Indonesian environmental journalist wins prestigious award for courageous reporting on indigenous communities and mining

Christ Jacob Belseran, a dedicated environmental journalist covering Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands, has been honored with the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courage in journalism by the Pantau Foundation. This prestigious recognition celebrates reporters who persist in their vital work despite facing significant adversity and direct threats.

Belseran, who contributes to Mongabay Indonesia and founded the local news outlet Titastory in Ambon in 2020, has made his mark through fearless reporting on how mining operations, land seizures, and government policies impact Indigenous communities across the Maluku and North Maluku islands. His investigations expose how large corporations appropriate traditional lands, destroy critical forest ecosystems, and contaminate coastal waters that local communities depend on for their survival.

What sets Belseran apart is his immersive approach to journalism. Rather than reporting from comfortable offices, he travels by boat and on foot to reach remote communities, often sleeping in village houses or alongside the people whose stories he tells. This “nomadic journalism” involves machete-clearing paths through dense forests, foraging for food, building fires to ward off insects, and sleeping on makeshift beds of branches. The real dangers, however, come from those who prefer these stories remain untold. In one notable incident in East Halmahera, police attempted to prevent Belseran from filming a crucial meeting between Indigenous representatives and local officials, but the community itself threatened to walk out unless the journalist was allowed to stay—demonstrating the vital role independent environmental reporting plays in protecting vulnerable communities.