Jakarta. Many newsrooms in Indonesia have gone empty. It is not because the journalists are done with their deadlines and are on the way home. But the individuals who have been trying to become the voice of the people have to give up their press cards -- unwillingly. “Layoff” has become a word that is now often heard by Indonesian journalists. This time, it is not because they are reporting on the job cut surge in the country. But these waves of layoffs are now happening to the people around them -- fellow journalists or even themselves.

The statistics remain unclear to this day as many news outlets choose to stay tight-lipped on the job cuts. However, the Press Council reported that around 1,200 media workers, including journalists, got laid off between 2023 and 2024.

“Not all news outlets are open with sharing the fact that they have just laid off their employees. A media verified [by the council] may have even gone out of business,” the council’s chairperson Ninik Rahayu said at the recent 2025 World Press Freedom Day celebrations in Jakarta.

Reports are circulating that not even the major news outlets are safe. News broadcaster Kompas TV reportedly had laid off 150 people. As many as 200 CNN Indonesia (TV) employees had to lose their jobs, while their competitor, tvOne had to shrink its workforce by 75 individuals. Emtek Group, which houses major TV stations SCTV and Indosiar, was claimed to have to let go of 100 employees. MNC Group reportedly had to shut down 8 of its regional offices and laid off almost 100 workers in May. State-owned outlets RRI and TVRI faced the same fate as the others as President Prabowo Subianto instructed budget austerity measures.

Conventional media is losing its revenue stream, hence the job losses. A portion of news organizations’ revenue comes from advertising, but outlets are now earning less following the rise of digital platforms. In 2024, Indonesia recorded Rp 107 trillion ($6.4 billion) in national ad spending. Over 75 percent of the ads went to foreign-owned tech giants like Google and Meta. 

The massive layoffs have painted a grim picture of the country’s press freedom. Indonesia only ranked 127th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index. As the name suggests, the index measures the degree of freedom enjoyed by the journalists in a country. In the 2025 rankings, Indonesia had fallen from 111th place. Its overall scores also dropped from 51.15 to 44.13.

That’s not all. Readers now are now favoring getting their news on social media even though the accuracy is often questionable. Artificial intelligence (AI) has also posed another challenge. A journalist’s work is based on ethical standards, verification, and credible sources. But they are now getting pushed away by generative AI that can produce text, images and videos instantly.

Unfair Competition with Digital Platforms

According to Agus Sudibyo of the Indonesian Journalist Association (PWI), many news organizations claimed that the layoffs were part of business restructuring. But the problem lies in the unresolved systemic crisis. It is inseparable from the inequality between national media and digital platforms -- as seen how the latter now make up the lion’s share in advertising spending.

Despite getting less ads, there are tons of regulations that the press have to comply. This ranges from the Press Law, Broadcasting Law, Electronic Information and Transactions Law. News outlets also have to pay taxes, and take responsibility for the content that they create. Meanwhile, digital platforms can operate freely without being subject to as many regulatory frameworks, according to Agus.

"This is no longer just a matter of media sustainability. It concerns our economic sovereignty and even national sovereignty," Agus recently told Indonesian lawmakers. 

Platforms have taken advantage of the partnership with local publishers to collect user data. Agus claimed that digital platforms would then "monopolize" all the collected data. He added: "The data belongs to all of us, but it's only a handful of the digital platforms that reap the benefits. These platforms are growing not because of the content, but because they control our data.” 

It’s a well-known fact that the rise in digital platforms has caused serious social impacts. Platforms have turned into a hotbed of hoaxes, hate speech, online gambling, and gadget addiction. However, they remain free from legal responsibility. They hide behind their status as “technology companies" to avoid obligations as “content distributors”.

Agus called on Indonesia to follow in the European Union (EU) footsteps by issuing regulations aimed at taming the power of digital platforms. As a case in point, the EU’s Digital Services Act sets rules for a safer and more accountable online environment. The EU also has what it calls the Digital Markets Act to make the markets in the digital sector fairer and more contestable. To Agus, the existing laws in Indonesia are not enough to address the complexity in the problem, not even the Broadcasting Bill.

"We need regulations that directly target the business models and data power of these platforms. This is no longer just about business competition. This is about who controls our digital space," Agus said.

Ex-journos are currently helming Prabowo’s Communications and Digital Affairs Ministry. Ex-reporter and Communications Minister Meutya Hafid admitted that the media industry was pretty far from okay. She claimed that her ministry was currently in talks with the Manpower Ministry to find a concrete solution to the layoffs among journalists. Meutya’s deputy minister Nezar Patria -- who was also a journalist -- urged the news outlets to find new business models such as a “concrete collaboration” to prevent the spread of hoaxes on social media.

"The right business model needs to be tested and implemented. The choice is whether the media wants to be independent outside the platform ecosystem or collaborate with the platform to build a healthier and more sustainable business relationship in the future," he said.

Broadcasting Bill

Amid all these worries, work is underway to revise the Broadcasting Law -- something that the House of Representatives said could save the media industry. Lawmaker Amelia Anggraini acknowledged the regulatory imbalance between conventional media and digital platforms. She said that the regulatory changes to the Broadcasting Law would be protective and adaptive without hindering innovations. She dismissed worries that the bill could curb investigative journalism. 

“The drafted [bill] does not ban investigative journalism. Democracy can only survive if information can be trusted. A piece of information is only trustworthy if it comes from a fair ecosystem,” Amelia said.

According to lawmaker Dave Laksono, the bill’s main challenge is to ensure that it “adapts and maintains Indonesia’s broadcasting sovereignty amidst the flow of global technologies.”

Time for Gov’t to Take Action

Calls are mounting for the government to protect the media industry. Analyst Trubus Rahardiansah revealed that many democracies that initially handed over media affairs to the private sector are now starting to realize that the state must also be present. And so, countries have taken concrete steps, among others, through assistance, regulation, and incentives. But what about Indonesia?

“Something that [Indonesian] can do is to require the government bodies to place their ads on conventional media rather than external platforms like YouTube or TikTok,” Trubus said.

Senior economist Andry Satrio Nugroho said that the government should make sure that workers’ rights remain in place amidst the massive job cuts, while calling for incentives to protect the press. 

“We must also maintain [the laid-off journalists’] purchasing power. … Perhaps the government can provide not just job loss insurance, but also other incentives such as wage subsidies just like that they gave during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Andry said.

Job loss insurance provides laid-off workers cash aid, access to labor market information, and training. When Covid-19 struck the country, the Indonesian government rolled out wage subsidies for workers who earned less than Rp 3.5 million (around $210). Each employee could get a monthly subsidy of Rp 500,000 for two months, bringing the total assistance to Rp 1 million.

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B-Universe journalists Anisa Fauziah and Zhulfakar contributed to this story.