European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

The involvement of mass media owners in political parties has led to the issue of neutrality. Media neutrality becomes more challenged when media owners are also members of political parties competing in the political constellation as supporters of specific figures running for election. In the end, media content becomes a means to win the supported candidates. The phenomenon could be viewed onMetro TVandTV Onestations during the Indonesian presidential election in 2014. The media was active in broadcasting programs to win public support through the creation of discourse that supported their candidates as the decent and ideal figures to be elected as the leader. Culture and religion became the main sources of discourse construction by attaching certain images, mainly based on Javanese and Islamic philosophy. The use of Javanese and Islam as the source of image construction made sense considering that both aspects have the largest mass base in Indonesia. The utilization of religion and culture by the media to win the candidates were analyzed using critical discourse model by Roger Fowlerand his colleagues. As a result,Metro TVportrayed Jokowi-JK andTV Oneportrayed Prabowo-Hatta as the ideal leader, referring to the characteristics of Islamic Prophets and Javanese kings.Although using culture and religion as a reference, poorly, the behavior of the media in constructing political image towards candidates did not match with the values of Javanese culture and Islam religion.It can lead to a misperception about culture and religion especially Java and Islam.