Australian reporting of the Indonesian killings of 1965-66: The media as the "first rough draft of history"

This article examines Australian press coverage of the Indonesian killings of 1965-66, and considers its legacy for the historical consciousness of events in Indonesia. The Indonesian killings of 1965-66 occurred on Australia's doorstep, at a time when the Cold War dominated the front pages of Australian newspapers. By examining articles from one of Australia's leading newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald, we show that press coverage of the killings was both limited and distorted. Comments made by correspondents reporting from Indonesia at the time suggest reasons why this was the case. In the rush to write a "first rough draft of history", the killings in Indonesia were treated as background to the story of leadership change in Jakarta and the defeat of Communism.