December 31, 2025 – Indonesia Headlines

Story gist: Jakarta authorities made Transjakarta, MRT, and LRT services free on New Year’s Eve, operating until 02:00. Polda Metro Jaya closed the Sudirman-Thamrin road section starting at 18:00 WIB for a car-free night.

Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets provided no coverage, omitting perspectives on public transport incentives or potential disruptions. Center outlets focused on police enforcement, emphasizing full road closures, specific timings, and locations for the car-free night, presenting factual operational details without broader context on accessibility or traffic impacts.

Story gist: Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes on a port city in Yemen, claiming to target weapons shipments from the UAE. The UAE withdrew its remaining troops from Yemen following a Saudi ultimatum.

Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets offered no coverage, omitting their perspectives entirely. Center outlet Kompas.tv frames the story as Saudi Arabia bombing a Yemeni port city, emphasizing the official claim of targeting UAE weapons shipments. This focus highlights military action and justification, with no mention of the ultimatum or UAE troop withdrawal in the headline.

Story gist: Mualem commented on the suspected theft of bolts from a Bailey bridge in Aceh, Indonesia, describing it as ‘kurang ajar.’

Bias summary: Only center-leaning detikNews covered the story, framing it directly via Mualem’s headline quote without added analysis. No left-leaning outlets reported, omitting potential progressive emphasis on infrastructure neglect or corruption. No right-leaning outlets covered, absenting conservative focus on lawlessness or government accountability. Coverage lacks partisan diversity.

Story gist: In Surabaya, elderly woman Elina faced forced eviction. The incident prompted demands for the dissolution of a mass organization.

Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets provided no coverage, omitting the Surabaya eviction story entirely. Center outlet BBC used a neutral, questioning headline that links the forced eviction of Elina directly to demands for ormas dissolution, focusing on potential consequences without emphasis on victim sympathy, perpetrator blame, or political angles.

Story gist: China conducted military exercises around Taiwan. Taiwan’s F-16V fighter jets locked onto Chinese Shenyang J-16 aircraft. Former U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the events.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets absent, providing no coverage or perspective. Center (detikNews) frames story around China’s exercises near Taiwan and Trump’s statement, using neutral title. Right-leaning (republika.co.id) emphasizes Taiwan’s F-16V jets successfully targeting Chinese J-16s, highlighting Taiwanese capabilities and defensive success over Chinese actions.