Transformation of news in digital information era

Abstract

Communication, publication or promotion to public can be categorised as paid news or unpaid news. Paid news represents advertorial, commercial information, promotion of products, etc., while unpaid news is information available in newspapers, magazines, websites or blogs. In line with the rapid development of ICT, social media and networking are also being used to propagate information to the public quickly. They can lead to positive impact, but certain news created/generated can lead to significant negative impacts.<br>.<br> In Indonesia, social media provides opportunity for public engagement apart from being a political tool to drive public opinion and social mobilisation. However, social media produces news that can be categorised as fake news and framed news, especially those that come from untrusted resources or web sites.<br> Fake news unquestionably delivers false facts in various fields including public understanding in science and technology. On the other hand, framed news is not always fake but leads to public misinterpretation. These phenomena enable ideological divergence among communities and have become a major concern in public communication of information. This situation challenges current internet governance, ethics and regulation in Indonesia.