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COMMENTARY: How effective is media verification in stopping fake news?
Opposition to media verification continues to arise although it is actually not new. The Press Council says verification of media companies is stipulated in Article 15 of the 1999 Press Law, which states that the council is required to set up a data bank on press corporations.
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Against fake news: Students sign a banner containing commitments to fight against hoax news in a campaign event in Ungaran, Semarang regency, Central Java, on Feb. 4.
(Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
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hina is the only major nation to be able to impose strict internet control. With a strong censorship apparatus, including a reported 30,000 personnel policing the internet, China is the country with the harshest online control. Using its extensive internet control apparatus, China manages to crack down on online information deemed false or not in conformity with the country’s ideology, communism.
Stressing its desire to protect the public from the plague of fake news on social media, Indonesia’s Press Council recently announced the names of media companies listed as “verified”. It claims the verification process is aimed at creating a healthy media environment. Like it or not, such media verification has brought back dark memories of press control under former president Soeharto. The question is, can Indonesia curb the spread of fake news or false stories in this fast-growing digital media era unless it imposes strict internet control like in China?
Opposition to media verification continues to arise although it is actually not new. The Press Council says verification of media companies is stipulated in Article 15 of the 1999 Press Law, which states that the council is required to set up a data bank on press corporations. Verification is reportedly also a commitment of press communities as stated in the Palembang Charter of Feb. 9, 2010.
Elements of verification include the legality of a media corporation, the content of its news coverage, the existence of an editorial board, the company’s ability to pay its journalists properly and the availability of a journalism code of conduct.
Through such verification, the Press Council wants to ensure that a media corporation fulfils all the requirements needed to enable it to implement its full function as a free and responsible press. Verification is also seen as one way the council can maintain the credibility of Indonesia’s press, which has been impacted by irresponsible use of social media platforms.
The council believes verification will force news organizations and online publishers to apply a high standard of journalism and truthful reporting.
Yet the trauma of censorship under Soeharto’s authoritarian New Order, which never had clear guidelines, has left press organizations wary about the effectiveness of such verification in protecting the public from fake news. There is a widespread concern that such certification will become no more than censorship in a new guise. Furthermore, several parties in the media community have expressed concerns that in the face of libel threats the council may have its hands tied and may not be able to help them if their media has not been verified. The council therefore should explain to the press community its policies and measures in such cases.
