JAKARTA, BUNDARAN SKYNEWS – The Cyber Media Association of Indonesia (SMSI), one of the constituent members of the Press Council, has officially inaugurated the Pokja Newsroom Jaga Desa (Guard Village Working Group) at the Press Council Hall, Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.
The initiative aims to strengthen the role of digital media in monitoring development, safeguarding community interests, and fostering rural progress across Indonesia.
Attending the event as a key speaker, Hashim Djojohadikusumo—presidential advisor and younger brother of Indonesia’s 8th President, Prabowo Subianto—expressed his high appreciation for SMSI’s breakthrough.
“I believe in SMSI and deeply appreciate this activity, which is why I am here,” Hashim stated during his opening remarks.
Hashim noted that his direct presence in Central Jakarta also serves as a real testimony that the capital city remains safe, stable, and conducive despite ongoing public debates and widespread news reports.
Furthermore, Hashim emphasized the critical responsibility of the national press in delivering complete, data-driven, and factual reporting to prevent public distortion.
“Do not become a misleading press. Deliver complete information backed by reliable data and facts,” Hashim firmly reminded journalists, warning against out-of-context reporting that could distort vital national priority policies.
In this initial phase, the Newsroom Jaga Desa program will feature five provinces as pilot projects, namely West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bengkulu, and South Sumatra.
SMSI General Chairman, Firdaus, highlighted that rural areas should be positioned as the nation’s frontline showcase rather than secondary entities. Following the pilot phase, SMSI plans to expand the newsroom network nationally to build an integrated information flow right from the grassroots level.
To support the national rural policy framework, Hashim revealed plans to conduct intensive dialogues with student executive bodies (BEM) from top universities, including Universitas Indonesia (UI), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). The feedback gathered from academic circles will be summarized and directly submitted to President Prabowo Subianto as policy recommendations.
During the interactive session, SMSI General Chairman Firdaus raised concerns regarding the Press Council building setup, where constituent media organizations operate separately across regions due to space limitations. Hashim responded positively to the input, stating that he would convey the issue to the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid, for further consideration.
The inauguration event was attended by over one hundred delegates, media owners, and civil society leaders. It concluded with a national dialogue session discussing economic resilience and press freedom, led by Prof. Dr. Albertus Wahyu Rudhanto from the Police Science College (PTIK) alongside key economic experts.
