The press and media are being encouraged to use technological advances and breakthroughs in digital transformation to advance the field of journalism. For example, the Minister of Communication and Information cited the Associated Press’s usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in the United States, which can create up to 12 times the number of previous articles.
“The use of AI has increased article production by 12 times, 1,200 per cent,” said Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G Plate at the Press Council’s National Mass Media Convention ‘Press Opportunities in a Challenging Year’ in Medan, North Sumatra Province, in conjunction with National Press Day (HPN) 2023.
In addition to increasing news creation, digital technology can be used to root out fake news, particularly in online media. Johnny believes that the press may assist the Ministry of Communication and Informatics in sorting fake news using digital technology, such as analysing numerical data and social networks in multiple journalism performances.
The expansion of technology and the development of digital transformation create significant prospects for the press. However, technical progress can only be used if media members can adapt to current changes by enhancing the capabilities of their respective human resources (HR) capabilities.
In addition, Johnny cautioned journalists to be prepared to tackle three difficulties in the age of digital disruption. Minister Johnny noted that the three issues were the speed with which digital content was transmitted following audience expectations, anticipating the propagation of increasingly widespread disinformation, misinformation and mal-information and shifting public access to news sources.
In the first challenge, the minister shared the findings of a Reuters Institute study on future trends in the media industry, which will be defined not only by how quickly it adopts digital technology but also by how easily it can transmit digital product that meets consumer expectations.
In this sense, the press freedom that has grown fast in Indonesia may be paired with the duty to generate content that adheres to the nation’s moral and cultural standards.
For the second challenge, the dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information, the minister urged the press to pay close attention and collaborate on solutions.
“Including the tendency of clickbait news full of sensations prevalent in online media, it is hoped that it will gain press attention to keep the national digital environment clean and beneficial. That must be evaluated and addressed so that the digital world, including the press, journalists, journalism, and the media, becomes clean and beneficial for users,” he stated.
Regarding the third difficulty, Minister Johnny stated that digital advancement has gradually driven consumers to prefer digital media over traditional media as a news source.
The minister said, again citing the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, that online media is the most widely used source among Indonesians. The figure reached 88% cent, with social media accounting for 68%. While traditional television media accounts for approximately 57%, print media accounts for only 17%.
The Ministry of Kominfo is developing digital competence from beginning to intermediate levels for students, graduate students, and the community to improve Indonesian digital literacy and competency.
The DTS Programme includes the Professional Academy, Fresh Graduate Academy, Talent Scouting Academy, Vocational School Graduate Academy, Government Transformation Academy, Thematic Academy, and Digital Entrepreneurship Academy.
It will also oversee the organising of the Digital Leadership Academy (DLA) Training Programme. All government officials, State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Regional-Owned Enterprises (BUMD), private enterprises (CEO level), and digital company owners are expected to be members.
