Freeport and ANTARA Hold Workshop to Strengthen Gresik Journalists' Capacity

PT Freeport Indonesia, together with the ANTARA Educational Institute, is holding a Gresik Journalists Workshop from 6 to 8 August 2026 to strengthen reporters’ capacity to face the challenges of social media and digital transformation. The event, attended by 21 journalists from various media outlets in Gresik Regency, was opened by the Head of LKBN ANTARA’s East Java Bureau, Abdul Malik Ibrahim, at Angon Jiwo Coffee and Resto in Gresik, East Java, on Thursday. Abdul Malik stated that Gresik journalists possess a strong character in carrying out their profession, particularly in terms of endurance and the ability to survive amidst various challenges in journalistic work. ‘In the past, we knew journalism as a lifestyle, but in Gresik, journalism is a way of life. That is what gives Gresik journalists a high survival rate and strong endurance,’ he said. According to him, the changing media landscape requires journalists not only to produce accurate and balanced news but also to be adaptive to developments in digital platforms and social media without abandoning journalistic principles. The workshop, themed ‘Reliable Journalists in the Social Media Era’, featured social media practitioner and member of the LKBN ANTARA Supervisory Board, Wicaksono, also known as @ndorokakung, and journalist and content creator Melilita Elaine as speakers. On the first day, Wicaksono presented material on the foundations of personal branding for journalists, determining a niche and content strategy, and building reputation and audience trust. He explained that a journalist’s personal branding is not synonymous with popularity or the number of social media followers, but is built through competence, character, professional values, and consistency in producing journalistic work. Over the three-day event, participants are also scheduled to take part in practical sessions on creating digital journalistic content, strategies for distributing news on social media, and work evaluations.