VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Information about the pandemic spreads rapidly in society without knowing the truth.

The WHO calls this situation an infodemic, which is over-information about a pandemic that could lead people to do the wrong thing.

This was said by the Australian Charge d'affair for Indonesia, Allaster Cox in his remarks at the webinar "Healthy Skepticism to Stop Misinformation During the Covid-19 Pandemic" on Monday (14/12).

Cox said the government is working with the media and other institutions to have an important role to play in increasing public understanding of several issues.

"To manage this infodemic as the WHO called it is as an important part to being able to control the COVID-19 epidemic or many other social or other community phenomena that we face today, politics too," Cox said.

"Government can play a role by creating an informative environment, factual content is developed and widely distributed. During 2020 government, media, civil society organizations, and technology companies have all an important role to play in try to manage and combat misinformation and promoting information that is reliable and improves public understanding," he added.

Allaster Cox added that misinformation can cause people to not follow the public health message from the government and can also increase the stigma which ultimately results in an increase in viral transmission in the community.

Misinformation can also be a source of division and conflict. So it is highly recommended for the public to look for facts and sources of the news they receive. (voi/nuke)