There are many prospects for the development of online media in Jambi, and PetroChina is ready to throw its full supports.

During the Media Gathering 2022 event, hosted by SKK Migas Southern Sumatera Representative for in Lampung in late August, PetroChina and other oil and gas companies met with around 60 members of Jambi Oil and Gas Journalist Forum (FJM). It was the first offline event since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020.

The event invited online media expert and practitioners Agus Sulistriyono who shared his experience in developing Pikiran Rakyat Media Network. According to Agus, the future of information sharing will be led by online media. Local media have huge potential to lead the online media landscape in Indonesia. “Local media could cover both local and national issues. Financially, local media also receive better revenues from advertisement,” he said.

Agus admitted that developing online local media to have steady growth both in readership and revenue is challenging due to several issues. “Online media relies much on the internet connection and some technical know-how on website development, and local media might struggle with that,” he added.

FJM Chief Mursyid Songsang said that local media under FJM membership still have a lot to learn and would need many supports from others. “Media must maintain impartiality and practice verification and confirmation when covering the news. That is part of our responsibility. On the other hand, we also need supports from other, including from the upstream oil and gas industry,” he said.

Communication Manager Ginandjar said that PetroChina saw media and journalist community as key stakeholder for the company. “We use media to reach out to communities and other stakeholders. Therefore, the creation of fair and trusted media is also something we aim for,” he said.

“We understand that qualified media outlets need a lot of supports, and PetroChina is ready to contribute more. Our regular programs include supporting journalists to take journalist competency test, providing basic needs packages for journalists affected by Covid-19, and sponsoring the journalist’s writing competition,” Ginandjar explained.

Currently, PetroChina has yearly contract with 11 media outlets, including online media, newspapers, and television channels in Jambi. “We hope to build cooperation with more online media in the future,” he added.