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The country’s 64th National Press Day was commemorated in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Tuesday with the ratification of a new set of standards aimed at improving professionalism among the nation’s journalists.

The Palembang Charter was signed by senior figures from 18 media organizations, including the Kompas-Gramedia Group, LKBN Antara, RRI, TVRI, Trans Group, Mahaka Media, Globe Media Group and Jawa Pos Group. It was witnessed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Five years in the making, the Palembang Charter commits its signatories to carrying out, maintaining and securing the freedom of a responsible press. It includes a set of regulations along with three other guidelines: a code of ethics for journalists, standards for publishers and guidelines for the protection of media workers.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Yudhoyono thanked the nation’s journalists for helping to develop a rich and vibrant democracy. He appealed to them to uphold the democratic values they had promoted and called on them to continue to safeguard the country’s efforts to eradicate corruption.

But Yudhoyono added that the media also needed to exercise restraint, cover both sides of every story and be selective about which stories were fit to publish or broadcast.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), the Ministry of National Education and Unesco to establish six new journalism schools across the country.

The new schools would provide non-degree training programs for entry-level, mid-career and senior journalists, Zulkarimein Nasution, executive director of the Indonesian Journalism School and a professor of mass communications at the University of Indonesia’s School of Social and Political Sciences , told the Jakarta Globe.

Zulkarimein said the first program had begun in Palembang on Sunday, with its operating costs being borne by the South Sumatra provincial administration, PWI and the Ministry of National Education.

Sukemi , a member of the ministry’s special staff, told the Jakarta Globe that the training programs would include interviewing techniques, proper language for reporting and journalism theory and ethics.

A number of journalists were also awarded for their contributions to the craft on Tuesday. Adinegoro journalism awards were given to Muhammad Fitrah, a photojournalist from the Singgalang Daily newspaper in Padang, West Sumatra, and to Koran Tempo for its editorials.

Golden Pen Awards went to South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin for his efforts to promote press freedom in the region, and to H Tarman Azzam, a former PWI chief, for his contributions to promoting responsible journalism while at the helm of the association for two terms.

Separately, hundreds of journalists from the Axis of Jakarta Journalists (PWJ) held a rally on Tuesday to urge the government to protect journalists from violence while in the line of duty.

They also demanded that the government and Press Council take firm action against press and media owners who prevented workers from establishing labor unions.

PWJ chairman Wahyu Widodo said media organizations should also provide sufficient salaries for journalists.

“Based on our calculations, the salary for an entry-level journalist should be about Rp 5.5 million ($590) per month,” he said, adding that most entry-level journalists only received about Rp 2 million a month.



Additional reporting by Antara, Anita Rachman