The Development of Journalism in the Independence Era of Indonesia

Journalism is the work of collecting, writing, editing, and publishing news in newspapers and the like. In Indonesia, journalism has a long history and developed along with the struggle of the Indonesian people to achieve independence from Dutch and Japanese colonialism.

In the colonial era, journalism in Indonesia was dominated by newspapers published by the Dutch government or Dutch people living in Indonesia. 

The first newspaper published in Indonesia was Bataviasche Nouvelles in 1744, which contained news about the activities of the colonial government and was in Dutch. This newspaper was intended for Dutch people in Indonesia.

In addition to Dutch-language newspapers, there were also newspapers published by Chinese people living in Indonesia, which were called China journalism. 

These newspapers served as a medium of communication and unity for the Chinese people in Indonesia, who often faced discrimination and oppression from the colonial government. The first newspaper published by the Chinese was Sin Po in 1910, which was in Malay and Mandarin.

In the early 20th century, national journalism emerged, which was journalism created by native Indonesians as a medium of struggle and movement for independence. 

National journalism was pioneered by Tirto Adhi Soerjo, who was known as the father of national press in Indonesia. Tirto founded the newspaper Medan Prijaji in 1907, which contained criticisms of the colonial government and Indonesian nationalism .

Besides Medan Prijaji, there were also other newspapers published by national movement figures, such as Soeara Ra'jat by Sutan Sjahrir, Pemandangan by Mohammad Hatta, Daulat Ra'jat by Tan Malaka, 

The Soeara Asia by Agus Salim, and Soeara Merdeka by Sukarno. These newspapers became a source of inspiration and motivation for the Indonesian people to fight against the colonizers.

In the revolutionary era of independence, which was between 1945-1949, journalism in Indonesia faced great challenges and difficulties. 

On the one hand, journalism became a tool of propaganda and information for the newly established Indonesian government to garner support and solidarity from the people. 

On the other hand, journalism also became a target of attack and censorship from the Dutch side who wanted to destroy the spirit of independence of Indonesia.

One of the famous newspapers in the revolutionary era of independence was Merdeka, which was published by Adam Malik. 

This newspaper bravely reported important events that occurred during the revolution, such as the Proclamation of Independence, the Dutch Military Aggression, the Renville Agreement, and the Madiun Affair. 

This newspaper also became a medium of communication between the central government in Yogyakarta and the regions that were still under Dutch control.

Besides Merdeka, there were also other newspapers that played an important role in the revolution, such as Berita Indonesia published by B.M. Diah, Independent published by Rosihan Anwar. 

Then Indonesian News Bulletin published by Mochtar Lubis, Warta Indonesia published by Sjafruddin Prawiranegara, and The Voice of Free Indonesia published by Amir Sjarifuddin. 

These newspapers became witnesses of history and evidence of the struggle of the Indonesian people to defend their independence.

Journalism in Indonesia has a long history and developed along with the struggle of the Indonesian people to achieve independence from Dutch and Japanese colonialism.

Journalism in Indonesia is divided into three periods, namely colonial journalism, national journalism, and revolutionary journalism. Journalism in Indonesia became a mass media that was responsible for spreading important information about events around independence to the public. 

Journalism in Indonesia also became a tool of struggle and propaganda for the newly established Indonesian government to garner support and solidarity from the people. 

Journalism in Indonesia also became a target of attack and censorship from the Dutch side who wanted to destroy the spirit of independence of Indonesia. Journalism in Indonesia became witnesses of history and evidence of the struggle of the Indonesian people to defend their independence.