14 Unveiling the ‘Green’: Media Coverage on the Aceh Green Vision
285
the relevance of this research to policy and communication in Indonesia (and perhaps
in other nations). We consider the role of mass media in sharing efficacy information,
and offer recommendations for how mass media outlets can better attend to and use
efficacy information in reporting on environmental and climate issues.
The ‘Green’ in the News
AGV was initiated as a response to the rise of climate change as one of the most
imminent threats to the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific region. According
to the Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh (HAkA), forest loss in Aceh especially
in the Leuser Ecosystem between 2003 and 2012 about 173 km
2 or equivalent to an
area the size of Hong Kong (Topsfield and Rompies, 2016). The valuable initiative
to protect Aceh’s forestry and environment faces challenges. For example, since the
withdrawal of many aid agencies in April 2009, Aceh needs more sustainable public–
private partnerships, non-governmental oversight, and private sector involvement to
manage clean energy, biofuel feedstock, reforestation and avoided deforestation, all
of which involve issues related to carbon and a commitment to green development
(BRR 2008; Swainson 2016b).
These challenges led to former Aceh Governor Irwandi declaring a moratorium
on all logging as a message to the international community that the province is
willing to stop deforestation, but not without receiving something in return, that is,
new revenues from trade, not only aid (BRR 2008). The AGV program is strongly
supported under the Undang-Undang Pemerintahan Aceh No. 11 tahun 2006 (law of
the Aceh Government) that governs the management of Aceh’s forest. The Vision was
shortlisted by The World Future Council for Future Policy Award, and the Whitley
Fund for Nature (WFN) awarded its ‘inspiring conservation champions’ award to
Farwiza Farhan—an Acehnese woman who fought to save endangered Sumatran
species and the local livelihood in the Leuser Ecosystem (WFN 2016).
Besides global and national coverage, the AGV was also covered by local print
newspaper—Serambi Indonesia since launched in 2007 (BRR 2008; Swainson
2016b). Serambi Indonesia—(hereafter SI) is the district printed newspaper in Aceh,
and aims to provide an informative and educative message for the people. SI is a
subsidiary of the prominent national newspaper—Kompas or the Tribune Network
(Riezal 2016).
The offices and staff of SI were destroyed by the massive earthquake and Tsunami
on 26 December 2004. The media industry was forced to stop publishing due to the
loss of 55 employees—13 of whom were senior editors and missing journalists,
and also due to the severely damaged printing machines. SI started to re-publish
using its printing press in Lhokseumawe city in January 2005. The printed circulation increased significantly from 7000/day to 40,000/day in 1989–2014, and is now
distributed throughout 18 districts and five cities in the Aceh province. Haryanto
(2011) argued that as a subsidiary of the oligarchy Kompas Group, SI’s agenda
setting holds to the status quo political interest and has an impact on the quality of
285
the relevance of this research to policy and communication in Indonesia (and perhaps
in other nations). We consider the role of mass media in sharing efficacy information,
and offer recommendations for how mass media outlets can better attend to and use
efficacy information in reporting on environmental and climate issues.
The ‘Green’ in the News
AGV was initiated as a response to the rise of climate change as one of the most
imminent threats to the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific region. According
to the Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh (HAkA), forest loss in Aceh especially
in the Leuser Ecosystem between 2003 and 2012 about 173 km
2 or equivalent to an
area the size of Hong Kong (Topsfield and Rompies, 2016). The valuable initiative
to protect Aceh’s forestry and environment faces challenges. For example, since the
withdrawal of many aid agencies in April 2009, Aceh needs more sustainable public–
private partnerships, non-governmental oversight, and private sector involvement to
manage clean energy, biofuel feedstock, reforestation and avoided deforestation, all
of which involve issues related to carbon and a commitment to green development
(BRR 2008; Swainson 2016b).
These challenges led to former Aceh Governor Irwandi declaring a moratorium
on all logging as a message to the international community that the province is
willing to stop deforestation, but not without receiving something in return, that is,
new revenues from trade, not only aid (BRR 2008). The AGV program is strongly
supported under the Undang-Undang Pemerintahan Aceh No. 11 tahun 2006 (law of
the Aceh Government) that governs the management of Aceh’s forest. The Vision was
shortlisted by The World Future Council for Future Policy Award, and the Whitley
Fund for Nature (WFN) awarded its ‘inspiring conservation champions’ award to
Farwiza Farhan—an Acehnese woman who fought to save endangered Sumatran
species and the local livelihood in the Leuser Ecosystem (WFN 2016).
Besides global and national coverage, the AGV was also covered by local print
newspaper—Serambi Indonesia since launched in 2007 (BRR 2008; Swainson
2016b). Serambi Indonesia—(hereafter SI) is the district printed newspaper in Aceh,
and aims to provide an informative and educative message for the people. SI is a
subsidiary of the prominent national newspaper—Kompas or the Tribune Network
(Riezal 2016).
The offices and staff of SI were destroyed by the massive earthquake and Tsunami
on 26 December 2004. The media industry was forced to stop publishing due to the
loss of 55 employees—13 of whom were senior editors and missing journalists,
and also due to the severely damaged printing machines. SI started to re-publish
using its printing press in Lhokseumawe city in January 2005. The printed circulation increased significantly from 7000/day to 40,000/day in 1989–2014, and is now
distributed throughout 18 districts and five cities in the Aceh province. Haryanto
(2011) argued that as a subsidiary of the oligarchy Kompas Group, SI’s agenda
setting holds to the status quo political interest and has an impact on the quality of