The Use of Positive, Negative, and Bald-on-Record Politeness Strategies in Senior High School Students' News Texts

Abstract

Writing news texts requires students to present factual information objectively while maintaining language politeness. However, studies examining Brown and Levinson's politeness strategies in senior high school students' news texts remain limited, despite the importance of pragmatic competence in ethical news writing. This study therefore aims to identify the politeness strategies employed by students and examine the factors influencing their use. This study employed a qualitative descriptive design. Data were collected through documentation of 30 news texts written by Grade XI-2 students and semi-structured interviews with an Indonesian language teacher. The data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model through data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing, while source triangulation was applied to ensure the credibility of the findings. The findings indicate that students employed three politeness strategies: Bald-on-Record, Negative Politeness, and Positive Politeness. Bald-on-Record was the most frequently used strategy, reflecting students' tendency to present information directly and objectively. Negative politeness was realized through mitigating expressions (e.g., still, not yet, and less) to soften criticism, while positive politeness appeared through attribution expressions (e.g., according to and explained) to show respect for information sources. The use of these strategies was influenced by internal factors, including vocabulary mastery and pragmatic awareness, as well as external factors such as teachers' guidance and social media. These findings highlight the importance of integrating pragmatic competence into news writing instruction to help students produce ethical, objective, and socially appropriate news texts.