At the end of last year, on Tuesday, 22 November 2022, PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR) won an award at the 2022 Indonesia SDGs Award (ISDA) which was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Kuningan, Jakarta. This award honors companies or institutions that are strongly committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). At the 2022 ISDA, PTAR was rewarded with 10 awards at once. One of them is the Silver Award for the Journalist and Media Competency Strengthening program.
PTAR, as the operator of the Martabe Gold Mine, is aware that the media is one of the key stakeholders who play a very important role in the progress of the Martabe Gold Mine. Therefore, establishing good relations with the mass media is an important element to maintain sustainable mining operations. As an appreciation for the continuous support from journalists, PTAR has designed a number of programs that can contribute to increasing the competency and knowledge of journalists, both at the national, provincial and local levels.
First, the Media Capacity Building program. This program, which is routinely carried out every year, has been going on for 10 years since 2013. Media Capacity Building is one of the flagship programs of the PTAR which functions as good governance to maintain relations with media partners. In addition, this program is also aimed at making media partners better understand how a mining company operates according to the laws and regulations set by the Indonesian government, as well as how sustainable mining operations are implemented.
In the Media Capacity Building program, PTAR organizes seminars or workshops that generally carry themes related to mining management, mining and post-mining environmental management, and new trends in the journalism world. A number of facilitators who are competent in their respective fields were also invited to increase the understanding and knowledge of the journalists so that they can respond properly to various issues faced by mining companies.
Second, the Journalistic Competition program. This competition, which is part of a series of activities in the Media Capacity Building program, has been regularly held every year since 2017 and is intended to appreciate mass media journalists in North Sumatra who have so far supported the Martabe Gold Mine operations through their journalistic works.
The Journalistic Work Competition is divided into two categories, namely feature news journalistic works in print/online/electronic mass media (TV and radio) and photojournalistic works. These works are assessed based on the details of the object covered, the background of the problem, the delivery of the language, the structure of the writing, and the value of the information with condition that it has been published in the respective media. And, as a motivation for journalists to get more motivated to improve their journalistic skills, PTAR provides prizes totalling tens of millions for the winners.
Third, providing full support for the implementation of the Journalist Competency Test (UKW) organized by the North Sumatra Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI Sumut). UKW is a gateway for journalists to be more dignified and obedient to the Journalistic Code of Ethics and the Press Law. Until now, PTAR has supported UKW three times, namely in 2016, 2018, and 2020. PWI, as the organizer, really appreciates this support because UKW is very important to be able to produce competitive journalists as well as informative and constructive news products.
Fourth, the Journalistic Safari program. In the Journalistic Safari program, PTAR invites journalists to visit PTAR-assisted locations that have directly benefited from the presence of the Martabe Gold Mine and to get knowledge from a number of experts. In this activity, PTAR not only involved journalists from South Tapanuli, but also journalists from various regions, such as Medan City, North Tapanuli Regency, Central Tapanuli Regency, Sibolga City, and Mandailing Natal Regency (Madina).
In addition to the above programs, to strengthen relationships with the media, PTAR also regularly holds Iftar events with journalists and conducts Media Visits.
