CNNIndonesia.com Wins First Prize at 2026 MH Thamrin Journalism Awards

CNNIndonesia.com took first place in the infographic category at the 52nd Mohammad Hoesni Thamrin Journalism Awards with “Jakarta’s Cemetery Land Crisis,” an infographic created by Basith Sebastian.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung presented the award to Basith at Jakarta City Hall on Monday. The competition attracted 754 journalistic works, a level of participation Pramono said reflected strong media attention to Jakarta’s changing dynamics and the city’s development.

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This year, 754 journalistic works participated, showing the extent of media attention in recording Jakarta’s dynamics from various perspectives.

Pramono also welcomed the special category titled “Looking Toward Five Centuries of Jakarta.” He said journalism records more than the events of the day, becoming part of the city’s memory and helping future generations understand Jakarta’s development.

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Journalistic work does not only record today’s events, but also becomes part of the city’s memory, helping future generations understand Jakarta’s journey.

He congratulated the winners and called on journalists to maintain integrity and professionalism. Pramono said Jakarta’s provincial government needed an independent, critical, accurate and constructive press as the city pursued its goal of becoming an inclusive, competitive and sustainable global city.

Kesit Budi Handoyo, chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Journalists Association, said preparations had begun for the 2027 awards, which will carry a theme focused on 500 years of Jakarta. The association also plans to add an award category for journalistic work published through social media.

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For us, the most important thing is how we can contribute to media colleagues and journalists in producing journalistic work, especially about Jakarta’s dynamics.