The Jakarta Post

The former logo of The Jakarta Post. Used until 31 March 2016.

The Jakarta Post was the brainchild of Information Minister Ali Murtopo and politician Jusuf Wanandi. Murtopo and Wanandi were disappointed at the perceived bias against Indonesia in foreign news sources.[2] At the time, there were two English-language dailies, The Indonesia Times and The Indonesian Observer.[3] However, due to negative public perception regarding the existing papers, they decided to create a new one. In order to ensure credibility, the two agreed to convince a group of competing newspapers (the Golkar-backed Suara Karya, the Catholic-owned Kompas, the Protestant-owned Sinar Harapan, and the weekly Tempo) to back the nascent paper.[2] It was hoped to become a quality English-language paper, similar to The Straits Times in Singapore, the Bangkok Post in Thailand, and the New Straits Times in Malaysia.[4]

After founding PT Bina Media Tenggara to back the paper,[5] Wanandi spent several months contacting influential figures at the targeted newspapers. To receive their cooperation, Kompas requested a 25 percent share in the new newspaper, for which it would handle the daily business operations, such as printing, circulation, and advertising. Tempo offered to assist with management in return for a 15 percent share, while Sabam Siagian of Sinar Harapan was hired as the first chief editor, for which Sinar Harapan received stock. The establishment of the paper was further aided by incoming Information Minister Harmoko, who received 5 percent interest for his role in acquiring a license. In total, the start-up cost Rp. 500 million (US$700,000 at the time).[6] Muhammad Chudori, a co-founder of The Jakarta Post who formerly reported for Antara, became the newspaper's first general manager.[7]

Further details, including the matter of Sinar Harapan's share of stock and the publisher, were decided at a meeting at Wanandi's office in March 1983.[8] The next month, on 25 April, the first edition — totalling eight pages — was published.[9] The first newsroom of the new paper were located in Kompas's former laundry room, a one-story warehouse; the first employees had to do the layout by hand, using pica poles as straight edges.[10] During the first few months, the writers translated and recycled previously published stories from Indonesian media, which were later picked up by foreign wire services. Original reporting was rare as the editors at first did not want to deal with the censorship of Suharto's New Order government.[11]

During the early years of publication, The Jakarta Post had difficulty attracting advertisers, to the point that some editions ran without ads.[12] However, circulation increased dramatically, from 8,657 in 1983 to 17,480 in 1988. Although it was originally hoped that the paper would begin to turn a profit within the first three years, the recession in the early 1980s led to the start-up funds being depleted. Eventually, in 1985 the paper took out an interest-free loan and received Rp. 700 million from its owners. After advertising increased, The Jakarta Post was able to turn a profit by 1988,[13] and was considered "one of the most credible newspapers" in Indonesia.[14]

Susanto Pudjomartono, former chief editor of Tempo, became The Jakarta Post's second chief editor on 1 August 1991, after Siagian was chosen to be Indonesia's ambassador to Australia.[15] Under Pudjomartono's leadership, the paper began publishing more original work and doing less translation; reporters were also asked to take a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the paper.[16] The paper also became more vocal regarding politics, taking a pro-democracy stance like Tempo.[16][17] It soon converted its offices into a new, two-story building built using the Kompas pension fund[18] and expanded to 12 pages.[19]

In 1994, The Jakarta Post signed a distribution agreement with the British news service Reuters and the American Dialog Information Services, allowing its stories to be more easily promoted overseas.[20] By the mid-1990s, it had established a workshop to assist its new, foreign-born staff in learning the local culture.[21] By December 1998, The Jakarta Post had a circulation of 41,049,[20] and was one of the few English-language dailies in Indonesia after the 1997 Asian financial crisis;[22] six other English-language dailies had failed.[23] That year it also became a founding member of the Asia News Network.[24]

The Jakarta Post's Sunday edition was launched on 18 September 1994. The Sunday edition included more in-depth stories, as well as entertainment and fiction that would not be published in the weekday editions.[27] As part of cost-cutting measures amid declining print advertising revenue, the Sunday edition ceased publication in April 2016. It was replaced by a lifestyle and culture magazine called J+, which is included with the newspaper's Saturday edition.[28]

The Jakarta Post features an online edition, which includes both print and internet exclusive stories that are free to access. There are also news flashes that are developed as they happen. The paper hopes to digitise the entirety of its printed stories, with at least 50,000 articles dating to June 1994 already digitised.[29] In 2017, The Jakarta Post began charging subscriptions in order to access "premium" online content.[30]

On 9 April 2012 The Jakarta Post launched Bali Daily, a four-page daily newspaper produced in Bali, after noting that 4,900 of the flagship paper's subscribers lived on the resort island.[31] Bali Daily ceased printing in 2014.