Mass Media and News Bias in Death of Soeharto

If you watched television news about the death of former president Soeharto, there was something strange. Almost all of mass media (print and electronic) was poor of criticism.

All coverage in the media is nearly uniform. They proclaim the positive things about the former of New Order’s leader (Penguasa Orde Baru/Orba). It was not intended, the mass media should proclaim the negative side only. However, media’s tend is very transparent. This also happens in the telling about Soeharto's funeral. Is it only happens on the mass media in the country? No. Mass media abroad is also not different. They also only expose the bad side of Soeharto without seeing the positive side for building the nation of Indonesian.

Washington Post have any posts down with the title in “Indonesia's Ex-Dictator Soeharto”. Meanwhile, there are other titles such as buried Soldier, Savoir, Strongman, Crook (Newsweek), Suharto of Indonesia Tyrant, Dies facing Without Justice (The Independent), President Soeharto, 86; Indonesian ruler Mixed Legacy of the Left Prosperity and Untold deaths (LA Times), Suharto, Former President of Indonesia and Brutal Rules, Dies (Times online), and others. A clear, what has been described in some foreign media that seemed negative about Soeharto.

See the difference be telling the media in and outside the country, we think. How was mass media brought up to current trends in one side only? This is where we need to discuss the objectivity of the media.

Objectivity

Talking about media objectivity, we can use the perspective that had submitted Westerstahl (Mc Quail, 2000). He once said, the objective must contain factuality and impartiality. Factuality means truth in which the accuracy holds (directly and carefully) and associates the things to be relevant (relevance).

Meanwhile, the balance requires impartiality (balance) and neutrality in the reveal something. Objectivity always contains honesty, just the data, correct and free of fiction and opinion. Objective also does not contain sensational. Objectivity’s Westerstahl in practice not easy to do.

Mass media can not be separated from the subjectivity or subjectivity that objective. Subjectivity means that if the mass media proclaim an incident that never happened. Subjectivity objectives that appear when the mass media defend one of the parties.

It can happen, if the media write the facts, but written in subjective. If we use these criteria, the mass media proclaim the Soeharto case is not significantly more objective. There is news that there is bias in every news of it. We can see the television when the television-Indonesia, starting Sunday (27/1/2008) until Monday afternoon (28/1/2008), proclaim Soeharto (since sick to death).

Almost all of Indonesian television only proclaims the positive Soeharto. In fact, several television stations owned by our select news sources from people close to her family. That means, we almost never read the news and watch how the public opinion Kedungombo (for example) when they should go home on Soeharto's death.

Also, public opinion about how the victim's family "Tragedi Trisakti 1998." As if all of that already full of hide agenda, and there is no news that critical television property. Perhaps, because of our lack of television. Thus, the television did not give details. However, the actual task can provide television reporter for the investigation to the field events than ceremonial burial Soeharto. In fact, Indonesian television proclaims the death of Soeharto cases the same.

Ideally

Pamela J. Shoemaker and Stephen D. Mediating Reese in his book Mediating The Message (1996) once said that the mass media have differences and similarities in the news.

This difference is influenced by: (1) individual level, (2) media-level routine, (3) organizational level, (4) extra media level, and (5) ideological level. So, the media is not independent institution free broadcast news. All news will be of interest outside the media. In fact, the more biased news reporter if lazy to make a field investigation.

Normally, journalists prefer to create news based on psychological reality (the official source of news). Psychological reality to make the mass media only builds on the journalism quote. Should build on the mass media psychological reality (and to direct the investigation and told to see the facts on the ground).

There are some notes related to the Indonesian mass media. First, in any situation, the mass media coverage should still do cover both sides, More great if all sides in writing.

Second, the mass media should stand itself as (the term property Jakob Oetama, 2003) “the search and the production of meaning”. Mass media must not only proclaim the fact linear, but the fact throughout. In other words, the facts need to complete with the background, process, and history.

Third, the mass media must determine the direction changes into the community and not only proclaim the fact. In other words, the mass media should bring positive changes in the future. When Soeharto proclaim death cases, mass media should not be stuck on the news and ceremonial official, but he should be able to lead, have, make readers more critical how the settlement of Soeharto's mistakes in the past.

That is the noble task of Indonesian mass media. (Source: Nurudin , “Bias Berita Media Soal Wafatnya Soeharto”, 30/1/2008).