R 170829Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1857
INFO AMCONSUL SURABAYA 
AMEMBASSY DILI 
AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 
AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 
AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 
AMEMBASSY MANILA 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 
AMEMBASSY SEOUL

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000472 
 
 
STATE FOR R/PPR, EAP/PD - RFerguson-Augustus, EAP/MTS, IIP/W, PA/OBS 
- Gsantulli, PA/FPC - Smactaggart, PACE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO KDEM ID
 
SUBJECT: INDONESIA LEG OF SECRETARY CLINTON'S ASIA TRIP -- A "SMART 
POWER" TRIUMPH 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: During U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 
inaugural trip to Asia, the Indonesia portion of her trip received 
overwhelmingly positive media coverage. While the Secretary held a 
joint press conference with the Foreign Minister, she declined 
traditional media interviews in favor of innovative media 
appearances and interaction.  These included "embedding" an 
Indonesian blogger among her travelling press; appearing on a 
highly-rated, youth variety television show; and participating in a 
roundtable with young Indonesian journalists who had covered the 
U.S. elections.  Hailed as both personal and groundbreaking, her 
unusual media appearances were a key ingredient for what made the 
trip to Indonesia so successful from both a substantive policy and a 
public diplomacy perspective.  They helped reinforce her message 
that the U.S. is serious about developing a comprehensive 
partnership and using "smart power" to engage with Indonesia.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
 
Clinton Wows on "Awesome" Youth Music Program 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) By far the media event with the most impact was the 
Secstate's appearance on a non-traditional media platform -- the 
"Dahsyat" ("Awesome") youth variety TV show.  Broadcast on 
Indonesia's highest-rated national television station, the program 
is a daily variety/talk show. It draws an average of 4 million 
viewers and is very popular among young people. "Dahsyat" features 
musicians and celebrity guests who are interviewed by the young 
hosts.  The show also includes performances by popular Indonesian 
musical groups. 
 
¶3. The Secretary's interview with the show's superstar host and a 
popular news anchor, showcased her personal charm and also allowed 
her to talk policy to an audience that would not regularly watch a 
traditional news broadcast.  Her 10-minute interview was broadcast 
as part of the regular 2-hour program and differed slightly in 
format from the regular program, with an extra host from the news 
bureau added.  It was shown both in the morning and then again in a 
prime-time evening slot and achieved a record-breaking 5.9 rating, 
with viewership reaching a total of 42 percent of the total 
Indonesian television audience.  RCTI TV network estimated than some 
100 million viewers saw the Secretary's segment, which marked the 
first time an American official had appeared on the show.  Both 
man-on-the-street and media reaction was wildly enthusiastic.  Even 
the outspokenly anti-American, anti-globalization news magazine 
"Gatra" exclaimed that Clinton's appearance on the popular 
Indonesian music program was an "unforgettable experience" for the 
show's hosts and Indonesian viewers. 
 
¶4.  The Secretary's Jakarta TV appearance also generated extensive 
U.S. network coverage.  ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox all reported on 
Secretary Clinton's talk show visit. 
 
Embedded Blogger 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (U) For the first time ever for a VIP visit, an Indonesian 
blogger had behind-the-scenes access at all the photosprays, remarks 
and other activities of the Secretary's visit.  Prominent Indonesian 
blogger, on-line news reporter, and Embassy International Visitor 
Leadership Program (IVLP) participant Nenden Novianti was the only 
local journalist embedded within SecState Clinton's traveling press 
during her visit to Jakarta.  Using photos and video streams, Nenden 
was able to capture the atmosphere and special moments of the visit 
as they unfolded in real time giving a more creative and personal 
perspective to the coverage.  Her coverage, which was positive in 
tone and in scope, resulted in nearly 80 articles and more than 
tripled the page-views for Nenden's column in the on-line 
Vivanews.com. 
 
¶6. (U) She wrote about wide variety of articles ranging from policy 
to personal and added other "color" stories on the sidelines. 
Highlights included her experiences on the first day, riding the bus 
to the airport with children from Obama's old Jakarta primary 
school, the Secretary's arrival at the airport and how Nenden almost 
missed the car to the National Archives for the Civil Society 
Speech.  She also detailed meeting and chatting with the travelling 
foreign journalists. 
 
¶7. (U) The embedded blogger helped to capture and publicize a key 
theme of the visit when she posted an entry stating she realized 
that Clinton's remarks at the Foreign Ministry, ASEAN, and the 
Indonesian Civil Society Dinner had one message in common: That 
America is ready to listen and work on concrete new programs with 
renewed of diplomacy.  She also said that the Secretary made a 
strong impression on her and believes Mrs. Clinton's promise to 
create a better relationship and closer partnership between the U.S 
and Indonesia. 
 
¶8.  During the visit, Jakarta participated for the first time in 
"DIPNOTE," the Department's Official Blog.  Ambassador Hume plus 
three PD officers contributed blog entries regarding the Indonesia 
visit.  Each submission was accompanied by a photo from the trip. 
 
Elections and Media Roundtable 
------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (U) The third portion of The Secretary's visit to Indonesia was a 
roundtable with seven Indonesian journalists, most of whom had 
traveled to the U.S. under the Embassy-funded Emerson College 
program to cover the 2008 presidential elections. The roundtable was 
moderated by a PDOFF familiar with the journalists, and they 
discussed how media can be a force for better government during the 
Indonesian 2009 Parliamentary and Presidential elections, as well as 
U.S. foreign policy issues. 
 
¶10. (U) Lasting 45 minutes, the journalists' asked about views on 
Gaza policy, about losing to President Obama in the election, the 
decision to accept President Obama's offer to become the Secretary 
of State, and opportunities for Indonesia's democratic development. 
One roundtable participant asserted that he was "thrilled" when 
McCain made his concession speech, but that he "cannot find 
something like that in Indonesia," and asked if this might happen in 
Indonesia some day.  SecState's response was very encouraging, and 
lauded the rapid progress made so far with Indonesia's democratic 
development.  Participants in the roundtable produced numerous 
positive stories that, in turn, generated another wave of reporting 
from follow on stories.    Coverage made the front page of "Kompas," 
the country's most influential daily, and both Indonesian and 
English editions of "Tempo," the leading weekly news magazine. 
 
 
Comment: Why Did This Work? 
------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) The Secretary's people skills and policy depth came through 
well in these events.  PAS Jakarta took existing media platforms and 
resources ("Dahsyat," Emerson Election Program participants, IVLP 
journalist) and modified them slightly for maximum result. These 
events were seen as risky and out-of-the-box because they were new 
spins on popular and highly-rated media programs.  But they also 
were done with interlocutors who could be trusted to work within our 
parameters, based on our long-standing relationships. Doing 
"something different" just to be different could have resulted in 
disaster with fewer controlled variables. 
 
¶12. (U) Another factor in the success of media coverage for the 
Secstate visit was offering exclusive arrangements with existing 
Embassy partners in order to get better coverage. The targeted 
exclusive deals resulted in much more in-depth positive coverage as 
opposed to open, more random press conferences.  The message was 
controlled and resonant, and other media had to rely on the coverage 
of those outlets permitted access.  This approach served to amplify 
our points.  The overall effect of this innovative strategy was a 
public diplomacy triumph for "Smart Power" and for the SecState's 
first visit to Indonesia. 
 
HUME