Entire newspaper staff feared dead
The entire newspaper staff from an Indonesian newspaper staff is feared dead. Most of the 80 staff members of Serambi Indonesia, Aceh’s only daily newspaper, are missing or dead after the December 26 tsunami tore through its offices in Banda Aceh. Since its founding in the early 1990s, the Indonesian-language newspaper has been one of the only sources of information from the war-ravaged Aceh Province. Serambi journalists routinely faced violent attacks, threats, and intimidation from both sides of the conflict between Indonesian military forces and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), according to a story I read.
"All 80 journalists from Serambi, the only daily newspaper based in hard-hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia, are missing and feared dead, according to the Jakarta Post," Editor & Publisher reports.
"The Serambi office and printing press were among the buildings in downtown Banda Aceh that were totally destroyed by the massive 9.0-earthquake and the tsunami that followed in its wake on Sunday.
"'Since Sunday,' the Post reported, 'media companies outside Aceh are also frantically trying to locate their reporters and staff based in the province. Yesterday, some were found to be safe, including The Jakarta Post’s Nani Afrida and Nur Raihan of detik.com. Nani sounded traumatised, while Raihan . . . said it was a miracle that she and her family had escaped 'a four-metre wave just behind our car.”'"
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists reported that, "Serambi journalists routinely faced violent attacks, threats, and intimidation from both sides of the conflict between Indonesian military forces and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)," and that "the Indonesian press organization Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reported that 16 of 25 members in Banda Aceh have not been found."
The alliance is seeking donations for its members in affected areas, CPJ said.
There is an address on the CPJ website to send donations. This is one cause that I might just give to. Journalists anywhere in the world don't get paid squat and these folks work in a dangerous armpit of the world.
"All 80 journalists from Serambi, the only daily newspaper based in hard-hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia, are missing and feared dead, according to the Jakarta Post," Editor & Publisher reports.
"The Serambi office and printing press were among the buildings in downtown Banda Aceh that were totally destroyed by the massive 9.0-earthquake and the tsunami that followed in its wake on Sunday.
"'Since Sunday,' the Post reported, 'media companies outside Aceh are also frantically trying to locate their reporters and staff based in the province. Yesterday, some were found to be safe, including The Jakarta Post’s Nani Afrida and Nur Raihan of detik.com. Nani sounded traumatised, while Raihan . . . said it was a miracle that she and her family had escaped 'a four-metre wave just behind our car.”'"
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists reported that, "Serambi journalists routinely faced violent attacks, threats, and intimidation from both sides of the conflict between Indonesian military forces and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)," and that "the Indonesian press organization Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reported that 16 of 25 members in Banda Aceh have not been found."
The alliance is seeking donations for its members in affected areas, CPJ said.
There is an address on the CPJ website to send donations. This is one cause that I might just give to. Journalists anywhere in the world don't get paid squat and these folks work in a dangerous armpit of the world.
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