Collaboration Between Print and Digital Media Inevitable

Kompas/Totok Wijayanto

Students take turns posing as announcers in the RRI radio booth at the National Press Day (HPN) exhibition and Maluku Expo 2017 at Merdeka Square, Ambon, Maluku, Wednesday (8/2). HPN 2017 falls today and is being centered in Ambon City with President Joko Widodo in attendance.

AMBON, KOMPAS – Amid the rapid development of digital technology, the news content industry is still “king” in its own home. In order to survive, media companies must embrace technology to reach audiences wherever they may be.

Such was one of the messages conveyed by Kumparan.com president commissioner Budiono Darsono during the Mass Media National Convention, which was held under the theme of “The Integrity of the National Media in the Landscape of Global Communications: Challenges and Opportunities” in commemoration of National Press Day in Ambon, Maluku, on Wednesday (8/2/2017).

Speaking at the event were Communications and Informatics Minister Rudiantara, Baidu Digital Indonesia CEO Bao Jianlei and MNC Group CEO and chairman Hary Tanoesoedibjo.

“We are still in control of our news content. Several foreign portals develop their own content, but their number is not huge. In this aspect, we are still king in our own domain,” Budiono said.

Nevertheless, the lack of competition in the news content industry does not mean that there is no threat to the media. The media should be realistic in viewing technological development through continuous learning about people’s needs.

Awards

The 2017 National Press Day committee handed out pioneering awards to a number of media companies. Kompas daily was named the media company that pioneers nationalist-humanism journalism.

The appreciation was given at a gala dinner at the Islamic Center in Ambon on Wednesday night. The event was attended by Indonesia Military commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, Communications and Informatics Minister Rudiantara and Press Council chief Yosep Adi Prasetyo.

Kompas deputy chief editor Rikard Bagun said that since its inception 51 years ago, Kompas had consistently promoted the nation through values of humanism and pluralism. The tsunami of information in the digital era serves as a challenge for Kompas and other media companies.

Related to technological and industrial development, Budiono cited how taxi companies had finally joined forces with Go-Jek, an application-based transportation service company that dominates the digital platform.

“Such a collaborative pattern is relatively unheard of among Indonesian media companies, especially print media. They are having difficulties in technology development due to problems of funding. In any case, this is the right moment for the media to collaborate on technology to make a platform,” he said.

According to Budiono, the media’s use of a digital platform did not mean a dichotomy between print media and online media because journalism could never die. Only the platform changed.

In response to the rise of the millennial generation who are highly familiar with the digital world, the media has no other option but to adjust and embrace all the platforms it needs to reach its diverse audience.

“Online news can no longer be seen as shallow as, due to technological development, it can also provide endless depth. This is a new industry that gives you only two options: either you are in or out. Many media companies, especially print media, are half-hearted in this aspect. They wish to maintain their printed presence on one hand and are not serious in developing their digital platform on the other, thereby giving them ineffective yields. Tribunnews.com is a good example of an online media that has grown successfully from print,” he explained.

China as example

Baidu Digital Indonesia CEO Bao Jianlei said China had successfully transformed into a technologically innovative country. Such progressive development was made possible through the government’s full support in the development of the tech industry.

“The Chinese government provided US$218 billion for pioneering industries in 2015. There were 780 funding projects involving 1,600 \'incubators\',” said Bao, whose company is among the most dominant internet companies in China.

The Chinese government also offers an up to 15 percent tax incentive for the creative industry. The state also provides collective business spaces.

One of these collective spaces is the 450,000-square-meter China Silicon Valley, valued at US$1.5 billion. More than 300 pioneering companies have offices there.

According to MNC Group chairman and CEO Hary Tanoesoedibjo, the Chinese government’s protection of the industry opens up business opportunities and preserves cultural values at the same time. “In our country, the presence of internet-based foreign companies has threatened our nation as it results in the loss of tax revenue and jobs and in the stagnation of domestic science and technology development,” he said.

Hary proposed that the Indonesian government make internet regulations similar to those in China, that is by banning investments by foreign companies such as Google.

Rudiantara also acknowledged the rapid technology development, saying that only one of the top five global business companies was technology-based five years ago. However, all five of the top global business companies have since 2012 become technology-based.

“Some 170 million Indonesians have cellular phones and 60 million of them own smartphones. This is a huge opportunity for the technology-based industry. In 2019, we aim to introduce broadband internet in all provinces and regencies/cities,” he said.

Press Council head Yosep Adi Prasetyo said that science and technology were progressing at an extraordinary speed and everyone could truly feel how you could fit the whole world into the palm of the hand. Behind the speedy progress, ethical problems always crop up. In order to improve journalists’ quality and understanding of the journalist\'s code of ethics, the Press Council and 27 agencies continuously hold competency exams for journalists.

(ABK/FRN)