Being a public official must be able to set a good example for the community. You even have to be ready to accept criticism. Moreover, current public officials should not “baperan” responding to criticism from the public. Because, now news no longer only comes from mainstream media. This was stated by Dr. Widodo Muktiyo, Expert Staff of the Minister of Communication and Information for Communication and Mass Media at the studium generale held by the Public Relations Study Program, Department of Communication Sciences UPN Veteran Yogyakarta (UPNVY) at the local campus, Saturday (10/28/2023).
“The flow of communication in the media is also not only unidirectional. Community members can be sources as well as seekers and disseminators of news,” said Prof. Widodo. Even according to Prof. Widodo, institutions must also be ready to be appreciated or criticized directly. “If it is appreciated, of course, it will be happy. But, officials must also be prepared when criticized. Instead, it should be used as a driver so that the performance of public institutions is more transparent. We need a communication strategy that is more proficient, more responsive and faster,” he explained. Not only that, Government public relations should be able to communicate excellently with people who have been hyperconnected through the digital world.
Moreover, Indonesia has more than 47,000 media divided into print, radio, television and online media. Currently, there are 2,000 print media, 674 radio, 523 television, including local television and the rest are online media. At the event, Prof. Widodo shared many of his experiences in government public relations, including when carrying out the mandate as Communication Coordinator of the Central Level COVID-19 Task Force 2020-2021. “You remember, during the pandemic, to get people to wear masks was very difficult. Even many people do not believe in the existence of Covid-19,” he said. Not to mention that there are officials who speak this way and other officials who say different things. “This is where government public relations must be a conductor for orchestration of public communication,” added Prof. Widodo shared his experience during the pandemic.
While in the question and answer session, one of the students asked what tips if there are controversial or criticized government policies. Prof. Widodo stated that nowadays, everyone can argue easily through social media. The government is certainly unlikely to satisfy everyone. If government public relations stick to the government’s vision, then criticism must be accepted generously. Government policies are certainly intended for the good of society. Of course, at the end of the public lecture, Prof. Widodo invited students to flood digital media with positive things. In addition to having a good digital footprint, this is to offset negative content. The resource person also warned of the dangers of fake news or hoaxes that are currently still widely found. “Remember the words of Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, that lies told over and over again will become the truth,” explained Prof. Widodo. Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Public Relations Study Program, Department of Communication Sciences, UPNVY, Dewi Novianti, M.Si., said that the studium generale was carried out to provide insight to new students better to understand the dynamics of the world of public relations. According to Dewi, the challenges of Public Relations in the digital era are more complex. There is media fragmentation, increasingly intrusive online media and shifting approaches regarding the press itself. “We want to give a message to students to prepare themselves since they are students to enter the world of work in the digital era,” he said.
Source: Kompas.com