Gatekeeping Process Berita Kota Mengenai Dugaan Kasus Korupsi APBD Kota Semarang 2004 Oleh Sukawi Sutarip di Suara Merdeka

Abstract

Talking about corruption and power issue, it is like seeing currency from two sides. Corruption always goes along with power and power is always “the gate” for corruption act. One of the popular corruptions in Indonesia is Corruption Subversive. It is like stealing national assets that is done by the government authorities through their power and competence. Mass media can be effective and efficient social controller to overcome the corruption issue. It helps the corruption cases be revealed faster in public since mass media has freedom tendency revealing the issue. Furthermore, mass media sometimes has two faces to deal with the problem; it can be pro (as partner) or contra (as enemy) to viewers. However, it is impossible to overcome corruption without giving accurate and responsible news to viewers. Mass media can criticize and determine how the judicature process runs. The writer would like to discuss about how the mass media report about Sukawi Sutarip’s corruption. Suara Merdeka is the most popular newspaper in Central Java which concentrates and has sensitivity to local issues and provide accommodation medium to local people which has news value. In this paper, the writer focuses on Gate keeping Study in processing local news production about the assessment of APBD Semarang fund corruption by Sukawi Sutarip. The writer uses qualitative descriptive analysis to roll out the observation. In this paper, Gate Keeping is editing the reports that are done by the gate keeper who has to be objective in presenting the news though sometimes it is not matched with his own opinion. The gate keeping process is influenced by national economic and political media which has competent and prestigious news; in addition, it causes benefit for the company from selling well. To do the research, the writer uses several levels in gate keeping process; they are level individual, level media routine, level organizational, level extra media and level social system. Editor has complete authority for feasibility of an article and supervises the local news about Sukawi Sutarip’s corruption. In gate keeping process, the most dominant level is level media routines. It is caused by the media routines create editor’s work pattern that determine feasibility and indecorum in presenting news. Editor determines the news based on the value and strong characteristic suitable with journalism ethics. The result shows that the gate keeping process in the assessment of APBD Semarang fund corruption by Sukawi Sutarip is media routines based on editorial staff meeting policy. They classify the reports selectively and edit them agree with Suara Merdeka policy. Finally, the proper news can be disseminated on public. Key Words : Gatekeeping, News, Suara Merdeka