Jakarta (ANTARA) - Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi stated that the publishers’ rights regulation is the government’s affirmative policy aimed at strengthening the national media industry.

The minister underscored the need for a presidential regulation on publishers’ rights and a Law on Information and Electronic Transactions to support efforts to strengthen the media industry.

“This step is needed to ensure digital disruptions do not erode the sustainability of industry players, but instead, strengthens it,” he noted in a press release from his ministry here on Tuesday.

At the “National Mass Media Convention: The Press Realizes Democracy in the Digital Era" event in Jakarta on Monday (February 19), he explained that before the regulation on publishers' rights is made effective, there will be a transition period of six months.

During the transition period, he said, media companies can prepare themselves to implement the regulation.

"I think six months is not a long time. Thus, working fast and accurately is needed," he remarked.

Related news: Press should continue to innovate after "Publisher Rights": Minister

The minister expressed optimism that the regulation will push the media industry's growth forward.

"I believe that this spirit will create a future that is full of optimism for the media industry, an agile and adaptive media industry, and a quality and sustainable media industry," he affirmed.

Setiadi encouraged the national media industry to seize opportunities presented by global digitalization by developing innovations.

He noted that based on data from the World Association of News Publishers, the income of the global media industry had reached US$130 billion in 2023.

"This is a figure resulting from a combination of existing news activities with digital technology, one of which is digital newspaper circulation," he stated.

He encouraged the national media industry to adopt and develop new technologies and increase workers' skills to seize emerging opportunities.

"(This includes) carrying out upscaling, so that workers have the necessary skills to face challenges and opportunities of technological developments," he remarked.

Related news: Draft publishers' rights regulation to be approved soon: Minister

Translator: Fathur Rochman, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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