Pegadaian Continues Journalist Competency Tests in Jakarta and Surabaya

PT Pegadaian (Persero) is once again holding Journalist Competency Tests (UKW) as part of its commitment to supporting the improvement of the Indonesian press’s quality. The programme, in collaboration with the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute (LPDS), has reached hundreds of journalists from various regions in Indonesia from 2025 to mid-2026, as part of efforts to strengthen the professionalism of the national press. Entering 2026, this commitment continues. The first session of Pegadaian’s UKW was held in Jakarta on 3-5 June 2026 and continued in Surabaya on 24-26 June 2026, with a total of 40 journalists from 37 media outlets participating. Deputy Chairman of the Press Council, Totok Suryanto, at the Surabaya UKW, expressed appreciation for Pegadaian’s support in enhancing the competence of journalists in Indonesia, which provides significant impact and benefits. In line with this, the Director of the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute, Kristanto Hartadi, also gave his appreciation. He stated that Pegadaian’s support is a tangible contribution to maintaining the quality of Indonesian journalism. ‘On behalf of LPDS and all Indonesian press personnel, we thank Pegadaian for supporting the improvement of competence and professionalism of national press members. Moreover, the implementation of UKW is also part of efforts to preserve press freedom. Press freedom can only be maintained by professional, competent, and high-integrity journalists. Pegadaian’s support is a tangible contribution to maintaining the quality of Indonesian journalism,’ said Kristanto Hartadi. On a separate occasion, Director of Network and Operations of PT Pegadaian (Persero), Eka Pebriansyah, explained that the media is a strategic partner for Pegadaian in building public literacy. Therefore, the company is committed to continuously supporting the capacity building of press personnel so they can present accurate, credible information that provides added value to the public. ‘A professional press plays an important role in building public trust and improving public literacy, including financial literacy. Through UKW, Pegadaian hopes to contribute to creating a healthy, objective, and responsible information ecosystem,’ he said. Previously, Pegadaian successfully held UKW throughout 2025 in eleven cities: Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Denpasar, Balikpapan, Manado, and Makassar. The programme was attended by 226 journalists from 208 media outlets across 26 provinces in Indonesia. The implementation of UKW aims to optimise journalist professionalism in accordance with the Journalistic Code of Ethics and Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press. This programme is also Pegadaian’s contribution to supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 4, Quality Education, through improving human resource competence in the field of journalism.