Strengthening Media Ecosystem to Support Development and Quality Information in Papua
The government is continuing its efforts to strengthen the press ecosystem as a pillar of development and a provider of quality information in Tanah Papua. One of the steps being taken is the formulation of an implementation design for a Policy Sandbox for Strengthening the Press and Mass Media in Southwest Papua, which was discussed jointly with the regional government, press members, academics, professional organisations, and business actors. Through this approach, the government seeks to formulate policies that suit regional needs while being able to answer the challenges facing the media industry in Papua.
The Director of Ideology, Nationality, Politics, and Democracy at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Nuzula Anggeraini, asserted that strengthening the press is not only related to the sustainability of the media industry but also serves as an important foundation for democracy and development. ‘The press and mass media are an important part of the democratic ecosystem. Strengthening quality media is a prerequisite for the public to obtain accurate information, so that development can run optimally,’ said Nuzula.
According to her, the challenges faced by the media in Southwest Papua include limited human resource capacity, the demands of digital transformation, a lack of technological infrastructure, the business sustainability of press companies, and the need to increase journalistic professionalism. Therefore, the policies being drafted must consider the characteristics of each region. ‘Each region has different characteristics. Because of that, policies cannot be entirely drawn up from the centre, but must be based on the real conditions in the regions,’ she said.
Acting Regional Secretary of Southwest Papua, Yakob Kareth, stated that the media has a strategic role in conveying development information to the public while building a healthy and participatory public sphere. ‘The media has a strategic role in conveying development information to the public. More than that, the press is also a government partner in building a healthy and participatory public sphere,’ he revealed.
In addition to strengthening journalist competence and the professionalism of press companies, the discussion also highlighted the importance of building a more sustainable media business model so that it does not rely solely on government advertising spending. Diversifying revenue sources is seen as important to strengthen media independence while safeguarding editorial independence. The recommendations produced through the formulation of the Policy Sandbox are expected to become the basis for the birth of policies capable of strengthening a professional, independent, and sustainable press ecosystem.