The Use of Passive Voice in Journalistic Discourse: A Syntactic Analysis of The Jakarta Post’s Culture Column

Abstract

This study examines the usage patterns of passive voice in the culture column of The Jakarta Post, focusing on the syntactic forms and communicative functions in journalistic information presentation. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were collected from six articles published in the culture column between June and October 2024. The passive voice was analyzed based on Pullum's (2014) taxonomy of passive constructions, which includes be-passive, bare passive clause, get-passive, prepositional passive, embedded passive, adjectival passive, and concealed passive. The analysis reveals two major findings. First, six types of passive voice are identified: be-passive (64%), embedded passive (14%), adjectival passive (8%), bare passive clause (5%), prepositional passive (5%), and get-passive (4%). Be-passive dominates because it is the most grammatical and widely accepted form in formal journalistic writing. Second, the communicative functions of passive voice fall into three categories: the receiver of the action is important (29%), the agent is unknown (5%), and the agent is irrelevant (66%). The most dominant function is the irrelevance of the agent, reflecting the journalistic tendency to focus on events and results rather than perpetrators. This study concludes that passive voice in journalistic discourse serves not merely as a grammatical variation but as a strategic communicative choice to maintain objectivity, neutrality, and topic focus. These findings contribute to the understanding of passive voice usage in media language and offer pedagogical implications for English language teaching.