House Commission VII: ANTARA's greatest asset is not its building but its journalist network

Deputy Chair of House Commission VII Evita Nursanty has stated that the greatest asset of the National News Agency (LKBN) ANTARA is not its buildings or technological sophistication, but rather its network of journalists. She assessed that ANTARA possesses an extraordinary journalist network and must therefore continue to train its correspondents located across all regions of Indonesia. “ANTARA’s network is extraordinary. I do not believe there is any print media that possesses a network as strong as ANTARA’s,” Evita said during a hearing with ANTARA, TVRI, and RRI at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Tuesday. Nonetheless, she said that ANTARA’s position as a government public communication medium must be clearly defined, especially as ANTARA holds a public service obligation (PSO). “It must also be able to play a role in combating the massive spread of hoaxes,” she said. In the past, according to her, ANTARA was truly the single medium that served as a source of information for print media. Despite having advantages in textual reporting, she also assessed that there is no harm in ANTARA developing digital media so that readers can enjoy news in audio-visual formats. According to her, the public now finds it more comfortable to receive news information by listening or watching visuals. “Because in this digital era, we really must follow what the public interest is, especially our younger generation,” she said.