By: Isna Azhari) *
The media certainly plays an important role in tackling hoaxes. Therefore, the press is expected to be able to take the right steps in overcoming this problem.
Currently, the Indonesian people can easily get information on various current issues, such as politics, lifestyle, celebrity life, technology, education, finance, and much more. In this digital age, you can get various information in just minutes. This is because online media are like a part of Indonesian people’s lives that cannot be separated.
Online media is like dominating various other media, such as print and electronics. The presence of the internet makes it easy for this one communication channel to present various issues and the latest news. This, of course, is inseparable from the role of journalists under the auspices of online media companies in gathering current issues.
The existence of an increasingly sophisticated era this actually brings concern for various parties. The reason is, news that is spread in various online media often contains hoaxes. Hoax is a news that is not in accordance with the facts. Thus, hoaxes become one of the problems in communication.
According to the former Minister of Communication and Information, Rudiantara, hoaxes will always be in the news carried out by the mass media, especially now that social media is widely used by the people of Indonesia, so that hoaxes are more easily spread. Therefore, the Indonesian people cannot spread the word unknowingly.
The impact of the hoax itself is certainly very dangerous, including losses to certain individuals or groups, diversion of issues to launch crime, public fraud, public panic, divide between nations, and much more.
Then, who is responsible for this hoax news? According to the Director General of Public Information and Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Niken Widiastuti, the role of the press is very important to ward off hoax news. The press must be careful in filtering the news circulating in the community.
In addition, the press must be able to present balanced news, in accordance with facts, and in favor of the truth. The way to do this is that they have to educate the Indonesian people with factual and reliable news. To get news that is in accordance with facts, the press must take various actions.
Actions that can be carried out by the press in the fight against hoaxes, namely by verifying. When getting news, media journalists should go to the scene or contact the authorities. For example, when an accident occurs, journalists certainly cannot merely get information from social media. They have to go into the field to get the real data by interviewing witnesses or authorities.
In addition to verifying, the press can also work with third parties, namely the Indonesian Anti-Defamation Society (MAFINDO) and the National Police. The press can do fact checking on the field to fight hoaxes. If information engineering is proven, the police can take further legal action.
The role of the press against hoaxes can also be done by getting information not only from one source. Each resource person will be asked for information on the issues currently being widely circulated. It should be noted that the reporter must write as is, if the informant says A, then the reporter is not allowed to write B or C. In essence, every news must be written in accordance with the facts from the source.
Although times are changing and technology continues to develop rapidly, the press must continue to prioritize the accuracy of the news rather than speed to fight the hoax that is currently so mushrooming. Therefore, the press must uphold the journalistic code of ethics, one of which is that Indonesian journalists always test information, report in a balanced manner, do not mix facts and opinions that judge, and apply the principle of presumption of innocence, contained in Article 3.
In conclusion, the media is the main role in tackling hoaxes. There are various ways that can be done, namely to re-verify the news, in collaboration with the authorities, and get information from more than one source. In addition to having professional technical responsibilities, the Indonesian Press also has social national responsibility. Therefore, it is hoped that the press can bring enlightenment to the survival of the Indonesian people who have been submerged in hoax news.
) * The author is a contributor to the Jakarta student and press forums