ANTARA Bali Strengthens Cooperation with Denpasar City Government

Denpasar (ANTARA) - The National News Agency Office (LKBN) ANTARA Bali Bureau is strengthening cooperation with the Denpasar City Government in the fields of news reporting and public relations competency training.

This was revealed during a courtesy visit by the Head of the LKBN ANTARA Bali Bureau, Ardi Irawan, who was received by Denpasar Deputy Mayor I Kadek Agus Arya Wibawa at the Mayor’s Office on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Denpasar Deputy Mayor I Kadek Agus Arya Wibawa stated that in government performance, the balance between process and outcomes is crucial in the current era.

According to Arya, there is currently a tendency among policymakers to highlight the public service process as a form of presence in responding to public issues.

He assessed that this phenomenon is inseparable from the development of the digital era, which drives the speed of information and the need to appear in public spaces.

Nevertheless, he reminded that excessive emphasis on process without being balanced by real outcomes could harm the public.

“If we cannot balance process and outcomes, the public will also suffer,” he said.

He explained that the government is currently not only demanded to produce concrete performance but also must be able to demonstrate the policy process openly to the public.

According to him, transparency of the process is an important part so that the public understands how policies are formulated, implemented, up to evaluated.

The public, said Arya, needs complete information, not only on the final results but also on the planning stages, implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation.

In addition, Arya also highlighted the shift in information consumption patterns in society, which now prefers visual presentations.

He mentioned that information in the form of infographics and videos is more popular because it is considered easier to understand.

In that context, he emphasised the importance of the presence of credible media as a government partner in delivering accurate and trustworthy information.

The role of the media, according to him, is very strategic to ensure that government messages are not only quickly conveyed but also have quality and clarity of information.

He affirmed that the public relations function becomes the spearhead in delivering the entire series of government programmes to the public.

“From what is planned, being worked on, to what has been implemented, including the evaluation and supervision process, all require good communication management,” he stated.

Therefore, said Arya, the Denpasar City Government is encouraging improvements in the capacity and performance of human resources in the public relations field.

This strengthening is considered important so that public relations can address the challenges of public communication in the increasingly dynamic digital era.

Arya Wibawa also affirmed that the Denpasar City Government needs the role of the media as a strategic partner in disseminating public information.

“Collaboration between government and media is expected to create a healthy, transparent, and accountable information ecosystem,” he stated.

He said that the Denpasar City Government is exploring opportunities for cooperation with the ANTARA News Agency in the fields of news reporting and training in journalistic and public relations competencies.

This cooperation is expected not only to improve the quality of government programme publications but also to strengthen public relations capacities in managing information.

Thus, the information conveyed to the public can be more structured, credible, and easily understood by various groups.

In response to this, the Head of the LKBN ANTARA Bali Bureau, Ardi Irawan, said that the phenomenon raised by Deputy Mayor Arya Wibawa is very relevant to ANTARA’s position as a reference media.

According to Ardi, as the Indonesian News Agency, ANTARA not only presents information through several public channels but also has the ANTARA Education Institute, which is ANTARA’s official education unit.

Ardi also agreed to the Deputy Mayor of Denpasar’s request to collaborate in enhancing the public relations function.