By: Galang Faizan Akbar )*
The General Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) inaugurated the Anti-Hoax School in order to intensify resistance and combat the spread of fake news about the Election which continues to circulate on many social media and of course it will be very dangerous for the community itself if the circulation of this disinformation continues just left like that.
Bawaslu member, Lolly Shuenty inaugurated Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 2 and Makassar Senior High School (SMA) as the first Anti-Hoax School. In front of the school students, Lolly stated that she was very proud of the high enthusiasm of the first-time voters in playing an active role in monitoring the entire process of the upcoming 2024 election series.
Of course, huge appreciation should be given to MAN 2 which is the first school with their strong commitment to help prevent fake news or the spread of hoaxes, from all students to teachers there.
There is great hope that this excellent example can become a step that can be followed by various other educational institutions, including at the high school level throughout the country. With the inauguration of the Anti-Hoax School in Makassar, it should be an example for other schools to continue to increase the active participation of citizens, especially first-time voters, in the upcoming elections.
Not only in Makassar, the enthusiasm of the nation’s young generation and also first-time voters is very high in Bojonegoro Regency. Dozens of Vocational High School (SMK) students in the area have a very strong commitment to rejecting the spread of hoaxes or fake news ahead of the democratic party.
All students took part in the Anti-Hoax Student Festival activities to be able to get training on steps and strategies to deal with the spread of fake news on social media which has been happening a lot lately, especially with the election getting closer.
Chairman of the Bojonegoro Television Journalist Forum (FJTB), Bambang Yulianto, said that this activity was aimed at providing education to students about security in the digital world and how dangerous the threat of hoaxes spread on many social media is, especially during a political year like the current one.
Many parties really want students who are novice voters to be able to have sufficient provisions to ward off and combat the dangers of hoaxes and also that they are able to play an active role in strengthening the digital security system.
On the same occasion, the Acting Regent of Bojonegoro, Adriyanto, welcomed the program carried out by television journalists who are members of the FJTB. The reason. According to him, the threat of fake news or hoaxes is a shared responsibility of all parties, including mass media activists.
If we talk about the spread of hoaxes, it can be said that this will never disappear and will continue to exist, especially in the current momentum leading up to the 2024 Election. Therefore, various kinds of outreach or training activities for novice voters in preventing hoaxes should continue to be carried out.
On the other hand, the Governor of Bengkulu, Rohidin Mersyah, also said that the spread of fake news or hoaxes was very dangerous for all parties. So for him it is really necessary to provide outreach to all students or novice voters regarding this hoax.
These students, who are also the nation’s next generation of young people, are able to become cadres or ambassadors to further introduce to the wider public that fake or fake news is indeed very dangerous, especially if the momentum is ahead of the election like now.
In fact, if there are differences of opinion or differences in choices between people regarding political views, this is a very normal thing and should be responded to appropriately. Moreover, the Indonesian nation is a country that highly upholds the hope of democracy in running its government. For this reason, there are differences, but don’t blaspheme or even spread hoaxes just to bring down your political opponents.
Member of the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) of Bengkulu Province, Usin Abdisyah Putra Sembiring, added that the purpose of carrying out an anti-hoax declaration for students in Bengkulu is because in 2024 the general election will have entered the peak, where it is clear that there will be more and more threats from fake news circulating. Therefore, this activity makes millennials less likely to get carried away by hoax news.
Efforts to combat the spread of fake news are very important, especially among students who are first-time voters. So Bawaslu inaugurated an anti-hoax school which aims to make the young generation better educated about elections and politics.
)* The author is a contributor to the Persada Institute
