hijau, 17 December 2011). Indeed, Lampu Hijau seeks to play a
significant role in preventing crimes. One of the journalists reasoned that the function of the
paper is ‘to make people realise that crime can happen anywhere at any time to anyone.
Lampu Hijau tries to encourage its readers to be aware of this’ (Interview with journalist 3 of
Lampu Hijau, 13 August 2012). Another Lampu Hijau journalist supported this by saying:
‘People need to be aware of any crime that might happen to them or their beloved ones.
For that reason, Lampu Hijau tries its best to provide its readers with accurate and
comprehensive crime news’ (Interview with journalist 2 of Lampu Hijau, 13 August 2012).
By focusing on crime issues, Lampu Hijau has become a specialised newspaper, and
is thus able to face intense competition after the 1998 period of political reform that
signified the beginning of a democratic era in Indonesia. The momentum of the 1998 reform
has significantly influenced the development of journalism in Indonesia, especially since the
passing of The Act of the Republic Indonesia No. 40 in 1999, concerning the press. This act
marked the establishment of press freedom in Indonesia, which has led to enormous growth
in Indonesian journalism. At the end of the New Order (the era before the 1998 reform),
only 289 publications had a license to publish (Romano, 2003, p. 35); however, soon after
the reform, the number of publications in Indonesia had reached the thousands. According
to the data from Direktorat Pembinaan Pers, on 23 September 1999, the number of print
media in Indonesia — which included newspapers, tabloids, magazines and bulletins —
reached 1,678 publications (cited in Yusuf, 2009, p. 1). Under pressure from market
competition, Lampu Hijau sought what Bennet (2003) called ‘audience-grabbing stories on
short deadlines with scarce resources’ (p. 3). On a daily basis, each journalist of Lampu Hijau
is required to submit at least three stories about local and crime issues. Thus, sensational
stories become their main preference because these are popular, profitable, cheap and easy
to cover (McChesney, 2008, p. 46).
Based on the assumption that urban workers are less educated, Lampu Hijau turns
complex subjects into copy that is easy to understand by using daily jargon, simple phrases
and easy diction. In nearly all of Lampu Hijau’s sections, the paper uses vernacular language,
strong visuals and anecdotes or jargon to make the content more easily understood by
readers. As stated by a journalist, ‘The style and the format of Lampu Hijau are very
attractive and suitable for its target readers because they are easy to “digest”’ (Interview
with journalist 3 of Lampu Hijau, 13 August 2012). Undeniably, the journalists and editors
believe that their style is appropriate for their target readers. One of the journalists
confirmed that she wants to keep the style of the paper: ‘I don’t want to change anything.
This is the unique characteristic of Lampu Hijau” (Interview with journalist 1 of Lampu Hijau,
17 December 2011).
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