Coordination meeting for the 2026 PWI Fest.

progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA — The Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) has officially announced the PWI Fest 2026, which will be held on December 4-5, 2026, in Jakarta. This national event is part of the organization’s strategic agenda and is projected to become a permanent annual event for PWI and will be held periodically in various cities throughout Indonesia.

PWI Fest 2026 is designed as an active response by the national press to the changing media industry landscape triggered by technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms. Furthermore, this event officially marked the kick-off for National Press Day (HPN) 2027, which will be held in Lampung Province in April 2027.

The Chair of the PWI Fest 2026 Committee, Auri Jaya explained, that PWI Fest combines two main missions: strengthening the capacity of media workers and social collaboration with the community.

“In addition to holding workshops with speakers from global platforms like TikTok, Meta, and Google, we are also holding an MSME Festival. PWI Fest 2026 is not only a forum to upgrade the skills of press workers in responding to digital and AI developments, but also an arena to get closer to the community,” explained Auri Jaya.

The PWI Fest 2026 series of events includes a Digital Journalism & AI Workshop (discussing Mobile Journalism, data verification/OSINT, and digital security) involving 250–500 journalists, editors, and content creators. The event also featured an MSME Festival, an e-sports competition, and a public entertainment stage, all in collaboration with the government, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the private sector, and digital platforms.

The Chairman of the PWI, Akhmad Munir emphasized, that the national press currently faces significant challenges due to the rapid disruption of digital technology and AI. He stated that PWI Fest 2026 is here to address these challenges in a concrete way.

“The development of Artificial Intelligence and the digital ecosystem today has fundamentally changed the landscape of the media industry. The Indonesian press cannot afford to be hesitant, unsure, or merely a bystander. Through PWI Fest 2026, PWI is taking concrete steps to ensure that our press workers have the capacity, technical skills, and strong ethical understanding to lead in the era of AI transformation,” explained Akhmad Munir.

“However, technological transformation must not uproot the press. A strong press is one that remains relevant and connected to the people. Therefore, we design the PWI Fest not only as a space for academic discussion or editorial training, but also as an open space through the MSME Festival and a people’s party.”

“This is a form of national consolidation between the press community, government, state-owned enterprises, the business world, and global platforms in building an independent Indonesian media industry that is economically powerful and continues to benefit the nation,” he added.

Writer/Editor: Bembo