18% of Journalists Experienced Violence During the Government Transition; Here's the Form It Took

Surveys by TIFA Foundation and Populix reveal that 18% of journalist respondents reported experiencing violence during the governmental transition period.

The most prevalent form of violence, reported by 44% of journalist respondents, was the prohibition of coverage.

"This not only restricts journalists' right to access information but also hinders the public's right to receive accurate and transparent news," wrote TIFA Foundation and Populix in their report, *Journalist Safety Index 2024: Threats and Risks to Journalist Safety During the Transition Period*.

Other forms of violence experienced by journalists included news coverage bans (26%), terror and intimidation (24%), deletion of coverage (24%), digital attacks (20%), damage or seizure of equipment (15%), physical violence (12%), and other forms (25%).

Regarding perpetrators, violence against journalists during this transition was most frequently perpetrated by *buzzers* or campaign teams of presidential candidates (38% of respondents).

Other perpetrators included individuals or groups with personal motives (32%), police (13%), political parties (11%), government officials (10%), and others.

TIFA Foundation conducted this survey in collaboration with Populix, involving 760 active journalist respondents.

The majority of respondents were field journalists (68%), followed by editors/sub-editors (17%), editors-in-chief (10%), and managing editors (6%).

Respondents were spread across Java (48%), Sumatra (19%), Kalimantan (9%), Bali-Nusa Tenggara (6%), Papua (5%), and Maluku-North Maluku (5%).

Data collection was conducted from October 30 to December 6, 2024, using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

In addition to the survey, secondary data was collected, including data on violence against journalists compiled by the Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) over the past five years, and in-depth interviews with various media *stakeholders*.