Interpretasi Khalayak terhadap Berita-Berita Demonstrasi Mahasiswa di Surat Kabar Kompas

Abstract

There have been so many demonstrations happened in Indonesia during post Reformation era. These student demonstrations and student movement have special fascination for mass media to publish and make them as interesting news for the society. Kompas newspaper is the one of the mass media which always reports some student demonstrations. However, Kompas sometime hyper illustrates the violence which happened in student demonstrations. The use of words like clash, chaos, disturbance, and causing traffic jam always appears on Kompas’ student demonstrations news. This research purposed to reveal how the audiences’ interpretation toward student demonstrations news on Kompas newspaper. This research uses qualitative methods with reception analysis approach. In analysis of reception, audiences considered as not only consumer of media content, but also as meaning producer. Audiences will read student demonstrations news, and then interpret it based on their knowledge. This research also uses Struart Hall encoding-decoding model to explain encoding and decoding process of student demonstrations news. The result of this research shows how audience are active in interpretating the student demonstrations news. Audiences’ interpretation consist of three interpretation positions ; dominant reading, negotiated reading, and oppositional reading. Audiences who include in dominant reading position, interpret student demonstrations are close with violence. Audiences interpreted student demonstrations as preferred reading which appeared on Kompas. While audiences in negotiated reading position, interpreted student demonstrations by their own assumptions. These audiences evaluated that student demonstrations didn’t create chaos, but still assumed that student demonstrations have positive impact. Audiences, who included in oppositional reading, interpreted student demonstrations news oppositely with the preferred reading which written by Kompas. This research is openly to be study from some different perspectives and methods. Another similar research with different approach expected to increase and complete the present research. Key word : news, mass media, audiences, reception