Citizen Report Training Using Smartphones to Support Information Dissemination Through the Borisallo Village Website

BORISALLO — Efforts to increase digital literacy and strengthen the economic capacity of village communities, the Community Partnership Program (PKM) is organized by the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) Community Service Institute (LPkM), through the PKM team headed by Dr. Ir. Muhammad Zainal Altim, ST., MT., IPM, with Dr. Ir. Abdullah Basalamh, ST., MT, and Dr. Ir. H. Ansarullah, ST., MT, IPM., AseanEng, held a Citizen Report Training activity on Using Smartphones to Support the Dissemination of Information via the Borisallo Village Website, by presenting the main speaker, Dr. Zulkarnain Hamson, S. Sos., MSi.

According to the team leader, Dr. Muhammad Zainal Altim, the activity which took place at the Borisallo Village Office was intended to equip village communities with knowledge and skills in using smartphones for citizen journalism in order to develop potential and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) or entrepreneurship in Borisallo Village. This activity also involved students from UMI.

"This activity aims to increase the community's ability to utilize digital technology for citizen journalism activities and empower them to produce quality news," he said.

At the training session Dr. Zulkarnain Hamson, who is also a media practitioner and academic, delivered material on citizen journalism and digital literacy. He explained the basic concepts, benefits and challenges faced in citizen journalism. Then, it also provides an understanding of the importance of verifying information and the principles of journalism ethics in order to maintain the accuracy and credibility of the news conveyed.

Apart from that, Dr. Zulkarnain Hamson also provided training participants with material regarding news facts, dimensions of news writing, inspiration for writing news, and how to write good news.

Furthermore, residents of Borisallo Village were given direct training on how to use smartphones for reporting and producing news. The material taught includes interview techniques, data collection, taking pictures and how to upload writing to the village website using a smartphone device.

"In the training event, we provided participants with knowledge about how to write good news and how to enter news on village websites, as well as providing participants with the importance of accurate information," explained the PKM Team leader.

"Through this training, we hope that the people of Borisallo Village can more actively utilize technology to support their economic activities," he added.

Based on the results of PKM activities, it was found that, (a) there was an increase in the reasoning power of village officials and the community in seeing opportunities to report, (b) there was an increase in social sensitivity and motivation to voice village potential or community problems, (c) village officials and the community began to understand news facts, (d) village officials and the community's understanding of the dimensions of news writing increased and gave them inspiration to write, (e) The use of dimensions in news writing has also achieved good results compared to before, (f) although not yet optimal, the participants' news writing patterns have shows a pretty good trend.

Sofyan, as Head of Borisallo Village, expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the implementation of the training. "This activity is very useful for village communities. Apart from improving digital skills, this training is also part of the Regent's direction to strengthen information networks and encourage economic progress in the village," he explained.

"It is hoped that this training will not only provide technical knowledge about citizen journalism and the use of smartphones, but can also empower the people of Borisallo Village in developing their local potential and improving the economy through the use of technology. The Gowa Regency Government even strongly recommends always carrying out activities like this to a more specific stage in advancing the village in the digital era, as well as strengthening the community's ability to face global challenges," added Sofyan.