<![CDATA[Local media play a strategic role in sustaining the quality of democracy at the regional level, yet they increasingly face complex economic and political pressures. This study examines how local media in West Sumatra—specifically Langgam.id and Harian Haluan—negotiate journalistic idealism, professionalism, and commercialism in editorial policies and political news production. Employing a qualitative approach with a comparative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with editors and journalists, limited newsroom observations, and document and content analysis. Informants were selected purposively based on their direct involvement in editorial decision-making and media business operations. The findings reveal that both media organizations normatively uphold values of independence, public interest, and journalistic professionalism. However, in practice, these values are continuously negotiated under economic constraints, particularly the limited scale of the local advertising market and dependence on political advertising. Political coverage tends to be dominated by elite actors, with indications of editorial compromise in the form of soft-selling practices. While the digital-native outlet demonstrates greater technical adaptability than the legacy media, both face similar structural pressures that shape editorial autonomy. This study concludes that local media practices are best understood as the outcome of a dynamic interaction between journalistic idealism, commercial imperatives, and professional norms. Theoretically, this research contributes to local journalism studies by proposing a conceptual model of negotiated journalism within the political–economic context of regional media in Indonesia.]]>
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