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Five journalists in West Nusa Tenggara are facing a Rp 5 billion ($585,000) lawsuit for allegedly fabricating news reports that tarnished a flight attendant school’s reputation and ultimately led to its bankruptcy.

Agus Budianto, chairman of the Flight Attendants and Airport Crew Education and Training Foundation (LPPKP), claimed the journalists had inaccurately reported a rally staged by the more than 300 of the foundation’s graduates in front the school’s office in the provincial capital, Mataram, in May.

Quoting Siti Ma’rifah Sarita, a graduate who participated in the protest, the journalists reported that the protesters felt cheated by the academy, saying the school’s promise of immediate job placement was never met.

Agus argued that none of the graduates taking part in the rally actually felt deceived, despite the pictures of a massive demonstration in front of the office.

“We are ready to face this lawsuit, because we have worked according to the Journalists’ Code of Conduct,” said Febrian Putra, a reporter at Lombok Post. “We wrote according to the facts presented [to us]. In fact, the LPPKP has exercised its right to respond; LPPKP officials provided us with their side of the story.” Febrian is among those being sued.

LPPKP is also suing Sudirman from Radar Lombok daily, Haris Mahtul from Suara NTB daily, Helmi from state-owned television TVRI and Ahmad Yani from state-owned radio RRI, seeking Rp 1 billion in damages each. The school also filed a lawsuit against Siti Ma’rifah for Rp 1 billion.

Agus claimed his school is on the brink of collapse due to the journalists’ “fabricated reports.” LPPKP, its chairman said, had spent Rp 140 million trying to rebuild its tarnished reputation through advertising. The academy claimed to be losing Rp 1.58 billion in potential income due to the decline in student numbers. LPPKP is seeking a public apology from the journalists.

The defendants dismissed the allegations, citing several anomalies in the lawsuit, including the fact LPPKP is suing the reporters instead of the media organizations and the fact one of the publications, Radar Lombok, did not even publish the story.

All six defendants had decided to face the lawsuit together. The West Nusa Tenggara chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has promised to provide them legal assistance.

Although saying an out-of-court agreement “is not out of the question,” the defendants are launching a counter-complaint to the police for defamation, arguing that in the lawsuit, the plaintiff had accused Siti Ma’rifah of bribing the journalists in exchange for sympathetic coverage.

“That is a very demeaning accusation. It undermines our good names as well as our profession as journalists,” Suara NTB’s Haris said.