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Ministry of Defense vs. Tempo: an exercise in Institutional Self-Defense
What Actually Happened
| # | Claim | Date | Entities | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ministry of Defense filed a complaint with the Press Council against Tempo, alleging the outlet lied in a report about the Defense Minister calling for martial law. | Ministry of Defense, Press Council, Tempo, Defense Minister | detikNews (archived) | |
| 2 | The Press Council investigation requires Tempo to submit documents and recordings used in its report. | Press Council, Tempo | Instagram Video (Primary Source) (archived) | |
| 3 | If no violations are found by the Press Council, the case against Tempo will be dropped. | Press Council, Tempo | Dandapala (archived) | |
| 4 | Tempo has a reputation for high editorial standards and holding truth to power. | Tempo | Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) (archived) | |
| 5 | The Ministry of Defense’s complaint centers on Tempo’s allegation that the Defense Minister urged the President to impose martial law. | Ministry of Defense, Tempo, Defense Minister, President | Tempo.co (archived) | |
| 6 | The strategy of using legal means to delegitimize opponents is referred to as lawfare or a SLAPP suit. | lawfare, SLAPP suit | Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute (Wex) (archived) | |
| 7 | The complaint was discussed in an Indonesia Last Week TikTok commentary published on September 12, 2025. | Indonesia Last Week, TikTok | TikTok (@indonesialastweek) (archived) |