Language and Power in Media as Terminological Deformation of Radicalism in Indonesia: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Objectives: The article aims to scrutinize the discourse of radicalism in Indonesia and its relevance to the construction of language and power. In Indonesia, contradictory discourses that threaten the existence of power are rarely given space. Thus, in the context of the critical paradigm, language in the media is not constructed neutrally but is carried out deliberately and with a certain purpose. This linguistic study tried to examine the deformation of the terminology of radicalism using the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. The aim was to examine how language and power are interrelated in Indonesia’s mass media and political landscape. Methods: The data were gathered from searches on news of radicalism in online media from February to December 2020. Michel Foucault's (1981) theory of language and power was used to reveal how the practice of power was carried out through language. Norman Fairclough's (2014) CDA was used to analyze the use of language in the media. Results: The results show that the media in Indonesia has built a discourse of radicalism as negative, dangerous, intolerant, and threatening the integrity of the country. This discourse also identifies the position of the media as partners of those in power in building discourse and perpetuating the dominant ideology. Conclusion: The practice of media discourse of radicalism eventually causes radicalism to undergo a very significant terminological deformation.