Youth Communication Day 2020,
Digital journalism by Mega Seita - UM.Buton
The impact of the covid-19 pandemic has hit various industries, including the press and media industry. Media company associations and media professional associations encourage the government to help the media industry, journalists, and all media workers affected by the crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Incentives for the media industry are considered to be able to save the life of the national press which is facing a serious economic crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is because the threat of termination of employment for media company employees is becoming increasingly real in line with the drastic decline in the business performance of the national media industry.
The mass media in charge of covering the latest news related to COVID-19 has also been affected by the pandemic. Revenue via advertising has been eroded so that it has an impact on media companies and journalists. Based on data from the Global Conference on Media Freedom, Tuesday (11/17/2020), revenue through advertising has dropped 70 percent in 2020. This is considered dangerous for the future of journalism. Based on data from the Global Conference on Media Freedom, Tuesday (11/17/2020), revenue through advertising has dropped 70 percent in 2020. This is considered dangerous for the future of journalism. "A drop of up to 70 percent in ad revenue in 2020 has pushed media organizations toward the edge of extinction, jeopardizing the future of journalism and independent media," said data from the Global Conference Media Freedom held in Canada.
Senior journalist Endy Bayuni said that currently media revenue has dropped dramatically due to the Covid-19 corona virus pandemic. The pandemic that occurred in early 2020 paralyzed the wheels of the Indonesian economy. Endy then criticized the government by saying that the government did not have a post-Covid-19 strategy. He said the government continued to promote a new normal life narrative, but he did not see any strategy. "The private sector sees the strategy taken by the government. The private sector sees the strategy prepared by the government and the state after Covid-19. We are talking about new normal but we have not seen a strategy. I see the strategy returning to the old one [before the pandemic]," said Endy.
Responding to the 9 sectors that were allowed to be productive, Endy said the private sector strategy followed the rhythm or direction of the government to run the economy. As is known, the success of overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic is determined by success in communicating. On the other hand, the experience of many countries shows that the failure to deal with Covid-19 was caused by a tendency to underestimate aspects of public communication. The mass media have been professional in carrying out their functions. The public needs the latest information about the Covid-19 pandemic along with an analysis that can be used as a basis for assessing the situation and deciding anticipatory action. The press also plays a role in bridging the communication process and the flow of information. Thus, people avoid confusion about the scale of the spread of the virus and an asymmetrical discourse about the gravity of the situation. Meanwhile, the media industry is one sector that still has to work in the midst of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB). "The media sector must not stop performing its communicative and informative functions," it was written.
| IPEM