REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of Communications and Informatics Rudiantara has called on the people to jointly fight negative content posted by certain parties on social media. Rudiantara conveyed the messege during celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2018.

"I urge you all to fight negative content posted by people on social media platforms. We are not against the platform, but we are fighting the negative content," Rudiantara remarked in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Rudiantara asserted that content posted on social media could not be viewed as a journalistic product if no one takes accountability for such news or stories.

"Content posted by people on social media without going through the journalistic process is not a journalistic product," he affirmed, adding that negative content published on social media is a "common enemy" to be fought by all sides.

He said that the use of social media by Indonesians has unique characteristics.

"Facebook, for instance, is widely used by young people to boost prosperity by, for instance, selling footwear. Alternately, it is used by women to sell cookies and clothing. Hence, Facebook also creates a special platform for such needs," Rudiantara noted.

However, he opined that social media could also be used to spread negative content, such as on the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar and issues involving different ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.

He said it was not easy to close social media accounts that spread negative content. However, he would not hesitate to shut down social media accounts that clearly send messages containing negative content.

World Press Freedom Day 2018 is celebrated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Indonesian Press Council.

As part of the event, three publications on press were launched: the 2018 World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Developments in Asia and the Pacific Report and the 2005 Convention Global Report on Reshaping Cultural Policies: Advancing Creativity for Development by UNESCO.

Another publication was launched by the Indonesian Press Council on the Indonesian Press Freedom Index 2017.

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