Hotma Radja Siregar, Jakarta – The COMICOS & APPRREN International Joint Conference 2026, themed "Enhancing Social Cohesion in Networked Societies through Communication, Media, PR, and Sociology Perspectives," kicked off on February 9, 2026. Participants from 15 countries worldwide, including Asia and Europe, attended the event. Out of 246 registered abstracts, 196 abstracts were selected for presentation at the conference.
On this occasion, Tempo presented its strategy for strengthening social cohesion on February 10, 2026.
Tempo Digital CEO, Wahyu Dhyatmika, M.A., outlined a new paradigm: transforming the role of media from mere broadcasters to facilitators of social dialogue.
Wahyu introduced the Tempo Witness program, a strategic collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) to provide information sovereignty to indigenous communities. This program provides traditional leaders with exclusive access to a reporting app, transforming them from mere "news objects" to active subjects producing content.
In addition to empowering citizens, Tempo is also building a sustainable media ecosystem through Teras.id. Currently, the platform has partnered with 30 local media outlets to broaden the perspective of its reporting, ensuring that no region is left behind. This strategic move shifts the media's focus from merely conveying information to providing content that addresses the specific needs of readers in each region.
Tempo also collaborated to launch the CekFakta (Fact Check) channel, the first fact-checking platform in Indonesia. Wahyu emphasized the need to reorient the role of the mass media to become a "social glue" to mitigate the sharp polarization in the digital era.
Wahyu emphasized that amidst an increasingly fragmented information ecosystem, the media must boldly return to its fundamental function as a credible pillar of democracy.
"The media needs to return to its fundamental function: verifying facts, empowering diverse voices (especially marginalized ones), and ensuring a sustainable media ecosystem," he said.
"We must shift from a business model driven solely by attention and start building trust as our greatest asset," Wahyu said in his presentation at the COMICOS & APPRREN International Joint Conference 2026.
Amidst the threat of division caused by social media algorithms, Wahyu emphasized that mass media must transform into facilitators of dialogue, not simply news broadcasters. The core of this strategy is moving away from the impression-based business model (number of clicks), which often gets caught in a vortex of polarization, and toward an ecosystem centered on audience needs.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2086472/tempos-strategy-to-combat-digital-polarizatio