Tempo, a blend of commitment and innovation in Indonesia

Tempo, a blend of commitment and innovation in Indonesia

One day in my media organisation is a series of weekly reports illustrating the daily lives of people who work in media organisations across Africa, the Arab world and Southeast Asia, supported by CFI.

This week, we have an interview with Wahyu Dhyatmika, editor-in-chief of the Tempo.co.


Wahyu Dhyatmika is editor-in-chief of the Tempo.co, news website in Indonesia. He has been working for Tempo for 15 years, within the investigation office, and since September 2017 has been editor-in-chief of the online version of the publication.

A historical presence

Tempo was founded in 1971 in the form of a weekly news magazine.We were known for our in-depth news and reports.In 1994, the Suharto regime banned the magazine for its exposure of a corruption scandal at the heart of government. However, the magazine survived clandestinely via the tempointeraktif.com website.
After the fall of the dictatorship in 1998, Tempo was no longer breaking the law and shortly after, in 2000, became a daily publication.

In 2008, the website was restructured and Tempo.co was launched.
For Wahyu, making the switch to a digital version was a question of survival: "We were keen to transfer the credibility of our paper version to our digital version", he tells us. Founded by young poets and budding journalists, Tempo had strong cultural leanings, focusing on art, poetry and themed reporting: The editor-in-chief admits: "That's why our motto is: Making necessary reading pleasure".

Nowadays, the editorial line is more focused on politics and economics, with a special interest in art and literature. Tempo.co's target readership is well-educated and relatively well-off decision-makers: He explains: "UA significant proportion of our readers are highly influential and are keen to keep themselves informed via independent, in-depth coverage prior to making any important decisions. They seek a focused, credible point of view".

A successful transition to digital

The daily publication has developed its data journalism skills with a view to consolidating its investigative credibility. Tempo took part in the 4M Asia project launched by CFI by participating in the data journalism training programme which aimed to support the implementation of media projects focusing on human rights and citizen-led control of public initiatives. Tempo later published a data journalism enquiry into abuse perpetrated by police in Indonesia's prisons.

Social media is also essential for Tempo: The editor-in-chief points out: "Social media enable us to check our readers' pulse, to get to know the current concerns and the subjects that are discussing with their friends. It's also a way in which we can get our content out to the greatest audience".

The company has around 1000 employees, including print-plant personnel. Its headquarters are at JI Palmerah Barath N°8, in West Jakarta. Tempo's teams have set up a “secure leak" platform, following WikiLeaks' model, so that anyone who wishes to do so can pass on information totally anonymously and securely. This tool is an inexhaustible source of subject matter for the magazine. Wahyu Dhyatmika goes into further detail by telling us "When a subject has been chosen, we set up reporting and editorial teams to work on the basic outline and then go into the field to check and confirm the facts. When we go online, our editors collaborate with our web designer and programmers to create a kind of interactive story".

The online media version is, essentially, dependent on advertising income from the paper version: " That having been said", the young man continues "revenue from digital subscriptions is progressively increasing. It's one of our objectives". Tempo is also involved in service provision to complement its principal activity, and organises events, provides a production company, advertising agency, etc.

Projects in progress

Indonesia's population expects journalists to be upright and honest and wishes to be informed as to the facts of topics of general interest. Tempo takes this role of “pillar of democracy" extremely seriously: "Our greatest challenge is to make sure that certain subjects remain live in public debate and do not fall into oblivion. As journalists, it's our responsibility not to be distracted by trivial matters and to remain focused on the key concerns of our profession."
In the last 10 years, 8 journalists have been murdered but no one has been brought to justice. This gives rise to a culture of impunity that could jeopardise press freedom.Wahyu describes a "solid, robust and free" Indonesian press that is endeavouring to remain independent of the political powers-that-be: He goes into more detail: "Journalists generally work freely. Where they encounter problems is primarily in isolated regions and when they ruffle the feathers of the local elite because of the subject matter they are addressing".

In Indonesia, the media often belong to corporations that follow their own agenda, a situation that undermines their credibility amongst Indonesians. Tempo is working on a number of long-term projects: a new website involving a paywall has been launched, and a mobile app that reuses the paper magazine content and has an online payment system is in the final stages.

Tempo is one of the most important organisations in the Indonesian media landscape: The editor-in-chief concludes by saying "We are the only media outlet in Indonesia have taken part in the enquiry into the Panama and Paradise Papers, conducted by the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists). Tempo is the standard-bearer for the independent and investigative media in Indonesia. The fact that we were banned by the dictatorship 1994 is testament to our courage and determination to continue reporting the truth. We maintain and uphold these values in the new digital era."

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