Foreign Affairs Ministry Encourages Joint Efforts to Combat Fake News

Jakarta, InfoPublik – Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia encouraged joint efforts from ASEAN members to combat fake news, disinformation, and hoaxes in media.

Director of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Cooperation of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Yuliana Bahar, conveyed such a statement in the opening of the Workshop Guideline in Management of Government Information in Combating Fake News and Disinformation in the Media at Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, on Thursday (Mar. 2, 2023).

According to Yuliana, fake news may endanger individuals, organizations, and even countries. Therefore, the right measures must be taken for combating it.

“Some fake news, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and political news have reduced people’s trust in media,” she said.

Yuliana said that the government needs to take proper actions to overcome fake news while remaining respectful of freedom of speech.

Yuliana said that every ASEAN country has its own regulations to deal with fake news. “ASEAN countries need to take real steps and make guidelines to resolve the fake news issue,” she said.

Yuliana expects ASEAN countries to give practical recommendations to tackle the issue.

In addition, Yuliana explained the main three pillars that will be a guideline for Indonesia in its 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship. The first pillar is “ASEAN Matters” which emphasizes the importance of ASEAN to maintain its centrality and become the anchor of stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

The second pillar is the “Epicentrum of Growth” which encourages more inclusive, stronger, and more sustainable economic growth in the region.

“The third pillar that Indonesia will put forward is the implementation of ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP),” she said.

Yuliana also said that Indonesia, as the 2023 ASEAN chair, will strengthen cooperation with other countries in facing global challenges, one of them being the energy crisis.

Director of ASEAN Sociocultural Cooperation of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia (left) and Ichwan Nasution (right) Head of Center for International Institutions of the Communications and Informatics Ministry in the Workshop Guideline in Management of Government Information in Combating Fake News and Disinformation in the Media at Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, on Wednesday (March 2, 2023). Photo: InfoPublik/Amiri Yandi

Writer: Eko Budiono
Editor: Untung Sutomo
Translator: Wisnu Wardoyo