JAKARTA - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi stated that today's press issues pose a dilemma and injustice. This was stated by KDM, as Kang Dedi Mulyadi is known, in his remarks at the 2026 Press Council Awards ceremony held at the Press Council Hall on Wednesday (October 28, 2026). The theme was "Press Freedom, Quality Journalism, and Media Sustainability."

According to him, in terms of the press, as a responsible journalist, everyone must have ethics and uphold truth and justice. Furthermore, in terms of professional ethics, they must be held accountable.

"In my view, today's journalists aren't afraid of anyone or anything. What they fear is the cessation of production and the absence of production costs," said KDM.

KDM believes that in every episode of history, something is inevitably born, selected by natural processes. Ultimately, those who will emerge and survive are those who uphold the values of independence and have the courage to confront anyone.

"By upholding the principles of openness and adhering to objective truth, that's the first. Second, irresponsible freedom in this era of social media is held by netizens who are not bound by any ethics. They are not bound by professional ethics, they are not bound by organizations, and they are not bound by the law," he explained.

According to KDM, this situation has resulted in the glorification of freedom of thought, leading to attempts to perpetrate individual persecution through social media stigma. "This is our threat, because the threat is that in the future, people will be born who are uncivilized and without civilization," he said.

Meanwhile, responsible and civilized people almost lost their income, while uncivilized and uncultured people actually received many orders from various parties.

"This problem must be addressed immediately in our climate of freedom. This way, social media and the press can become tools for building national progress, building national intelligence, and building a public that is responsible for its every thought and action," he explained.

KDM emphasized that the process of building a responsible public is a prerequisite for improving the quality of human resources and the quality of democracy.

"Democracy will give birth to a healthy democracy when it is filled with people who are mentally healthy and democracy will experience chaos and destruction when it is filled with people who are not mentally healthy.

"The degradation of journalism is caused by the proliferation of individuals who use the press for personal gain, rather than for the advancement of democracy and humanity. These individuals are now quite free to take action for their own personal gain, ultimately tarnishing the image of the press," he stressed.

For this reason, according to KDM, in the future the press council must start to take the lead, announcing responsible press, press personnel who have a true press identity so that the press can once again become a prestigious institution, respected by everyone, and become a reference for the truth of news.

On the same occasion, KDM also provided compensation to the families of journalist victims who have not yet been found while covering the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau some time ago, each of them receiving Rp. 50 million.