Yadi Heriadi Hendriana’s scientific contributions

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a myriad of alterations and substantial repercussions across numerous domains of human existence. Beyond merely affecting the healthcare sector, COVID-19 has also exerted influence over the sustainability of educational systems, economic structures, public governance, and even the journalistic field. These circumstances have led to a notable decline in advertising revenues within the media, necessitating reductions in employee wages, implementation of layoffs, and in some instances, declarations of insolvency. A strategic governmental intervention designed to mitigate the economic ramifications of the pandemic on the press has been the establishment of collaborative initiatives between governmental bodies and media organizations, which includes the provision of financial assistance. Although these initiatives are ostensibly intended to bolster the media sector, they have subsequently manifested as a potential jeopardy to the autonomy of the press. Employing qualitative methodologies grounded in critical paradigms, the research undertook an analysis of both primary and secondary data, acquired through comprehensive interviews with journalists and stakeholders in media policy, alongside extensive desk research utilizing diverse documentary sources. The findings of the investigation indicated that the collaboration between the case study television station and the Indonesian government during the pandemic, while yielding benefits for both entities, engendered a power dynamic that compromised the independence of the media in the context of the pandemic.

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia was discovered on March 2, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic is a multidimensional crisis that has had a negative impact on various fields, including the journalism sector, especially press freedom, press democracy, and the press as a pillar of the Fourth Estate. The aim of this research is to analyse the impact of interest manipulation on the independence of television journalists in reporting about the COVID-19 vaccine. This research uses a case study that examines the editorial background in reporting on the COVID-19 vaccine. This research aims to reveal the manipulation of interests behind news about the COVID-19 vaccine. The research object consists of four private television stations selected based on a purposive sample, namely iNews TV, Metro TV, TV One, and Trans 7. The government guarantees that it will not hinder the critical power of journalists, so that media independence remains a priority. However, journalists must pay attention to the impact of the news and the needs of society. The results of the research show that there are irregularities in the newsroom regarding the government\'s involvement in regulation. The government, through the National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), is trying to intervene in journalistic work so that reporting is in line with the wishes of the government as the main policymaker. In addition, researchers found that there was intervention from internal and external companies that attempted to influence the content and direction of editorial reporting policies regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.