Quality Journalism Needs Public Support

Kompas

Photo of piles of several newspapers published in Jakarta, Wednesday (22/5/2019).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Digital disruption has created various challenges for the mass media in providing quality journalism. Only quality journalism can win the people's trust.

According to Public Information and Communication Director General Usman Kansong of the Communication and Information Ministry, only products of quality journalism will gain high public trust. Therefore, the national press should not only be adaptive but also proactive in coping with the professional challenges of digital disruption, he said.

“The media needs to intervene and be involved in the flow of disruption. It should be a subject, not just an object," he said during a discussion held to commemorate of 2022 National Press Day (HPN) in Jakarta on Sunday (30/1/2022).

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Meanwhile, during the launch of a series of events on Sunday evening to mark 2022 National Press Day, which falls on 9 Feb., it was also announced that the Kompas daily had won the Adinegoro award in the print media category for its article titled "Dangerous, Fake Medical Masks Circulate in the Community".

Becoming reference

Usman said the mass media should be a reference of public information and should not follow social media in distributing information that relied only on click baiting to attract readers.

“National Press Day should be the right moment for us to reorganize our press. The challenges are becoming more and more extraordinary. We hope that 2022 National Press Day, to be commemorated [at an event] on 9 Feb. in Kendari [Southeast Sulawesi], will produce something for the advancement of the Indonesian press," he said.

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro (KUM)

Director General of Information and Public Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Usman Kansong during a visit to the Kompas Office in Jakarta, Monday (17/1/2022).

The chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), Atal S. Depari, said that advancements in technology had changed journalism. Today, journalistic works were no longer presented merely through the written word, but also through images, statistics, and other forms, he added.

Under such conditions, journalists had to improve their competence in order to produce products of quality journalism. “Journalists must be all-round and multitasking. If their knowledge is just minimal, not much can be expected from them," he said.

Atal acknowledged that many media outlets were trying to strive for quality journalism alongside a drive for stronger marketing. However, it would not be easy to attract readers who were willing to pay for journalistic products, he said. “The willingness to subscribe is still low. People's attitudes and behavior [in accessing information] must change," he stressed.

On the other hand, social media had been growing rapidly and was being used widely to spread hate and provocation. According to Atal, such practices must be stopped.

Meanwhile, Press Council deputy chairman Hendry Chairudin Bangun said that digital disruption had changed people's behavior in how they consumed information. Generally, people wanted to get information for free.

"Our society is generous. It helps hungry children and gives donations to victims of fires and floods. Why doesn’t it help a media outlet that does a good job in journalism?” he said.

According to him, one of the major complaints today was that many journalistic works were being used by other parties on social media for their own benefits.

Agus Suprio, the chairman of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), expressed hope that the 2022 National Press Day commemoration would produce a resolution to the current changes facing the press. According to him, one of the major complaints today was that many journalistic works were being used by other parties on social media for their own benefits.

"They get the benefits, but the reporters don't. In Europe, this is regulated. So it is hoped that there will be a resolution that can protect journalists. Copyright must be protected," he said.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

The display of newspaper content in digital form.

According to Southeast Sulawesi secretary Nur Endang Abbas, the provincial administration was ready to host the 2022 National Press Day event on 9 Feb. Strict health protocols would be implemented during the event in order to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, Nur added.

Award for 'Kompas'

The winners of the 2021 Adinegoro journalism award in six categories were announced on Sunday. Kompas won an award in the print media category for its news article "Dangerous, Fake Medical Masks Circulate in the Community". The article published in the 3 April 2021 edition of Kompas and was written by Andy Riza Hidayat, Irene Sarwindaningrum, Dhanang David Aritonang, and Insan Al-Fajri.

The other winners were IDN Times in the digital news category, Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) for Sintang (radio broadcaster), Jawa Pos News Network in the caricature category, CNN Indonesia in television, and LKBN Antara in the photojournalism category. (TAM)

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)