JakartaGlobe-Feb 10
Indonesia’s Journalist Safety Index (IKJ) declined in 2025, signaling growing risks for media workers despite the country remaining in a “somewhat protected” category, according to data released on Monday. The IKJ score stood at 59.5% this year, down by about 0.9 to 1 point from 2024, reflecting a deterioration in press freedom conditions and journalist safety. The findings were unveiled at the launch of the IKJ 2025 by the Tifa Foundation, the Safe Journalism Consortium, and research firm Populix at Erasmus Huis in Jakarta. Organizers said the index is intended to serve as a data-driven reference to help prevent violence against journalists and promote safer, more dignified working conditions in the media industry. Tifa Foundation Executive Director Oslan Purba said the index has been compiled consistently over the past three years and has become an important tool to assess the state of press freedom and journalist safety in Indonesia. Populix Policy and Society Research Manager Nazmi Tamara said the survey was conducted among 655 active journalists across 38 provinces between November and December 2025. The research also drew on secondary data on violence against journalists collected by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). In addition to the quantitative survey, Populix carried out in-depth interviews with journalists who had experienced violence to enrich the analysis. About 67% of respondents said they had experienced some form of violence, a steep increase from around 40% in 2024. The most common forms of abuse were reporting bans and restrictions on coverage. By contrast, cases of physical violence and direct threats were reported to have declined. Despite the worsening conditions, the survey found that journalists’ awareness of risks and preventive measures improved by around 20 points compared with the previous year, suggesting better preparedness even as threats persist. The research also pointed to a rise in censorship and self-censorship across the media landscape. About 72% of journalists said they had experienced censorship, while 80% admitted to practicing self-censorship. Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesias-journalist-safety-index-slips-in-2025-as-censorship-pressure-rise
