Legal Protection: The Most Common Written Mechanisms Owned by Media

Research by TIFA Foundation and Populix shows that Indonesian media companies are believed to have a number of written mechanisms in place to protect their journalists. This is based on the accounts of the surveyed journalists.

The most common written mechanism among media outlets is legal protection, chosen by 87% of journalist respondents. 13% stated that their media outlet did not have written legal protection mechanisms.

Next, the written mechanism related to the separation of commercial news/programs and editorial content was chosen by 83%. 17% felt their company did not provide such separation rules.

Furthermore, protection against sexual violence was chosen by 72% of respondents. 28% stated that such protection was not available.

The least available written mechanism in media companies was coverage in high-risk areas, chosen by 69% of respondents. The remaining 31% felt their company did not have such rules.

"The majority of journalists believe that these four written mechanisms have been implemented quite effectively in their companies," wrote the TIFA and Populix team in their report, *Key Findings of the 2023 Journalist Safety Index*.

This survey targeted 536 active journalists. Of these respondents, 67% were male and 33% female. By generation, the majority were millennials or aged 28-43 years (66%); Generation X and Boomers or aged 44-60 years (21%); and Generation Z or aged 17-22 years (16%).

Based on education level, the majority were undergraduate degree holders (S1) (66%); academy and equivalent (21%); high school (SMA) (9%); and postgraduate degree holders (S2) (4%). Most respondents were full-time journalists (45%); contract journalists (36%); and contributors (19%).

They were spread across Java (44%); Sumatra (19%); Kalimantan (9%); Sulawesi (9%); Maluku-North Maluku (8%); Bali-Nusa Tenggara (6%); and Papua (5%).

Data collection for the Journalist Safety Index survey was conducted from January 22 to February 13, 2024, using a self-filling method by journalists.

There were two data collection methods: quantitative and qualitative. In quantitative data collection, the research team not only conducted surveys but also collected secondary data on violence against journalists previously compiled by the Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). Qualitative data was gathered through focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews with several stakeholders in the journalistic field.

(See also: 45% of Indonesian Journalists Experienced Violence in 2023: Intimidation to Murder Threats)