News and Media Language in Indonesian

Overview

Indonesian news and media language is a distinctive register that sits between formal administrative language and everyday speech. It is characterized by consistent use of me(N)- prefixes, passive constructions with di-, formal attributions, and headline-specific grammar patterns. Understanding media Indonesian is essential for following Indonesian news and current affairs.

Indonesian journalism has its own conventions: headlines often use passive voice, reported speech relies on formal attribution verbs, and sentences tend to be longer and more complex than in casual Indonesian. This article covers the patterns you need to read and understand Indonesian media effectively.

How It Works

Headline Patterns

Pattern	Example	English
Passive di-	Pencuri Ditangkap	Thief Arrested
Passive without agent	Harga BBM Dinaikkan	Fuel Price Raised
Noun phrase	Kenaikan Harga BBM	Fuel Price Increase
Active (less common)	Presiden Kunjungi Bali	President Visits Bali

Attribution Verbs

Indonesian	English	Use
mengatakan	said/stated	General
menyatakan	declared/stated	Official
mengungkapkan	revealed/disclosed	New information
menegaskan	affirmed/emphasized	Confirmation
menambahkan	added	Supplementary info
menurut	according to	Attribution

News Writing Conventions

Feature	Example
Lead sentence	Pemerintah mengumumkan kebijakan baru pada Senin.
Attribution	Menurut sumber...
Time reference	Pada hari Senin (12/3)...
Formal vocabulary	berlangsung (take place), menyelenggarakan (organize)

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Menurut sumber...	According to sources...	Attribution
Acara berlangsung dengan baik.	The event went well.	Formal verb
Diketahui, proyek akan selesai.	It is known the project will be completed.	Impersonal passive
Di tempat kejadian perkara.	At the scene of the incident.	News formula
Presiden menyatakan keprihatinan.	The president expressed concern.	Formal attribution
Pihak kepolisian menambahkan...	The police added...	Supplementary info
Korban dilaporkan selamat.	The victim was reportedly safe.	Passive reporting
Sebanyak 100 orang menghadiri acara.	As many as 100 people attended the event.	Precise reporting
Sementara itu, di Jakarta...	Meanwhile, in Jakarta...	Transition
Belum diketahui penyebab kebakaran.	The cause of the fire is not yet known.	Unknown information

Common Mistakes

Using casual verbs in news-style writing

• Wrong: Polisi bilang pencuri sudah ketangkap.
• Right: Pihak kepolisian menyatakan bahwa tersangka telah ditangkap.
• Why: News language requires formal vocabulary and attribution verbs.

Not recognizing passive-heavy news style

• Wrong: Struggling to parse sentences like Kebijakan baru diumumkan.
• Right: Recognize the di- passive as the default news construction
• Why: Indonesian news writing uses passive even more heavily than formal Indonesian in general.

Confusing menurut with karena

• Wrong: Using menurut for causation
• Right: Menurut means "according to" (attribution), not "because of"
• Why: Menurut attributes information to a source; karena gives a reason.

Usage Notes

Indonesian news media (Kompas, Tempo, Republika, detik.com) provide excellent exposure to formal Indonesian. Online news tends to be slightly less formal than print journalism. Television news falls between the two. Reading Indonesian news daily is one of the best ways to improve your formal register. Pay attention to how passive constructions, attribution verbs, and formal connectors are used — these patterns are remarkably consistent across all major Indonesian media outlets.

Practice Tips

1. Read one Indonesian news article per day. Highlight the passive constructions and attribution verbs. Note how they differ from casual Indonesian.
2. Try rewriting a news article in casual Indonesian, and vice versa. This builds your ability to switch between registers.

Related Concepts

• Formal Indonesian — the broader formal register system