By: Gita Oktaviani )*
The 2024 general election (Pemilu) is in sight and all parties must make it a success, including the mass and electronic media. The media plays an important role in supporting elections because it is a place to broadcast valid news. Therefore, the media should not spread hoaxes and propaganda because they have the potential to damage elections.
Elections are important events that are held every 5 years and the people look forward to them with enthusiasm, because they want to get a new leader. Since the reform era, the people have been freed to choose presidential candidates, candidates for members of the legislature, and political parties. Unlike in the New Order era, there were only three parties.
When the General Election is almost here, many parties play a role in its success, including the media. Both mass media and electronics, all must support the 2024 Election so that it can take place peacefully.
Bawaslu member (General Election Supervisory Body), Lolly Suhenty stated that Bawaslu plans to partner with the mass media in order to deal with vulnerabilities in the 2024 Election. One of the strategic efforts to prevent this is to embrace the media.
According to him, a prevention strategy based on the media’s perspective is very important in elections. The results of media journalism, will be able to report and influence any perspective to the public. Efforts to embrace journalists with their mass media are included in Bawaslu’s efforts to formulate a strategy to prevent election failures.
Election success can occur when there is assistance from journalists and mass media as well as electronic media. The role of the media is very influential because they report on campaigns, profiles of presidential candidates, and matters that occur during elections in the regions. With positive news, Bawaslu is optimistic that the 2024 Election will be successful.
The media is also obliged to cooperate with Bawaslu and the government to report on campaigns and other matters related to elections, from a positive side. In a sense, when what is highlighted is the positive aspect, it will increase public participation and make the 2024 election successful.
However, when the media acts as they please and then makes sensational news ( click-bait ), the public will be apathetic towards elections. They are getting lazier because the media shows the poor performance of the government, when in fact it is not like that. The media is skeptical and campaigns that whoever the president is, the results are equally bad, even though each presidential candidate has a good vision and mission to advance Indonesia.
It is possible that the words of a politician are twisted by the media so that the public catches them wrong, and in the end they are lazy to vote during elections. The media should not be like that because it will potentially derail the election.
Meanwhile, a political observer from UIN Mataram, Dr. Ihsan Hamid, stated that the mass media has an important role in the success of the 2024 Election. The role of the media includes conveying election information, educating, and warding off hoaxes in society.
The media is also very important to provide important information such as campaign schedules, voting schedules, who are the candidates in certain areas, etc. By announcing the campaign schedule, the public will not campaign prematurely. They will also give their voting rights in an orderly manner during the 2024 elections.
On the other hand, the media should not spread hoaxes and propaganda that have the potential to derail the 2024 Election. Do not let the bad memories of 2014 and 2019 repeat when many hoaxes are spreading in cyberspace. Starting from the fake names of certain presidential or legislative candidates, issues regarding his family, and others. Hoaxes are very troubling because they can ignite hostility between citizens and trigger brawls in cyberspace.
Apart from that, hoaxes can also potentially derail elections because people become anti-certain towards the government. Don’t let the White Group (Golput) level go up because of the many hoaxes on social media.
The media must be neutral and may not spread any hoaxes. Even though sensational headlines attract readers more, if done every day it will make the image negative. Readers will label the media as a place for spreading hoaxes, propaganda, and are no longer neutral. Media like this is like a ‘yellow newspaper’ which is cheap and has a bad image.
Meanwhile, the Cirebon City Election Supervisory Body invited the mass media to realize peaceful elections in 2024. Cirebon City Bawaslu Commissioner, Supriyan, said that as one of the pillars of democracy, the role of the mass media is needed in elections. His party invited all the mass media in Shrimp City to jointly supervise all stages of the 2024 Election.
The success of the election began with media escort covering voting and vote counting events in remote villages. From this coverage, many facts will be revealed in the field. Starting from violations in the form of ballot bubbles, forcing the election of legislative candidates, to the dawn attack or giving bribes before the election begins.
The media must contribute to realizing peaceful elections. The reason is that they are the public mouthpiece so that the problems that exist in the middle of the field can be exposed. When there are journalists, those who will commit fraud will be afraid because they will be found out and reported to the authorities.
The public supports the role of the media in the success of the 2024 Election. The role of the media is very large in being a mouthpiece for reporting so that people know when the campaign schedule, voting date, etc. are. The media must not turn into a place for spreading hoaxes and propaganda, because it has the potential to derail the election.
)* The author is a Contributor to the Windows Baca Institute