ABSTRACT
The first creative, ecological intervention in the Indonesian media is the oeuvre of journalist, essayist and literary author Veven Sp. Wardhana. This chapter focuses on a biography of an influential, but in academic discourse relatively neglected, public figure and creative actor, as well as providing an analysis of structural problems in the Indonesian media landscape and the study thereof. It then examines the broader context of the political economy of the media to which his writings are responding. The chapter describes the similarities and differences between Wardhana's work and the initiatives of KPI, the main institution for monitoring the broadcast media in Indonesia, and the broader Indonesian media watch and media literacy movement. It then addresses the importance of not merely the content, but also the style of Wardhana's writings, including his novel. The book discusses various contentious points in the creative work and position it in the nascent field of Indonesian Media and Cultural Studies.
