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As part of Global Voices’ fundraising challenge campaign called “Behind the Story,” we will feature 30 contributors in 30 days. In this series, we ask each contributor about a particular story they have written and why working on it mattered to them. These reflections from these contributors remind us why it is important to ensure that the Global Voices Newsroom is sustainable.

In this insight, Juke Carolina Bransiecq shares thoughts on why working on the story “Indonesian House Leaders Face Ethics Probe After Cozying Up to Donald Trump” was especially meaningful.

I'm proud of my GV stories because they reflect my commitment to solidarity and social justice. What matters most is the writing process — connecting with people and causes while collaborating with fellow GVers who share these ideals.

One example: my 2015 article about an Indonesian politician cozying up to Donald Trump. That ambitious, controversial figure is now Minister of Cultural Affairs. As Indonesia's democracy has declined, he's working to rewrite history — whitewashing the country's bloody past, revising textbooks, and granting hero status to ex-president Suharto, who was responsible for countless civilian deaths and human rights violations in Indonesia and Timor Leste.

This shows why our documentation matters: the bad actors know how to network and build systems in their favor. Our stories serve as a counterweight with the purpose to record. If we fail to do this, the Internet will be filled with stories rewrite by or for the bad actors. Our stories and narratives forgotten.

Global Voices is a platform that provides a space for our community to share stories and perspectives about their community and issues they care about through the accompaniment of a supportive editorial team that assists each contributor to craft their stories.

If you have gained new insights about different parts of the world by reading Global Voices stories from our contributors, please consider donating to keep these stories readily available. Your contribution will support Global Voices’ Newsroom through the end of the year.