Utilizing Special Language in Street Crime Newsgathering in Indonesia

Abstract

This article describes the newsgathering process among the crime journalist community in West Java, which involves the use of special symbolic languages. Using the ethnographic method, the study was conducted to collect data related to the practice of using special language, especially how crime journalists interpret it and how it functions for their profession. The results have shown that special language is not only used in the newsgathering process but also in daily interactions with fellow community members and police officers as news sources. As a result, the special language used consists of both abstract and concrete symbols. Abstract symbols encompass verbal and nonverbal forms that are embodied in numeric, phonetic, and cosmic codes. Meanwhile, concrete symbols are related to how they dress and use equipment, and how all these attributes represent them as crime journalists. This is related to the functions of special language, namely as a means of distinguishing themselves from other journalist groups. In addition, this special language also serves as a form of identity manipulation, allowing them to take on the role of the police in information gathering.