Kiki Safitri, Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, has promised to provide incentives for organisers of the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) in regions who succeed in creating positive and viral content about the MBG program on social media.
"As a form of appreciation for the creativity of regional organisers, there is a personal incentive of 5 million rupiah [US$3] for regional content that goes viral on social media", said Deyang in an official statement on Tuesday October 28.
It is hoped that this content can counter false news or hoaxes related to the MBG program on social media.
Deyang said that currently there is a lot of negative, untrue content appearing on social media and this is causing a decline in public trust.
"We must not be left behind by hoaxes, regional coordinators (Kareg) and area coordinators (Korwil) must be sources of official information and quickly clarify issues on the ground", said Deyang.
"Much of the negative news and disinformation about MBG on social media arose due to the weak response from regional officials", she said.
Deyang is encouraging each region to create official social media accounts and supporting accounts focused on spreading positive information about the program.
What content is hoped for?
Content such as kitchen activities, food menus and stories of economic changes experienced by MBG officials and the community as a result of the MBG program are considered effective in building public trust and presenting a transparent, inspiring and responsive image for the BGN.
"We want each Kareg and Korwil to not only carry out administrative tasks, but also be able to package nutritional messages into narratives that motivate and build public optimism", emphasised Deyang.
Notes
Earlier it was reported by Tempo.co that a group of supporters of President Prabowo Subianto are planning to establish a cyber team with the aim of countering the negative stories about the MBG program which they believe is being slandered on social media. "We will collectively move to counter disinformation, slander and hatred continuously launched by people who do not want MBG to be successful", said Ricky Tamba, who is a leading member of Prabowo's Gerindra Party, during a visit to the BGN office on Tuesday October 14. While Tamba highlighted the media coverage about the death of a student in West Bandung that turned out to be untrue, he made no mention of the nearly 12,000 children who have suffered food poisoning from the program as of October.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "BGN Janjikan Rp 5 Juta untuk Konten Positif MBG yang Viral di Medsos".]
