Pegadaian Supports Journalism Competence with UKW for Hundreds of Indonesian Journalists

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Pegadaian (Persero) has once again demonstrated its commitment to improving the quality of the Indonesian press by holding Journalist Competency Tests (UKW). Since 2025, this programme, in collaboration with the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute (LPDS), has reached hundreds of journalists from various regions as part of an effort to strengthen national press professionalism. Entering 2026, this commitment continues. The first UKW Pegadaian session 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. At the Surabaya UKW, Deputy Chairperson of the Press Council Totok Suryanto expressed his appreciation for Pegadaian’s support in enhancing the competence of journalists in Indonesia, noting that it provides significant benefits for journalists. In line with this, Director of the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute Kristanto Hartadi also expressed his appreciation and 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 the competence and professionalism of national press members. Moreover, the implementation of UKW is also part of the effort to preserve press freedom. Press freedom can only be maintained by professional, competent, and upright journalists. Pegadaian’s support is a real contribution to maintaining the quality of Indonesian journalism,” said Kristanto. On a separate occasion, PT Pegadaian’s Director of Network and Operations Eka Pebriansyah said that for Pegadaian, the media is a strategic partner in building public literacy. Therefore, the company is committed to continuously supporting the capacity building of press members so they can present accurate, credible, and value-added information. “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,” said Eka. Previously, Pegadaian successfully held UKW throughout 2025 in eleven cities, namely 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 improve the professionalism of journalists 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 Goal (SDG) number 4, Quality Education, through improving the competence of human resources in the field of journalism.