By: Ruslan Wahab )*
Covid-19 pandemic still hit Indonesia and initially there were rules for staying at home so we were strictly forbidden to leave the house except for special reasons such as going to the clinic. But now there is relaxation and is starting to enter the new normal era so that it can move again. During this transition period, we are expected to be more productive and not continue the habit of lying down when staying at home. The media should also broadcast news about the beauty of work discipline and productivity.
Covid-19 pandemic makes people bound to the rules to remain silent at home and also work from home. But when entering a new normal, slowly things turn out as usual and we can leave the house, as long as we wear a mask and maintain hygiene. This transition period makes many people surprised because they are accustomed to relaxing at home, so they have to enter the office again even if not every day. Because the place of work applies physical distancing rules, so the number of people in one room is limited and finally a shift work system is made.
The transition period when the beginning of this new normal sometimes makes many people become complained because they used to lie down while playing gadgets at home. So how do you change their mindset so that it continues with discipline and triggers productivity? One of them is through media coverage.
Why does it have to be the media? Because every day we definitely see news about world developments and current issues, both in print and electronic media. The media has a big influence on the audience, because on average it is accessed in a calm brain condition. At that time the news in the media was able to penetrate the mind and influence the mindset of the audience. Therefore all media are expected to be able to convey positive news and motivate the community to continue to be productive even though it is still in the middle of a pandemic.
Writers in the media can create news narratives about the positive side of discipline in the pandemic era. If there are still people who are lazy to wear masks, there should be no impressions that even bully them. But what aired was news about the distribution of free masks and the benefits of cloth masks. For example, it can prevent the entry of droplets so that it is safe from covid-19 virus transmission.
Even people who are still lazy to wash their hands are given impressions about the benefits of maintaining hygiene. So they are motivated to be more disciplined in maintaining cleanliness. Instead of being frightened about the dangers of hands that are dirty and become susceptible to corona. The media are expected to broadcast the news from a positive perspective rather than broadcast junk or hoax news.
Community productivity in the co-19 pandemic era was indeed still unstable. The media should provide motivation on how to improve it. Such as broadcasting the calm news of the public figure Putri Ayudya who called on the community to continue to be productive, and improve skills even though they are still in the co-19 pandemic. If possible, our skills will increase even if there is only one type.
The media can also provide reasons why you should increase productivity and increase skills. For example, if people continue to be active and learn new things, they can create new works and sell them at a reasonable price. The unemployed learn skills such as knitting and baking and then start business and are no longer anxious because they get income again. Moreover, in this internet era, there are already many tutorials available, both through articles and videos.
The existence of the media should present positive news to motivate the public to continue to be disciplined and maintain hygiene, to prevent corona transmission. The media should also broadcast news about the importance of increasing work productivity, so that people are more enthusiastic and want to learn something new. The community is happy because TV shows and news on the internet continue to motivate to remain optimistic, even though we are still in the co-19 pandemic.
)* Active writer in the Cilacap Literacy forum