The Post was awarded top honors for its investigative report on the unrest in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, Papua, in September 2019, and a bronze award for its print edition on the 2019 presidential election.
he Jakarta Post received two awards at the 2020 Indonesia Print Media Awards (IPMA) from the Union of Print Media Companies (SPS) in a National Press Day event in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Friday.
The Post brought home the gold award for the Best of Investigation Reporting for its Oct. 29, 2019 edition. The publication featured a special report written by reporters Victor Mambor and Syofiardi Bachyul titled “Wamena investigation: What the government is not telling us”.
The report was a collaboration among journalists of the Post, Jakarta-based Tirto.id and Jayapura-based Jubi. They conducted an investigation in the field in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, from Oct. 3 to 10 and discovered what the government had failed to reveal.
Wamena investigation: What the government is not telling us #jakpost https://t.co/UgW7jtHeTc pic.twitter.com/CugssFMAIs
— The Jakarta Post (@jakpost) November 26, 2019
At least 33 people were killed during a deadly unrest in Wamena on Sept. 23.
One of the most important findings of the report was that the government did not reveal to the public that more than eight native Papuans died of gunshot wounds inflicted by who locals called "security officers." The government deployed a joint security force comprising members of the National Police and the Indonesian Military to its easternmost provinces during days of riots.
The investigative report is important as the world had not been aware of what was taking place in the region, as the government had blocked internet access across the island during the unrest.
The Post also won the bronze prize for the Best of National Newspaper for its April 18, 2019 edition, in which the story "Five More Years" was featured. The story was about how incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo secured his second term following the 2019 presidential election.
Today's paper: April 18, 2019 #jakpost https://t.co/F7Z3s0Mzty pic.twitter.com/EjpTwugsVE
— The Jakarta Post (@jakpost) April 18, 2019
The lead reporters covering the story had dedicated their time to monitoring the presidential election even before the campaign season began. They are Karina Tehusijarana, Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Made Anthony Iswara and Ghina Ghaliya.
IPMA is an annual award sponsored by the SPS to recognize the best in Indonesian print publications. The SPS was established on June 8, 1946, as a union for news publishers in Indonesia.
The union said it received 679 entries for the IPMA award during the nomination process between Nov. 4, 2019 and Jan. 8.
This is the second time the Post has won a gold IPMA award. The newspaper received the gold award in the category of Best National Newspaper in 2015 for its July 23, 2014 edition.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!