Is Freedom of Speech in Academia a Crime?

Disclaimer: Opinion

This weekend I made an appointment with my friend visit an tourism and shopping center in Central Jakarta which was recently restored by the government earlier this year.

When I met him, we missed each other and talked a lot about light to serious things.

The discussion started to climb when we discussed the opinions and testimonies that were narrated and shared by a professional in his field (suppose his name is-A), but also has a qualified educational background by working as an academic who incidentally is a researcher.

When this person -A responds to a matter that is being discussed by many people, but later it is discovered that this opinion is wrong, then can this opinion or statement be reported to the police to be subject to a criminal act?

Here my friend and I began to discuss this in a deeper direction.

We agree that this is not criminal.

Why? Because what person A did was not a crime or a crime as criminal law is used for it.

The opinion of a professional and has a qualified educational background and also works as an academic cannot be punished.

This is when he speaks and judges from an academic point of view.

But when what he talks about and shares is fake news or hoaxes and is deliberately published - even though he knows he is wrong, then I strongly agree that it can be continued in the criminal process.

For a moment I was reminded of a basic principle in the research methods course when I was in college,

"A researcher can be wrong, but he/she can't lie".

(RM)