STRATEGI KOMUNIKASI REPORTER TVRI SULAWESI UTARA DALAM MEMPEROLEH INFORMASI BERITA BENCANA DARI NARASUMBER

Abstract

Disaster news coverage presents significant communication challenges for reporters when engaging with sources who are under psychological distress and potentially refuse interviews. This study aims to analyze the communication strategies employed by reporters of the Public Broadcasting Institution (LPP) TVRI North Sulawesi in obtaining disaster-related information from sources encountered for the first time. This research adopts a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation involving the Head of the News Division and reporters of TVRI North Sulawesi. Data analysis is guided by the theory of communicative empathy proposed by Burleson and Kunkel, which consists of three stages: emotional detection, perspective understanding, and empathic response. The findings reveal that reporters conduct emotional detection by observing sources’ body language and tone of voice, develop perspective understanding through rapid research and empathic questioning, and deliver empathic responses in the form of emotional validation and collaborative support, which emerge as key findings in reducing interview refusal. The application of empathic communication strategies is shown to enhance source openness and produce more in-depth and high-quality information. This study concludes that communicative empathy plays a strategic role in improving interview effectiveness and supporting ethical, humane, and public-oriented journalistic practices in disaster reporting.