AGENDA Media Competition Recognizes Inclusive Journalism
On March 31, in Jakarta, Indonesia, the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA) recognized media efforts to report on disability rights at the award ceremony for the “Journalist Competition on Accessible Elections and Accessible Provincial KPU Website.” AGENDA is a creative partnership founded by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), with disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) and election-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) in Southeast Asia. The competition was organized in collaboration with the Indonesian General Election Commission (KPU) and the Indonesian Press Council ahead of the March 2017 regional head elections.
AGENDA received 287 submissions in four categories: (1) News reporting for TV and radio; (2) News reporting for print and online media; (3) Photo competition for print and online media; and (4) “Opinion” articles from the public. Judges representing the KPU, the Indonesian Press Council, the People’s Voter Education Network (JPPR), AGENDA and media announced five nominations and three winners for each category. Winners from Aceh, South Sulawesi, East Java, Yogyakarta, Nusa Tenggara Timur and Jakarta provided articles and other media emphasizing both successes and gaps in election accessibility. The winning news report, “Difficulty in Guarding Political Rights of Those with Psychosocial Disabilities” by Antony Lee, highlighted barriers to electoral access for persons with psychosocial disabilities. Lee helped to expose the lack of implementation of access to voting rights by interviewing the director of an institution in which registered voters lived who did not participate in the election as well as disability rights advocates and KPU officials about a recent court decision that upheld rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities to vote. AGENDA also recognized three provincial KPUs for creating accessible websites.
KPU Chairperson Juri Ardiantoro and JPPR Chairperson Masykuruddin Hafidz provided opening remarks. The AGENDA team also congratulated the KPU for its commitment and strong endorsement of implementing accessible elections in Indonesia. The AGENDA project is supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
