Communication Narrative amid the Outbreak
Communication has a significant role and function during the Covid-19 outbreak. When things are uncertain and people feel discomfort, information serves as a foundation of hope.
President Joko Widodo speaks with Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan while reviewing the readiness to apply the new normal standard procedure at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (26/5/2020). On that occasion, the President ensured the preparation for disciplinary implementation of large-scale social restrictions or PSBB by the Indonesian Military (TNI)/National Police (Polri).
Communication has a significant role and function during the Covid-19 outbreak. When things are uncertain and people feel discomfort, information serves as a foundation of hope. Management of communication during the outbreak cannot be sidelined.
Communication resources must be optimized because if mishandled, they can cause devastating damage like the novel coronavirus outbreak. Communication protocols carried out by the government are as important as health protocols. It requires discipline, data accuracy, accuracy of approach, human resources, budget, and people’s support.
Futurist Gerd Leonhard, in his presentation at NetApp Insight in December 2018 in Barcelona, said, the future would be driven by data and defined by humanity. These words are relevant now. In the midst of the outbreak, data is very abundant and decisive, but the most important thing is to define the data with human values. If on the contrary, then the data can be a deadly weapon.
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Borrowing the term of Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer winning columnist for the New York Times, we are entering an age of acceleration which is marked by the speed of technological development. Data and technology-based communication networks largely determine the changes that may occur.
Communication resources must be optimized because if mishandled, they can cause devastating damage such as the corona outbreak.
Just look at what happens around us at present. Official information that is regularly presented by the government through the Covid-19 media center in central or regional task forces must compete with multi-directional, multiplatform, and multi-stakeholder information. Data and facts are intertwined with hoaxes, scrambling for entry into the "locker" of public cognition.
Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto gave information to journalists in the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Tuesday (3/3/2010). A day after the announcement of two Indonesian citizens infected with the coronavirus, a number of ministers held a meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to discuss cross-sectoral handling of the coronavirus infection.
First, January-February 2020 as a stage of brainstorming in which the public began to turn its attention to the discussion about the coronavirus after the case exploded in Wuhan, December 2019. Second,
the stage of consolidation which took place in early March 2020. Especially after WHO determined the spread of the coronavirus as an outbreak (11/3) and the Government of Indonesia also categorized this as a national disaster (13/3).
The main trigger for the conversation was when the President announced positive cases number 1 and 2. Consolidation of opinions occurred with the appearance of polarization of perception and attitude in the society.
Third, the solid stage which took place mid-March until now. For example, it was marked by emotion and conversations that can be clearly mapped. Big data analyzed by Drone Emprit, for example, measuring public emotion related to the coronavirus in the range of 8-11 March 2020, and the highest trend from time to time was the issue of trust, then surprise, anticipation, fear, anger.
The public heavily hopes that the government can present data in transparently, measurably, and based on scientific indicators.
That means, the problem of trust actually becomes very decisive. The public heavily hopes that the government can present data in transparently, measurably, and based on scientific indicators.
Opinion consolidation occurs with the appearance of polarization of perception and attitude in society.
Public communication
At the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, the main principle of communication, namely building mutual understanding, was not carried out properly by the government. Referring to the LP3ES data during the period of 1 January-5 April 2020, 37 government blunders related to Covid-19 were found. That was done by President Jokowi up to echelon I officials.
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In the pre-crisis phase which began late January to early March, the government\'s public communication narratives were considered to be less serious, having the impression of underestimating, even rejecting the possibility of a corona case in Indonesia.
There was an appeal to stay at home from digital billboards in office buildings in the Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (7/4/2020). On that day a large-scale social restriction (PSBB) for the Jakarta region was signed by Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto.
Narration in public communication is really important! Walter Fisher in his book, Human Communication as Narration: Toward a Philosophy of Reason, Value, and Action (1987), defines narration as a symbolic act of words and/or actions that have a sequence and meaning for anyone who interprets it.
Government Spokesperson for Covid-19 Achmad Yurianto provided information on the development of Covid-19 disease through live broadcasts, on Thursday (21/5/2020).
There are three basic things about a narrative. First, the narrative concept includes verbal or nonverbal descriptions in the order of events that are given meaning by the communicant. What is disclosed by the President, Vice President, ministers, and other officials will certainly be identified as the official narrative of the government\'s public communication.
Second, narrative rationality is connected with the principle of cohesion and fidelity. A narrative can have different powers. The difference is determined by the structural coherence, consistency or one narrative with the same narrative at different times (material coherence), as well as the character of the person who conveys it (characterological coherence), for example whether he is trusted or not by the public.
Different narratives will confuse and weaken the power of government public communication narratives.
If the narratives are different from one official and another, inconsistency from time to time or delivered by people who are considered not credible by the people will certainly damage the government\'s public communication narratives.
For example, regarding the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), the meaning of the polysemy between mudik (exodus) and returning to the villages is inconsistency of the narratives of restrictions vs. easing modes of transportation and others. Different narratives will confuse and weaken the power of government public communication narratives.
Third, it involves logical and good reasons of the narration presented. Government public communication narratives must be based on scientific data and clear argumentation considerations.
A member of the Covid-19 Task Force for Yogyakarta, Riris Andono Ahmad, delivered a statement at a press conference on Friday (1/5/2020), at the office of the Yogyakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, Yogyakarta city.
For example, narratives about the ability of the government to meet the targets of rapid tests and swab examination, also about the actual data of how many are the positive cases of the coronavirus in Indonesia based on parameters that can be trusted. In essence, building a narrative in public communication is not easy.
In reality, the government only socialized the communication protocol in mid-March.
The government\'s public communication narratives should be made in stages. The pre-disaster phase, just call it the January-February 2020 period. Narrative was focused on early warning and education A to Z about the coronavirus. At the same time the government prepared communication protocols that were integrated with health protocols before the outbreak really exploded. In reality, the government only socialized the communication protocol in mid-March.
The next stage was when the disaster took place. For example, the April-June range should be the narrative by the government narrative to be disciplined with key messages: restrictions, control, collaboration, public support as a manifestation of togetherness overcoming the outbreak, the presence of the state for example through direct assistance, labor-intensive, and economic policy packages for those directly affected.
The government\'s public communication narratives should be made in stages.
These narratives should not be distorted by statements that make the narrative keywords have multiple interpretations or no longer get public support due to inconsistencies in the statements of officials.
Another key word is the prohibition of mudik travels because there is a tradition of mobility of millions of people in the Lebaran season. These narratives should not be distorted by statements that make the narrative keywords have multiple interpretations or no longer get public support due to inconsistencies in the statements of officials.
Practically speaking, communication must be directed seriously at pentahelix communication. Communication that involves collaborative work of the government, society or community, academics, business people, and the media in supporting the handling of the impact of the coronavirus. Collaborative keywords are very vital! The reason is that this outbreak is impossible for the government to solve by itself.
New normal
The next narrative is new normal as a key word in making self-preparation to get out of the outbreak situation. The new normal is a kind of paradigm of thinking to make us "comfortable" to face and at the same time live side by side with uncertainty.
President Joko Widodo asked for health protocols and new SOPs for behavior in the world of tourism to be prepared. In a limited meeting related to tourism in the new normal era that was held virtually from the Merdeka Palace, Wednesday (28/5/2020), the President also requested that all protocols be socialized, tested, simulated, and implemented strictly.
Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto gave information to journalists at the Jakarta Presidential Palace Complex on Tuesday (3/3/2010). A day after the announcement of two Indonesian citizens (WNI) infected with the corona virus, a number of Indonesian Cabinet Ministers came to the Jakarta Presidential Palace Complex.
It is not yet certain as to when the corona outbreak will really be resolved. The government must concentrate on data and hard work so that the Covid-19 curve no longer rises, but decreases and slopes.
The new normal paradigm can also be resonated by the government with the emphasis on two key messages: optimism to overcome the problem and a new perspective to be side by side with the problem. The ability to build symbolic convergence is needed to sustain this new normal paradigm.
We can refer to the terminology of symbolic convergence from the article of John F Cragan, Understanding Communication Theory: the Communicative Forces for Human Actions (1998), which explained symbolic convergence as the power of communication behind the creation of public awareness. This can be related to perspective, ideology, or paradigm of thinking.
The ability to build symbolic convergence is needed to sustain this new normal paradigm.
The new normal as general awareness is not merely a matter of message, but also guides the practice of social behavior. This will change many approaches that are no longer always symmetrical. We must be prepared for situations that are interconnected, interdependent to one another.
The outbreak has taught us, the coronavirus is not merely a health problem, but also a test of togetherness of humanity to overcome many problems. Making peace with the problem does not mean we ignore or run away from the problem.
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Pakar komunikasi politik Gun Gun Heryanto
Gun Gun Heryanto, Executive Director of The Political Literacy Institute and Political Communication Lecturer at UIN Jakarta
