Serang, 9 February 2026 – The Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency, Teuku Riefky Harsya, attended the peak commemoration of National Press Day 2026 (HPN) at the Al-Bantani Grand Mosque, Serang, Banten, on Monday (9/2). This presence reflected the government’s support for the strategic role of the press in strengthening democracy and national economic development.
The Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, attended the peak commemoration of National Press Day 2026 (HPN) at the Al-Bantani Grand Mosque, Serang, Banten, on Monday (9/2/2026).
National Press Day 2026 carried the theme “A Healthy Press, a Sovereign Economy, a Strong Nation.” This annual event served as a momentum to honor the contributions of press professionals in safeguarding freedom of expression, delivering balanced information, and carrying out their roles in social control and public education. The press is also considered to play an important role in building public literacy across various sectors, including the creative economy.
Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment of the Republic of Indonesia, Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin), emphasized journalism as a driving force for the nation. According to him, the press cannot be separated from national interests, ranging from its working methods and upholding values to understanding the historical responsibilities it carries.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy
“Indonesia has become the largest digital market in Southeast Asia, with more than 229 million people—or around 80% of the population—connected to the internet. This fact sends a very clear message: the future of our economy, social stability, and even national identity is heavily influenced by media sentiment and the quality of information,” he explained.
Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya emphasized that the press is a strategic partner in promoting creativity-based economic sovereignty. He added that responsible press freedom forms the foundation for a healthy creative economy ecosystem.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy
“The theme ‘A Healthy Press, a Sovereign Economy, a Strong Nation’ underscores that a professional and integrity-driven press is a crucial foundation in building economic sovereignty, including through the strengthening of the creative economy based on publishing and digital content. Within the creative economy ecosystem, the press has a strong intersection with the publishing and creative content subsectors, spanning from production and packaging to the distribution of value-added, competitive information,” Teuku Riefky stated on Monday (9/2).
The Chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) and also the Chair of the HPN Committee, Akhmad Munir, stated that the theme of HPN 2026 is closely related to current conditions. He interpreted a healthy press as one that is professional, independent, integrity-driven, and economically sustainable.
Doc. Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy
“The challenges ahead are not easy. Digital discussions, the flood of unverified information, artificial intelligence, social polarization, and economic pressures on the media industry are realities we must face. Collaboration between the government, the press, and society is essential to create a healthy media and information ecosystem, including combating hoaxes and disinformation. The press will continue to monitor the government, whoever is in power, to ensure success, because we believe that the success of the government is the success of the people,” he said.
On the occasion of HPN, several awards were presented to those working in the field of journalism, including the FWI Journalism Award, Adinegoro Award, Press Card Number One Award, SIWO Awards, PWI Awards, and the PWI Cultural Award.
The National Press Day commemoration was also attended by several state officials, including the Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly Ahmad Muzani, Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid, Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Nezar Patria, Deputy Minister of Communications of Malaysia Teo Nie Ching, Governor of Banten Andra Soni, Chairman of the Press Council of the Republic of Indonesia Komaruddin Hidayat, as well as a number of leaders of institutions and regional officials from across Indonesia.
The Minister of Creative Economy was accompanied by the Deputy for Strategic Development of the Creative Economy, Cecep Rukendi.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
