The journalistic work that won the 2022 Adinegoro Journalistic Awards showed that the critical role of the press in the country has not disappeared.
By
TATANG MULYANA SINAGA, ALOYSIUS BUDI KURNIAWAN
·5 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Kompas.id, which is the digital platform of Kompas daily, won the 2022 Adinegoro Journalistic Award in the cyber journalism category. Kompas daily also won the caricature journalism category. Meanwhile, Kompas TV received a similar award for the television journalism category.
The announcement of the winners of the 2022 Adinegoro Journalistic Awards was made in Jakarta on Friday evening. The event was attended by the Director General of Information and Public Communication of the Communication and Information Ministry (Kominfo), Usman Kansong, the chairman of the Press Council, Ninik Rahayu, the chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) Atal S Depari, and the organizing committee chairperson Rita Sri Hastuti.
The prize in the cyber journalism category was awarded to Kompas.id for an article entitled ”Mau Cepat Impas, Pilih Kuliah Keguruan atau Kedokteran?” (Want to Break even Quickly, Choose Teaching or Medicine?) This educational-themed interactive article was written by Margaretha Puteri Rosalina, Albertus Krisna and Satrio Pangarso Wisanggeni. Kompas.id is a paid-for digital media platform launched in 2017.
The article analyzes student tuition fees in 12 study programs at 30 universities in Indonesia, both public and private, and compared them with the average income of graduates after work.
For the caricature category, two nominations were selected, both of which were works by Tommy Thomdean. Of the two nominations, his work entitled ”Tragedi Bola” (Football Tragedy) was declared the winner.
Meanwhile, Kompas TV won the television journalism category for its journalistic work, Kompas TV episode ”Siapa Jaga Masyarakat Adat?” (Who Takes Care of Indigenous Peoples?). The award was given to Kompas TV journalist, Maryo Sarong.
Two articles in the Kompas daily were also selected as nominees for the print journalism category. They were entitled ”Dokter dan Bidan Terlibat Pemasaran Susu Formula” (Doctors and Midwives Involved in Formula Milk Marketing), which was an investigative journalistic work and “Solidaritas Kemanusiaan Tanpa Batas” (Human Solidarity without Borders), a report by Kompas journalists directly from Ukraine.
In the print journalism category, Jawa Pos was selected as the winner of the 2022 Adinegoro Journalism Award for one of its articles.
Criticism has not disappeared
According to Usman Kansong, the journalistic work that won the 2022 Adinegoro Journalistic Awards showed that the critical role of the press in the country has not disappeared. “Remain critical to see situations that do not fit in society. Many winners covered the Kanjuruhan Tragedy," he said.
Usman added that several journalistic works also inserted messages so that similar tragedies would not be repeated. In addition, there is the hope that the judicial process will be fair.
“In-depth news cannot be created if you don't have sufficient knowledge and don't visit the location. This means you have to go to the location, verify it," he said.
Without going to the field, news tends to become talking points by relying only on what sources say. In fact, by visiting or digging into material in the field, the news will become more colorful.
Usman added that press freedom should be upheld. “Apart from that, independence should be maintained. That is, we make the media a public space and a democratic space. So, everyone should have the same opportunity to be covered," he said.
The chairperson of the organizing committee of the 2022 Adinegoro Journalistic Awards, Rita Sri Hastuti said in-depth coverage did not have to be in the form of an investigation. Rather it can be done by many methods.
“Like covering news anywhere . Don't just rely on interviews. It is not enough. That is what the Adinegoro Journalistic Awards rely on," he said.
A total of 724 works were sent to the 2022 Adinegoro Journalistic Awards committee. This year there was a new category, namely in-depth coverage for videos on social media.
Independence
Ninik Rahayu said that the Press Council supported journalists in producing quality journalism and also encouraged them to be professional. Therefore, the Press Council continues to collect data and provide assistance amid the growth of media in the country.
“We all know there are many challenges. For journalists, strong support is needed. The editorial team should always be independent and professional. That must be maintained in the midst of the economic and political situation ahead of the 2024 elections," he said.
According to Ninik, journalistic independence is needed ahead of the democratic celebration. In their work, journalists are expected to continue to exercise social control.
“Especially, if you are able to increase the public's intellectual capacity through reporting. The Press Council always supports creating quality media and journalists that have credibility," she said.
Atal S Depari said that freedom of the press was important and therefore, the 2023 National Press Day uses the tagline "Freedom of the Press, Democracy with Dignity".
”The press in Indonesia is relatively free, especially if compared with countries in ASEAN [Southeast Asia]. Therefore, it must be maintained and preserved, "he said.
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.