Indonesian Press Council Honors Muhammadiyah Leader Haedar Nashir for 42 Years in Journalism

Prof. Haedar Nashir, the leader of Muhammadiyah, has been officially recognized for his extensive career in journalism, receiving a special senior journalist card from the Indonesian Press Council. The award acknowledges his more than four decades dedicated to the profession, starting as a reporter for Suara Muhammadiyah in 1984.

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I am happy and proud that Mr. Haedar is officially registered as a senior journalist. At a time when the press world is increasingly losing figures who are journalists as well as cultural figures and thinkers of the nation.

Prof. Komaruddin Hidayat, chairman of the Press Council, expressed pride in Nashir's achievement, emphasizing the value of seasoned journalists who are also cultural figures and national thinkers. Hidayat noted a perceived decline in such multifaceted individuals within the press, contrasting the past where journalists often served as cultural commentators and intellectuals with the present, where the profession can sometimes be viewed merely as a job.

He also addressed the phenomenon of "journalists without newspapers," attributing it partly to economic pressures. Hidayat stressed that responsible journalism requires producing high-quality, selective, and substantive information. He drew a parallel with Islamic traditions, particularly in the study of hadith, which emphasize rigorous verification and classification of information to distinguish between authentic and false reports.

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Today's news is often weak and false. There is so much disinformation.

Hidayat lamented the current information landscape, describing much of today's news as "weak and false," with widespread disinformation. He observed that constant access to information via mobile phones has made it a daily necessity, but the primary challenge is not the volume of information, but its quality, which he likened to being polluted by misinformation.

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When people wake up, the first thing they grab is not a drink but their mobile phone. Before going to sleep, they don't want a drink either, but their mobile phone.