WHAT IS THE ROLE OF JOURNALISM IN THE POLITICAL ADVOCACY OF HEALTH POLICY IN INDONESIA?
In this short commentary article, the complex association between journalism, health policy, and political campaigning in Indonesia is explained, in need of more scholarly expansion. Within those limitations, the paper does alert to the necessary function journalism serves intrinsic to the public discourse that drives health policy recommendations, as well as noting how this has been perverted by misinformation and dwindling faith in the media. The article examines how journalism (including digital and social media) has shaped health policy advocacy and public opinion and highlights the role of the media in health communication campaigns and policy reform. Through scrutiny of its role in health policy advocacy, with a broader look at how journalism roles have shifted over time. In this article, the author demonstrated that journalism is a bridge between health policy experts and the public, enabling a more informed democratic engagement with health policy. These conclusions highlight the need to build a nexus between democratic journalism and health policy advocacy for public health priorities in Indonesia.
Keywords: health policy, journalism, political campaign
Introduction
It can be argued that journalism is crucial in informing the public about policy issues and providing the necessary information for public discourse and decision-making(Napoli, 2020). In some cases, the role of journalism can be said to be more specific in public health issues related to health policy. The relationship between journalism and social security and health financing has attracted significant attention from journalists, resulting in numerous studies on media framing(Jung, 2016);(Calnan, 2020);(Eriksen & , 2023).
The role of journalism (and media) has become more relevant and closer since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of journalism in guiding public health protocols and critiquing government policies has become increasingly important during the pandemic(Estella, 2020);(Perreault & Perreault, 2021). However, on the other hand, their products leave a lot of criticism regarding accuracy, misinformation(Luengo & García-Marín, 2020);(Nasir et al., 2020);(Arora, 2022)and addressing public trust issues(Bromme & , 2022)have been identified as key areas for future research.
The series of events during the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to the democratic crisis(Amat & , 2020);(Bandelow et al., 2021);(Engler & , 2021)In Indonesia, democratic backsliding has allowed anti- democratic actors to become more explicit in silencing dissenting voices(Fealy, 2020);(Hermawan, 2020). Threats to press freedom during the pandemic have been associated with anti-science narratives that compromised the government’s ability to manage COVID-19(Wiratraman, 2020). More than ever before, journalism, democracy and public health converge in the face of a health crisis. Each sector contributes significantly to determining how people relate socially.
Additionally, the connection between journalism and health policy in political campaign events in electoral democratic setting is something worth exploring further. This is because it embraces many dimensions of unexplored interdisciplinary studies on journalism approaches in Indonesia contributing to health policy advocacy such asIndonesian Journal of Health Administration(IJHA). The paper provides insight into their dynamic interplay within political campaigns taking place in Indonesia.
Discussion
The 2024 presidential election in Indonesia has prompted discussion on a number of health issues. These issues include programs such as free lunch (makan siang gratis), stunting, and distribution of medical doctors(Nurhasim & , 2024). In an electoral democracy system, political campaigns play an important role in shaping public opinion and assessing the direction of policies politicians offer(Matsubayashi, 2013). This provides the impetus for journalism and the media to perform their function of disseminating information and framing public health issues to get the attention of advocates, policy analysts, and academics in the field of public health. Otherwise, it may lead to misunderstandings among the voting public and policymakers. Furthermore, the extent to which health issues are included in political decisions and reflected in journalists' media reporting indicates policy neglect(Jessani & , 2022);(Picard, 2020).
The role of journalism in strengthening democratic values is crucial, including in health policy formulation processes that involve public participation. The dissemination of accurate and unbiased information by the media helps inform the public about important health issues, policy developments, and debates that encourage public participation(Henderson et al., 2019)Transparency and access to public health information can only work through a well- functioning democracy. Framing public discourse is also a role of journalism. This role highlights the impact on the public interest, ethical considerations, and social determinants of health rather than presenting issues through a narrow technocratic lens. This framing influences how the public and policymakers perceive and prioritise health issues(Calnan, 2020);(Eriksen & , 2023). This public framing strengthens democratic representation and challenges power imbalances that often sideline minority groups in the policy- making process.
Public framing by utilizing digital media and social media in political campaigns can also substantially influence priority issues in health policy advocacy. Today, the merger of digital technology and social media platforms has the potential to facilitate targeted outreach, audience segmentation, and personalized communication in encouraging public participation on public health issues(Afful-Dadzie et al., 2021);(Akbar et al., 2021);(Barberá & , 2022). In the framework of political advocacy(Gilardi & , 2021), the use of social media platforms by political authorities has the potential to shape public health communication and encourage policy reform. Empirical evidence suggests that the media, including political advertising, can influence public opinion, policymakers, and policy agendas(Fowler & , 2019), In addition, some models explain the impact of social media on public health campaigns, which are related to indirect influences on behavior modification, such as how health sector reforms can be driven by media coverage pressures(Charalambous, 2019);(Abuhashesh & , 2021);(Akbar et al., 2021);(Apriliyanti et al., 2021).
What Happens in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, health policy issues in political campaigns have gained a place in media coverage. Issues raised include inadequate health budgets, malnutrition, stunting, health service gaps, health service accessibility, and dangers related to non-communicable diseases. This depicts how online media amplification, as a consequence of journalism, has directed public attention towards diverse health policy concerns in Indonesia. In the realm of political campaign contestation, the role of online media is noteworthy because it has the potential to stimulate public discourse in shaping the political agenda(Adiprasetio & Larasati, 2020);(Benning et al., 2020)
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