Mayor Invites SMSI to Build Educational Narratives for Community Intelligence

CIREBON, Konntroversinews | In the midst of the increasingly unstoppable onslaught of digital information, cyber media now has more responsibilities than just delivering news. The Mayor of Cirebon, Effendi Edo, emphasized the importance of the media’s strategic role in building educational narratives. According to him, cyber media must transform into the main means of educating society, not just pursuing broadcast speed.

Effendi Edo emphasized this when attending the Inauguration of the Cirebon City Indonesian Cyber ​​Media Union (SMSI) Management for the 2026-2029 period at Cirebon City Hall, Wednesday (4/2/2026). In his speech, he invited media managers to have the courage to pioneer content that has depth of substance and is able to provide clarity amidst the confusion of information.

“I invite SMSI to become a bulwark against hoaxes and fake news that can divide community harmony. Let’s build an educative narrative. Make cyber media a means to educate society,” said the Mayor in front of the newly appointed administrators.

The Mayor also highlighted the phenomenon of speed of information which often ignores accuracy. He reminded that speed without accuracy is a social vulnerability. For him, the media in Cirebon City must be a trusted reference that is able to highlight regional potential, from tourism to the growth of MSMEs, while remaining sharp in providing constructive corrections for the running of government.

“With a positive narrative and the broad reach of cyber media, I am sure that this city’s progress will accelerate and become more widely known on the national and international stage. Good luck to the new management, hopefully it will bring new colors to a healthy media ecosystem,” he added.

In line with this, the Chairman of SMSI West Java, H. Hardiyansyah, emphasized that synergy with regional governments is the key to accelerating development. He hopes that the new management can produce creative ideas whose impact can be felt directly by the people of Cirebon City.

However, Hardiyansyah also reminded that there were internal challenges related to the professionalism of press companies. “The tasks at SMSI are tough. One of them is collecting data on existing cyber media. Many media have been around for years but are not managed professionally, such as not having a legal entity or not being verified,” he said.

He asked SMSI Cirebon City to actively carry out outreach and coaching. The goal is clear, so that all media under SMSI become professional and rule-abiding entities. “So that we can move up to the verification stage of the Press Council and establish more solid cooperation with the City Government,” he said.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Chairman of SMSI Cirebon City, Mastari, welcomed the challenge. He emphasized his commitment to bringing SMSI as a strategic government partner that is not only critical, but also a solution in presenting information to the public.

“This inauguration is an encouragement for us to collaborate. We need direction regarding fast reporting. Hopefully SMSI can be present to provide healthy information and education, especially in Cirebon City,” said Mastari.

He also hopes that there will be continuous guidance from policy makers so that technical synergy in the field can run hand in hand. “We are open to input from various parties for the advancement of the media ecosystem in Cirebon City,” he concluded. ***