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Wandering Whys

Jakarta's Gubernatorial Election 2024: A Look at the Media Coverage

• 3 min • 551 words
Coding

Jakarta’s gubernatorial election has historically served several times as a stepping stone for presidential candidates. Therefore, the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election is capturing the nation’s attention once again, not only as a regional political event. In this article, I conduct a simple analysis based on around two thousand news articles published by Detikcom. I, by exploring trends in media mentions, hope to uncover insights into how the candidates are capturing attention and building momentum as election day approaches.

Who’s Leading the Headlines?

Ridwan Kamil stands out as the most mentioned candidate, with 720 total mentions. His name consistently makes headlines. Behind him is strong support from a huge coalition of political parties, as well as backing from President Prabowo Subianto and former President Joko Widodo.

Pramono Anung, backed only by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), follows with 574 mentions. While not as dominant as Ridwan Kamil, Pramono Anung has steadily gained attention. His media coverage has increased over time, likely due to his choice of Rano Karno, a popular former actor and politician who has earned 309 mentions, as his running mate.

Dharma Pongrekun, running as an independent candidate, remains a distant figure with only 173 mentions. His media presence has been limited, underscoring the challenges independent candidates face in a race dominated by party-backed contenders.

Over the past few months, Ridwan Kamil’s visibility has remained strong, with notable peaks in August (167 mentions) and November (214 mentions). His running mate, Suswono, has also maintained a steady presence with 222 mentions, following similar trends.

Pramono Anung’s media mentions started modestly but steadily increased as the campaign progressed. His most significant surge occurred in November, when he earned 223 mentions, signalling that his efforts to ramp up visibility in the final stages of the race are paying off.

Dharma Pongrekun’s highest media coverage came in August, with 55 mentions. However, his visibility has fluctuated, dropping to 45 mentions in November. This highlights the difficulties independent candidates face in sustaining media attention.

Anies Baswedan: The Missing Contender

Anies Baswedan, former governor of Jakarta and Minister of Education in the first period of Joko Widodo’s cabinet, was widely expected to run in the 2024 gubernatorial race with backing from PDI-P. Speculation about his nomination peaked in August 2024, driving his media mentions to 219, as many believed PDI-P would endorse him. However, in a last-minute twist, PDI-P selected Pramono Anung instead, leaving Anies Baswedan without a political party to support his bid and effectively ending his chances of running.

Soon after, PDI-P and Pramono approached Anies for his endorsement, recognizing his significant influence among Jakarta voters. Anies accepted and joined their campaign, speaking at a rally in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. Though sidelined from the race, Anies Baswedan’s endorsement of Pramono Anung has allowed him to maintain a presence in the political conversation. His support is now seen as a measure of his ongoing influence in Jakarta’s political landscape, even as the election moves forward without him on the ballot.

Data

[caption id=“attachment_76” align=“alignnone” width=“700”] Fig. 3[/caption]

The analysis is based on data collected from Detikcom, one of Indonesia’s leading online news platforms. The dataset includes news articles published between June 23, 2024, and November 24, 2024, capturing the critical months leading up to the Jakarta gubernatorial election.