Indonesia lost one of its journalism heroes on Wednesday through the death of Jakob Oetama, cofounder of the nation’s biggest media and releasing company, Kompas Gramedia.
Kompas Gramedia confirmed his death. He passed away at the age of 88 after struggling with several organ failure, among the medical professionals who treated Jakob said. He would be buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta on Thursday.
Throughout his life, Jakob was understood by a number of his associates and loved ones as an easy figure who constantly focused on honesty, integrity, gratitude and humanism.
Jakob, the kid of an instructor, was born in Jowahan village in Central Java and finished from the Seminary High School in Yogyakarta in 1951.
Before delving into journalism, Jakob followed his parents’ footsteps and taught at Mardi Yuana Junior High in Cipanas, West Java, in 1952 and Van Lith Junior High School in Jakarta in 1953.
It was not till 1955 when Jakob ended up being the weekly editor of Penabur magazine that he began to look into the publishing world. 6 years later on, he completed studying at Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University, majoring in mass interaction.
He partnered with Auw Jong Peng Koen, or Petrus Kanisius Ojong– one of Indonesia’s active figures in journalism and politics– to release Intisari publication, which led the way for the facility of Kompas newspaper in 1965.
Now, he needs to be kept in mind as the “the country ' s teacher”, said Jusuf Wanandi, the president director of The Jakarta Post ' s publishing company, on Wednesday.
” He is a teacher for the public, particularly through his multimedias and his book shop, which were services that he provided to the nation as its teacher,” Jusuf said.
Jusuf, who had actually known him because the 1960 s, saw Jacob as an “compassionate and open-minded” person that had actually provided “a great service” to the democratic changes in the past.
And he is not alone in holding such views. The Post’s senior editor, Endy Bayuni, acclaimed how Kompas, through the journalism design that Jakob developed, was able to be crucial yet make it through and thrive under the New Order regime when press flexibility was extremely limited.
” He had the knowledge by which he was able to construct the trust of both the people and the elite,” Endy stated.
One of Jakob’s pupils, seasoned Kompas journalist Maria Hartiningsih, described the “Kompas journalism” established by Jakob as expressing criticism without assaulting or cornering the subject and giving a voice to the downtrodden.
” I remember he told me to always nurture mankind and empathy, since that’s the most important thing in journalism,” Maria told the Post.
” Through his subtle and sophisticated method of criticizing, we’re also reminded that journalism is a matter of putting concerns into context, so that individuals will understand what the issues are,” said Maria, adding that Jakob was a “spiritual dad” to her and many Kompas employees.
Throughout a 2005 interview with the Post, Jakob admitted that Kompas’ style, which was not straightforward, potentially occurred from his Javanese background.
” From childhood, Javanese people do not request for money directly however frequently describe the factors initially,” he stated.
On the other hand, Antara president director Meidyatama Suryodiningrat saw him as a national figure who had been “carrying the torch” for excellent journalism.
” In an age where the media has to move rapidly and look for revenue, he still focused on journalistic worths, which is where youths like us can discover a lot from him,” he stated on Wednesday.
Amongst the young generation, West Java-based Kompas reporter Melati Mewangi said despite the fact that she had actually never ever talked to Jakob, she had discovered a lot about him and his worths through his writings as well as his biography.
” There’s absolutely nothing brand-new under the sun, Jakob would often state, explaining that there’s absolutely nothing brand-new in this world, however that we can always restore our viewpoints,” she stated.
” He wanted to motivate young journalists to check out the world outside of our convenience zones, which truly helped me shift my point of view when I was appointed to report from a brand-new area that I had never ever been to. His wisdom raised my spirit and curiosity,” she stated.
Another Kompas journalist based in North Sulawesi, Kristian Oka Prasetyadi, also stated he had been hanging on to Jakob’s principle of “comforting the poor, advising the thriving” in the way he composed his short articles.
Media companies have actually conveyed their acknowledgements and appreciation for Jacob’s contribution to the nation.
Press Council head Muhammad Nuh stated Jakob had paid attention to media regrowth, pointing out as an example the reality that his business had founded Multimedia Nusantara University (UMN).
Alliance of Independent Reporters (AJI) chairman Abdul Manan likewise remembered how Jakob once congratulated then-AJI chairman Lukas Luwarso for the AJI’s determination in battling versus the federal government’s repression of press freedom.
” I believe that shows his mindset as a gentleman who appreciated the more youthful generation,” Abdul said.
On The Other Hand, Indonesian Reporters Association (PWI) head Atal S. Depari said he was considering developing an award under Jakob’s name to honor his tradition, which would be given to reporters who blog about liberal arts.
