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Stephanie Siahaan is an entertainment reporter for “Ouch” magazine, and she knows what it takes to get the freshest gossip. She has spent many hours of the last two years staking out celebrities’ homes and following them as they do whatever it is that celebrities do in their spare time. She knows the patience it requires to wait for a single quote after days of tailing actors, singers and other public figures, and the ins-and-outs of obtaining confidential information. Like a totalitarian regime, she has spies everywhere.

Stephanie is just one of the many entertainment reporters who feed the gossip-hungry society of Indonesia.

Anyone who has lived in Indonesia for an extended period of time can attest to this culture’s obsession with celebrities. Here, you are more likely to chance upon a detailed discussion of the latest divorced celebrity couple than of which candidate will win the presidential election. Gossip television programs are “infotainment” — a mix of information and entertainment.

According to a 2008 AGB Nielsen Media Research report, infotainment programs between January and March of 2008 were watched by an average of 533,000 viewers a day, compared to roughly half the number, 285,000 viewers, for news programs. This is despite the fact that on average 11 hours of infotainment programs are available a day, compared to 29 hours of news shows.

But where do these programs and their accompanying publications get their news? And how does the media compare to the paparazzi culture of the West?

Haryo Noviandri is a reporter and member of the Creative team for “I Gosip News,” which screens on TV7 every day. He and his team recently traveled to Malaysia for exclusive interviews with members of the Ke1antan royal family on allegations by Indonesian model Manohara Odelia Pinot that she was abducted and tortured by a prince.

“We were accused of siding with the Kingdom,” Haryo said, “but it’s important to get both sides of a story.”

A senior reporter of “Insert-Investigasi” (“Celebrity Information-Investigation”), Firmansyah, understands the value of exclusives. When singer Alda Risma was involved in a car accident, his team was the first to arrive at the hospital.

“We heard the news through one of our spies, so we beat all the other infotainment programs,” Firmansyah said.

These reporters rely heavily on numerous sources.

“There are moments when we have to wait at the police station for the freshest news,” said Fajar Anugerah, a reporter for the well-known news Web site DetikHot.

Siahaan from “Ouch” said there was “no shortage” of reporters spending their days at police stations. After endlessly waiting, she said, a fresh tip regarding a celebrity getting divorced or busted in a drug raid is “unfortunately, like a huge sigh of relief.”

Bagas Anugerah is a director for Shenadiego Production House, which supplies celebrity news to many infotainment programs. He said gossip shows were based on the simple theory that “bad news is always the most interesting news.”

Siahaan said reporters relied on those close to celebrities, including their home security staff, for information.

“People hanging around their homes, like ojek [motorcycle-taxi] drivers or warung [street stall] keepers are also good sources of information — and also housemaids,” she said, adding that she pays Rp 10,000 to Rp 50,000 ($5) for tips.

For DetikHot, Fajar sometimes calls a celebrity’s relatives for quotes. Asked how he manages to obtain private numbers, he said, “We have numerous contacts from years of reporting.”

Sukri Alhamda, who has reported for the entertainment publication “Nyata” (“Real”) since it began in 1994, said chasing exclusive news today was more competitive than in the 1990s.

“There are no more secrets and confidentiality anymore. There are always leaks,” he said.

Reporters also tend to share information with one another more these days, but primarily about “every day” events, such as movie shoots or album launches.

Firmansyah said competition was fiercest for hard-hitting exclusive news, such as divorce or criminal cases.

However, not all entertainment publications go out of their way to obtain exclusives. Irina R. Damayanti, a senior editor at “Oops!” — a local magazine that styles itself after Western publications such as “Us Weekly” — said that her reporters usually approached celebrities through official channels, including their managers or lawyers. The relationship between journalists and celebrities remains much friendlier in Indonesia than in the United States or the United Kingdom.

Siahaan said, “Here, it is much more about the gossip itself; and no one is really interested in pictures of celebrities just hanging around at malls.”

Dewi Sandra, a well know singer and actress, said local reporters were not yet as intrusive as their Western counterparts, but she feared the industry was heading toward more of a paparazzi culture. Having been through two public divorces, she has personally experienced the negative side of being a celebrity.

“I’ve been chased and pushed around, insulted and terrorized [by reporters], like I was some sort of thief,” she said, adding that it was most disturbing when her family got chased for information.

However, former child star Dhea Ananda, now a popular singer, said the relationship between reporters and celebrities was mutually beneficial.

“They need news and we need the promotion,” she said. “The important thing is not to be too open in answering their questions.”

As more celebrities vie for publicity or are caught doing things they would rather not share, their best tactic may be to build relationships with media representatives. Songwriter and music producer Ahmad Dhani is adept at this, according to Bagas, from Shenadiego.

“[Ahmad] knows which media outlets he trusts — including us — and often invites us for exclusive interviews,” he said. “He also gives us gas money.”

Public Views on Infotainment Shows

Liany Wijaya, housewife

“I enjoy them, but I can’t explain why. I’m sure everybody says the same thing. Even  Americans and Westerners watch gossip, right? I do sometimes think those [reporters] are crazy and ask really disturbing personal questions — sometimes even crossing the boundaries of decency.
“I feel pity sometimes for the artists, but it is something they should know about, isn’t it? It’s the risk of their chosen profession, being chased around? Sometimes I’m sure they even do things on purpose to get chased and stay in the news.”

Kartika Rianingtyas, career woman and occasional extra in local soaps

“I think [infotainment shows] are quite entertaining, but when it starts to judge the celebrities, that’s when it’s bothersome. Especially when the host purposely starts driving the story toward one direction to shape public opinion. I actually feel sorry for the reporters because they have to race with one another to get the news. So I think it is OK what they do, just as long as it does not cross the line.”

Budi Marcukundha, contractor

“Those shows are a ‘commodity,’ which can be sold and bought. An analogy would be that the reporters are the ‘miners’ and they just happen to work there. I’m sure the shows were bred out of this society’s culture. The number of the programs shows how much demand there is for them, and it’s something I’m not very happy with.”