DEPOK,
Postgraduate Communication Science FISIP University of Indonesia held a doctoral promotion session on June 26, 2025. This doctoral session was held at the Juwono Sudarsono Auditorium (AJS), Building F 2nd Floor, Campus FISIP UI Depok with a doctoral student doctoral promotion session on behalf of Mubarok. The promotion session was attended by Prof. Dr. Semiarto Aji Purwanto as chairman, Prof. Dr. Billy K. Sarwono as promoter and Dr. Fitria Angelica as co-promoter. Meanwhile, the examiners were Dr. Bestian Nainggolan, Dr. Lucia Ratih Kusumadewi, DEA, Dr. Eriyanto, Dr. Irwansyah, and Dr. Ummi Salamah.
Dissertation Title and Outline
In Mubarok’s dissertation entitled “The Rationality of Local Journalists’ Actions as New Pariahs in the Dynamics of Digital Journalism,” Mubarok uses Max Weber’s (1915) framework of rationality of action and interprets the phenomenon of local journalists’ actions. The rational actions of local journalists can be seen in instrumental and substantive forms. Research by Mubarok shows that the instrumental rationality of local journalists is usually of short duration and appears in sporadic and partial forms according to the context of needs. This short-term instrumental rationality occurs due to changes in aspects of content production, content distribution, and changing consumer consumption patterns.
Research Findings and Implications
From Mubarok’s dissertation, it can be concluded that there is a duality of rational, namely instrumental and substantive, with the substantive form in question being the emphasis on the idealism of the journalism profession. The implication is that the hope to produce idealistic local media is increasingly blurred due to the rationalization process carried out. Media managers must follow the logic of digital business and profit orientation. This forces media managers to use various rationalizations, including in the areas of production, distribution, and media content management. There is also a new pariah in journalistic practice that is determined by the tastes of netizens and not the creativity of the journalists themselves. The novelty obtained from this dissertation is that Max Weber’s theory of rationality of action (1915) can no longer be separated from the rationality of action of journalists explicitly. (FYG)
