REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I Abdul Kharis Almasyhari supported the Press Council's efforts to improve mass media players through a verification and a competency test to Indonesian journalists. "Disseminating news becomes less controlled due to the rising circulation of fake news," Abdul Kharis Almasyhari said here on Tuesday.
The lawmaker said that the fake news could harm society and government. The House of Representatives, he noted, had produced Law Number 11 Year 2008 on Informationan Electronic Transactions (ITE). "The law becomes a legal foundation to protect the parties from the utterances of hate," he said.
He pointed out that the Press Council held the competency test to classify journalists. "Professional journalists are expected to deliver news accurately. However, many people still read false news," he said.
Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Zulkifli Hasan earlier called on mass media players to disseminate news neutrally. "Mass media journalists should be independent in disseminating news. Mass media players should not distort facts," Hasan stated during a meeting with a delegation of the Press Council here on Monday evening, (Jan 9).
The speaker expressed concern over the current developments in the press owing to which the aspect of balanced news coverage is often ignored. "In fact, some mass media journalists create news that is tendentious without being based on facts," he remarked.
On the occasion, Hasan supported the Press Council in curbing unreliable news portals that violate the existing Press Law and other regulations. "Control is needed to avoid inaccurate and tendentious news reports," he emphasized.
He pointed out that reliable mass media players should have legal entities, organizational structure, and offices. Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of the Press Council Margiono said that the Council would announce the names of the media outlets and the journalists that meet the requirements of the press.
The president had earlier ordered the police to investigate social media accounts allegedly spreading fake news. The government, through the Communication and Information Ministry, will block unreliable news portals that violate the existing Press Law and other regulations.
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