The Role of Media as a Means of Guarding Public Discipline in New Normal Application
By: Anton Bachrul Aji (Journalist / Correspondent KataIndonesia
The Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia does not appear to be showing signs of decline. After imposing a policy of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) for two months, the government plans to create a new scenario with a new normal order . This choice is based on WHO’s views which revealed, it took a long time to find anti-virus. The government and society need to find ways to survive during the vaccine research period. Therefore, in agreement with WHO’s statement, President Joko Widodo issued a statement that humans must be able to live side by side and make peace with this virus.
Making peace with the Corona Virus pandemic does not mean that this nation has surrendered to the ferocity of the virus which is staying from China. However, we survive by continuing to carry out activities and activities as usual, but it is inseparable from the application of health protocols. This is referred to as a new normality or commonly said to be new normal.
New Normal provides some flexibility to the public while maintaining a health protocol. Reopening activities and accessibility such as places of worship, entertainment, shopping, and holidays are believed to be able to restore the economy both on a macro and micro scale. While controlling the spread by running health protocols.
However, the economy does not necessarily grow just like that. It takes a process to restore the movement of the economic wheel which had previously stopped. You could say now is a transition from PSBB to new normal. This period is what determines whether this nation really is able to make peace and side by side with Corona . If successful, then this nation will take a higher level and achieve planned goals. However, if it fails, it will return to the previous level, maybe even lower. Therefore, cooperation is needed from all elements of society from the lowest to the highest levels.
It becomes common when the public response varies. Then that is the joint effort to stem the flow of negative and misleading information. The role of the media becomes an urgency in itself, because the media, especially online media , are needed by the community, especially in the current conditions that are full of limitations. The public will tend to always need the latest news amid the Corona pandemic outbreak in Indonesia. On the other hand, media coverage has an extraordinary ability to direct the public’s perspective, so that the news delivered must be factual and actually prevent social turmoil caused by misguided thinking.
Reporting from jabarnews.com, visitors to health news sites have increased by 19% (as of March 2020) compared to the previous month. This shows that media convergence has a very important role in providing information. The media is always forced to provide news that is updated every day related to this pandemic. Starting from the health protocol, the rules made by the government, to the number of positive patients Covid-19 in Indonesia.
Seeing the increasing habits of the community in utilizing mass media, the delivery of information related to health protocols made by WHO and also the Government of Indonesia is considered suitable if delivered through the media, because media coverage is able to provide correct information in educating the public so that this pandemic is quickly completed by building public discipline and productivity.
Now is no longer the time for blaming and blaming each other. Coverage hoaxes or false disseminated should also inappropriate where the entire community in distress and was battling Covid-19. The media needs to take early steps to channel the information and the truth to prevent the spread of the hoax virus which can damage the mindset of the people.
The media also has a big role in addition to providing updated information related to Corona in Indonesia, which can play a role in fostering public optimism to live a new normal. So that this nation can survive and continue to exist with progress in various fields despite being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be history and learning for young people who will continue to fight to defend the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
