{
  "id": 2245859,
  "title": "Fact-checking the President",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/fact-checking-the-president",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T23:06:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Jakarta Post",
    "slug": "the-jakarta-post",
    "url": "https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/08/21/fact-checking-the-president.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Presidential Address in August 14 featured President Prabowo Subianto making an audacious claim about the prosperity of his welfare programs. To illustrate the success, he introduced a woman named Susanah from Bogor, West Java, and stated she earned Rp 700,000 (equivalent to US$40) for peeling a kilogram of shallots.\n\nHowever, social media quickly pointed out the discrepancy, calculating Susanah's actual income to be Rp 700 per day. Susanah was revealed to be a scrap-fabric seamstress, far below the poverty line, not a shallot peeler as originally stated. The error quickly became a viral punchline on social media platforms, including Threads and X, with comedians seizing on the mistake.\n\nThe President's spokesperson, Muhammad Qodari, head of the government's communications agency (Bakom), offered a half-hearted apology, attributing the mistake to a simple slip of the tongue. However, no formal correction was issued, and his response was described as thin. The government's adviser urged citizens not to \"fry\" the clip, indicating a dismissive attitude towards the inaccuracy. This lack of a robust response raises questions about the seriousness with which a live address to the People's Consultative Assembly was treated.",
  "summary": "From million-rupiah shallots to unverified nuclear claims, President Prabowo Subianto's off-script habits are turning presidential rhetoric into viral punchlines - and putting the nation’s credibility on the line.",
  "key_points": [
    "President Prabowo Subianto claimed Rp 700,000 income for shallot peeling",
    "Social media revealed actual income of Rp 700 per day",
    "President's spokesperson offered half-hearted apology, no formal correction"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}