Online Media Collaboration Launches Cekfakta.com to Fight Hoax  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of online media agreed to collaborate and make the anti-hoax movement by launching the Cekfakta.com site. It will be filled with verification content created by online media editors to combat the spread of false news in the public conversation space. It is considered important before the election in Indonesia.

"We believe the idea of Cekfakta.com is a breakthrough that is needed by Indonesia in this crucial year, ahead of the 2019 Regional Election and Presidential Election,” said Wenseslaus Manggut, Chairman of Indonesia Cyber Media Association (AMSI) in a written statement on Saturday 5 May.

The collaboration, launched in the World Press Freedom Day on May 3, also involves the Google News Initiative, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), and the Anti-Slander Society of Indonesia or Mafindo. The 22 online media supported the Cekfakta.com platform itself, all of them are members of AMSI.

The media that have joined are tempo.co, tirto.id, viva.co.id, suara.com, detik.com, kompas.com, liputan6.com, merdeka.com, katadata.co.id, beritajatim.com, kbr.co.id, business.com, beritasatu.com, kabarmedan.com, kabarmakassar.com, antaranews.com, dream.co.id, timesindonesia.co.id, riauonline.co.id, thejakartapost.com, kontan.co .id, and republika.co.id.

AMSI opens the opportunities for all other online media that have not joined to participate in the program, as long as the media follow the agreed standards and verification guidelines.

Since the beginning of this year, Tempo.co itself has also had a cekfakta.tempo.co as a step to fight hoax.

Chairman of AJI Indonesia, Abdul Manan said, by involving the media in this platform, it is expected for the journalists to be more intensively involved in fighting the spread of false news. According to him, fake news negatively impacts the public interest if left unchecked.

Manan believes this movement is also part of the work of journalists who must verify the data and facts.

"So this is part of the implementation of good journalism practice," he said.

Ryan Rahardjo, as Public Policy and Government Relations Senior Analyst Google Indonesia, said Cekfakta.com is a movement in accordance with government programs in the fight to against hoax.

According to him, this is also part of Google's obligation in ensuring the Indonesian people in getting the right information.

"The public should get reliable and accurate information," he said.

TAUFIQ SIDDIQ