Semiotic Analysis of 'Tempo' Cover 2009 Presidential Election Edition.
iii Maranatha Christian University
ABSTRACT
Pemilihan umum merupakan agenda besar bangsa Indonesia yang tak luput dari pemberitaan media massa. Majalah Tempo merupakan salah satu media massa yang memberitakan tentang pemilihan umum 2009. Sampul depan dari edisi khusus ini mengadopsi konsep acara TV “Indonesian Idol”.
Tugas akhir ini menganalisis tentang elemen semiotika yang terdapat pada sampul depan majalah Tempo “Edisi Khusus Pemilihan Presiden 2009”. Penulis memilih sampul ini sebagai sumber pembahasan karena tertarik dengan fakta bahwa pada saat itu pemilihan umum ini merupakan pemilihan presiden secara langsung oleh rakyat yang pertama kali.
Dalam menganalisis sampul ini, penulis menggunakan teori semiotika dari Ferdinand de Saussure dan Roland Barthes tentang signifier dan signified. Sebagai pendukung, penulis menggunakan teori dari Gunther Kress dan Theo van Leeuwen untuk menganalisis elemen semiotika pada denotative meaning. Untuk mendapatkan connotative meaning, penulis menghubungkannya dengan sejarah dan budaya demokrasi di Indonesia.
Pada akhirnya, penulis mengambil kesimpulan bahwa dengan menggunakan pendekatan dengan acara spektakuler “Indonesian Idol”, sampul depan majalah
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iv Maranatha Christian University pemilhan umum kepada masyarakat sehingga pesan implisit dari Tempo dapat tersampaikan, yaitu bahwa rakyat bebas memilih Presiden dan Wakil Presiden tanpa ada paksaan dari pihak mana pun, serta rakyatlah yang memegang kedaulatan penuh dalam arti bahwa Presiden dan Wakil Presiden yang terpilih adalah murni pilihan rakyat.
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ii Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . . . i
TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . ii
ABSTRACT . . . iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study . . . 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem . . . 4
1.3 Purpose of the Study . . . . 4
1.4Method of Research . . . 4
1.5 Organization of Thesis . . . 5
CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Saussure’s Semiotics (Semiology) . . . 6
2.2 Barthes’s Semiotics (Mythology) . . . 8
2.3 Semiotic Elements in Visual Designs . . . 10
2.4 Concept of Democracy . . . 12
CHAPTER THREE: SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF TEMPO COVER 2009 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION EDITION . . . . 14
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION . . . 27
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . 31
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33
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1 Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Communication is a necessity of all people to connect with each other. Communication can take place either in the form of verbal or non-verbal language. The verbal communication appears in spoken conversations and written text, while the non-verbal communication appears in images, eye contacts, gestures, facial expressions, clothes, etc. There are some forms of media of communication, one of which is a magazine cover. On the cover of a magazine, the communication that is usually used is both verbal and non-verbal language.
The front cover of a magazine is the first page which means the outer part of a magazine. Usually the cover of a magazine is made to give information about the content of a magazine. Moreover, the cover of a magazine is made to get the attention from the readers through its colors, text, and interesting pictures, so that people will have the desire to buy the magazine.
Tempo magazine is a weekly news magazine covering Indonesia’s general
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2 Maranatha Christian University first magazine that has no relation with the government. Tempo was banned by the government in 1982 and in June, 21st 1994 and then re-circulated on October 6th, 1998. In 1994, Tempo, together with Detik tabloid and Editor Tabloid, were banned. The factor why it was banned is never clear. Many people believed that the Information Minister at that time, Harmoko, revoked the SIUPP (Surat Ijin Usaha Penerbitan Pers) of Tempo because this magazine reported the imports of a German warship. This report was considered endangering Indonesia’s national stability. The main report discussed the military objection to the imports by the Research and Technology Minister at that time, B. J. Habibie. (Widyastuti)
In my thesis, I take the data source from the cover of Tempo magazine, the special edition of the 2009 presidential election. The reason why I take the data from the cover of Tempo “EDISI KHUSUS PEMILIHAN PRESIDEN 2009” is the fact that throughout the history of Indonesia, elections have been held ten times to choose the members of DPR, DPD, and DPRD. The last Presidential Election is the most interesting one, because the people of Indonesia did the Presidential Election as an embodiment of political democracy which has become a routine five-year agenda in Indonesia. The election this time was very different from the others that had happened before, in the sense that this time was the moment for laying the better foundation of democracy. In the 2009 election, the people of Indonesia also voted for the President and Vice President.
In my thesis, I will discuss the Semiotic elements in the cover of Tempo 2009 presidential election edition based on Roland Barthes’ theory. Through a number of his works, he not only continues Ferdinand de Saussure’s thinking about the relationship between the signified and the signifier but also describes the
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3 Maranatha Christian University ideological meaning of the language that he calls a myth. However, because of the limitation of the thesis length, I would only like to analyze the denotative and connotative meanings of the cover.
According to Barthes, verbal and non-verbal language does not stop on
Saussure’s idea about the meaning of denotation or it is called the first order.
Language also has a connotative meaning or it is called the second order. Connotative meaning is just an additional meaning, but it is all related to the denotative meaning. By adding the idea of the second order, the reader can understand the use of metaphorical language style that is not possible only by understanding the first order. (Barthes 13)
On the cover of Tempo magazine 2009 presidential election edition, there are many hidden meanings that can be analyzed using a Barthesian semiotic theory. My discussion will cover the first order and second order of semiotic analysis. To analyze the elements of visual designs, I use Gunter Kress and Theo van Leuween’s theory. Moreover, to analyze the second order, I use the characteristic of democracy which I get from the Internet.
This analysis is significant as after reading this thesis, the reader will have a better understanding about the denotative and connotative meanings that exist in all elements contained on a magazine cover, such as images, colors, text, etc. Besides, the reader will have a better understanding that the theory of semiotics cannot be separated from other studies. It is always associated with other disciplines such as visual designs, psychology, politics, etc.
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4 Maranatha Christian University 1.2 Statement of the Problem
In this thesis I would like to analyze:
1. What are the signifiers and signifieds occurring in the Tempo cover 2009 Presidential Election edition?
2. What is the denotative meaning conveyed in the Tempo cover 2009 Presidential Election edition?
3. What is the connotative meaning conveyed in the Tempo cover 2009 Presidential Election edition?
1.3 Purpose of the Study This study is done:
1. To show the signifiers and signifieds occurring in the Tempo cover 2009 Presidential Election edition.
2. To show the denotative meaning conveyed in the Tempo cover 2009 Presidential Election edition.
3. To show the connotative meaning conveyed in the Tempo cover 2009 Presidential Election edition.
1.4 Method of Research
The first step is I chose the cover of Tempo magazine to analyze; using the theory of Semiotics. The second step is I made an analysis of it, connecting it with the history and culture. Finally, I wrote a report.
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5 Maranatha Christian University 1.5 Organization of thesis
This thesis has four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of Thesis. Chapter Two is the Theoretical Framework. Chapter Three is the analysis of the data. Finally, Chapter Four is the Conclusion, which is followed by the Bibliography and Appendix.
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27 Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
In this chapter I would like to state a conclusion based on the findings in Chapter Three concerning the Semiotic elements found in the Tempo cover “Edisi Khusus Pemilihan Presiden 2009”.
Generally speaking, the Semiotic elements in the Tempo cover can be divided into two parts; they are image and text. I can say that Tempo is clever at
making the idea of “Indonesian Idol” stand out in this cover as this show is very
popular at that time so that the readers can easily recognize this. I can see the blue dotted pattern as the background of the stage which is very similar to the TV show “Indonesian Idol”. Besides, the imitation of “Indonesian Idol” can easily be recognized because of the use of the phrase “INDONESIA MEMILIH”, which is the exact tagline which is always used at the end of the show to determine the winner.
Furthermore, I think the use of the phrase “EDISI
KHUSUS PEMILIHAN PRESIDEN 2009” and “TEMPO” is also important to
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28 Maranatha Christian University special edition about presidential election which is published by the mass media named Tempo.
In my opinion, the cover maker imitates the “Indonesian Idol” setting here to show to the readers that there is a kind of competition in the general election just like the competition in the spectacular TV show “Indonesian Idol” which determines the winner based on the highest number of votes.
In revealing the denotative meaning, the role of the colours in my analysis leads to something quite significant. I can say that Tempo chooses these colours after considering the fact that these are the colours of the logo backgrounds of the parties the candidates come from. I believe that the interpretation of colours is culture-based. The interpretation of colours in my analysis is based on the condition occurring in Indonesia which is related to the context at that time, which is the general election. GOLKAR is identical to the yellow colour, PDIP to the red colour, DEMOKRAT to the blue colour, GERINDRA and HANURA to the white colour.
In my opinion, in the first order, the image of the six people is the most dominant element in drawing the denotative meaning. It is understood that in the 2009 General Election in Indonesia people could directly choose candidates to be the next President and Vice President for the first time. Tempo magazine as a mass media wants to participate in publishing the six candidates to be chosen for the general election, so that people of Indonesia became more familiar with them, considering that the magazine was published ten days before the election.
The next concluding point concerns with the second order of the semiotic analysis. There are four characteristics of democracy that stand out in the cover:
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29 Maranatha Christian University equality among citizens, supremacy of law, acknowledgement of the freedom of all its citizens, and the periodic general election. In my opinion, the most obvious characteristic seen in the cover is the equality among citizens. It can be seen in five different things: the figures are standing in one line, the angle is put in the same eye level with the viewers, people of any gender and any background are given the same right or opportunity to be candidates, and all Indonesian adults without any limitation to particular groups can be the voters in this Presidential Election. I think these five characteristics can mutually support the interpretation of one of the democracy characteristics, namely equality among citizens. All of the citizens are equal, either to participate as the candidates or as the voters.
On the other hand, the democracy characteristic which is the most subtly seen in Tempo cover is the supremacy of law. Readers without good background
knowledge both about the TV show “Indonesian Idol” and the Indonesian General
Election will find it hard to find this element in the cover. To be the contestants or the candidates, there are some requirements that must be fulfilled. This is to emphasize the concept of democracy, in which there is no arbitrariness. Therefore, to grab this element the readers must have good background knowledge about the two events.
In addition, I can further say that the essence of the connotative meaning in my analysis is the fact that people hold the sovereignty. It is an implicit one in the cover but actually this can be easily grabbed. It can be clearly seen from the
phrase “INDONESIA MEMILIH”. The people of Indonesia are the most
important element to participate in the General Election because people can directly choose the President and Vice President. Therefore, even one vote will be
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30 Maranatha Christian University very influential in determining who will be the next President and Vice President to lead Indonesia.
As a whole, I think the idea of representing the six figures here in the
“Indonesian Idol” setting is brilliant. “Indonesian Idol” is a spectacular TV show
which can attract millions of viewers. By using this approach, Tempo magazine wants to make the public familiar that this is the first time that the people of Indonesia can directly choose the next President and Vice President, more or less just the same as when the viewers vote for their idol in the TV show “Indonesian Idol”.
In the end, I conclude that the cover of Tempo magazine “Edisi khusus Pemilihan Presiden 2009” is really well-designed as a good communication media to emphasize the democracy concept in the Indonesian General Election. The cover is very communicative in making the Indonesian citizens aware that they have an equal right and important position to vote for their President and Vice President for the next period. When this message is successfully conveyed, the people of Indonesia will appreciate the democracy process ongoing at that time. This is very important so that the country will have a better government and democracy system.
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31 Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
Barthes, Roland, translated by Annette Lavers. Mythologies London, Paladin, 1972.
Corbett, John. An Intercultural Approaches to English Language teaching. United Kingdom: Multilingual Matters, 2003.
Electronic Publications:
A Brief Introduction to Saussure and Semiotics. teachnologist, 1992. Web. 15
March 2011.
Elvani, Malkian. “Demokrasi”. Menurut Terminologi (2007): n. pag. Web. 22
August 2011.
Indonesian Idol Kembali Wujudkan Mimpimu Jadi Superstar. Indonesian Idol,
2011. Web. 1 March 2011.
Koleksi logo-logo partai politik di Indonesia peserta PEMILU 2009. Hibridaprint,
2011. Web. 24 November 2011.
Lanin, Ivan. “Rangkuman tata bahasa Indonesia”. Frasa (2010): 17-18. Web. 22 April 2011.
McNeil, Tony. “Concept and Text”. Mythologies (1996): n. pag. Web. 04 September 2010.
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32 Maranatha Christian University
Profil Capres – Cawapres 2009. The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia,
2009. Web. 22 November 2011.
Quigley, Timothy. “Structuralism and Poststructuralism”. Course in General
Linguistics (2009): n. pag. Web. 15 March 2011.
Sejarah dan Prinsip Demokrasi. Defriahmadchaniago, 2009. Web. 22 August
2011.
Setiadi, Wicipto. “HTN dan PUU”. Peran Partai Politik Dalam Penyelenggaraan Pemilu yang Aspiratif dan Demokratis (2010): n. pag. Web. 11 September
2011.
Widyastuti, Nur Heni. Konstruksi Media Terhadap Karakteristik Kepemimpinan Calon Presiden dan Calon Wakil Presiden Peserta Pemilu Presiden 2009. Surakarta: Jawa Tengah, 2009. Web. 23 August 2011.
Wijarnako, Lizard. “Semiotika Dalam Desain Komunikasi Visual”. Teori Desain
(2010): n.pag. Web. 04 September 2010.
What does a Long Shot in photography mean?. InnovateUs, 2006. Web. 22
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27 Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
In this chapter I would like to state a conclusion based on the findings in Chapter Three concerning the Semiotic elements found in the Tempo cover “Edisi Khusus Pemilihan Presiden 2009”.
Generally speaking, the Semiotic elements in the Tempo cover can be divided into two parts; they are image and text. I can say that Tempo is clever at making the idea of “Indonesian Idol” stand out in this cover as this show is very popular at that time so that the readers can easily recognize this. I can see the blue dotted pattern as the background of the stage which is very similar to the TV show
“Indonesian Idol”. Besides, the imitation of “Indonesian Idol” can easily be
recognized because of the use of the phrase “INDONESIA MEMILIH”, which is the exact tagline which is always used at the end of the show to determine the winner.
Furthermore, I think the use of the phrase “EDISI
KHUSUS PEMILIHAN PRESIDEN 2009” and “TEMPO” is also important to help the readers interpret that this is not the regular edition, but this is the
(2)
28 Maranatha Christian University special edition about presidential election which is published by the mass media named Tempo.
In my opinion, the cover maker imitates the “Indonesian Idol” setting here
to show to the readers that there is a kind of competition in the general election
just like the competition in the spectacular TV show “Indonesian Idol” which
determines the winner based on the highest number of votes.
In revealing the denotative meaning, the role of the colours in my analysis leads to something quite significant. I can say that Tempo chooses these colours after considering the fact that these are the colours of the logo backgrounds of the parties the candidates come from. I believe that the interpretation of colours is culture-based. The interpretation of colours in my analysis is based on the condition occurring in Indonesia which is related to the context at that time, which is the general election. GOLKAR is identical to the yellow colour, PDIP to the red colour, DEMOKRAT to the blue colour, GERINDRA and HANURA to the white colour.
In my opinion, in the first order, the image of the six people is the most dominant element in drawing the denotative meaning. It is understood that in the 2009 General Election in Indonesia people could directly choose candidates to be the next President and Vice President for the first time. Tempo magazine as a mass media wants to participate in publishing the six candidates to be chosen for the general election, so that people of Indonesia became more familiar with them, considering that the magazine was published ten days before the election.
The next concluding point concerns with the second order of the semiotic analysis. There are four characteristics of democracy that stand out in the cover:
(3)
29 Maranatha Christian University equality among citizens, supremacy of law, acknowledgement of the freedom of all its citizens, and the periodic general election. In my opinion, the most obvious characteristic seen in the cover is the equality among citizens. It can be seen in five different things: the figures are standing in one line, the angle is put in the same eye level with the viewers, people of any gender and any background are given the same right or opportunity to be candidates, and all Indonesian adults without any limitation to particular groups can be the voters in this Presidential Election. I think these five characteristics can mutually support the interpretation of one of the democracy characteristics, namely equality among citizens. All of the citizens are equal, either to participate as the candidates or as the voters.
On the other hand, the democracy characteristic which is the most subtly seen in Tempo cover is the supremacy of law. Readers without good background
knowledge both about the TV show “Indonesian Idol” and the Indonesian General Election will find it hard to find this element in the cover. To be the contestants or the candidates, there are some requirements that must be fulfilled. This is to emphasize the concept of democracy, in which there is no arbitrariness. Therefore, to grab this element the readers must have good background knowledge about the two events.
In addition, I can further say that the essence of the connotative meaning in my analysis is the fact that people hold the sovereignty. It is an implicit one in the cover but actually this can be easily grabbed. It can be clearly seen from the
phrase “INDONESIA MEMILIH”. The people of Indonesia are the most important element to participate in the General Election because people can directly choose the President and Vice President. Therefore, even one vote will be
(4)
30 Maranatha Christian University very influential in determining who will be the next President and Vice President to lead Indonesia.
As a whole, I think the idea of representing the six figures here in the
“Indonesian Idol” setting is brilliant. “Indonesian Idol” is a spectacular TV show which can attract millions of viewers. By using this approach, Tempo magazine wants to make the public familiar that this is the first time that the people of Indonesia can directly choose the next President and Vice President, more or less just the same as when the viewers vote for their idol in the TV show “Indonesian
Idol”.
In the end, I conclude that the cover of Tempo magazine “Edisi khusus Pemilihan Presiden 2009” is really well-designed as a good communication media to emphasize the democracy concept in the Indonesian General Election. The cover is very communicative in making the Indonesian citizens aware that they have an equal right and important position to vote for their President and Vice President for the next period. When this message is successfully conveyed, the people of Indonesia will appreciate the democracy process ongoing at that time. This is very important so that the country will have a better government and democracy system.
(5)
31 Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
Barthes, Roland, translated by Annette Lavers. Mythologies London, Paladin, 1972.
Corbett, John. An Intercultural Approaches to English Language teaching. United Kingdom: Multilingual Matters, 2003.
Electronic Publications:
A Brief Introduction to Saussure and Semiotics. teachnologist, 1992. Web. 15 March 2011.
Elvani, Malkian. “Demokrasi”. Menurut Terminologi (2007): n. pag. Web. 22
August 2011.
Indonesian Idol Kembali Wujudkan Mimpimu Jadi Superstar. Indonesian Idol, 2011. Web. 1 March 2011.
Koleksi logo-logo partai politik di Indonesia peserta PEMILU 2009. Hibridaprint, 2011. Web. 24 November 2011.
Lanin, Ivan. “Rangkuman tata bahasa Indonesia”. Frasa (2010): 17-18. Web. 22 April 2011.
McNeil, Tony. “Concept and Text”. Mythologies (1996): n. pag. Web. 04 September 2010.
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32 Maranatha Christian University Profil Capres – Cawapres 2009. The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia,
2009. Web. 22 November 2011.
Quigley, Timothy. “Structuralism and Poststructuralism”. Course in General Linguistics (2009): n. pag. Web. 15 March 2011.
Sejarah dan Prinsip Demokrasi. Defriahmadchaniago, 2009. Web. 22 August 2011.
Setiadi, Wicipto. “HTN dan PUU”. Peran Partai Politik Dalam Penyelenggaraan Pemilu yang Aspiratif dan Demokratis (2010): n. pag. Web. 11 September 2011.
Widyastuti, Nur Heni. Konstruksi Media Terhadap Karakteristik Kepemimpinan Calon Presiden dan Calon Wakil Presiden Peserta Pemilu Presiden 2009. Surakarta: Jawa Tengah, 2009. Web. 23 August 2011.
Wijarnako, Lizard. “Semiotika Dalam Desain Komunikasi Visual”. Teori Desain
(2010): n.pag. Web. 04 September 2010.
What does a Long Shot in photography mean?. InnovateUs, 2006. Web. 22 November 2011.