By: Bayu Anggriawan *
Hoax threatens efforts towards the progress of the nation in the midst of global competition, according to the police, a phenomenon that occurred in Papua some time ago, is quite large suspected by hoaxes that are massively propagated by separatist groups. One of these hoaxes is the impact on various riots that occur on the earth of paradise.
This kind of phenomenon does not only occur in Indonesia, in countries such as the United States and Brazil, also faces the circulation of hoaks in even in their political contestation, efforts and struggles to eradicate hoaks should not stop halfway. We all understand that hoaks are also very aware that lying information with false data can be a powerful tool for creating public perception. The goal, of course, is to gain support and vote in political contestation. However, in the current political atmosphere, the increasingly heavy hoaks that flow on social media have the potential to sharpen polarization and division in society, aka the potential to divide citizens in an extreme manner based on political choices. That way, the hoaks that are continually produced on social media finally have the potential to undermine the integrity of the nation. This is the end of the game of lies that we must fear.
Related to hoaxes in Papua, it is strongly suspected that separatist groups put forward to reduce the various achievements of President Jokowi to build the Land of Papua. President Jokowi’s special attention made Papua as a development priority to get appreciation from various parties and the benefits were felt by the community. Separatist groups do not want this, so spreading hoaxes and provocations to hamper development, causing fear in the community making it easier for them to launch a mission of separatism.
The mass media is one of the fourth pillars for the realization of democracy and harmonious life in Indonesia. They have a very big responsibility in cracking down on the spread of hoax news. This means that the instrument is easy and effective to fight or grow a hoax. It is time for the government to firmly unite the movement of the media managers to spearhead this negative news. Moreover, people whose education is so low that they have no education. News that is not true will be eaten and swallowed raw by them.
The hoax phenomenon is a historical reality. Its existence often damages the harmony of social life. Therefore, the phenomenon of hoax is placed in a tension between media idealism and media ethics. Mass communication media, both print and online media, are always developing following the times and technological advancements. The role of the media in spreading news will greatly influence people’s mindsets and socio-economic conditions in a region. Therefore, it is very important for a media to spread the facts or truths in the news to be disseminated. The Big Indonesian Dictionary does not use the word hoax, but it does use words that are close to the definition of hoax above, namely: fiction news created for a specific purpose; or sensations that are too raised to attract the attention of the public.
- The author is an activist of Forumliterasi.org
