Pembrita Betawi

Pembrita Betawi

Front page, c. 1885
Type	Daily
Founder(s)	J. Kieffer
Founded	1884 (1884)
Language	Vernacular Malay
Ceased publication	1916
Headquarters	Batavia, Dutch East Indies

Pembrita Betawi (meaning Batavian Reporter) was a daily newspaper from Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, which was published from 1884 until 1916. Established as a joint venture between the Indo journalists J. Kieffer and W. Meulenhoff, the newspaper saw several changes of ownership until rights were acquired by Albrecht in 1887. Notable contributors include Lie Kim Hok and Tirto Adhi Soerjo.

A vernacular Malay press had begun to develop in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in the mid-19th century. Initial newspapers were short-lasting, but the 1880s saw a more resilient Malay-language press. These early Malay newspapers were mostly run by Indo men – Eurasians of mixed Dutch and native ancestry – and located in major trade cities. Pembrita Betawi, located in the colonial capital at Batavia (now Jakarta), was no exception.

The first edition of Pembrita Betawi was published on 24 December 1884. The newspaper was published daily, except on Sundays and holidays, with the Indo journalist J. Kieffer as editor-in-chief and possibly with funds from W. Meulenhoff, a journalist who had previously worked with Kieffer. The newspaper was printed by W. Bruining Co. and distributed throughout Batavia. Kieffer had previously headed several newspapers, including Bintang Barat and Bintang Betawi, although none of them had been long-lasting. The newspaper consisted of four pages, two for news and two for advertisements. To help promote the newspaper, Kieffer held a raffle for all readers willing to subscribe to a full year.

By 8 June 1885 the newspaper was owned entirely by Meulenhoff; Kieffer had left Pembrita Betawi by that time. Meulenhoff changed the newspaper's printing press to Albrecht Co., also in Batavia. The following year Meulenhoff brought on Lie Kim Hok, a peranakan Chinese writer and teacher, as a business partner; Meulenhoff was one of several Dutch and Indo newspaper heads who brought in Chinese partners during this period. With 1,000 gulden Lie bought half of the shares in the company. Printing rights were soon acquired by Lie's Bogor-based printing house, also named Lie Kim Hok, and the first edition under this leadership was published on 1 June 1886. Lie and Meulenhoff worked on the newspaper together, dividing administrative and editorial duties between them, and his printing press was moved to Batavia.