Media Literacy is Important to Counter Fake News

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung is interviewed about the 2017 National Press Day (Photo: PR/Rahmat)

Indonesia needs to continuously give media literacy education which provides space and  opportunities to the media, the agents, as well as the users so they are more mature. It is important to counter fake, fabricated, and sarcasm news that massively appear and easily shared, twisted, as well as believed by the people. This opinion  was delivered by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung when he was interviewed in his office at Cabinet Secretariat, Jakarta, about the role of Indonesian press.

“Media literacy is important so that the people can do self-censorship. The people must know whether the news is fake or not, has a message or not,” Pramono Anung firmly said.

Media literacy will make people more mature in understanding, reading, and using information from mass media.

“It is our common responsibility; because if a fake news is fully believed by the public, it will threaten our life,” Cabinet Secretary added.

However, Pramono Anung believes that at last, people will get bored when fake and fabricated news dominate our life, just like a trend in Europe, where a lot of people start to reduce the use of social media.

To counter hoax information, Cabinet Secretary stressed the importance of growing and developing the culture of Indonesia, for example, by supporting the efforts to strengthen the ideology of Pancasila (Five Principles), National Reconciliation Council, and the activites related with defending the country.

“To grow and raise the love of the country is a very important issue because the presence of social media brings in foreign culture to our country. Therefore, there must be a shield to protect the country as well as the people,” Pramono Anung said.

In the future, freedom of the media as well as social media will no longer be a threat or weakness for Indonesia. Social media can be used as an opportunity. In the context of national development priority, Cabinet Secretary also invites the media to have an active role to disseminate and deliver the efforts and achievements of the Government as well as the gap, poverty, and injustice that are still exist.

“Thus, with inputs from the press or media, the Government can take a number of measures to address these issues. In addition, the information disseminated by them is in accordance with the works of the Government,” Pramono Anung said concluding his interview.

(RMI/DNA/RAH/EN)(MMB/YM/Naster)