How the Pandemic Highlights Our ICT Problems: An Essay

By: Karisa Marleman // 13 XII MIPA 4

The right of everyone to have access to information and ideas, reiterated in Article 19 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated as “everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to
seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.” This was written in 1948. Media then consisted of radio broadcasts, newspapers, and
word of mouth. Television broadcast, specifically news broadcasting, was still a new concept
around that age and was practically unknown in Indonesia.

It has been 72 years since said declaration was signed, and it is now 2020. Media has
quickly evolved in such a short term. From waiting for broadcasts, people could now access news
articles wherever and whenever they want with a touch of a finger. news regarding health,
entertainment and politics spread quicker in this era compared to years ago.

However, with such great advances comes setbacks. Where once news were credible, the
existence of social media made its factuality questioned, though it travelled quicker. Quoted from
an article by the international communication association, it is stated in their research
that, “Following both the public debate and the scholarly literature, it is often assumed that media
trust is falling virtually everywhere. The perhaps most important reason is the long-term trend
with respect to Americans’ shrinking trust in the ‘press,’ which then is extrapolated, and that
people – even scholars – tend to infer the accuracy and consensus of opinion from the number
of times it has been repeated.” We could conclude that the hoaxes, fake news, and distrust in
the media are happening in this era.

In Indonesia, a similar yet different problem occurred. Hoaxes had been a constant
problem within Indonesia’s news and media. This problem could be traced back even before the
pandemic, where once trusted news outlets had been proven to manipulate facts and withheld
information from the public. This has resulted in the majority of Indonesian people, especially the
younger generation, trusting social media and private non-governmental news outlets or
individual journalists.
 When the pandemic struck the world, a myriad of events happened in Indonesia. It has
been proven that the government withheld information regarding the virus using major news
outlets. Although the intention was to reduce and prevent mass panic, it has resulted in what
could be seen seven months later in the present day. This issue had also pushed the Indonesian
people to resort into social media for credible and up to date news.

Although social media was seen as a credible news source, it is also susceptible to fake
news and hoaxes. Not all of the news in social media is shared by credible, professional journalists
or sources. Most of these news credibilities were not checked by those who posted nor by those
who received it. Which resulted in many miscommunications and rapid spread of these hoaxes.

For example, this problem peaked in the most recent discourse in Indonesia’s politics,
which is the RUU Cipta Kerja , or what is notably known as the Omnibus Law. A law that was
ratified during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. A law that was not communicated
transparently towards the public. A law which labour workers and people opposed. This was
caused by the lack of transparency and articles the masses disagree with.

The uproar had caused discourse between news outlets, private or public owned,
individual or company journalists, and within the government themselves which caused a lot of
miscommunications and false news within the public. No one knew who or what they should trust.
As news outlets scrambled to publish new information to appease the masses, the government
seemed to contradict each of them. Individual and Non-government journalists now have joined
the fight to voice the truth. This, however, has only sparked more outrage from the public.

The spark within the country had been used to promote anarchism and hoaxes rather
than factual educational news. This is a case with unprofessional, new journalists and/or news
accounts in social media trying to ride the wave of the movement. Knowingly or not, these
journalists and news media caused more harm than good with their content going unchecked for
errors and carrying an underlying message of anarchism. This may indirectly result in painting
the movement in a bad light as well as causing riots to arise.

Looking back, this problem could’ve been prevented with adequate media literacy within
the public. Fake news, hoaxes, and anarchism are spread because the public rarely fact-checks
the news and articles they’re reading, believing whatever is written and voicing it without knowing
whether it's right or wrong. Lack of literacy resulted in the inability of the major public to
differentiate between emotions infused with writings and factual educational news within the
country. This has resulted in riots and the rapid movement of anarchism rather than freedom of
speech. This, with the fact that through information and communication technology
advancement, have turned us into a “post-fact” society; a society that no longer feels the need
to pursue factual news.

The issue recounted in the last few paragraphs also bleeds to the harassment and mockery
of journalists and news outlets that did not align themselves to the public’s opinion. It seemed,
however, even without the lack of literacy, the law itself did not provide protection to journalists.
As we can see with the latest issue with Najwa Shihab, the senior reporter who was caught under
the clauses of UU ITE. Though it could be argued that she did break several journalistic ethics,
the fact that it was so easy for a simple critic to launch someone into such a position was
worrisome. If this could happen to a renowned journalist, we should ask what would happen to
those who were not as known? Unfortunately, this question was answered in the protests that
have been happening in the last few days. Reportedly, five university journalists vanished and
some were found again in police custody. With no other information of what happened to them
in the duration of the disappearance. This happened because the news of the disappearance
spread quickly among the masses.

We can now conclude that the problem regarding information technology and its
correlation to political news are all intersecting and correlates to one another in this pandemic
era. Highlights of these problems are:

1. The rapid spread of hoaxes and fake news thanks to the existence of social media, by
news outlets, journalists, and public users.
2. Transparency issue between the government, news outlet, and the public.
3. The rapid spread of anarchism because of the existence of social media, by social media
users.
4. Lack of literacy and inability to research factual news
5. The lack of protection towards journalists in social media and real life.
 Considering these problems, the writer proposes a couple sets of solutions for both the
public and the government to use, these solutions are:

1. Recommends the implementation of the Hoax Prevention Initiative (HPI), a program

designed to reduce the number of sources constantly publishing fake news or stories
under the control of Dewan Pers (Secretary of Press Council) or another non-
governmental, independent body. This program would be responsible for:
a. Preventing the 3FP (fake, false, falsified and provocative news);
b. Create a guideline regarding the definition of 3FP and provocative news, the
maximum number of accumulated reports on 3FP and provocative news, the
severity of their violation, and requirements of redemption;
c. Record and report the accumulation of 3FP by media sites The accumulation may
come as a result of monitoring by both the body or by citizens;
d. These reports will be posted for the public to see as proof, hence reducing public
views that may see the measures as limiting free speech, to enhance transparency;
e. Once the accumulated numbers reached the maximum point, the council/body will
ensure the proper ban for all publishing including through newspaper and the
internet of the outlet;
f. Such a ban will be removed through an agreement in the future between the site
and the committee.

2. Recommends the implementation of Anarchist Surveillance System (ASS), a program

under the media committee with the help of the body stated in the first article. Their job
is to reduce the possibility of conflict through the removal of anarchist posts. To regulate
the spread through social media and other platform, actions may be taken but not limited
to:
a. Conduct surveillance on social and traditional media for provocative and possibly
underlying anarchic news, using the guideline provided by the HPI;
b. Conduct in-depth research on the publisher and any possible motives. Considering
the possibility of the publisher releasing the post to spark conflict or other means,
in-depth research must be taken with each country’s person in charge, with
possible consultation or recommendation from other bodies;
 c. Negotiate with the publisher of alleged and proven posts that has anarchic and
provocative news and/or articles;
d. Removal of anarchic and provocative posts in case another solution did not come
up in the negotiation;
e. Taking any means necessary to prevent conflict. In cases where post have taken
a large toll and conflict has occurred, the body may take responsible actions to
reduce or prevent casualties;

3. Calls for the introduction of the Social Media Behavioral Development (SMBD) program. A
program maintained in cooperation with the ministry of education, Ministry of
Communication and Information Technology, and educational institutions. To ensure the
realization of actions such as but not limited to;
a. To integrate proper education on basic human rights especially freedom of speech
and limits. This is done in order to explain that everyone has freedom of speech;
regardless of their condition, but also the limits to which extent this freedom of
speech may be expressed according to each country;
b. To improve social literacy and comprehension, and increase the general awareness
towards 3FP News and interest in literacy as a whole;

SMBD with the help of the ministry of education and educational institutions will be
implemented in educational curriculums. This is to ensure the realization of actions such
as but not limited to;
a. To integrate proper education on basic human rights especially freedom of speech
and limits into the modern curriculum and to educate children and juveniles the
importance of exercising freedom of speech responsibly. This is done in order to
explain that everyone has freedom of speech; regardless of their condition, but
also the limits to which extent these freedoms of speech may be expressed
according to each country;
b. To improve social literacy and comprehension, and increase the general awareness
towards 3FP News and interest in literacy as a whole from a young age;
c. To cooperate closely with the ministry of education in the integration of SMBD
within educational curriculums;
 d. The introduction of the program should be immediately introduced to educational
institutions. This is to prevent longer delay resulting in the infectivity of the
program;
e. The program needs to be implemented a minimum one year in every educational
level

4. Enforcing the protection on journalists so that the press or media may carry out their tasks
in an unbiased manner and in a protected or safer environment with the help of Dewan
Pers (Secretary of Press Council) ;
a. Endorsing proper journalism activities and its code of ethics where its aim is to
provide objective, truthful, and relevant information under the supervision
of Dewan Pers (Secretary of Press Council) to prevent improper articles to be
published;
b. Encourage the partnership of IFJ/RSF and Dewan Pers (Secretary of Press Council)
in order to further protect and enforce rights of freedom of the press, especially
when reporting on;
i. Sensitive issues that regard the government or other political affiliated
person or bodies;
ii. Areas are known to present a risk in terms of safety of the journalists;
iii. Criticizing the government;
c. Organizations such as Dewan Pers (Secretary of Press Council) to be
recommended to make sure journalists are put into fair trials should they;
i. Be wrongfully charged;
ii. Be rightfully charged;
d. Strengthen the existence and implementation of the IFJ Global Charter of Ethics
for Journalists.

To close this essay, we can conclude that the problems we have discussed increased each
year with the development of information and communication technology. This problem branches
into a myriad of problems such as lack of literacy, lack of regulations, the spread of hoaxes and
fake, false, falsified and provocative news to the danger of journalism and the public. The writer
thus proposed solutions such as, Hoax Prevention Initiative (HPI), Anarchist Surveillance System
(ASS), Social Media Behavioral Development (SMBD), and enforcing the protection of journalism.
 In the end, we can never stop the development of science and technology. It has its perks
and its setbacks. And for what had happened in the country and in the world we could never
change the past. But these problems can no longer be ignored nor denied. It is not only up to
the government or those in power to stop or solve problems. It is up to us as well as global
citizens to come up with solutions in order to create a healthy, safe environment for each other.