Public Service Journalism Initiative
Project Multatuli is a collective initiative dedicated to carrying out the ideals of public journalism by serving the underreported and holding power accountable.
Our organization produces data-based, deeply researched news stories. Our work involves collaboration with other news organizations, research bodies, and civil society groups that strive for democracy, human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability, and equal rights for all.
Our work is available for syndication by local, national, and international media under a Creative Commons license.
We are writers, editors, filmmakers, photographers, data journalists, and digital campaign strategists, among others, who work based on the principles of independence, fairness, and accuracy.
We welcome funding opportunities from both the public and nonprofit foundations that share our vision of strengthening democracy, revealing systematic wrongdoings and injustice, and holding power accountable.
Why Multatuli?
Project Multatuli’s name comes from the Latin for “I have suffered much.”
The word is perhaps best known as the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker, the author of Max Havelaar, which Pramoedya Ananta Toer called “the book that killed colonialism.”
This is why we have chosen it as the name of our venture: a public interest journalism organization that seeks to empower those who have suffered much — the urban and rural poor, victims of sex and gender discrimination, indigenous peoples, and others — and to expose injustices that have, in many cases, changed little from colonial times.
Our Teams
Founders

Ahmad Arif
Journalist at Kompas daily. His work, mainly related to science, disasters, and the environment, has led him to receive numerous awards, including the 2008-2009 Mochtar Lubis Award from the Press and Development Study Institute (LSPP) and the Gold Medal from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) for the Ring of Fire Expedition Project. He has written several books, including Disaster Journalism, Journalism Disaster (KPG, 2010) and Indigenous People & Food Sovereignty (KPG and Kemitraan, 2021). Arif was a 2013-2014 Japan Foundation Fellow at Wako University.

Evi Mariani
Former managing editor at The Jakarta Post. Her collaborative projects won the 2020 Public Service Journalism Award from the Society of Publishers in Asia and the 2020 Tasrif Award from the AJI. She earned her master’s degree from Universiteit van Amsterdam and was a 2011-2012 Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of Maryland.

Fahri Salam
Editor at Tirto.id from December 2016 to July 2021. His collaborative projects won the 2020 Public Service Journalism Award from the Society of Publishers in Asia and the 2020 Tasrif Award from the Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI).
Board

Amalinda Savirani
Lecturer and the head of the Doctoral Program of Politics and Government at Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. She earned her PhD at the Universiteit van Amsterdam.

Ati Nurbaiti
Served as a senior editor at The Jakarta Post for more than 20 years. Former chairwoman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). Cofounder of the Bung Hatta AntiCorruption Award.

Herlambang P. Wiratraman
Lecturer in the Constitutional Law Department of Airlangga University’s School of Law and executive director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law at the School of Law from 2015-2019. He is currently obtaining his PhD in law from Leiden University.

Maria Hartiningsih
Journalist at Kompas daily for 31 years, from 1984. In 2003 she received the Yap Thiem Hien Award for Human Rights. She laid the groundwork for gender sensitive journalism today.
Staff

Alfa J. Gumilang
Audience Development Manager
After participating in various labor movements, since 2015 Alfa has been working in the digital media industry. He founded a collective called Amygdala Publicist in 2016 to help promote Indonesian movies in cinemas, on digital platforms and at film festivals. Email: [email protected]

Alfian Putra Abdi
Writer
Alfian started his writing career in 2010 by publishing a hardcore punk zine, before becoming a part of Aspirasi, a university press body at UPN Veteran, Jakarta. Prior to joining Project Multatuli as a journalist, Alfian wrote for Tirto.ID for three years. Email: [email protected].

Devina Heriyanto
Membership Manager
Until 2020, Devina worked at The Jakarta Post, writing explainer articles and helping develop its social media presence. She also curated and edited reader submissions for the paper’s "Community" channel. Prior to joining Project Multatuli, Devina worked in communications for non-media organizations. She's an avid reader who shares her book reviews and recommendations on Instagram @DevinaYo or under #DevinaReads. Email: [email protected]

Ellyne Hutajulu
Administration and Finance
Finished her undergraduate degree in economics at Universitas Advent Indonesia. Worked as Finance and Admin Coordinator at Yayasan Plan International Indonesia on its Disaster Risk Management Program. Works for the Indonesian Data Journalism Network (IDJN) as Finance and Admin Officer. Email: [email protected]

Evi Mariani
Executive Director and Editor of Project Multatuli English
Former managing editor at The Jakarta Post. Her collaborative projects won the 2020 Public Service Journalism Award from the Society of Publishers in Asia and the 2020 Tasrif Award from the AJI. She earned her master’s degree from Universiteit van Amsterdam and was a 2011-2012 Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of Maryland. Email: [email protected]

Fahri Salam
Chief Editor
Editor at Tirto.id from December 2016 to July 2021. His collaborative projects won the 2020 Public Service Journalism Award from the Society of Publishers in Asia and the 2020 Tasrif Award from the Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI). Email: [email protected]

Mawa Kresna
Editor
Former Chief Content Officer at Haluan. A journalist since 2013 at Merdeka.com, Rappler.com, and Tirto.id. The Editorial Manager at the Indonesian Data Journalism Network. Email: [email protected]

Muammar Fikrie
Director of Audience and Membership Development
Fikrie worked as a journalist at Beritagar.id for eight years. In 2020, he founded Arungkala, a content and digital campaign enterprise. He has handled several digital campaigns, including on parenting, anti-corruption movements, and environmental issues. Fikrie is a member of the collective leadership team at Project Multatuli together with Evi Mariani, Fahri Salam, and Yuliasri Perdani. Email: [email protected].

Nurdiyansah Dalidjo
Team Manager
Nurdiyansah Dalidjo is a queer writer and researcher. He has a master’s degree in tourism management and has over 10 years’ experience in development issues. His latest book, entitled Rumah di Tanah Rempah (Tales from the Spice Islands), explores various intersectional topics about the history and the context of colonialism in Indonesia. Email: [email protected]

Permata Adinda
Writer
Dinda has been a journalist since 2018. Aside from Project Multatuli, she has written for The Jakarta Post, Tirto.id, and Jurnal Ruang. Email: [email protected]

Ricky Yudhistira
Photo Editor
He has covered national issues as a photographer with The Jakarta Post, international issues as an assistant producer with Associated Press Television News, and local issues as a writer with Pikiran Rakyat. Email: [email protected].

Ronna Nirmala
Managing Editor
Mala has been a journalist since 2009 and has worked at the Jakarta Globe, Beritagar.id, and BenarNews. Her reporting focuses on human rights, security, the environment, international politics, and macroeconomics. She is also the co-founder of Arungkala, a content and digital enterprise based in Jakarta. Email: [email protected]

Viriya P. Singgih
Writer
Former reporter at Bloomberg News and The Jakarta Post, where he covered various beats, including energy and mining, macroeconomics, and politics. He wrote a book entitled Cramming Jakarta: The Center and Periphery in Reportage (2015). Email: [email protected]

Yuliasri Perdani
Director of Collaboration
A former multimedia editor at The Jakarta Post, where she led a team to develop webinars, videos, and interactive articles. She worked at UNDP Indonesia as SDG Academy Indonesia communications consultant from 2021 until mid 2022. Email: [email protected].

Zulfikar Arief
Digital Campaign Designer
Zulfikar worked as a graphic designer at Djakarta Magazine. In 2013, he became a freelance designer who was involved in festivals like the Jakarta Biennale (2013, 2015, 2017, 2021), the Jakarta Theater Festival (2016), the Jakarta International Literary Festival (2019), Synchronize Festival (2016, 2017, 2018), and more. Email: [email protected]
Collaborators
Adrian Mulya
Adrian Mulya is an independent photographer based in Jakarta who likes to explore the issues of humanity through pictures. He published Winners of Life (2016), a photo book focusing on women who became political prisoners in 1965. His latest project, called “Serabutan”, was created in July 2021 in collaboration with the Artists for Digital Rights Network (A4RDN) and explores working conditions in the gig economy era.
Karina M. Tehusijarana
Former deputy editor and reporter at The Jakarta Post, where she mostly covered politics, law, and human rights. Graduated from Columbia Journalism School in 2016 with an MSc in Journalism.
Margareth S. Aritonang
A journalist at The Gecko Project. Margaret's works focus on Indonesian politics and policy making, human rights, and security affairs. A Chevening scholar with an MSc in Culture and Conflict in Global Europe from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra
Founder of the Indonesian Data Journalism Network (IDJN). Her investigative work includes a story on mass sexual assault cases in Indonesian universities published on Tirto.id in 2019, which won a SOPA Award in 2020. As a Chevening scholar, she graduated from Birmingham City University in 2018 with an MA in Data Journalism.
Logo Design: Cecil Mariani
Web Design: Wok the Rock
Web Developer: ScriptMedia
Project Multatuli
Nomor Badan Hukum:
AHU-0025479.AH.01.01.TAHUN 2021 (PT)
Alamat: Jl. Kebayoran Lama No. 18CD, RT.004/RW.004, Kel. Grogol Selatan,
Kec. Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta Selatan, Prov. DKI Jakarta
Alamat what3words: ///kemajuan.segaris.digambar
Email redaksi: [email protected]
Email Kawan M: [email protected]
Email kerja sama: [email protected]