Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – The Chairperson of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Nany Afrida, believes that student press agencies play a strategic role in responding to the spread of harmful content in the digital space.
According to her, student press serves as independent and critical media among young people. "Not only covering issues within the campus but also broader societal problems," Nany said at the National Seminar and World Press Freedom Day commemoration in 2025 at the Auditorium of IAIN Kediri on Sunday, May 4, 2025, as quoted from a written statement.
According to Nany, this role makes student press an important actor in combating disinformation and increasing media literacy among students. "Unfortunately, student press agencies still face various challenges, ranging from physical and digital threats to limited access to professional capacity development," Nany said.
One of the issues Nany highlighted is the decline in press freedom index in Indonesia. She noted that Indonesia's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has dropped to 124 out of 180 countries. "Violence against professional journalists in regions has been rampant, and student press members have not been spared," she said.
Nany asserts that press freedom in Indonesia is still far from ideal and tends to worsen. She mentioned that despite the annual release of a seemingly positive press freedom index by the Press Council, the reality on the ground shows the opposite.
Data from the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders on May 2, 2025, indicates that Indonesia's ranking continues to decline, from 108 in 2023 to 111 in 2024, and now to 127 out of 180 countries.
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the Indonesian Student Press Association (PPMI), Wahyu Gilang, revealed that from 2013 to 2021, there were 331 cases of violence against student press, involving perpetrators from campus bureaucracy, organizations, and authorities. "Within the period of 2013-2021, there were 331 cases of violence against student presses in various campuses in Indonesia," he said in the same discussion.
Nany reminded that violence and intimidation not only happen to professional journalists but also to student press. However, she noted that violence against student press rarely receives attention. "The future challenges are becoming more complex. On one hand, we face harmful content, hoaxes, disinformation, misinformation, hate speech, and others, but on the other hand, student press also becomes the target of censorship, institutional pressure, and even digital attacks," Nany said.
In the same discussion, the representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Ana Lomtadze, emphasized the importance of the role of student press within the campus. They are seen as independent media for youth in covering campus and broader societal issues.
Ana also highlighted the new challenges faced by student press, particularly regarding the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on freedom of expression. She emphasized that this year's World Press Freedom Day focuses on the influence of AI on freedom of expression and the media landscape.
According to Ana, now is the right time to reflect on the challenges of digital transformation. "It's very difficult to reject, let alone understand and analyze the issues that currently affect us all. This is where the press plays a role, not only reporting stories that are of public concern, (but) you also fight disinformation and raise awareness," said Ana, who attended virtually.
Therefore, she stressed the importance of media literacy, not only for navigating the digital world but also for producing professional independent journalism that serves the public interest. "Literacy helps equip the ability to think critically, verify facts, recognize information, and overall help navigate digital platforms more safely and critically," she said.
Ana concluded her statement by emphasizing UNESCO's and AJI's commitment to continue supporting ethical journalism, including among student press. According to her, this initiative is crucial to strengthen digital security and ensure that student press can carry out their roles safely.