IndonesianTalk.com — Spokespersons Take on More Strategic Role in Era of Disruption
The rapid development of digital technology and changing patterns of public communication have made the role of government and institutional spokespersons increasingly strategic, speakers at a book launch in Jakarta said on Friday.
Spokespersons are no longer expected merely to deliver statements on behalf of their leaders. They are increasingly required to manage strategic communication, build public trust and respond to rapidly evolving information dynamics.
The issue was among the topics discussed during the launch and book discussion of Juru Bicara: Perspektif Manajemen Komunikasi Politik di Era Disrupsi (Spokespersons: A Perspective on Political Communication Management in the Era of Disruption), written by communication professor Marlinda Irwanti Poernomo and Benny Siga Butarbutar, M.Si.
The event was held at Antara Heritage Center in Jakarta on Friday (Sept. 11).
In his keynote speech, head of the Government Communications Agency (Badan Komunikasi Pemerintah/BKP) Muhammad Qodari said the role of spokespersons had become more important as the communications landscape underwent fundamental changes.
As people increasingly obtain information through a growing number of channels, while public trust in news faces mounting challenges, government communication can no longer be viewed simply as the delivery of information, Qodari said.
“In such a media environment, remaining silent is not a neutral position. The information space is never empty. When the state does not explain its policies, there will always be others who explain them according to their own version,” Qodari said.
He stressed that having “one voice” did not mean that all government communication had to be delivered by a single person. Rather, it required consistency in the figures, terminology, facts and narratives communicated by the government.
Qodari also highlighted what he described as the uniqueness of the book, which he said reflected the complementary strengths of its two authors, who came from different professional backgrounds.
Marlinda comes from both academia and politics. She is a professor of communication studies, a former TVRI broadcaster and a former member of the House of Representatives.
Benny, meanwhile, brings extensive field experience. During more than two decades at state news agency Antara, he served as managing editor for investigative reporting and later headed its Tokyo bureau. He subsequently moved into the corporate sector, working at Garuda Indonesia and Citilink, and served as a communications adviser at state-owned food company Bulog.
He also served as secretary-general of the Indonesian Public Relations Association (PERHUMAS) and as deputy head of BKP before eventually leading the news agency.
Published by Rajawali Pers, the book examines the changing role of spokespersons amid shifts in the political and public communication landscape in the digital era.
For Marlinda, being a spokesperson is not simply about being able to speak well.
“For me, a spokesperson is not merely someone who is good at speaking. The role of a spokesperson can be likened to that of a conductor in an orchestra, who plays a very important role.”
She described the spokesperson as a Chief Reassurance Officer — not someone who makes problems appear nonexistent, but someone who enables the public to believe that real problems are being addressed seriously.
The authors argue that the profession needs to be viewed beyond the technical ability to deliver messages. It also involves strategy, politics, ethics and responsibility to the public.
“The role of a spokesperson is becoming increasingly complex,” Benny said.
He identified four elements that an integrative spokesperson should possess: leadership communication, sense making, stakeholder communication and an understanding of strategic decision-making. Together, he said, these capabilities could create a positive and sustainable impact.
Benny added that spokespersons were not merely information messengers but strategic actors who helped shape public perceptions, manage communication crises and safeguard the credibility and legitimacy of the institutions they represented.
The book combines perspectives from communication management, political science, mass psychology and ethics. It also explores dilemmas faced by spokespersons in political and government communication.
Among them is the challenge of balancing loyalty and responsibility to institutional leaders with responsibility to the public, confidentiality with transparency, and persuasion with the risk that communication could cross the line into propaganda.
Through its multidisciplinary approach, the book seeks to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the increasingly complex world of spokespersons.
Four Perspectives on the Role of Spokespersons
The discussion featured four complementary perspectives: academia, government, corporate and public communication practitioners, and the media.
The session was moderated by Kompas corporate communications director Glory Oyong.
From the academic perspective, political communication professor Gun Gun Heryanto said spokespersons should be placed at the center of institutional social change and given direct access to organizational leaders.
“As long as spokespersons do not have direct access, they will remain in a symbolic role without significant impact,” Gun Gun said.
He added that becoming a spokesperson required a process of internalization, including understanding the leader’s way of thinking and the priorities of the messages to be conveyed.
The government perspective was presented by Fifi Aleyda Yahya, director general of public communication and media at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.
She highlighted one of the book’s key contributions: shifting the way society understands the role of spokespersons.
A spokesperson, she said, should no longer be regarded merely as an official delivering institutional statements. The role has expanded into that of an institutional personification, policy translator, bridge between government and society, and even an architect of public trust.
Boy Kelana Soebroto, chairman of PERHUMAS, brought a corporate and public communication perspective to the discussion.
He said the deeper meaning of the spokesperson’s role could no longer be found simply in appearances behind a podium, reading official statements or responding to media questions.
Instead, spokespersons have evolved into leaders of meaning, guardians of organizational legitimacy, bridges between leadership and society, and protectors of trust — an institution’s most valuable asset.
From the media perspective, Paulus Tri Agung Kristanto, deputy editor-in-chief of Kompas, said a spokesperson should not be reduced to a public relations officer whose primary task is to make excuses.
A spokesperson, he said, should not be a “tukang les” — someone skilled at avoiding difficult questions — nor a “tukang las” who simply connects unrelated points to produce an answer. Nor should a spokesperson become a “tukang los” who releases information carelessly.
Instead, a spokesperson must embody an institution and its leadership in a way that demonstrates an understanding of the issues and a clear communication strategy.
Such a role is essential, Paulus said, to ensure that institutions and leaders do not lose their dignity in the eyes of the public.
