Post by : Rameen Ariff

Jakarta: Indonesia’s main press council has called for the protection of press freedom and urged President Prabowo Subianto’s palace to restore reporting access for a journalist whose credentials were recently revoked.

The reporter, Titin Rosmasari, lost her access after asking the president about issues in a national free meal programme. Thousands of schoolchildren fell sick after consuming food served under the initiative.

During an event at an airfield on Saturday, Rosmasari asked President Prabowo whether he had instructed the National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the programme, to take corrective action. Prabowo acknowledged the problem, saying he would summon the agency and describing the situation as significant while cautioning against politicising it.

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The National Nutrition Agency earlier apologised for the recent cases of food poisoning, citing oversight failures and taking full responsibility.

Indonesia’s press council stressed that the palace should provide an explanation for revoking the journalist’s access and restore her reporting rights. Media reports noted that only questions about Prabowo’s recent international trip, including his visit to the United Nations, were allowed at the airfield.

Since the programme began in January, government data shows nearly 6,000 children have fallen ill, with over 1,000 affected last week alone.

Indonesia’s press freedom ranking has also fallen, placing 127th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, dropping 16 places in a year.

#world news #Global News