Interlingual Re-Instantiation of Attitude in News Reports on Attacking Incidents in Indonesia’s Newspapers

Abstract

This study explores an interlingual re-instantiation of attitude as a language appraisal strategy employed by Indonesia's newspapers in reporting news on attacking incidents. The study aims, firstly, to reveal the types of attitude system employed by Indonesia's newspapers in reporting news on attacking incidents and, secondly, to investigate the potential meanings constructed by the re-instantiation of the attitude system. This study follows interpretative descriptive approach to data collection and analysis. The data were taken from Pikiran Rakyat and The Jakarta Post to give an equal representation of Indonesia's newspapers and analyzed with reference to Martin and White's, Appraisal System focusing on attitude subsystem. The analysis reveals that three subsystems of attitude (affect, judgment, and appreciation) are employed to deliver positive and negative assessments to different addressees. This strategy is combined with certain organizations of discourse to amplify the intensity of the message that results in modified interpretation and potential meanings from the readers. This approach also works as a tool of stance-taking for the news reporters in viewing the attacking incidents. It is concluded that Indonesia's newspapers employ evaluations towards attacking incidents to modify meanings as their politics of reporting.