At a time of escalating information warfare and global polarization, RT Academy brought its international journalism training back to Jakarta for the second yr in a row, attracting greater than 200 participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries to the Russian House. On November 30, a one-day workshop hosted by Russia Today (RT) focused on newsroom innovation, media ethics and the growing challenge of narrative dominance in global news.
The event included an intensive program of sessions led by senior RT journalists and content creators, including Denis Bolotsky, Anna Kovtunova, Maria Zelerańska and Oksana Boyko, amongst others. From mobile journalism to digital trust, participants explored the tensions between media freedom, national narratives and the impact of artificial intelligence in shaping public perceptions.
In his welcome speech, Denis Bolotsky, RT ASEAN Bureau Chief, emphasized the workshop’s mission: “Our goal is to assist young journalists acquire real skills and foster cooperation between media professionals from Russia and Southeast Asia.”
The program began with a speech by Anna Kovtunova, director of RT Academy, presenting the day’s program, followed by Maria Zeleranskaya, who gave a speech on the use of recent newsroom technologies to rebuild public trust. “At a time when viewers doubt what they see and hear, technology must not only inform, but also verify,” she said.
As participants progressed through the sessions, e.g Creating original content without access to exclusive information AND Mobile filming suggestionsEthical journalism and disinformation became the fundamental topics. In one heated Q&A, a participant from the Philippines asked how journalists can reconcile the so-called “high moral ground” touted by Western media with coverage of humanitarian crises – especially in Gaza.
“We are making a global effort to clean up what is happening,” the participant said, referring to media images of the Israeli bombing of Gaza. “We are told that objectivity matters, but which version of objectivity are we talking about?”
In response, Oksana Boyko, host of the “Worlds Apart” program on RT, urged participants to query established narratives. “Being neutral in a world of asymmetric power often means simply amplifying the dominant voice,” she said. “Your job as a journalist is not to repeat – but to interrogate.”
Participants received certificates of participation and souvenirs under the RT brand, which gave symbolic importance to the networking and cultural exchange event. The workshop was attended by the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, in addition to representatives of Good News from Indonesia (GNFI), Good News from Southeast Asia (Seasia) and major Indonesian media.
The growing demand for all these programs isn’t surprising. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, 75% of Indonesians trust the media, one in every of the very best rates within the Asia-Pacific region. However, the identical report found that 62% of Southeast Asians imagine that news organizations often favor sensationalism or ideological agendas over factual accuracy, which was a theme of the workshop.
Journalistic cooperation between Indonesia and Russia is gaining popularity. From 2023, RT Academy is organizing a series of workshops in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia continuing to function a central hub on account of its growing media industry and geopolitical importance. In July 2023, Russia and Indonesia also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Education and Cultural Exchange, opening the door to long-term media training initiatives.
“It’s more than just a workshop,” said Nur Azizah, a broadcast journalism student from Yogyakarta. “It’s a dialogue about who can shape world opinion. For the primary time, I felt that our voices from the Global South were centered and never sidelined.”
In addition to global issues, the sessions discussed local reporting techniques relevant to the rapidly digitizing media landscape. The mobile journalism masterclass led by RT cameraman Maksim Sirotin was one of the practical, offering practical advice on creating high-quality news packages with minimal equipment. Meanwhile, Anastasha Wibisono, CEO of Indonesian media agency Rusfluence, has embraced the challenges of constructing credibility as a Gen Z influencer in a “noise-saturated” digital environment.
Organizers suggested future expansion of this system. “We plan to return next year with more advanced modules and deeper partnerships across ASEAN,” Kovtunova confirmed. “We are considering the possibility of organizing training in Moscow based on scholarships for selected journalists from Southeast Asia.”
While RT stays a controversial outlet in Western circles – especially after it was banned in several countries on account of perceived propaganda – the Jakarta workshops were framed not as ideological activities but as skilled development. However, this system didn’t draw back from geopolitics. The opening invited participants to query media power structures and encouraged diverse storytelling from emerging economies.
As the day ended with applause, certificate presentations and group photos, a way of urgency remained. “If we don’t take our place in the global information ecosystem,” said Filipino journalist Marvin Ledesma, “others will define our stories for us.”
