KSP ready to facilitate discussion on rules for social media behaving like press
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of Presidential Staff Muhammad Qodari stated the importance of applying mass media standards to social media behaving like press to maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem, with the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) ready to facilitate discussions on the related rules of engagement.
“Advertising in media is now largely shifting to social media. Social media disseminates news but does not apply the criteria, regulations, and professional standards that apply to mass media,” said Muhammad Qodari in an official statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.
Delivered at the declaration event of the Indonesian Senior Journalists Union (SWSI) in Jakarta on Friday (17/4), he highlighted the current state of the media industry facing serious pressures, particularly from business and sustainability aspects.
He noted that many media companies are experiencing declining revenues, leading to waves of layoffs (PHK) among journalists.
According to him, one of the main causes of this situation is the shift in the information ecosystem, where social media now also performs the function of news dissemination behaving like press, but without being burdened by the same standards and responsibilities as the press media.
Qodari warned that if this condition is left unchecked, the national press could lose in an unbalanced competition. He even likened the situation to “humans fighting aliens”, where social media has advantages not matched by equal rules.
Therefore, strategic steps are needed from the press community, especially journalists, to formulate a regulatory framework capable of creating a level playing field or having similar rules between social media and mainstream or traditional media.
“If social media behaves like press, then it must adhere to press standards. There must be a level playing field, the same rules of engagement between social media and mainstream media,” he said.
He explained that these standards include important aspects such as institutional regulations, journalist competencies, journalistic code of ethics, and public accountability mechanisms. With the application of equal standards, Qodari believes mainstream media will remain superior due to its strong foundation of professionalism.
Furthermore, Qodari stated KSP’s openness to accommodating aspirations from various journalist professional organisations, including the Indonesian Senior Journalists Union (SWSI) and the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI).
KSP hopes that professional organisations will actively provide ideas and input, including in the form of legal drafting or regulatory drafts that can be proposed to the government or the DPR.
“We at KSP are ready to facilitate discussions. But the drafts must come from fellow journalists, because they are the ones who best understand the issues in the field,” said Muhammad Qodari.