Press Council to Meet Constituents to Discuss National Press Day Implementation

In 2026, the Press Council has received at least four letters from its constituents, comprising two press company organisations and two journalist organisations. The core of these letters concerns the implementation of National Press Day (HPN), which is traditionally observed on 9 February.

In these letters, certain Press Council constituents have offered to serve as the organisers for HPN 2027. Other constituents have proposed that the responsibility for this annual press community event should rest with the Press Council, to be organised jointly with the Council’s constituents.

There are several reasons why constituents are proposing that the Press Council take responsibility for HPN. This is because HPN is an activity based on a decision made by the President as Head of State, as stipulated in Presidential Decree Number 5 of 1985 concerning National Press Day.

While the Presidential Decree states that “9 February is established as National Press Day,” there is no clause within the decree specifying who is responsible for its organisation. Given that the Press Council is the implementer of Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press, and its members are appointed via presidential decree, the institution is deemed to have the authority to act as the person in charge of HPN.

HPN was one of the topics discussed during the Press Council’s plenary meeting on 27 August 2026. The meeting concluded that, to follow up on this matter, the Press Council will organise a meeting with all its constituents, including the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), the journalist organisation that has traditionally been responsible for organising HPN.

The plenary meeting also decided that the Press Council intends to propose an amendment to Presidential Decree Number 5 of 1985 regarding HPN. This is because the decree is still based on regulations that are no longer in effect, namely Law Number 21 of 1982, which amended Law Number 11 of 1966 regarding the Basic Provisions of the Press as amended by Law Number 4 of 1967.