Day: February 9, 2023

Jakarta – The press is expected to counteract the spread of hoaxes and fake news, particularly in the run-up to the 2024 elections, chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Moeldoko, said on National Press Day.

“From the point zero of Nusantara city, I wish for a happy National Press Day to fellow journalists or media personnel,” he remarked in Penajam North Paser, East Kalimantan, on Thursday.

He said he expected the National Press Day, which is celebrated every February 9, to serve as a momentum for the media to sustain its independence and credibility in spreading information and news.

“Moreover, we are now going in to a political year. I expect the media to maintain its neutrality and be able to cut down fake news,” he added.

He urged the press to help ensure a peaceful situation nationwide ahead of the general elections in 2024.

“Let’s keep the political situation conducive this year,” Moeldoko said.

The main event of the 2023 National Press Day commemoration was hosted at the North Sumatra provincial government’s multipurpose building in Deli Serdang district on Thursday. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) joined the event in person.

Moeldoko, who was visiting the nation’s future capital city of Nusantara (IKN), reviewed the progress of central government infrastructure development, which comprises the Presidential Palace and some ministerial offices.

He also reviewed the development of residential areas for construction workers as well as the progress of Sepaku Semoi Dam, which is targeted to be completed in 2023.

Source: Antara News

Pontianak, West Kalimantan – Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has asked micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the creative economy sector of West Kalimantan to innovate to seize opportunities in the 2023–2024 political year.

“The political year will have many activities. Therefore, creative economy entrepreneurs and MSMEs must be able to prepare themselves and seize opportunities. Do not only be a spectator but utilize this moment to promote your products,” he said at a training held for creative economy MSME actors in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Thursday.

With the COVID-19 situation improving, it is time for Indonesia to rise from the pandemic by optimizing tourism and the creative economy, he added.

“Our creative economy ecosystem is in the top three in the world after the United States and South Korea. In order for our creative economy to rise, local governments must be able to support creative economy MSMEs because this sector must be the host in their own country,” the minister added.

He advised creative economy MSME owners to be innovative, adaptive, and collaborative.

“We have to be brave to take risks so we can develop and not stay put. We also have to build friendships because apart from being able to extend our life, we extend our fortune,” he added.

In addition, Uno said that there are many tourism villages in West Kalimantan that have been included in Indonesia’s tourism agenda. This opportunity must be utilized to bring in lots of tourists and mobilize the creative economy of the surrounding community.

He also reminded the people of West Kalimantan, especially business people, to remain united and not be divided in the political year.

“I also appreciate the West Kalimantan provincial government for the many innovations to develop its creative economy and tourism. This, of course, must be maintained and supported by the local government,” he remarked.

On the same occasion, West Kalimantan Governor Sutarmidji said that his party supports the development of tourism and the creative economy. One of the efforts to achieve this has been the preparation of basic infrastructure for MSMEs that has involved all parties.

“We encourage the development of MSMEs, tourism, and crafts in West Kalimantan. We have several facilitates, including the gallery of timber forest products, to exhibit the creative economy MSME products and the regional national craft council (Dekranasda) room at the West Kalimantan Museum,” he said.

Source: Antara News

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bengkulu – The Environment and Forestry Ministry urged governments in regions, particularly Bengkulu Province, to report to the ministry’s law enforcement division about palm oil companies suspected of deliberately destroying forest areas.

Director general of sustainable forest management at the Environment and Forestry Ministry Agus Justianto stated that the appeal was made in the wake of hundreds of hectares of Bengkulu Forests being allegedly encroached upon by palm oil plantations and companies.

“We have a law enforcement mechanism (in place) through the director general of law enforcement at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, which will further (investigate) existing reports,” he remarked.

Regional governments, non-governmental organizations, and general public could report such activities, provided they have accurate data and information, he remarked.

Once the data was complete and sent to the ministry, it would be followed up through a verification process, in which a team from the ministry would be sent to the site, before it could be determined as an encroachment case, Juslianto elaborated.

“You have to have accurate data and information. Only then a team from the Environment and Forestry Ministry will be dispatched to the region to confirm this case by bringing the National Land Agency to measure the area in question to see whether it is included in a forest area or not,” he remarked.

Moreover, he urged the regional governments to also keep an eye out for misuse of forest areas. In the event of such instances being found, they should report it.

His side has constantly warned on prevention of such cases of forest encroachment, so they would not recur, as it would damage the environment and compromise the local ecology.

“If the intention for encroachment is proven, then criminal sanctions will be imposed. However, if the encroachment has already been done, yet there is no intention (for such), then there will be compensation that must be made or non-tax state levies,” he concluded.

Source: Antara News

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Jakarta – Communication and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate urged journalists to utilize technology in carrying out their work, such as fact-checking, during the 2023 National Press Day (HPN) commemoration in Medan, North Sumatra, on Thursday,

“Media can help through fact-checking by using digital technology, processing numeric data analysis, analyzing social networks, to optimizing the cost of other variables in performing various journalism work,” he said in a press statement.

With the current advancement in technology and digital space, journalists are expected to carry out their work with the help of technology, which includes artificial intelligence (AI) that many people have adopted.

Plate cited the example of a foreign news-gathering agency that is using AI to support productivity.

The use of AI by the United States’ Associated Press, for instance, has allowed the agency to increase its article production by 12-fold, he noted.

He believes that the use of technology by journalists in carrying out their duties can also be the road to ensuring a clean and beneficial digital space for people searching for news.

It is deemed important especially given the massive utilization of social media in the current era, wherein digital space has become vulnerable to the challenges of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.

The minister said he expected journalists to maintain their social function by undertaking healthy and quality journalistic work through fact-checking.

Plate’s ministry is encouraging journalists and the government to continue to maintain the digital space responsibly.

The ministry has continued to actively coordinate with the Press Council on undertaking cyber patrols to handle negative content and check the spread of disinformation in the digital space, he informed.

This has been undertaken to provide a safe, comfortable and productive digital ecosystem for everyone, he remarked.

Plate also lauded the free press that has currently grown quite well in Indonesia.

Source: Antara News

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Jakarta – Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate has urged the Press Council to formulate a journalism road map that allows the mass media to adopt a digital perspective.

“To maintain a fair environment, it is also necessary to put journalism and media in a new perspective: a digital perspective,” the minister said at the commemoration of National Press Day, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

The road map is expected to improve the legal basis that regulates the sustainability of the media industry.

This legal basis can also help create a level playing field and lead to the convergence of media businesses.

One of the legal bases being prepared is the journalistic copyright regulation, which is also known as publisher rights.

The minister commended academics and members of the press who have contributed to the formulation of the regulation.

“We will go through the process of formulating legislative regulations together. I expect for this process to be pursued quickly because we have streamlined the issues and are calling for more active participation from stakeholders so that they can (reach a middle ground),” he said.

At the 2023 National Press Day commemoration, President Joko Widodo expressed his support for the regulation and said he expected it to be completed within one month.

On Tuesday (February 7, 2023), director general of information and public communication at the Communication and Information Ministry Usman Kansong said that his office has just completed the draft publisher rights and is currently in the process of submitting the draft to President Widodo.

There will be two main aspects covered in the publisher rights, the first being cooperation between digital platforms, such as Google, Meta, Twitter, and national mass media.

The second aspect pertains to a distinct agency, which would function as an entity that oversees, controls, and mediates for both parties, those being digital platforms and the media.

Source: Antara News

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