Head of the Press Council’s Education, Training, and Professional Development Commission Paulus Tri Agung Kristanto said here on Monday that social media is the first source of information and the most accessed by the public.
Mainstream media becomes a reference to verify the truth of information obtained from social media, he added.
In accordance with the council’s regulations, there are two types of social media accounts that are protected, namely social media directly affiliated with press companies and social media managed by journalists or media workers directly affiliated with press companies.
“Those are protected by the Press Council, and the Council has an obligation to encourage them to build public trust," he said.
However, he reminded that social media accounts managed by journalists or media workers who are not affiliated with press companies and social media managed by content creators are not part of the mainstream media and are not protected under the Council’s regulation.
He said that social media has become a place or forum or platform for the press, which means content produced through it is part of the press.
"It is social media but become part of the mainstream media in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999,” he said, stressing the need to push social media content creators to produce quality content.
According to him, public trust in mainstream media is heavily influenced by platform policies such as Google algorithms.
This year, he said, Google is no longer prioritizing clickbait content so mainstream media and social media must present quality news.
"Mainstream media, including those that use social media to distribute (content) and become their platforms, have to build great news and content to build trust," he said.
Related news: Minister asks Press Council to devise digital journalism road map
Related news: Govt highlights progress in journalistic copyright proposal
Related news: President Jokowi presses for accountability in free press
Translator: Rizka K, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
