TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Press Council welcomes new chair Komaruddin Hidayat
The Press Council has elected prominent Islamic scholar Komaruddin Hidayat as its new chair, amid growing challenges the institution faces related to the digital space, the rise of AI and rising violence against the press.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
New Press Council chairman Komaruddin Hidayat gives his first speech at the council’s office in Jakarta on May 14. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S.)
T
he Press Council has elected prominent Islamic scholar Komaruddin Hidayat as its new chair, amid growing challenges the institution faces related to the digital space, the rise of AI and rising violence against the press.
Komaruddin was elected to lead the nine-member council during their first meeting on Wednesday.
In his first speech as chairman, he raised concern over what he called “digital colonialism”, a process in which public discourse in the digital space is increasingly shaped and controlled by algorithms and the growing use of AI, and highlighted the council’s critical role in addressing the issue.
“News and content are flooding the public space, and the council serves as an instrument to educate the public on how to navigate the information overflow,” he said.
Komaruddin said the council would seek to improve the public’s media literacy and counter the spread of false news and disinformation by becoming a learning institute that turns the media into a trusted source of information.
Komaruddin replaced Ninik Rahayu, a legal expert who led the council since 2022.
Before joining the Press Council, Komaruddin was the first rector of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII), serving from 2019 to 2024. Komaruddin was also rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) from 2006 to 2015.
