The Chief Editors Forum is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year with a reaffirmation of its commitment to the free press.

The group met in Jakarta on Friday under the theme “Advancing the press, uniting the nation”, and the gathering featured government officials, politicians and businesspeople as keynote speakers.

In a video message, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo joined other political figures in congratulating the forum for its achievements in advancing press freedom and promoting independent journalism.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage the press to continue promoting the public's right to factual information, providing news through practice of quality journalism and combating hoaxes and slander, which can divide the nation," he said.

Chief Editors Forum chairman Arifin Asydhad said the forum had played a strong role in nurturing the press, identifying the nation’s problems and seeking the best solutions to those problems since its founding in 2012.

“The commitment to fostering the press and being attentive to problems the nation is facing is consistently upheld by the Chief Editors Forum," said Arifin, who is also the editor-in-chief of news website Kumparan. "Various programs continue to be taken to improve the quality of journalism. Discussion with stakeholders continues to be activated to identify the nation's problems and find solutions."

Arifin said the forum had created a task force that was working with the Press Council to devise regulations that he said would help large tech companies foster a healthy information ecosystem.

"The mass media are currently trapped in the era of [page] views and clicks due to the strong role of global [digital] platforms. Journalism standards are falling. The press community must open their eyes and find solutions together," Arifin said.

Speaking at the event, political figures called for increased trustworthiness and accountability to help the media find a new equilibrium in the face of new technology and threat of polarization.

Coordinating Economic Minister and Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto expressed his gratitude for the group, saying the press had played a crucial role in the nation's development.

"The media is very important for the government because there is no single public policy that is not co-produced by the media [...]. A great narrative can only be delivered through partnerships with the media," Airlangga said.

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said it was important for the media to take part in “building the nation”.

"Both transparency and accountability certainly must be ensured in the role of the press. Freedom must be balanced with responsibility. A responsible press takes part in building the nation. We can correct each other," he said.

Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, chair of the opposition Democratic Party, said civil liberties, including the freedom of the press, had to be fostered amid a decline in the quality of democracy in Indonesia.

The 2022 Freedom in the World report by Washington-based democracy watchdog Freedom House, which analyzes the state of political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories, rated Indonesia as “partly free” with an overall score of 59 in 2021.

Agus said he believed this could improve.

“The pillars of democracy must grow strong so that they can safeguard the development of our nation in the future […]. An independent and credible press capable of verifying actual factual news is what our country needs to prevent divisions, promote democracy and continue to allow people to prosper."

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, meanwhile, said democracy depended on trust and called on the media to boost trust by providing a space for debate.

“If the media becomes a vehicle for providing an equality of ideas and opportunities, I believe a sense of togetherness will arise and unity will emerge,” he said.