News Media Needs to Innovate and Collaborate

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The news platform Kompas.id won the 2018 ID Website Awards for the news and media category organized by the Indonesian Internet Domain Name Manager (Pandi) at Hotel Indonesia, Jakarta, Thursday (3/5/2018).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The issuance of a regulation on managing foreign digital platforms is very important to develop a healthy press industry. However, local media also need to innovate and collaborate to cope with digital disruption.

Press Council member Agus Sudibyo said recently that innovation was not only needed to produce quality content, but also to establish a digital advertising system. Currently, digital advertising in the nation was still dominated by global platforms, he added.

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Foreign Digital Platforms to be ‘Organized’

According to Agus, the press needs to maintain a balance between advertisement revenues made through direct traffic and through programmatic advertising schemes that automate the management, selling, and buying of digital ads.

"Programmatic advertising does generate revenue. However, relying on it 100 percent will not be ideal for media independence. The media also needs to maintain direct relationships with advertisers," Agus said, when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday (10/2/2022).

Establishing this type of platform was expected to improve the digital advertising system for local media outlets.

Collaboration among local media was also needed to face the invasion of foreign platforms, such as in establishing a national advertising platform. Establishing this type of platform was expected to improve the digital advertising system for local media outlets.

"In facing the global platforms, we cannot work alone. It is not only the media that is facing disruption, but also other sectors. So, building independence must also be cross-sectoral," he said.

Agus said issuing a regulation on the organization of foreign digital platforms was extremely urgent, especially as regards negotiations between global platforms and local content publishers or mass media that used the content payment schemes of global platforms.

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

Press Council member Agus Sudibyo.

“The regulation must also be comprehensive. At the very least, there is an awareness that digital sovereignty must be pursued together," he said.

Government regulations

Atal S. Depari, the chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), said on Thursday (10/2) in Kendari, South Sulawesi, that the PWI and the Press Council had talked with the government about regulating global platforms. The discussion was the initial follow-up to President Joko Widodo's offer on proposing a regulation on the presence of global platforms and their publishing rights, made during the 2022 National Press Day (HPN) commemoration in Kendari on Wednesday.

If a PP is used, it can take effect immediately. At the same time, the Press Law should also be revised.

“In order to accelerate the process, the PWI has proposed that the government issue a PP [government regulation] to regulate global platforms in Indonesia. If a PP is used, it can take effect immediately. At the same time, the Press Law should also be revised," said Atal.

Healthy and strong

At the event to commemorate National Press Day on Wednesday (9/2), President Joko Widodo said the government was continuing to encourage the development of publishing rights in a bid to build a healthy and strong media industry.

KOMPAS/MEDIANA

Communication and Information Minister Johnny G Plate.

Meanwhile, Communication and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate said that the press faced a greater challenge in coping with the rapid developments in digital technology. Local media, he said, should be able to cope not only with external challenges such as the domination of global platforms, but also internal challenges such as producing quality content. (TAM/TRA)

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)