Antara National News Agency

Antara is Indonesia’s oldest news service and is relatively fresh out of a period of strict state control. Although today promoted as an independent news provider, daily reporting tends to focus on publicising mainstream official government pronouncements in Jakarta. Antara reporters often work from parliament and cover various government press conferences. Past students have found the routine slightly monotonous in comparison to that of more dynamic local press agencies but the experience of working at Antara can still be a very valuable one. Students have managed to produce some exceptional work whilst at Antara. See the stories below. This position is a lesson in the constraints of a poorly funded state media agency that is imbued with a typically Indonesian bureaucratic culture. Antara will prepare a rotating workplace schedule that will see two students alternating between office and the field on a weekly basis.

Intern Duties

• Editing stories.
• Going both independently and accompanied in to the field to cover press conferences or chase up feature stories. Field interns are often despatched to parliament house or other government institutions.

Location

Centrally located at Wisma Antara on Jl. Kebon Sirih. The BI busway stop is just around the corner. You will spend more time getting up to the office in the elevator than getting to work.

Specific Requirements

Discipline. There is a lack of direction from mentors so students need to be able to show initiative in pitching stories and organising their workday.

Work hours

ANTARA placement is Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm. Read the papers before you get there (as they are usually not available in the office.

Student stories

2009

Beau Donelly is an undergraduate student from Monash University. His work placement was at the Antara National News Agency. Read his stories.

Michael Quin is is a postgraduate student from RMIT. His work placement was at the Antara National News Agency. Read his stories.

2008

Inez Mahony is a postgraduate student from the University of Sydney. She had previously studied with ACICIS at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, so her Indonesian is almost fluent. Inez had her work placement at the Antara National News Agency. Read her stories.

Damian McIver is a postgraduate student from the University of Tasmania. His work placement in Jakarta was at the Antara National News Agency. Read a story he wrote about President Suharto.

Sam Bolitho, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), was lucky enough to spend time at both the Antara National News Agency and also the Public Affairs Department of the Australian Embassy. Read his stories.