Public relations (PR) officers within government agencies must\ncurrently understand the importance of a journalistic perspective.\nInformation regarding the programmes and data held by agencies should\nnot merely end as activity reports, but must be processed to ensure\nrelevance for the public.<\/p>\n
This was explained by Indah Muti0e1 Mutiara Kami, Managing Editor of\ndetikNews, during the first day of \u2018The Classroom by detikcom\u2019. In the\n\u2018Journalism & NewsCraft+\u2019 session, Tiara, as she is affectionately\nknown, presented methods for transforming agency data and programmes\ninto news material that creates an impact on society.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the goal is for the public, there must be a distinction. There\nis a difference between an activity report and information intended to\nbe communicated to the community,\u201d Tiara stated at Wisma Pertanian\nCipayung, Bogor, on Wednesday (23\/9\/2026).<\/p>\n
PR\u2019s Role in Crisis Management<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the topics presented by Tiara concerned the importance of\ncrisis management in PR work. She noted that crises can arise from\nvarious unexpected sources, particularly in an era where events can be\nrapidly recorded and disseminated via social media.<\/p>\n In a crisis situation, statements issued by an agency can influence\npublic perception. Therefore, agency PR officers play a vital role in\ndetermining how an event is explained to the public.<\/p>\n Tiara cited several cases that gained public attention on social\nmedia, such as the incident at Senayan City (Sency) involving a man\nkicking a woman. In that case, Sency\u2019s communication response, which\nfailed to address the core issue, could trigger new criticism and even\n\u2018cancel culture\u2019.<\/p>\n Conversely, Tiara cited the TransJakarta (TJ) case involving a\nhomeless person removed from a bus due to body odour. In this instance,\nTJ provided a response that included an apology, an explanation of the\nevent, the actions taken, and the subsequent evaluation and\nfollow-up.<\/p>\n According to Tiara, these elements are essential when an agency must\nprovide clarification to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cThe role of PR is important because the statements made can either\nmake the situation better or worse,\u201d said Tiara.<\/p>\n Tiara added that the task of PR is not just to report what happened,\nbut also to explain the steps taken by the agency following an\nevent.<\/p>\n Ensuring Press Releases Do Not End Up in the Bin<\/strong><\/p>\n Muck Rack\u2019s \u2018State of Journalism\u2019 (2024-2025) data shows that 86% of\njournalists discard releases because they are irrelevant, 71% reject\nreleases because the tone is too promotional, and 50% ignore releases\nthat feel like mass templates.<\/p>\n Drawing from her experience as a journalist, Tiara noted that\neditorial offices receive many press releases daily. However, not all of\nthese become news.<\/p>\n One reason a release fails to attract editorial attention is that the\ninformation lacks a clear impact on readers or uses excessive\npromotional language.<\/p>\n \u201cI explain this at the beginning because this is the reality. Later,\nPR officers from other agencies might often ask, \u2018How can we make our\nrelease picked up, seen, or viral?\u2019\u201d said Tiara.<\/p>\n Information regarding a government programme, for example, should not\nmerely explain that an activity has been carried out. Furthermore, the\ninformation needs to explain the benefits of the programme, who is\naffected, and the changes or results felt by the community.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should not just be about ceremony or formality, but rather\nensuring the good things within the agency reach the public,\u201d Tiara\nexplained.<\/p>\n Do Not Simply Fill News with Data<\/strong><\/p>\n Tiara emphasised the importance of processing data so that it does\nnot become a mere string of numbers in a news report. Data held by\nagencies can become valuable information if it is able to address public\nneeds.<\/p>\n Conversely, too many numbers without context can prevent the main\nmessage from being conveyed. In her view, such data is more suitable for\nactivity reports intended for superiors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is how to ensure the public knows that this data\nimpacts them. It is not just about displaying the largest numbers or\nnews filled entirely with data, where the core point fails to reach the\npublic\u2019s needs,\u201d said Tiara.<\/p>\n In the context of government PR, processing information is also\nlinked to efforts to build transparency and public trust. Programmes\nimplemented by agencies will be more easily recognised by the public\nwhen information regarding their objectives, implementation, and\nbenefits is communicated clearly.<\/p>\n Tiara asserted that the duty of PR is not merely to convey that an\nactivity has taken place, but to explain why that activity is important\nand what its impact is on society.<\/p>\n This is particularly relevant for participants from the Directorate\nGeneral of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture RI (Kementan), who are\nworking to communicate information regarding the Horticulture\nDevelopment in Dryland Areas Project (HDDAP) more effectively, including\nexplaining the programme and its benefits to the public.<\/p>\n Tiara also assessed that HDDAP is one of the programmes that is\ninteresting to communicate to the public. The challenge lies in how the\nprogramme can be properly socialised so that the community understands\nboth the programme and its impact.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is indeed to ensure this good programme is\nwell-socialised to the public, so that the community can know what the\nimpact is for them,\u201d said Tiara.<\/p>\n For information, this event was organised by the Directorate General\nof Horticulture alongside detikcom at Wisma Pertanian Cipayung, Bogor.\nThe event, held from 23-25 September 2026, serves as an effort to\nincrease the capacity and public communication skills of internal staff,\nspecifically in strengthening journalism, social media strategy,\nbranding, and digital content production.<\/p>",
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