Collaboration Needed to Tackle Disinformation Challenges
The Indonesian Telematics Society (MASTEL) and BBC Media Action hosted an international learning showcase titled “Building Healthy Information Environments: Collaborative Responses to Disinformation in the Digital Age” in Jakarta on Thursday. The forum served as a platform to share lessons from the Public Interest Media and Healthy Information Environments (PIMHIE) programme, supported by the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
The event brought together participants from Indonesia and the ASEAN region, including government representatives, media organisations, journalists, academics, civil society, international development agencies, and diplomatic missions to exchange perspectives on strengthening information resilience in the digital era.
MASTEL Chairman Sarwoto Atmosutarno opened the event, followed by remarks from Matthew Perrement, Deputy Head of the FCDO at the British Embassy Jakarta, and Rachael McGuin, Country Director of BBC Media Action Indonesia and Pacific. A keynote address was delivered by Molly Prabawaty, Expert Staff to the Minister for Communication and Media at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, representing Vice Minister Nezar Patria.
In his opening remarks, Sarwoto Atmosutarno stressed that disinformation is a challenge no single entity can solve alone. He argued that strengthening information resilience requires collaboration between government, media, digital platforms, academia, civil society, and the wider public. He also noted that the policy paper produced through the PIMHIE programme was the result of a collaborative process involving multiple stakeholders and is expected to contribute to efforts to bolster information resilience in Indonesia.
Matthew Perrement emphasised that disinformation has evolved into an increasingly complex global challenge. He stated that efforts to counter disinformation must go beyond merely addressing misleading narratives or content, requiring an understanding of the networks, actors, and mechanisms that systematically spread manipulative information. He underscored the importance of leveraging technology, strengthening legal instruments, promoting public education, and supporting quality journalism, while ensuring these measures are implemented proportionately to safeguard openness, freedom of expression, and democratic values.