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In ASEAN, tackling the dissemination of disinformation emerges as a significant concern, particularly heightened during pivotal periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic or political cycles. The impact of misinformation on societal perceptions and decision-making processes underscores the need for concerted efforts to address it, with practitioners in government public relations navigating the complexities of managing information amidst this evolving landscape on a daily basis.
Previously, Indonesia developed guidelines for combating fake news and disinformation as a guide for ASEAN countries in combating hoaxes, aiming to provide adaptive information management mechanisms for emerging issues. The Indonesian government has also issued three comprehensive initiatives to handle hoaxes:
- Upstream, by enhancing Human Resources (HR) capacity through digital literacy to increase public understanding of the importance of critically filtering received information.
- The government collaborates with social media managers to strengthen monitoring and enforcement against perpetrators of false information on these platforms, thereby enhancing effectiveness in combating hoaxes.
- The government collaborates with agencies and institutions such as law enforcement and other relevant ministries/agencies to handle hoax-related cases directly technically, thus quickly addressing the negative impacts caused by false information.
To demonstrate its commitment to this issue, the Director-General of Public Information and Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo), Usman Kansong, stated that they are preparing strategic communication and crisis communication strategies related to the spread of disinformation in collaboration with the Government Communications Service International (GCSI) of the British government.
“I think this collaboration is very important because, in the digital age, we face what is called information disorder. So, with this workshop, we can formulate strategies, for example, to convey government programmes or how to tackle disinformation,” he explained.
The Government Communications Service International (GCSI) is a crucial part of the British Government Communications Service (GCS), with broad responsibilities for managing public communication and communication strategies for the UK government. GCSI not only works with local government agencies but also with international government agencies and private institutions to develop cooperation and manage effective public communication activities.
Director-General Usman Kansong explained that the three-day workshop was attended by 20 participants from government and institutional public relations. According to him, in the workshop, representatives from Indonesia and the UK discussed experiences and frameworks in dealing with information disorder or information chaos.
“To formulate strategies to create a disinformation handling programme in the digital era. This can be used as material for Indonesia and possibly the UK to formulate communication strategies more effectively,” he said.
The Director-General of Public Information and Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) stated that the workshop was the first step towards long-term cooperation in public and digital communication.
“We can go to the UK (for a study visit). Because the UK has what is called National Security Communication, we can learn from the UK how to mobilise government communication in a security context,” he explained.
Director-General Usman Kansong explained that the Ministry of Communication and Information will take concrete steps to follow up on the results of the workshop. One of the steps to be taken is to expand the reach of participants from other ministries and institutions, considering that this workshop was attended by only a few participants, mainly from the Ministry of Communication and Information. Although there were participants from other ministries, the Ministry of Communication and Information plans to involve more stakeholders in efforts to follow up on the results of the workshop.
Additionally, the Ministry of Communication and Information will conduct further study visits and workshops to improve understanding and capacity in managing crisis communication. Furthermore, the Ministry of Communication and Information will form a crisis communication team to deal with situations that require a quick and appropriate response from the government.
“Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Nezar Patria has instructed us to gather workshop participants, especially those from Kominfo, to implement what they have learned. Because what is most important is the execution,” said Director-General Usman Kansong,
emphasising the importance of implementing the results of the workshop. With these steps, the Ministry of Communication and Information hopes to be more prepared and responsive in managing crisis communication in the future.
