Writer, journalist, and academic. Those are the three roles attached to Ignatius Haryanto, an alumnus of the Communication Science Doctoral program at FISIP UI who has devoted three decades of his thoughts to the development of mass media and journalism in Indonesia.
His dedication to the press cannot be underestimated. Hary has written and edited more than 50 books since 1995, and published more than 100 articles in various national media.
Most of Hary’s works highlight journalistic, philosophical, and socio-political issues. Some of the titles include Indonesia Raya Dibredel (2006), Journalism in the Digital Age: The Challenge of the 21st Century Media Industry (2014), The Friends Know Daniel Dhakidae: Scholar Par Excellence (2022), John Locke and the Roots of Intellectual Property Rights Thought (2021), and Intellectual Property Misguidance (2014).
Currently, Hary is also trusted as one of the reviewers for Media Asia Journal, an internationally reputable scientific journal based in Manila, Philippines.
Getting to Know the World of Journalism: From Campus to Tempo Magazine
Hary’s love for journalism began when he was studying for his undergraduate degree in Communication Science at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia. At the time, being a journalist seemed like the ideal path for Hary to fulfill his dream of traveling the world.
As if on cue, that dream came true from 1994 to 2003. During this period, Hary was a journalist at Forum Keadilan magazine, D&R magazine and Tempo magazine.
During his journalistic career, Hary has visited more than 30 provinces in Indonesia. His reporting experience has also taken him across borders, from countries in ASEAN, to Europe and Australia.
However, coverage assignments do not always promise comfort. Hary was assigned several times to cover dangerous conflict areas, such as the inter-ethnic conflict in West Kalimantan, the land conflict in Karawang, and the inter-religious conflict in Ambon.
Not only active in the field, Hary has also been a member of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) since 1995, and has served as a member of the Ethics Council of AJI Jakarta since 2015. He co-founded the Institute for Press and Development Studies (LSPP) in 1994, a non-governmental organization (NGO) engaged in media and journalistic development. Between 2007 and 2014, Hary was appointed executive director of the organization.
When his book was “put on trial”
Hary’s journey as a book writer has not always been smooth. One of his works that discusses the issue of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) once brought him to an unforgettable experience.
“There are a number of IPR lawyers who read my books, and they are offended by my books,” Hary said in an interview (06/08/2025). “And once I was summoned to a forum where I was ‘tried’ by IPR lawyers,” he continued.
According to Hary, the incident arose because some lawyers considered that he did not have a legal background to write about IPR issues. In fact, his writing aims to open a space for cross-disciplinary discussions on the issue.
“I just wanted to write something that would say that the problem of intellectual property is not the dominance of legal people alone, it can be viewed from various perspectives,” said Hary. Luckily, the book can still be circulated today.
Despite being one of the crucial moments in his writing journey, the incident did not dampen Hary’s enthusiasm for writing. For him, writing is a fun process and full of surprises, as he never knows how the reader’s response will be formed.
“Writing for me is two things, sharing what I know, and at the same time utilizing the books that I have quite a lot of,” Hary said.
Becoming an Academic
After years as a media practitioner, Hary began to pursue the academic path. In 2007, Hary taught journalism at a private university in Tangerang Regency. Ten years later, in 2017, he was appointed as a permanent lecturer at the same campus.
To improve his scientific capacity, Hary did not hesitate to pursue higher education. He earned his Master of Philosophy degree from the Driyarkara School of Philosophy in 2012. He then returned to his alma mater, FISIP UI, to pursue a doctoral degree in Communication Science.
Entering the academic world did not make him forget the world of journalism. This is reflected in his dissertation entitled “Digital Disruption, Journalistic Field, and Transformative Capital in Kompas and Tempo (1995-2020).”.
He successfully defended his research on digital transformation in the two national media before the board of examiners in 2024. See article.
Doctoral Student Intimacy
Hary’s success in running his doctoral program cannot be separated from the ideal academic environment and conducive learning atmosphere in the Postgraduate Program of Communication Science FISIP UI. According to him, although students have different study plans, he always feels a friendly and supportive atmosphere.
“Our togetherness as a class, we entered there were nine people including Rieke, a member of the House of Representatives, Rieke Diah Pitaloka,” Hary recalls.
Hary revealed that moments of togetherness are not only intertwined in every academic discussion, but also felt in casual moments.
“If Rieke comes, he will bring snacks, lunch break suddenly comes noodles, we eat together, togetherness like that is fun,” Hary said.
Developing a dissertation is certainly not an easy process. However, despite the challenges and obstacles during the dissertation, Hary admitted that he was very happy and enjoyed every process he went through.
Hary said the topic he researched was very much in line with his interests and background, as well as relevant to the conditions of the media industry which is transforming into the digital realm.
“I wanted to write something that would be useful for other people, for my journalist friends,” Hary continued, “and I think at that time the challenge was dealing with digitalization like this.”
Hary advised doctoral students to maintain a balance between academic responsibilities and entertainment when facing the dissertation process.
“Remain an ordinary person who may also need entertainment, need to travel, need to eat, and others, but beyond that we must be strict with what we run,” Hary concluded.
(FSI)
