Temuan kajian ini adalah bahwa Harlan Merdeka, salah satu surat kabar perjuangan, yang khusus berbicara mengenai politik dan lahir pada tanggal 1 Oktober 1945, sangat konsisten melaksanakan garis politiknya hingga pendirinya B.M.Diah meninggal dunia pada tanggal 10 Juni 1996.Pada awal tahun 1950-an, muncul istilah Personal Journalism, sebuah corak jumalistik yang berkembang setelah penyerahan kedaulatan dari Belanda. Istilah ini begitu lekat pads Harian Merdeka, sehingga nama Harlan Merdeka tidak dapat dilepaskan dari nama pendirinya B.M.Diah. Sebaliknya, nama B.M.Diah tidak dapat dilepaskan pula dari nama Harlan Merdeka yang didirikan dan dipimpinnya.Yang menjadi ciri khas di Harian Merdeka adalah munculnya istilah personal journalism tidak didahului oleh subyektifitas B.M.Diah, tetapi lebih terkait dengan sikap B.M.Diah yang konsekuen melaksanakan garis politik yang telah digariskannya, baik dalam berita-berita, editorial, gagasan atau pikiran-pikiran di surat kabar yang dipimpinnya. Ini pula yang menjadi salah satu faktor mengapa Harian Merdeka mampu bertahan lama bila dibandingkan dengan surat kabar lain di masa perjuangan. Jika pada akhirnya muncul istilah Kerajaan B.M.Diah dan Keluarga Besar B.M.Diah, hal itu adalah aki.bat dari sikap konsekuennya tersebut.Pada waktu itu, berdasarkan kenyataan di lapangan, hanya B.M.Diah yang mampu memahami ke arah mana surat kabarya berjalan. Inilah ciri khas dari Harian Merdeka yang tidak dapat ditemukan di surat kabar-surat kabar perjuangan semasanya. Bagi masyarakat pers, tentu bisa melihat kelebihan-kelebihan dan kelemahan kelemahan dari personal journalism yang diterapkan di Harian Merdeka sejak 1945-1996 tersebut. Kelebihan dan kelemahan ini sudah tentu dapat dijadikan masukan berharga bagi perkembangan pers Indonesia di masa mendatang.Boleh jadi istilah personal journalism pada masa sekarang bisa saja muncul, baik di media cetak maupun elektronik, karena kelebihan-kelebihan seorang figur di dalam menata dan mengendalikan medianya tidak dapat dikesampingkan begitu saja. Hanya personal journalism yang diterapkan sekarang sudah tentu berbeda dengan personal journalism yang berkembang di masa perjuangan. Untuk itu perlu diberi pemaknaan baru tentang istilah personal journalism

---

This study discovers that the Merdeka Daily, one of the newspapers of struggle, which especially speaks about politics and was established on 1 October 1945, was very consistent in implementing its political line until the founder B.M.Diah passed away on 10 June 1996.In the early 1950s, a terminology Personal Journalism emerged a journalistic form, which developed after the transfer of sovereignty from the Dutch. This terminology sticks to the Merdeka Daily. Thereby, the name Harian Merdeka (Merdeka Daily) could not be separated from the founder B.M.Diah. Conversely the name B.M.Diah cold not be separated from the name Harian Merdeka, which he established and led.But, what has become the special characteristics in the Merdeka Daily, was that the emergence of the personal journalism terminology was unpreceded by the subjectivity of B.M.Diah, but more related to the behaviour of B.M.Diah who consistently implemented the political line which he had outlined either in the news, in the editorials, in a concept or in his thoughts, in the newspaper he led. It was this, which became one of the factors why was the Merdeka Daily able to survive longer compared to other newspapers in the time of struggle. If eventually the term B.M.Diah Kingdom and B.M.Diah Extended Family, emerged, it was owing to his being consistent.At that time only B.M.Diah who was capable of understanding in which direction is his newspaper going. This was special feature of the Merdeka Daily unlikely to be found in other newspapers of struggle in its period. The press community would have certainly observed the superiorities and weaknesses of personal journalism applied in the Merdeka Daily from 1945 to 1996. The superiority and the weakness could surely be made as invaluable input for the development of the future Indonesian press.It is probable that the personal journalism terminology may emerge at the present time, either in the printed as well as electronic media, because the superiority of a figure in arranging and leading his media cannot be ignored. Only that the personal journalism applied nowadays of course differ from the personal journalism which developed during the time of struggle. Therefore, it needs to be given a new meaning regarding the personal journalism terminology.