Press Council Chairman Komaruddin Hidayat responded to the phenomenon of the rise in unofficial journalists by saying their emergence was a result of high unemployment and freedom to use social media.
Komaruddin highlighted the practice of unofficial journalists in the regions who often extort local governments (pemda). They easily make press cards and claim to be journalists from online media, even though they are not officially registered with the Press Council.
"This is indeed the result of unemployment and also freedom due to the emergence of social media. It is very easy in that area for people to make business cards, then online journalists can do whatever they want even though they are not officially registered with the Press Council," said Komaruddin in a Working Meeting with Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives at the parliamentary complex.
