585 MEDIA DISCOURSE OF INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES BETWEEN JOKO WIDODO AND PRABOWO SUBIANTO IN 2019 ELECTION (ANALYSIS STUDY OF NORMAN FAIRCLOUGH'S CRITICAL DISCOURSE IN REPUBLIKA) Volume: 4 Number: 2 Page: 585 - 595 Cedin Rosyad NURDIN1, Kholil Nugroho SUKAMDANI2, Titi WIDANINGSIH3, Heri BUDIANTO4 1Communication Sciences, Usahid University, Jakarta, Indonesia 2,3Post Graduate School of Sahid University, Jakarta, Indonesia 4Mercu Buana University, Jakarta, Indonesia Corresponding author: Kholil E-mail: kholillppm@gmail.com Article History: Received: 2022-01-15 Revised: 2023-02-23 Accepted: 2023-03-17 Abstract: Presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto used the mass media to win the 2019 presidential and vice-presidential elections. Researchers chose the news on the presidential debates in the national mass media, Republika. The researcher applies qualitative research. The researcher uses Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis method to analyze the news. The researcher intends to reveal how Republika newspaper produces news on presidential debates, the placement of news on presidential candidates, and the motive for presenting news on presidential candidate debates. The results show that Republika newspaper presents news on presidential debates through prophetic and Al- Hujurat Al-Qur'an journalism. Republika places Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto as worthy of being elected and close to the ulama. Republika presents the debate news to encourage people to be smart voters by choosing the candidates because of their vision and mission rather than their appearance. Republika is more inclined to Joko Widodo. Recommendations from the conclusion: Republika maintains an Islamic identity, professional and independent, with journalistic loyalty to the broader community. Republika became a reference for news on the presidential election. The closeness of the elected candidate with the ulama must be maintained, even after the election. Ulama also has to keep guarding the president as the previous support responsibility. Keywords: Debate, Discourse, Journalism, Republika, Presidential Candidate Cite this as: NURDIN, C. R., SUKAMDANI, K. N., SARI, R. D., WIDANINGSIH, T., & BUDIANTO, H. (2023). “Media Discourse of Indonesian Presidential Debates Between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in 2019 Election (Analysis Study of Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse in Republika)”. International Journal of Environmental, Sustainability, and Social Sciences, 4 (2), 585 - 595. INTRODUCTION In the 2019 presidential elections, the mass media served as political agents with political agendas and interests. As a political agent, Suwardi mentions (Hamad, 2004, xvi-viii) that the mass media carry out the message from the candidates, and this process causes political actors to have a specific image. In the process of delivering this message, the mass media can decide the facts to be included or not in the news. Before writing news, journalists first collect the facts (news gathering). The adherents of the Positivism Perspective believe that the published news must be identical to the facts in the field. Media discourse is a mirror and reflection of reality. The Positivism perspective also sees that journalists' values and ideologies are outside the news reporting process. Journalists act as reporters. The purpose of news coverage is an exploration to explain the facts. Journalists are mailto:kholillppm@gmail.com 586 in an advantageous position to seek the truth. Thus, the coverage results are balanced, credible, and objective (Ardianto & Anis, 2007, pp. 176). On the other hand, the adherents of the Critical Theory Perspective view the news as not identical to the facts that occur. The news is not a mirror and reflection of reality but the result of the construction of reality. In fact, from the perspective of Critical Theory, the news reflects the interests of the dominant power (Eriyanto, 2001, pp. 32). According to Sujiman in Badara (2014, pp. 10), there are three things that the media do when constructing reality, namely the selection of symbols, the selection of facts, and the willingness to place the news on the front page or the inside. The placement of this news is determined by the editorial policy of the mass media concerned. The construction of mass media reality can be described as follows: Source: Hamad, (2004, pp 184) Figure 1. Mass media reality construction model From several mass media circulating nationally, the researcher chose Republika as the subject and object of research. The researcher uses Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis, which includes three levels of analysis, consisting of the Micro Analysis level (Text Analysis), the Meso Analysis level (Text Production Analysis), and the Macro Analysis level (Social Analysis). The purposes of this study are (1) to analyze the news of presidential candidates in Republika, from collecting facts in the field until they are printed as news in the public sphere, (2) to analyze the placement of Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in Republika in the news discourse of the presidential candidate debate, (3) to analyze the motives of Republika in the placement of Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in the media discourse of the presidential debate. The researcher chose three scientific papers that are relevant to this research. The first is "Persuasive Strategic Used Obama's Political Speech: A CDA Approach Based on Fairblough's Framework," written by Dastpak and Taghinezhad (2015). In their research, Dastpak and Taghinezhad use ideological analysis, frequently used words and connotations, and analysis of biblical references. The results showed that Obama, in his speech, expressed his ideology in the form of a combination of pragmatic, liberal, inclusive, and accepted the presence of religion and ethnicity. The difference is that the researcher refers to the written text by dividing the structure of the news on the title, subject matter, and content of the news as a whole, while Dastpak and Taghanizehad examine Internal factors Discourse as a result The result, meaning, opinion, image, motif External factors Public The process of constructing reality by the mass media 587 the diction and style of speech. The second is "A Demonstrative Analysis of News Articles Using Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis Framework," written by Briones, in Beyond Word Vol. 5 (1) May 2017. Briones researched two news stories about the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF): "MILF Submits own Mamasapano Report to Senate” and “Read: MILF Report on Mamasapano Incident". This research uses Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis. The results of the study show that the MILF has an ideology. At the internal level analysis, the text is maintained to describe the identity of groups with Islamic ideology. Analysis of the external level revealed that the two texts Briones studied together took into account the state's security from rebellion. The difference with the current research is that Briones prioritizes security from rebellion, while the researcher sees Republika as promoting peace journalism to prevent the negative impact of presidential candidate debates. The third is “Analysis of Political Discourse of the Presidential Candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in the 2019 Presidential Election debate. Inscription: Journal of Linguistics. Vol. 5 No, Number 1 April 2020. The results of Hartinah and Kindi's research show that the diction used by the two candidates, among others, are in the form of sensing words, special words, foreign words, opposites, synonyms or synonyms, regional dictions, and connotative diction. The researcher's dissertation is similar in text research as one of the three dimensions of Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis. Hartinah and Kindi examined directly from the debate, while the researcher looked at the placement of the presidential debate after it became a discourse text in the Republika. From the three scientific works, the researcher formulated the research to focus on the message element in the form of news on the debates of presidential candidate Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in Republika. Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis analyzes news in three levels of analysis (micro, meso, and macro) as well as Internal Dimensions and External Dimensions analysis which is a simplification of the three levels of Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis. Source: Author Figure 2. The process of analyzing the text of the presidential debate Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis. Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis has three levels of analysis, namely the level of Micro Analysis, Meso Analysis, and Macro Analysis. In this case, the term "level" is the same as "dimension". Micro Analysis is only about the text, especially the language used. The Meso Analysis level analyzes individuals (journalists) in producing texts and consumers as text readers. Macro analysis is the analysis of society's social, economic, political, and cultural structures (Eryanto, 2001, pp. 334). In this critical discourse analysis, first, the text analysis that needs to be done in-depth is the use of vocabulary related to certain meanings. Second, discursive practice analysis aims to see the strength of the statement in terms of the extent to which it can encourage action. Third, the social praxis analysis is intended to describe the part of social activities in praxis (Haryatmoko, 2017, pp. 23-24). Presidential debate news Republika newspaper • News headline • News lead • Contents of the whole news • Micro analysis • Meso analysis • Macro analysis • Internal dimension • External dimension 588 Norman Fairclough and Ruth Wodak's Normal Review, there are five main characteristics of Critical Discourse Analysis. These five general characteristics allow any Critical Discourse Analysis "knife" to be used, such as the Critical Discourse Analysis of Teun Adrianus van Dijk's model, Ruth Wodak's Critical Discourse Analysis, and others. These general characteristics can also be called the main characteristics of Critical Discourse Analysis. The five general characteristics of Critical Discourse Analysis (Jorgensen, 2010, pp. 114 - 121), namely (a) the nature of cultural structures and processes are part of linguistic discourse, (b) discourse is structured and constitutive, and (c) language used should be analyzed empirically. In its social context, (d) the function of discourse ideologically, (e) critical research. Especially this fifth general characteristic, the researcher does use the Critical Paradigm, especially directed at the Critical Paradigm of Jurgen Habermas, the second-generation Frankfurt School figure.:Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis Model can be described as follow: Source: Haryatmoko, (2017) Figure 3. Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis Prophetic Journalism and Al-Hujurat Journalism. Prophetic journalism is based on the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., consisting of Ash-shidqu (true), At-tabliighu (delivering), Al-amaanatu (honest), Al-fathaanatu (intelligent), As-salaamatu (physically and mentally healthy), and Al- 'ishmatu (guarded against mistakes). These basic qualities of a prophet were adopted into the basic qualities of a journalist, then prophetic journalism emerged (English: prophet). Republika applies prophetic journalism as a legacy from the first editor-in-chief of Republika newspaper, Parni Hadi, who specifically wrote a book entitled Prophetic Journalism. Al-Hujurat journalism is based on the Qur'an, surah Al-Hujurat. This surah has 18 verses, with the dominance of messages related to journalism: respecting personal territory, checking & rechecking news, not insulting, avoiding prejudice, not finding fault, not gossiping, and being ready to put forward peace in case of conflict. One thing that the Republika implements is double checking of data or facts since the news is received from journalists and verified by the editor until it is prepared for printing. "We minimize errors and mistakes as much as possible," said the Chief Editor of Republika, Irfan Junaidi. The double-checking manifests in verse 6 of Surah Al-Hujurat concerning re-checking information or data. Al-Hujurat also teaches peace, which can then be adapted into peace journalism. Republika was born in the middle of the political process and through the political process. This newspaper was first published on January 4, 1993. The Association of Indonesian Muslim Production process Interpretation process DISCURSIVE PRACTISE EXPLANATION (macro) Social analysis SOCIOCULTURAL PRACTISE (Situasional, institusional & social) INTERPRETATION (meso) DESCRIPTION (micro) Text analysis TEXT 589 Intellectuals (ICMI), with the general chairman of B.J. Habibie (Minister of Research and Technology), published Republika with the blessing of the government, who at that time was President Suharto. Press publishing at that time would not have been possible without the government's support. Institutionally, Republika has supported the government and has also been opposition until finally becoming a business institution. Since changing management from PT Abdi Bangsa Tbk. to Mahaka Group (Erick Thohir) in the 2000s, Republika established itself as a business institution while still establishing itself as an Islamic newspaper. Republika switched from politics to business. "We are market-oriented," said Muhammad Lutfi, one of the caretakers of the Republika. "We make politics part of the lifestyle of the Muslim community," said Erick Thohir. The point to highlight is that Republika still has an Islamic identity since its birth is in the Islamic circle and was born by an Islamic organization (ICMI). The head of the National Campaign Team (TKN) for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates Joko Widodo and Ma'ruf Amin was Erick Thohir, the owner of the Republika. Based on the research of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) and G-Communications (G-Comms), from March 01 to 31, 2019, Republika newspaper was a neutral mass media in reporting on presidential candidate Joko Widodo and also Prabowo Subianto. Table 1. Prophetic Journalism and Al-Hujurat Journalism Number Prophetic Journalism Al-Hujurat Journalism 1. Ash-shidqu (true) Respect personal territory 2. At-tabliighu (delivering) Check & recheck news 3. Al-amaanatu (honest), Not insulting 4. Al-fathaanatu (smart) Avoid prejudice 5. As-salaamatu (healthy) Don't find fault 6. Al-‘ishmatu (guarded from mistakes) Not gossiping 7. - Promote peace Source: (Al-Qur’an and As-Sunnah) METHODS Straus and Corbin (1997, pp. 1) mention that qualitative research can examine people's lives, history, behavior, organizational functionalization, social movements, or kinship relationships (Basrowi and Sukidin, 2002, pp. 21-22). Bodgan and Taylor (1992, pp. 21- 22) state that qualitative research is a research procedure that produces descriptive data in the form of speech or writing and the behavior of the people being observed. The data is taken directly from the research subject, namely Republika. The research data is very open. Print mass media are sold freely on the free market. They can be accessed from the internet or by directly visiting Republika. Researchers only took the news of the debates of the presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. The subject of this research is Republika, a mass media that is circulated nationally. In fact, through cyber media, Republika is easy to read from anywhere, anytime, and by anyone. Republika also provides electronic newspapers and even a television channel. To collect news on the presidential debates, the researcher collected news on the 2019 presidential election. From all the news about the 2019 election, only the ones related to presidential and vice-presidential candidates were selected. News of presidential and vice-presidential candidates was also chosen to be campaign news only. Then the news of this campaign was sorted again so that only presidential debates were selected, which were about Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. 590 News of presidential and vice-presidential candidates was also chosen to be campaign news only. Then the news of this campaign was sorted again so that only presidential debates were selected, which were about Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. The data collection is followed by data analysis, among others, by checking and conducting assessments to verify that the data collected is valid. Data analysis was carried out in the library, document review, internet searches, interviews, and observations. In qualitative research, there are four criteria related to data validity, namely (a) construct validity, which includes data triangulation, observer triangulation, theory triangulation, and method triangulation, (b) internal validity, (c) external validity, and (d) constancy (Afifuddin and Saebani, 2009, pp. 143). Specifically for data triangulation, researchers collected comparative data by visiting the library, studying documents, and interviewing several internal sources within Republika. News of the presidential candidate debates and Republika's data are confirmed by Republika's books, such as the story behind the news (99 stories of Republika journalists). For observer triangulation, the researcher interviewed journalists outside Republika about the news on the presidential debates, observers and mass media readers, including Republika readers. Interviewed journalists and observers also provided input on data collection. For triangulation theory, the researcher matches the data with the previous theory. The news of the presidential candidate debate in Republika is reviewed theoretically, whether it has met the legal requirements. For the triangulation method, the researcher conducted interviews with several sources and made observations of journalists when reporting in the field and when writing reports in the newsroom. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Micro Analysis Level. Republika presents news on the religious activities of the presidential candidates, Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, in a balanced manner, including their closeness to the ulama and their respective displays of piety. News is presented in accordance with the rules of news writing, including what, who, where, when, why, and how. The news consists of the title, main news, complementary news, and the overall content of the news. The six elements of news are in campaign news and presidential debates. Meso Analysis Level. Republika displays diction and language styles that are popular in Islam. There are five choices of words for the news about Joko Widodo, namely murabbi, turban, tasbih, waqf, and umrah. Kiai Haji Maimoen Zubair, for example, handed over a turban to Joko Widodo. For Prabowo Subianto, Aa Gym encouraged him to become president by saying bismillah (by the name of Allah), a prayer to start all good work. Maimoen Zubair is known as an Islamic Religious Figure who cares for a boarding school and a politician in the House of Representatives (DPR). He once led the Al- Anwar Islamic Boarding School in Banten Province. Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is very active in the most prominent Islamic organization in Indonesia. Maimoen Zubair is the chairman of the Islamic political party in Indonesia, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP), as a Sharia Council. Maimoen Zubair died at 90 in Mecca on August 6, 2019, while performing the pilgrimage. Kiai Haji Abdullah Gymnastiar, or Aa Gym, advised Prabowo Subianto to bow down in gratitude if elected, to be humble (tawadlu'), not drunk on victory. Aa Gym is a well-known preacher (da’wah activist) in Indonesia. Aa Gym takes care of the Darut Tauhid Islamic Boarding School in Bandung City, West Java Province. In addition to preaching and nurturing Islamic boarding schools, the man born in Bandung on January 29, 1962, is also a businessman. 591 There is a special prayer for Prabowo Subianto from Ustaz Adi Hidayat by placing his palm on the chest of Prabowo Subianto, a solemn practice of prayer. There were eight religious reports and the appearance of piety by Prabowo Subianto. Adi Hidayat is a da'wah activist (preacher) and book writer in Indonesia. He is a graduate of the International Islamic Call College, Tripoli, Libya. He founded a center for Islamic studies, named the Quantum Akhyar Institute, in 2013. Adi Hidayat was born in Pandeglang Regency (Banten Province) on September 11, 1984. Macro Analysis Level. Outside of the text (microanalysis) and context (meso analysis), voters can judge which candidate is worthy of being elected at the time of the election. Republika, in this case, presents facts, not influence the audience. In the end, the choice of a candidate is determined by the readers themselves, based on facts that are believed to be better. Republika does not want to risk being accused of siding with one of the presidential candidates. Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto's close relationship with the ulama (Islamic Religious Expert) was proven by visits to the ulama and vice versa. Such relation forms good communication so that the presidential candidates get the ulama's support. Table 2. Islamic Religious Identity in Presidential Candidate Campaigns and Debates No Joko Widodo Prabowo Subianto 1 Tasbih (prayer tool) Bismillah (in the name of Allah) 2 Turban Humble (tawadlu') 3 Umrah (minor pilgrimage) Prostration of Gratitude 4 Murabby (supervisor) Prayer hands stick to the chest 5 Halal tourism Hajj Bank Source: Republika, 2019 Peaceful Journalism on Presidential Candidate Debate. Republika published an article entitled, “Sambil Ngopi, Pendukung Dua Capres Akur Nobar Debat Pilpres" (Thursday, January 17, 2019, 21:07 WIB). The diction and style of news headlines contain messages of peace. Micro Analysis Level. Diction and language style are compatible or peaceful, showing and educating each candidate's supporters to remain in harmony and peaceful, without conflicts that lead to quarrels, hostility, and hatred. The diction "akur nobar" symbolizes a peaceful general election. Meso Analysis Level. Republika puts the who element in the news lead (supporters of the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs), then what elements (holding a nobar), then the where (Nusa Kopi, K.H. Ahmad Dahlan Street, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta), and the when (Thursday, 17/1). The placement of the element of who is followed by watching together shows solidarity: there is no hostility and unhealthy competition among the candidates' supporters. Republika described the different identities of each candidate's supporters without contradicting them. Supporters of candidate Joko Widodo exhibited “KitaSatu” and “UI Millenial for Jokowi”. Supporters of candidate Prabowo Subianto showed the words "Friend of Prabowo-Sandi" on their shirts. Republika described these differences as diversity and an expression of pride for candidates' supporters. Macro Analysis Level. In the midst of the competition for the sympathy of voters in the 2019 presidential and vice-presidential elections, Republika presented comforting news, not those that ignited hostility among readers. Republika used peace journalism while at the same time educating the public to remain calm in the midst of competing programs in the campaign. 592 In the midst of competition for public sympathy, Republika closed the gap between the supporters of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. As a print mass media that carry prophetic journalism, Republika was called to be cooler in the midst of presidential candidate campaigns which sometimes caused tensions. Halal Tourism Industry and Hajj Bank. Republika made a religious news headline, "Jokowi: Indonesia Has Opportunity to Realize a Halal Tourism Industry". The religious news of Prabowo Subianto was entitled, "Prabowo - Sandi Says Will Form Hajj Bank". Micro Analysis Level. Republika started the news by prioritizing who element, namely presidential candidate number 1 (Joko Widodo). What element is written next, which has an excellent opportunity to realize the halal tourism industry? By prioritizing who and what, Republika also emphasized the headline that Joko Widodo plans to create a halal industry. Republika also prioritizes who element in the news of the formation of a hajj bank initiated by Prabowo Subianto. Meso Analysis Level. Republika wants to show that the two candidates have great concern for Muslims. Both themes are based on Muslims. Indonesia is known as the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Therefore, the halal tourism industry and establishing a Hajj bank are relevant and realistic. Republika shows balance in writing campaign themes with their respective big ideas. Makro Analysis Level. Joko Widodo will build a halal tourism industry. Prabowo Subianto plans to establish a Hajj bank. Indonesia is the country that sends the most candidates for Hajj. So, it is very relevant if there is a Hajj bank. Foreign tourists who come to Indonesia, especially from Muslim-majority countries, want to ensure they need halal. Republika is interested in publishing the two news debates with the theme of Islam. Besides the two news stories, they were written balanced and touched the interests of the Muslim community as a whole. Siding with Joko Widodo. The news title "Dilan" can be interpreted as short for continued (dilan-jutkan), meaning that Joko Widodo's presidency will be continued for a second term. The story's full title is "01 Dilan's Government. 02 Prioritize Defense and Security" (Republika, Sunday, 31 March 2019). Micro Analysis Level. Joko Widodo said "Dilan" in his fourth campaign at the Sangri-La hotel, Jakarta (Saturday, 03/30/2019) is an acronym for digital service, among others, to cut bureaucracy and improve fast information technology-based services, not the " Dilan" version of the novel or film. Nevertheless, then, "Dilan" contains another interpretation, not just an acronym for "digital services" but also short for "continued" (furthermore, when it was raised to the stage of the election campaign. "Dilan" stands for continued for the second term of Joko Widodo. Meso Analysis Level. "Dilan," campaigned by Joko Widodo, was intended to win sympathy for millennial voters. In this day and age, information technology has become a necessity of daily life, not just a lifestyle. "Dilan" is derived from the novel "He was my Dilan in 1990" by Pidi Baiq. This novel was later adapted to the big screen. Macro Analysis Level. Republika sees that digitalization in public services should be implemented optimally in Indonesia. Joko Widodo's campaign in his debate became an important momentum to popularize the digital service further. Joko Widodo wanted to maximize information technology in public services. The government is becoming more modern, and presidential and vice- presidential elections can be conducted electronically. The use of information technology will also reach this practical political matter. Although Joko Widodo did not specifically mention e-voting in his debates, this is also part of the actual "Dilan". Siding with Prabowo Subianto. Republika presented the news, entitled “KPU Requests Allegations of Fraud in the Presidential Debate to be Reported” (18 February 2019). A member of the General Elections Commission of the Republic of Indonesia (KPU RI), Wahyu Setiawan, 593 encourages presidential candidates to dare to report to the General Elections Supervisory Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (Bawaslu RI) if there is indeed a debate violation. Micro Analysis Level. Wahyu Setiawan's statement was triggered by protests from Prabowo Subianto over questions from Joko Widodo, which tend to be tendentious and seem like personal attacks. The question was about Prabowo Subianto's ownership of land and start-up companies. Meso Analysis Level. The news is considered neutral and impartial and only describes facts, including protests from presidential candidate number 2, questions from presidential candidate number 1, and encouragement from the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia (KPU RI) so that candidate number 2 reports the candidate number 1 to the General Elections Supervisory Body of the Republic of Indonesia (Bawaslu RI) is a fact, not an opinion. Even so, the encouragement from Wahyu Setiawan (KPU RI) for Prabowo Subianto to report Joko Widodo is a kind of positive energy to report alleged violations of Joko Widodo's debate to the General Elections Supervisory Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (Bawaslu RI). Macro Analysis Level. Republika's reputation will be disrupted if it is categorized as a media supporting one of the presidential candidates, with the possibility of being abandoned by its critical readers. Republika continues to strive to provide balanced news. On the other hand, Republika is known as a mass media for Muslims which benefits the community as a whole, regardless the religion. On this side, Republika still wants to be recognized as a trusted media and become the people's pride. Therefore, it is understandable that Republika sometimes presents news or photos that implicitly support Joko Widodo, but in other news, their support for Prabowo Subianto is also implied. Internal and External Dimensions. The "heading" of the Republika (17 January 2019) contains an official stance, presented in the form of an opinion, in accordance with the characteristics of the editorial itself, which is in the form of an opinion. Internal Dimension. There are two important dictions and figurative language in Republika's "Tajuk", both religious. The first sentence is a quote from Ali bin Abi Talib (the fourth caliph): "Do not look at who said, but what was said". It is an important message to voters that using their right to vote is based on the candidate's vision and mission, not because of his appearance. Through the "Tajuk", Republika directs its readers to be smart voters. The second important sentence is, "It is bad in the sight of God to say something but not do it". It comes from the Al-Qur'an of Surah Ash-Shaff verse 2: "It is a great sin (great anger in the sight of Allah) because you say what you do not do. In this “Tajuk”, which is the official stance of the Republika itself, it seems that the newspaper put forward neutrality. External Dimension. The voters of the 2019 presidential election come from different ethnic groups, nations, and religions. These differences are very likely to influence the choice of each candidate. Beyond that, some voters use their rights due to emotional ties with the candidates, their closeness, family relationships, friendship, et cetera. The figures of presidential and vice presidential candidates, their visions and missions, and various work programs that have been carried out are available as official documents on many websites because they are one of the requirements for nominations for president and vice president. Republika sees the dynamics of voters who want to choose the best presidential candidate. The attitude of Republika is clear. The use of voting rights must be due to its vision and mission. Presidential and vice-presidential candidates must keep their promises so that they do not become sinners due to not doing what is said during their political campaigns. 594 CONCLUSION Republika presents news on the presidential debates of Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in the 2019 election through prophetic and Al-Hujurat journalism. Republika puts Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto in the same position. Both are excellent for being president. They both also have the support of ulama. Republika delivers two messages for voters and presidential candidates. For voters, Republika encourages voting rights based on the vision and mission, not because of the candidate's appearance. For presidential candidates, Republika warned that if they were elected later, they had to keep their promises not to be categorized as big sinners. Republika participated in the success of the presidential elections through soothing journalistic works such as peace journalism. The tendency of Republika to choose Joko Widodo in the days leading up to the election is understandable because the owner of Republika, Erick Thohir, is the head of Joko Widodo – Ma’ruf Amin's National Campaign Team. Therefore, it is suggested that Republika maintain prophetic and Al-Hujurat journalism as the identity of Islamic mass media. Republika should also be a news reference for the presidential election. After the presidential election, the elected candidate must remain close to the ulama who supported them. 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