Christ Jacob Belseran Honored with Oktovianus Pogau Award for Courage in Journalism

Indonesian journalist Christ Jacob Belseran has been awarded the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courage in journalism by the Pantau Foundation. The award recognizes reporters who persist in their work despite facing adversity and threats.

Belseran, a contributor to Mongabay Indonesia and founder of the local news outlet Titastory, has extensively covered the impact of mining, land claims, and government decisions on indigenous communities in the Maluku and North Maluku islands. His reporting highlights how large companies acquire land, degrade forests, and pollute coastal waters, as well as the protests and aspirations of affected communities.

His fieldwork often involves traveling by boat and on foot, staying in villages, and sharing the daily lives of the communities he covers—a practice he describes as "nomadic journalism." This approach includes clearing paths with a machete, foraging for food, and sleeping on makeshift beds of branches.

Belseran has faced challenges from authorities, including an incident in East Halmahera where police attempted to prevent him from filming a meeting between an indigenous community and local officials. The community threatened to walk out if he was expelled, underscoring the role of journalists as witnesses in contested spaces.

He has also been summoned by police after covering the arrest of activists linked to the Republic of South Maluku flag-raising, facing insinuations of involvement in the movement. Although ultimately deemed uninvolved, the experience highlights the risks journalists face in such environments.

The Oktovianus Pogau Award, established in 2017, honors the memory of Papuan journalist Oktovianus Pogau, who documented violence and human rights abuses in Papua. The prize serves as an annual reminder of the costs and importance of courageous reporting.

Belseran's commitment to journalism as a means to defend the public interest and bridge citizens and the state has also been recognized internationally; he is a recipient of the Pulitzer Center Rainforest Journalism Grant Fellowship for Southeast Asia.

While awards acknowledge the significance of such reporting, they do not mitigate the hazards involved. Belseran continues his work in areas where access is challenging and scrutiny is often unwelcome.