The Minister of Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia, Budi Arie Setiadi, invited journalists to visit Papua in order to see firsthand the development process in Papua. As is generally known by the general public, the acceleration of development is one of the priorities of the Cabinet of Ministers in the current Government of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. The acceleration of development in Papua has spread to various aspects such as infrastructure development, public facility development, health facility development, educational facility development, and what has been going on for a long time and has become an attraction in Papua is economic development through mining development and tourism development. The natural resources owned by Papua are so abundant that they can support economic development that refers to the welfare of the community if managed professionally.
Development does not always involve people who master techniques such as in mining companies or experts in fields such as health and education. Former President of the Republic of Indonesia, Bacharudin Jusuf Habibie, said that one of the developments that needs to be considered is development in the field of science which can lead to increasingly better human resources. One of the sciences that is considered necessary in the field of development is journalism. Minister Budi Arie also agreed with how journalists who master journalism can have a significant role in the process of accelerating development that is currently taking place throughout Papua.
News written and then published by journalists can have a positive impact on society. When news appears in major media that can be accessed by the entire community not only in Papua but in Indonesia, the information gap has begun to erode. Moreover, the development of the era that allows everyone to easily access information through media such as online media that can be accessed via smartphones. The role of journalists can also be important in informing the entire community about the development conditions in Papua. The community can read the work of journalists and increase their knowledge and as much as possible have a role that helps in development.
Journalists are also expected to be able to tell about the development conditions in Papua and even promote the good things in Papua. Or when there are certain obstacles in Papua, journalists also have the right to carry out investigations and find out the root of the problem which is discussed scientifically by experts so that the problem can be resolved thanks to news and news from journalists. The hope for the future is that journalists, especially those working in major media, can cover more information and news about development in Papua. It is even possible that there will be journalism training for novice journalists who are Papuan Indigenous People so that they can get a writing perspective from those who are directly affected by the accelerated development process.
