Representation of Patriarchal Culture in New Media: A case study of News and Advertisement on Tribunnews.com

Abstract

Patriarchal culture has become the dominant issue in online media. Recently, online news and advertising media have less gender perspective. Its content tends to position women as marginalized subjects receiving negative stereotypes. This study aims to review women’s reality in online media, in the form of: 1) news published on tribunnews.com; 2) how women issues are presented by using gender perspective journalism. This research uses descriptive qualitative content analysis approach combined with discourse analysis method of Sara Mills with a focus on the position of the subject and the object. Tribun daily Media in its online form (www.tribunnews.com) is the locus of this research. Tribunnews.com is selected because it ranks in big three news portal in Indonesia, having an extensive and strong network as they are supported by more than twenty regional press. The results show that media has not been fully able to raise women’s issue in the mainstream. The media still portrays women within the bond of patriarchal culture, discrimination, and consumeristic lifestyle. The power of patriarchy dominates the news which marginalizes women. News content and its features follow the pattern of male dominating power. Tribunnews.com has been legitimizing gender bias by accepting exploitation on female’s physical appearance as normal and acceptable. In other instances, Tribunnews.com does not highlight intellectual and leadership values of women as actors. News in online media should be reformed to be more gender sensitive.