Indonesian Television: Politics, Parody and the Quest for Quality

Talk by Edwin Jurriens (ADFA, UNSW).

In his seminal work Sur la Télévision (1996), Pierre Bourdieu argues that contemporary television’s potential is curbed by such factors as political and economic ‘structural corruption’, symbolic violence on the screen, the circular circulation of information and a culture of fast thinkers and instant ideas. These factors have also affected Indonesian television in recent years. Audiences and critics are complaining about the abundance of infotainment, soap opera, horror movies, nudity and violence on television. At the same time, however, there have been attempts to create alternatives of a higher creative and critical standard. One of these efforts is Newsdotcom, a political satire that is the product of the collaboration between the commercial television station Metro TV, comedians from theater and television, and communications scholars from Universitas Indonesia. Newsdotcom does not only parody contemporary politics, but also attempts to enhance the media literacy of its audience. This presentation will address how or whether Newsdotcom’s specific modes of debate and creative expression set an example for qualitative changes in Indonesian television and public life.
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