Edi Kurniawan, Tri Marhaeni Pudji Astuti, Cahyo Budi Utomo, Danang Junior Trimasukmana
In terms of diversity, Indonesia is a nation state that prides itself on being an irony. It is said to be proud because of the large variety of differentiations, which are viewed as a wealth as well as portraits of Indonesian multiculturalism. On the other hand, this diversity has become a disaster for the Indonesian people. Sectarian conflicts between ethnic groups, religions, races, groups, and beliefs can hardly be denied. The high number of conflicts and intolerance shows that there is still a low awareness of multiculturalism in Indonesia, as in the world. Importantly, intolerant bursts and frictions are sometimes triggered by mass media coverage. Inevitably, the neutrality of the media's attitude from various social, political and economic interests is increasingly being disputed, especially in the era of digital media, where many news hoaxes seem to immediately become viral. Within this condition, media literacy principles are needed in order to support the media literacy movement. This study aims to determine the level of media literacy abilities among UNNES students, how to develop media literacy principles to prevent the dangers of hoaxes and intolerance among students, and how to implement these principles. Study results showed that 18% of UNNES students had excellent media literacy abilities, 57% had good abilities, and 22% had moderate abilities, with 3% having poor abilities. The principles in media literacy are arranged in a hierarchy that also reflects the level of student ability in media literacy. The strategies that can be applied in implementing the literacy principles include using comprehensive strategies, through a special curriculum, embedding these implicitly in lecture activities, choosing the right media for students, increasing journalistic production for students' consumption, and community-based media literacy. © 2019 International Press of Boston, Inc.
Faculty of Social Science, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia
