House Commission VII Urges ANTARA to Optimise Hoax Countermeasures
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairman of House Commission VII Saleh Partaonan Daulay has urged the National News Agency ANTARA to optimise its role as a trusted information source in countering hoaxes. To achieve this, he stated that ANTARA needs to strengthen the capacity of its journalists. “Carry out institutional repositioning to enhance its contribution and relevance in society,” Saleh said at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Tuesday. He delivered this as the conclusion of a Hearing Meeting between House Commission VII and several broadcasting institutions.
Additionally, he noted that Commission VII appreciates ANTARA’s performance in the first semester of 2026, including the public service obligation (PSO) verification pass rate rising to 91 per cent. The commission also commended the distribution of news through 300 media channels across 33 provinces, the growth of ANTARA’s website readership to 73 million (January–May 2026), and financial performance exceeding the Company Budget Work Plan (RKAP) target with operating revenue of Rp207.50 billion, or 116.67 per cent.
Nevertheless, Saleh also urged the agency to detail its work programmes and budget allocations more transparently and measurably, including explanations of activity types, performance targets, and outputs produced from each activity. “Optimise budget allocation across all programmes so that performance targets and budget absorption can be achieved more effectively,” he said.
Meanwhile, ANTARA President Director Benny Siga Butarbutar stated that ANTARA has a dedicated news channel to counter hoaxes in cooperation with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs. ANTARA is also planning hoax countermeasure cooperation with news agencies from ASEAN countries. This is being pursued because the capacity for hoax information dissemination continues to increase. “Hoax news that has emerged just for (2026) up to June totals 5,430 stories, and we must clarify them continuously,” Benny said.