Amid the changes, media are expected to adapt to the rapid development in technology and the challenges of the era we live in.
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Kompas/Ismail Zakaria
Dancers present Colossal Dance "Pinyangek Siso Api" (Malin Kundang in the Present Era) at Muaro Lasak beach in the city of Padang, West Sumatra, on Tuesday (6/2) evening. The dance, created by choreographer Ery Merfri from the Nan Jombang Dance Company and supported by 50 dancers and 25 musicians, was performed as part of the National Press Day 2018, commemorated in West Sumatra from Feb. 1-9.
PADANG, KOMPAS — The fourth industrial revolution is a serious challenge for the Indonesian media. Amid the changes, media are expected to adapt to the rapid development in technology and the challenges of the era we live in. Changes are needed, including in infrastructure, content and presentation, so that the work of the media is connected to the feelings, thoughts and expectations of the public. Furthermore, the media are called on to maintain the basic principles of honesty, integrity and loyalty to justice.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that, in the fourth industrial revolution, development in technology, information and communication had created a world very different from the world we knew before. “There is the rise of supercomputers, robots, artificial intelligence and others. This [technology] changes several things, including the ways and trends of people obtaining and believing information,” Sri Mulyani said.
The minister made that statement in a keynote speech for a National Press Day 2018 convention titled “Harmony and Balance to Defend National Media in Global Communication-Information Landscape” in Padang, West Sumatra, on Thursday (8/2).
“In the past, the public trusted news from established print media, television and radio with a good track record at the national, regional or global level. They provided high-quality, balanced and unbiased news,” Sri Mulyani said.
Currently, Sri Mulyani said, while the news was presented faster and in a more varied way, the public tended to access news that matched their own taste and views.
The news channels or analyses the people accessed often consisted of views that simply confirmed or justified their own. Aside from the absence of context, the news presented was unbalanced, biased and narrow.
“Under such hard challenges, what is left are the basic principles of honesty, integrity and loyalty to justice and a just and civilized humanity. Such an attitude is needed, besides reporting accurate and objective news,” said Sri Mulyani.
The event was also attended by Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara, West Sumatra Deputy Governor Nasrul Abit, Press Council chairman Yosef Adi Prasetyo, national press figures, mass media chief editors and representatives of the Indonesian Press Association from several regions.
The National Press Day 2018 event in Padang kicked off on Feb. 1. An estimated 3,000 people showed up for the event, including President Joko Widodo and several ministers, representatives from foreign embassies and journalists.
Numerous events, such as the Minangkabau Summit 2018 and the micro, small and medium business expo, as well as art and culture performances took place in the days leading up to the key event on Friday (9/2) morning in Lake Cimpago, near Padang Beach, to be attended by President Jokowi.
There was also a tourism seminar and a press seminar that included a ceremony to bestow media awards. Most of the events were held in Padang, spread out in venues such as the Agus Salim Sports Hall, Padang Beach, Adityawarman Museum and numerous hotels.
Spirit of development
Nielsen Media executive director Hellen Katherina said media with a development spirit were needed today as a counterbalance to fake news circulating on social media.
The problem was, Hellen said, that fake news was much more interesting. Advertisers were also funding fake news by placing ads on platforms accessed by the public. In fact, Hellen said, fake news affected the economy, with the public refraining from spending or investing.
The decline in consumer spending would eventually hit the performance of the producers. On the other side, most media industry players are advertisers, so the media would also be affected. “Moreover, our research has highlighted indications of intolerance in Indonesia,” Hellen said.
She said that, although the number of online readers kept growing, print media would still have its readers, because they trusted the information. According to a media survey in the fourth quarter of 2017, some 2.8 million out of a total 9.7 million readers are readers of print media. They continue reading print media, because they trust the information.
Adinegoro Museum
In Sawahlunto, President Jokowi supported the construction of the Djamaluddin Adinegoro Museum in appreciation of the work of the national press figure. The works of Adinegoro deserved recognition in a museum as a step to developing journalism and literary in the country. The President made the statement during his visit to Adinegoro’s house in Talawi district, Sawahlunto City, West Sumatra, on Thursday.
The President said Adinegoro was a press figure whose works needed to be promoted as an example. That was important, because there was a trend in society to abandon literary.
The works of Adinegoro, the President added, were produced with rich materials. His audience benefitted from reading his works, which offered enlightenment, optimism and hope.
