August 21, 2026 | 01:19 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The press community is urging the Press Council to swiftly enact regulations governing the Indonesian Journalism Fund. This call emerged during a discussion hosted by PR2Media alongside the Media Sustainability Coalition (KKM) on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
Wahyu Dhyatmika, Chairperson of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI) and a KKM representative, noted that the regulatory drafting process has been underway since last year, involving all Press Council constituents as well as its Legal and Digital Committees. The draft regulation was formally agreed upon in April 2026. "We hope the Press Council's plenary meeting next week will promptly enact the regulation," Wahyu said in a press statement.
The principle of independence lies at the core of the proposed journalism fund. One of the key points in the draft regulation mandates that all financial contributions received by the fund organizer be collected into a single pool. This structure creates a firewall of anonymity between donors and newsroom recipients.
The coalition believes this protective barrier will prevent funders from influencing disbursement decisions or altering funded editorial content. Fund allocation will be proposal-based and publicly announced, with evaluations conducted by an ad hoc panel. This process ensures that financial distribution can be entirely independent.
Evi Mariani, Deputy Coordinator of the Alternative Media Coalition, emphasized that such funding is vital for small news outlets struggling to secure advertising revenue. "Support for independent coverage is greatly needed, particularly by regional media often overlooked by advertisers," she said.
According to Camelia Pasandaran, a communications lecturer at Universitas Indonesia, the journalism fund will ultimately serve the public interest. She noted that the initiative will make verified, unbiased news far more accessible to citizens.
Camelia explained that amid an overwhelming flood of digital information, journalism funds will empower media outlets and reporters to produce news that directly serves the public. "Reliable information is very important for citizens and [to advance] public agendas," she said.
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