Reflection On The Case Of Distribution Of Wibowo: Don't Be Herding When Mass Media Is Vulnerable By Intel

Police who disguised themselves as journalists, Umbaran Wibowo (both from the right) after being inaugurated as Kapolsek Kradenan in the Blora Police area, Central Java. (Special)

JAKARTA - Umbaran Wibowo was able to carry out his duties well. For 14 years he successfully disguised himself as a TVRI journalist. In fact, he already has a middle-level Journalist Competency Test (UKW) certification from the Press Council and is registered as a member of the Blora Regency Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI).

In 2021, when his assignment period was over, Umbaran's identity began to be revealed. To be precise, when he was appointed as Head of Intelligence at the Blora Police. Apparently, he was a police intelligence officer with the rank of Inspector One.

His name became increasingly popular when he was appointed Kradenan Police Chief, Blora on December 12, 2022.

Wibowo's statement does not deny that he has been active as a journalist. According to him, It is part of the implementation of the leadership's duties and orders.

Chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia Sasmito strongly protested. He considered that what Umbaran had done could lead to public distrust of the Indonesian press.

"The police have clearly taken dirty ways and don't pay attention to the public interest and ignore the public's right to know and get the right, accurate and correct information," Sasmito said in his official statement on December 15, 2022.

However, on the other hand, the mass media is indeed a suitable place for intelligence infiltration, either in the context of education or covert operations. Because, according to Irawan Sukarno in the book Aku No Aku Niscaya: Responding to the Fire of Intelligence Lapis, there are many similarities between the world of press and the world of intelligence, although there are many differences.

Between intelligence organizations and mass media of many similar qualities. For example, observing, gathering information, reporting, and analyzing activities.

Then, having a correspondent in a number of areas, having a home staff, relying on speed, determining the deadline, dealing with a variety of information that comes in every day, having a complete and accurate responsibility for information, and the ability to shape public opinion.

Citizens and intelligence both do not recognize the border. In seeking information, journalists and intelligence are very aggressive, they are not apples in the office but apples on target in order to get information from the first hand," said Irawan.

Moreover, in a state of war. An intelligence officer using his agents disguised himself as journalists is no longer a secret. Look at the story of the secret agent of the Soviet Union in World War 2 named Richard Sorge who was tasked with spying on Japan.

Sorge used a cover job as a journalist from the German newspaper and was able to establish relationships with Japanese policy makers. Sorge managed to send significant information. For example, Japan will not attack the Soviet Union, Japan will move to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor, and attack Southeast Asia.

The basic intelligence from Sorge became the basis for making strategic decisions from the policy makers of the Soviet Union to move its war divisions from frontttimur to west in the face of Germany, "Irawan recounted.

Then the story of Daria Aslamova, a special correspondent for the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, a newspaper known as pro-Kremlin. Aslamova also works as a war correspondent in Ukraine for the Tsagod channel that spreads Russian propaganda.

Kosovo's Minister of Home Affairs, Xhelal Svecla called Aslamova a spy.

"Many countries have proven that he was involved in espionage for Russian military intelligence and he pretended to be a journalist," Svecla said in a press statement on August 7.

If by the time of General Sun Tzu, the intelligence was to win a military war, then today the spectrum of the war was very broad, such as the war against terrorism, political wars, economic wars, advertising wars, cultural wars, technological wars, social wars, information wars, perception wars, and ideological wars.

However, the doctrine remains the same. If you want to win war, strong intelligence is needed. The intelligence philosophy is to win the war. Behind the day it is possible totoprevent the war, and in the future it is possible to win the peace," Irawan wrote in the book.

The doctrine applies to all intelligence services, including the National Police's Baintelkam.

Intelligence activities will not be able to run well without a network that includes all personnel structured in the organs, both active and civilian police who have been recruited.

According to Dr. Susaningtyas Nefo Handayani Kertopati, they are the ones who play the role of starting, accompanying, and ending every event in order to provide input and analysis for policymakers.

Intelkam's information value, is the same as the quality decision value for the leadership of the National Police. Everything must be qualified according to the level of accuracy. That is why information codes appear, such as A-1, B-2, C-3, and so on.

A means the source is accurate or reliable and number 1 means the value of the information can be believed to be correct. B-2 means that the source is reliable, but unlike A. The number 2 value of the information needs to be added with a supporting explanation.

Then C means that the source is less trustworthy while the number 3 value of information needs to be strengthened by other supporting statements.

"In addition to information accuracy, other indicators are the answers to the 5W+1H formula (What, Who, Where, When, Why, and How)."As an information question, said Susaningtyas in the book Communication in the Performance of Security Intelligence.

These indicators are similar to those applied in journalistic science. So, don't be surprised if there is a lot of intelligence disguised as journalists.

When responding to the figure of Umbaran Wibowo, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD also reminded, Intelligencies have certain arbitrariness.