Communism Issues in Kompas Daily, Transformation from the Old Order to the New Order Era

Abstract

The editorials of large national mass media naturally become a part of the history of political power transitions. Such is the case for Kompas Daily, one of the oldest mass media in Indonesia. Despite being banned nationally since 1966, communism is still a topic of discussion within media editorials. This research aims to present new evidence of the role of journalism in raising the issue of communism in the mass media during the regime transition from the Old Order to the New Order in Indonesia. This research uses the historiography method with a constructivist approach and found Kompas Daily editorial dynamics in responding to the issue of communism that occurred during the regime transition. The authors used data collected from the mass media, research studies, publications, online technology, interviews, and academic literature related to the communism issue in the Kompas Daily media practice, supported by a check-list for the classification of research materials, map of writing, and format of research notes. The study results show that when dealing with power, Kompas Daily practices swing journalism that adapts to developing situations and conditions. Swing media allows Kompas Daily to create a position that lets them maintain journalistic independence while remaining politically secure in accommodating the ruling regime.