Narasi

2023 Shortlist

Entry type: Portfolio

Country/area: Indonesia

Publishing organisation: Narasi

Organisation size: Small

Cover letter:

Narasi was founded in 2018. It was founded by Najwa Shihab, a popular TV journalist in Indonesia. Our editorial staff consists of less than 35 people (small newsroom). Our reporting platform focuses on video reports.

Since three years ago, the investigation and data division was formed with three personnel: Aqwam F Hanifan (Producer – OSINT researcher), Arbi Sumandoyo (Field producer), Waheb (Video data-journalist)

Investigative reports in platform video using data and OSINT in Indonesia are very rare. We are trying to fill that void. In addition to extensive research, a creative approach needed so public understands the complex data. And we’ve done it successfully for the last three years.

Some of our reports become public discussion. Among them dismantling the government’s fake Covid-19 data by utilizing a leaked spreadsheet on the Ministry of Health’s YouTube channel, exposing the perpetrators of a riot during an anti-government demonstration which turned out to be not a demonstrator by using an open CCTV, dismantling the placement of a new military post in Papua by using photos and videos of soldiers on social media etc.

As one of the countries with the highest internet users in the world, digital data information in Indonesia is quite abundant. That’s why we are trying to popularize the use of a combination of traditional journalism with open source methods in various media, NGOs and campuses.

We often collaborate with campuses, NGOs and other media in dismantling various cases of human rights violations, environmental damage, and disinformation on social media.

Our video-based investigation report requires us to present the clearest evidence possible. This is what makes us sometimes get threats from those who don’t like us. Last year, our site was hacked and given a “shut up or die” threatening message. In addition, 30 of our staff’s WhatsApp and Telegram accounts were hacked. This strong suspicion comes from the government, because the hack coincided with our report alluding to corruption cases within the state police and intelligence services.

Description of portfolio:

1. This report was in collaboration with HRW. During the Covid-19 pandemic, and schools were closed, students were required to attend online school. The Indonesian government required students to use 6 EdTech applications. Using static and dynamic analysis, we found strong evidence that this child user data is being sold by applicators to advertising companies. Ironically, one of the apps selling the data to the ads is owned by the government.
2. We scraped hundreds of keywords selling wildlife on Facebook and found a local big seller who turned out to be affiliated with a Chinese middleman. We found the cage he used to keep the rare animal. We reported this finding to the police, unfortunately the police did not follow up on the findings of the Chinese intermediary. They only arrested the local people who were involved.
3. As the world’s largest nickel producer, the Indonesian government has banned raw nickel exports. Nickel can be exported after being processed in a special smelter. We collected hundreds of business documents for nickel companies in Indonesia. The result is that 90 percent of nickel companies in Indonesia are owned by China. The problem is, this Chinese company is not environmentally friendly. We found a large company in Maluku that dumped nickel waste into the open sea. By analyzing satellite imagery combined with photos/videos of residents on social media, we can prove this allegation. This pollution makes it difficult for fishermen to find fish. and the fish also polluted. We collect data on fishermen’s activities and fish movements. In conclusion, nickel pollution in the Halmahera Sea is very dangerous because the area is a national fish storage area.
4. A police general kills his aide. Then he fabricated a case that he wasn’t the culprit. One of the tricks was by releasing a CCTV to the public which was used as an alibi that when the murder occurred he was not at the crime scene. By analyzing the sunshade, we proved that the tape was engineered. The video displayed does not match the hours it should be.
5. This report aims to provide a detailed chronology of the Kanjuruhan incident that took place on October 1, 2022. We analyze thousands of videos from public sources and eyewitnesses. Based on our analysis, there were at least 80 projectiles of tear gas fired after football match Arema vs Persebaya ended, causing a loss 135 of lives. Horribly, the spectators were the main targets of the shots by the police. When everyone was trying to get out of the stadium in a state of panic, there was a large crowd at the exit, which exacerbated the situation. The disturbances and horror were caused by the tear gas deployed by the police.
6 We infiltrated and collected thousands of chats on telegram and monkey hater community forums for five months. There they traded sadistic content monkey torture. The monkey was tortured on request: burned, skinned, blended, etc. By analyzing one by one the sadistic content videos as well as a series of digital footprints in the form of social media and online financial transaction accounts from social media that we “infiltrated”, we were able to track down several perpetrators in this network. This community moves underground in a coordinated manner through various online community platforms. The majority of customers this content come from United States and Europe, they seek supplies of this content from Third World countries. Indonesia is the largest supplier of sadistic content that violates the animal’s right to life. We found the perpetrator in Indonesia and managed to drag him to prison.