Can the Damage be Undone? Analyzing Misinformation during COVID-19 Outbreak in Indonesia

Indonesia is no stranger to misinformation, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. From 1 January 2020 to 15 April 2020, the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information was able to identify 534 misinformation circulating in the country. False information during a pandemic may pose a serious threat to public health. Therefore, this study aims to identify the type and claims of misinformation from all 534 articles. Also, based on the results, this study aims to give recommendations for dealing with misinformation in Indonesia. This research uses a qualitative approach through systematic analysis, where all articles were analyzed by three human coders based on a predefined coding scheme. Results show that the most common type is a reconfiguration from old or genuine materials compared to fully fabricated content. While the most common claims are concerning community spread and public authority action. Based on the results, this paper recommends reducing the number of misinformation through three perspectives - identification of misinformation, platforms, and support for targeted people.