STACO Explores Collaboration with Media Group to Strengthen Media in Libya
A non-governmental organisation from Libya, the Shaikh Tahir Alzawi Charity Organisation (STACO), is exploring opportunities for collaboration with Media Group to strengthen the development of mass media in the country. This initiative emerged during a visit by the STACO delegation to Media Group’s office in Kedoya, Jakarta, on Thursday (9/4).
The meeting served as a platform for exchanging ideas, ranging from sharing journalistic experiences and content development to opportunities for technical collaboration and training.
STACO views Indonesia, particularly Media Group, as having a more mature media ecosystem that can serve as a reference for media development in Libya.
The audience was also attended by Salem Abdulsalam Elarabi Ramadan (Chairman of the Board of Directors of STACO), Mohammed Abdelbaset Moktar Eshkal (Head of Operation and Donor Affairs of STACO), Amin Alhadi (Libyan journalist), Almed Eltaher (Libyan journalist), as well as representatives from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Embassy in Tripoli.
Head of Operation and Donor Affairs of STACO, Mohammed Abdulbaset Moktar Eshkal, stated that the visit is part of a five-day mission in Indonesia to explore various forms of collaboration. His side sees concrete opportunities for cooperation, including bringing in professional media personnel to Libya.
“We come from Libya as representatives of civil society organisations. In this meeting, we exchange ideas regarding sharing knowledge with media and institutions,” he said.
For STACO, this collaboration is important given that media development in Libya is still in its early stages. After the 2010 revolution, independent media in Libya has begun to grow but lacks the management experience on the scale of Indonesia’s media industry. Libyan media also shows interest in new trends such as podcasts, which are developing in Indonesia.
In addition, they want to understand strategies for managing social media channels because platforms like Facebook remain one of the main channels for information consumption in Libya.
“We have several media activities, including a podcast studio in Libya. We see opportunities for collaboration by bringing in experienced media personnel to work with us,” added Mohammed.
Not only that, STACO also opens up space for two-way knowledge exchange.
STACO hopes the discussions can soon be realised in the form of concrete cooperation.
“We hope to find common ground and move to the practical stage, so that this collaboration can be realised in the near future,” he said.
From the Media Group side, Head of the News Division of Metro TV, Aries Fadillah, welcomed the opportunity positively. He affirmed openness to various forms of collaboration, including training and content exchanges.
He explained that Media Group, as a media institution, also develops various activities, including organising events and training. According to Aries, this experience can serve as shared learning material.
“We are open to collaboration, including training or content exchanges. We have strengths in journalism as Indonesia’s leading news television,” said Aries.