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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Media Coalition Urges Press Council to Pass Journalism Fund

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Indonesian media organizations are urging the Press Council to quickly pass regulations for the Indonesian Journalism Fund, a process that has been ongoing since last year.
  • The proposed fund emphasizes independence, with a firewall between donors and newsrooms to prevent influence on editorial content, and allocation based on public proposals.
  • Media advocates believe the fund is crucial for supporting small and regional news outlets struggling with advertising revenue and for ensuring public access to verified, unbiased news.

The Indonesian press community is calling on the Press Council to swiftly enact regulations for the Indonesian Journalism Fund. This initiative, aimed at bolstering media sustainability, has been under development since last year, involving various Press Council constituents and committees. The draft regulation was formally agreed upon in April 2026, and stakeholders hope for its prompt approval in the upcoming plenary meeting.

We hope the Press Council's plenary meeting next week will promptly enact the regulation.

— Wahyu DhyatmikaChairperson of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI) and a representative of the Media Sustainability Coalition (KKM), expressing hope for the swift approval of the journalism fund regulations.

A core principle of the proposed fund is its independence. The draft regulation mandates that all financial contributions be pooled, creating an essential anonymity barrier between donors and newsroom recipients. This structure is designed to prevent funders from influencing disbursement decisions or dictating editorial content. Fund allocation will be managed through a proposal-based system, with evaluations conducted by an ad hoc panel, ensuring a transparent and independent distribution process.

Representatives from media coalitions emphasize the critical need for such funding, particularly for small news outlets that struggle to secure advertising revenue. "Support for independent coverage is greatly needed, especially by regional media often overlooked by advertisers," stated Wahyu Dhyatmika, Chairperson of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI) and a representative of the Media Sustainability Coalition (KKM).

Support for independent coverage is greatly needed, particularly by regional media often overlooked by advertisers.

— Evi MarianiDeputy Coordinator of the Alternative Media Coalition, highlighting the importance of the fund for smaller and regional news outlets.

Furthermore, experts highlight the fund's potential to serve the public interest by making verified, unbiased news more accessible. Camelia Pasandaran, a communications lecturer at Universitas Indonesia, explained that in an era of information overload, journalism funds empower media outlets to produce news that directly benefits the public. "Reliable information is very important for citizens and [to advance] public agendas," she noted, underscoring the fund's role in strengthening informed public discourse.

Reliable information is very important for citizens and [to advance] public agendas.

— Camelia PasandaranA communications lecturer at Universitas Indonesia, explaining the public interest served by accessible, verified news.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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