When violence goes viral: Why visual evidence matters in Indonesian activism

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 02, 2026 · 721 words · By Jessica Kim

Ethics of Media Consumption Digital Activism State Accountability Indonesian Political History

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about Ethics of Media Consumption

The article examines the role of graphic viral videos in Indonesia as a means of demanding accountability for state violence. It traces the history of visual manipulation from the Suharto regime to the current digital era, discussing the ethical tensions between the need for evidence and the risk of turning suffering into a spectacle.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 2

Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left14%

Center86%

Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A viral video depicting a gravely injured 14-year-old boy lying on the asphalt sparked national outrage this year.

Why it matters

The boy, Arianto Tawakal, had reportedly been struck by a police officer and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Common ground

The case quickly drew comparisons to last year’s death of Gojek driver Affan Kurniawan, who died after a police vehicle struck him during a protest.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Ethics of Media Consumption story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that For decades, the film was screened annually and made mandatory viewing for students?
How does this story connect Ethics of Media Consumption with Digital Activism over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/when-violence-goes-viral-why-visual-evidence-matters…

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified By Reference 3

info Single Source 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

check_circle

Claim 1: “For decades, the film was screened annually and made mandatory viewing for students.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a Medium article and web search results, state that the film was screened annually and was mandatory viewing for students.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Thirtieth of September Movement (Indonesian: Gerakan 30 September, also known as G30S, and by the syllabic abbreviation Gestapu for Gerakan September Tiga Puluh, Thirtieth of September Movement, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_September_Movement

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gerwani (Indonesian: Gerakan Wanita Indonesia, "Indonesian Women's Movement") was a women's organization founded as Gerwis (Gerakan Wanita Istri Sedar, "Conscious Wives Movement") in Semarang, Central…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerwani

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI ([pəŋxiaˈnatan ˈɡe ˈtiɡa ˈpulʊh ˈɛs ˈpe ˈka ˈi]; Indonesian for Treachery of G30S/PKI) is a 1984 Indonesian docudrama co-written and directed by Arifin C. Noer, produced by G. D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pengkhianatan_G30S/PKI

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 2: “last year’s death of Gojek driver Affan Kurniawan, who died after a police vehicle struck him during a protest.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Gojek/ojol driver Affan Kurniawan died after being struck by a police vehicle during protests in 2025.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following lists events that happened during 2025 in Indonesia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_in_Indonesia

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 25 August until early September 2025, several protests took place in Indonesia as part of a larger civil unrest which began in early 2025 over economic frustrations and a proposed hike in housing s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_2025_Indonesian_protest…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bendungan Hilir (or abbreviated "Benhil") is an administrative village in the Tanah Abang district of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. It has a population of 20,025 people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bendungan_Hilir,_Tanah_Abang

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “The fall of the New Order regime in 1998 transformed Indonesia’s media landscape.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other sources confirm that the fall of the New Order in 1998 ended Suharto's rule and led to a transition in Indonesia's political and media landscape.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The fall of Suharto refers to the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto on 21 May 1998, ending his 32‑year authoritarian rule under the New Order ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Suharto

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 25, 2014 · Years of reformist mobilisation underpinned the collapse of President Suharto's New Order dictatorship in 1998 – ultimately sparked by the Asian ...
https://www.c-r.org/accord/legitimacy-and-peace-processes/tr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — and 1998 had served as the electoral vehicle of the authoritarian. New Order regime, finished on top of the voting tally, even though it had actually lost ...
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25798815

info

Claim 4: “The film portrayed members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as sadistic and inhumane through graphic depictions of torture and mutilation — acts that historians have since found little evidence to support.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the film's existence and propaganda nature are verified, the specific claim that historians have found 'little evidence' for the torture/mutilation scenes is not explicitly detailed in the provided Wikipedia or search snippets, though it is mentioned in the source article's context. The provided evidence for this specific claim is generic.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — From October 1965 to March 1966, a series of large-scale killings and civil unrest primarily targeting members and supposed sympathizers of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) took place in Indones…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_mass_killings_of_19…

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 5: “One of the clearest examples was Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI, a state-sponsored propaganda film about the attempted coup of 30 September 1965.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other sources explicitly identify 'Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI' as a state-sponsored propaganda docudrama about the September 30, 1965, coup attempt.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 6: “discussions surrounding the mass rapes during the May 1998 riots. Public demands for “proof” of the assaults led to the circulation of unrelated pornographic and gory images falsely presented as evidence.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to corroborate or refute the claim regarding the circulation of pornographic images as fake evidence of mass rapes during the May 1998 riots.

verified

Claim 7: “During Suharto’s authoritarian New Order regime (1966–1998), the state tightly controlled how violence was represented and understood by the public.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm the dates and nature of Suharto's authoritarian New Order regime (1966-1998) and its control over the state.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The fall of Suharto refers to the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto on 21 May 1998, ending his 32‑year authoritarian rule under the New Order regime following nationwide protests and severe …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Suharto

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New Order (Indonesian: Orde Baru, abbreviated Orba) was the regime of the second Indonesian President Suharto from his rise to power in 1966 until his resignation in 1998. Suharto coined the term …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order_(Indonesia)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian general and politician who served as the second and longest-serving president of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998. Suharto was born in Kemusuk, nea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suharto

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 8: “The boy, Arianto Tawakal, had reportedly been struck by a police officer and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Tempo, CNA, and another web search result) confirm that 14-year-old Arianto Tawakal was struck by a police officer (specifically with a helmet) and died at a hospital.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 23, 2026 ... Arianto Tawakal, 14, was allegedly assaulted by a police officer in Maluku province. The police officer claimed he was monitoring illegal street ...
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/death-14-old-boy-struck-120359796.…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 4, 2026 ... Arianto died at Karel Sadsuitubun Regional General Hospital in Watdek, on an island across from Tual, at around 1pm Eastern Indonesia Time. He ...
https://en.tempo.co/read/2090518/how-a-police-patrol-led-to-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 23, 2026 ... Arianto Tawakal's family denied allegations that the 14-year-old was involved in illegal street racing when he was struck with a helmet by a ...
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-maluku-tual-1…

check_circle

Claim 9: “the anti-communist mass killings that followed the coup attempt, which left more than 500,000 people dead.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and a specific web search result, confirm the anti-communist mass killings following the coup and cite a death toll of more than 500,000.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — For decades, the film was screened annually and made mandatory viewing for students. It obscured historical reality: the anti-communist mass killings that followed the coup attempt, which left more th…
https://theconversation.com/when-violence-goes-viral-why-vis…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Newly declassified documents show US embassies knew about mass killings in Indonesia in the 1960s.Looking into the massacres of Indonesia's past. Indonesia discusses 1965 mass killings.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41651047

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Many anti-communist mass killing campaigns waged during the Cold War were supported and backed by the United States and its Western Bloc allies.[1][2][3][4][5] Some U.S.-supported mass killings, inclu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-communist_mass_killings

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.