Hoaxes Thrive During Elections, Bawaslu Must Strengthen Synergy with the Media

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The spread of fake news, or hoaxes, thrives during elections and regional head elections, as was the case in 2024. The massive dissemination of hoaxes is often carried out through various social media platforms.

A long-term strategy is needed to counter the spread of hoaxes and increase digital literacy among the public. Fake news is widely spread through social media, but it won't have a negative impact if the public has high digital literacy.

Synergy with the mass media is one strategy to combat the spread of hoaxes during elections and regional head elections. The abundance of fake news circulating on social media can be countered by reporting in the mass media.

"The mass media has a news verification and confirmation system. So, every news item broadcast has gone through a multi-level verification process, making it more accountable," explained Dedy Syahputra, a journalist for suaradiksi.net, in a discussion with the Lhokseumawe City Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

In addition to the verification system, Dedy added, journalists are bound by Law Number 40/1999 concerning the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics in searching, processing, and broadcasting news. This ensures that the news broadcast is filtered for truth and accuracy.

"Even though erroneous news sometimes appears, there is a right of reply mechanism and follow-up reports to correct it," added the former journalist for the Antara News Agency.

The informal discussion, which took place at a coffee shop, was also attended by Nasrullah Thaleb, a writer in Lhokseumawe City. Nasrullah believes the spread of hoax news must also be addressed through a cultural approach.

"Acehnese society has a stronger oral tradition. All discussions, from economics to social issues to politics, take place in coffee shops. Coffee shop discussions are an alternative way to combat hoaxes," said the children's story writer.

The discussion was attended by Ayi Jufridar, the Coordinator of Prevention, Community Participation, and Public Relations for the Lhokseumawe City Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) or Panwaslih. He believes that election education and outreach strategies must involve journalists.

"That's what we did in the 2024 Election. Information from the mass media is more structured, comprehensive, and supported by data, making it more valid and informative," said Ayi Jufridar, who also has a background as a journalist.

Separately, the Head of the Lhokseumawe City Elections Supervisory Agency (Panwaslih), Dedy Syahputra, stated that the discussion they held with various community elements was part of the consolidation of democracy. Several similar, simple meetings had previously been held in various locations.[]

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When I was a resource person at the World Press Freedom Day event.

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