In the midst of the media industry's economic interests, how can the social function of mass media in various journalistic creations be realized and ideally maintained?
By
Bestian Nainggolan, A member of Kompas Ombudsman
·5 minutes read
HANDINING
Bestian Nainggolan
This reflectively critical grievance became the reference point for the Kompas Ombudsman Forum on Friday (24/3/2023), which specifically evaluated the thematic coverage of The Voice That Is Not Heard.
The thematic coverage of The Voice That Is Not Heard is a typical Kompas journalistic creation, which seeks to stage the struggle of the marginal, which has been sidelined from the vortex of various social, economic or political structures.
The spirit of presenting the oppressed people has been inseparable since the daily Kompas was born. Humanity is a perspective in every journalistic product. However, it has now become more special because the spirit has become a thematic rubrication that is built in the 4K convergence boats (Kompas, Kompas TV, Kompas.com, and Kontan).
Since May 2020, The Voice That Is Not Heard has routinely greeted and at the same time reminded the established people, even elite policy makers, that there are still many problems of the poor that need to be solved, specifically for people who were economically marginalized in the pandemic era. By reading it, it drains our emotions and at the same time invites empathy. The problem is, how could the daily economic needs of these people who relied on physical activity be met during the pandemic? The concept of working from home, which depends entirely on technology, was almost impossible for these people.
Coverage of the scavengers (May 11-13, 2020), fishermen (Nov. 2-4, 2020), the homeless (Feb. 1-3 2021), the poor people of Jakarta (June 21-23, 2021), migrant workers (Jan. 24-26, 2022) or the latest coverage related to the lives of porters (March 13, 2023) are reminders of the large number of the powerless.
Similarly, the long-lasting social structure of the existence of vulnerable groups, such as women, children, the disabled, and customary law communities, becomes a special concern in this coverage. The story of the women as the heads of family (Aug. 4-6, 2020), children with special needs (Sept. 14-16, 2020), migrant workers' children (March 8-10, 2021) or the existential side of indigenous people (June 6-8, 2022) who escape in law become examples.
The Voice That Is Not Heard reviews people who in their social life are often underestimated. The existence of the belief followers (May 31 to June 3, 2021), the activities of transgenders in the public binary structure (July 25-27, 2022), to the psychological or economic struggles of the children of terrorist inmates (Feb. 13, 2023).
KOMPAS
The Argo Cheribon train prepares to depart from Cirebon Station, West Java, Tuesday (7/3/2023) afternoon. Dozens of porters in orange uniforms and officers in blue rushed to the platform. They formed a line lined up beside the train.
Sacrifice
The sacrifice of resources, time, or costs used in producing this kind of coverage is unimaginable. The blend of the journalistic work of Kompas journalists and researchers makes the work weighty. While some issues had limitations in perspective and there were obscurities of intended targets, the knitting of words and visuals that are expressed truly inspires empathy.
For the Kompas Ombudsman, the presence of this kind of thematic coverage becomes significant. The reason is that in the midst of the dominance of the media industry’s economic regime that places the readers preference as the center of editorial policies, the ideological struggle of journalism in correcting structures for the practice of social injustice is now increasingly rare. It is undeniable that the present media tends to be more interested in exploiting the problems of the elite along with all the knick-knacks of the sensation of a hedonistic life. Without realizing it, the media has become an agent that confirms structural injustices rather than correcting them.
Even though the coverage of The Sound That Is Not Heard, which is full of concern, is often excluded, and defeated by the sparkling sensation of other events recorded in the readers’ calculation machines, initiatives and commitments of Kompas in staging the group deserves appreciation.
As a guest expert in the Ombudsman Forum, Laode M Syarif, executive director of Kemitraan (Partnership), appreciated the media that still wanted to bother with making coverage on the topic of voicing the marginalized. Moreover, in the midst of the condition of the decline in the democratic index is in line with the emergence of political corruption and weak law enforcement in this country.
Kemitraan, as an organization that has a mission to spread, advance and institutionalize the principles of good governance from the government, civil society and the business sector, also gives strong attention to marginalized groups. The marginalization of minority groups can be seen in the small communities in mining activities; the study of the indigenous people in Mentawai, West Sumatra; the Bara indigenous community, Cindakko, Maros, South Sulawesi; the Dayak Ngaju community, Central Kalimantan; or the China Benteng minority group shows. Collaboration in upholding equality needs to be done together.
The Voice That Is Not Heard needs to be systematically continued to be held.
Journalistic appreciation was achieved by the creation of thematic coverages of marginal groups. However, for the Kompas Ombudsman, appreciation can no longer be something valuable if the problems experienced are still felt and repeated when the structure has not yet sided with the marginal, and the practice of injustice still appears to be visible.
That is why, The Voice That Is Not Heard needs to be systematically continued to be held. According to Ashadi Siregar, chairperson of the Kompas Ombudsman, expansion on the choice of advocacy patterns in defending the rights of the marginalized can be an alternative choice. The advocacy in question is of course within the framework of how to make an effective communication process that exists between Kompas, the readers and stakeholders.
(If there is an opinion about Kompas reporting, please send it by e-mail to ombudsman@kompas.id)
