Indonesia's Press Freedom Sparks Controversy Amid Free Meal Program Probe

Press freedom concerns are brewing in Indonesia as President Prabowo Subianto's office recently restored a CNN Indonesia journalist's access after revoking it over a pressing question about a problematic free meal program. The revocation spurred discussions about media liberties and accountability.

Titin Rosmasari, CNN Indonesia's editor-in-chief, announced that the Indonesian palace assured the reporter's access would not be curtailed again. The controversy began when the journalist's credentials were revoked following a query about numerous school children falling ill after consuming food from the government's free meal initiative.

With nearly 6,000 affected children reported since the program's launch, including over 1,000 last week, the situation spotlights significant oversight challenges. Prabowo has urged against politicizing the issue while promising to address it with the National Nutrition Agency. The issue has highlighted the country's fragile press freedom, as seen in its declining rank in the World Press Freedom Index.

(With inputs from agencies.)