Medan, Indonesia – Just a few days before he was fatally shot in the thigh, Indonesian journalist Mara Salem Harahap, who was known as Marsal, took his wife and two children on a family outing to the city of Medan in North Sumatra, about two hours away from their home. During the trip, they took a family photograph together and Marsal shared the picture on social media.
“This was highly unusual,” his friend and fellow journalist, Rencana Siregar, told Al Jazeera. “In the 12 years that we had been friends, he hardly ever posted personal pictures. He wanted to protect his family.”
Silent Media: The Indonesian shooting exposes reporting risks | Free Press and Press
Medan, Indonesia – Just a few days before he was fatally shot in the thigh, Indonesian journalist Mara Salem Harahap took his wife and two children on a family outing in Medan, North Sumatra, about two hours away. Their home. During the trip, they took a family portrait together, which Marsal shared on social media.
“This is very unusual,” his friend and fellow journalist Rencana Siregar told Al Jazeera. “In the 12 years we were friends, he almost never posted a personal photo. He wanted to protect his family.”
Marsal is the editor-in-chief of Lasser News Today, an online news site in Pematangsiantar, a city with a population of approximately 250,000 in the center of Sumatra. He has every reason to be cautious.