Negative Prejudice of The Newsmaking of Veiled Women in Hate Crime Perspective

After the Surabaya bombing incident on Sunday, May 13, 2018, news about veiled women by certain media was linked to radical movements and terrorism. Often, the news is based on one source and initial allegations, without first verifying. In fact, through news headlines or news content editors, the news implies that there is hatred or suspicion of the mass media for veiled women. Such reporting is indeed supported and strengthens negative public perceptions of veiled women. Numerous studies show that veiled women are not accepted in society. They are suspected as being members of a terrorist community or even followers of a cult. News about veiled women who are associated with certain disproportionate crimes, especially those that do not fit the facts in full, can lead to misinterpretations and negative perceptions in society towards veiled women. It can even encourage the public to commit acts of violence against veiled women, both in the form of visual and verbal violence. In a criminological perspective, such newsmaking can be categorized as hate crime, which places women wearing veils as victims of mass media crimes. This study is intended to analyze the reporting of veiled women based on the perspective of hate crime. The study was conducted on media coverage over a period of 6 months, to find out whether the negative perceptions of mass media coverage of veiled women were consistent or changes occurred.