THE APPLICATION OF THE BIL HIKMAH PRINCIPLE AND ISLAMIC COMMUNICATION ETHICS IN NEWS REPORTING AT THE ISLAMIKA STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Indry Anggita Sari (Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Natuna)

Al-Hikmah
Vol 20, No 1 (2026): Islamic Communication, Ulama, and Progressive Da'wah

This study examines how the principle of bil hikmah (wisdom-based communication) and the ethical framework of qaulan in Islamic communication are applied in the news-production process of the Islamika Student Newspaper (Surat Kabar Mahasiswa, SKM) at Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam (STAI) Natuna. Campus press institutions in Indonesia increasingly operate under commercial time pressure and algorithm-driven digital platforms, conditions that heighten the risk of sensationalism, misinformation, and language that damages human dignity. Framing student journalism through the lens of Islamic communication ethics therefore offers a normatively grounded alternative to purely market-driven news values. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with reporters and editors actively involved in the SKM Islamika editorial process, supplemented by documentary analysis of published articles and a review of relevant literature. The findings show that SKM Islamika operationalises bil hikmah mainly through tabayyun (rigorous fact verification), a solution-oriented and non-provocative editorial stance, and careful management of information hierarchy to prevent reader confusion. At the level of language ethics, the editorial team combines qaulan sadidan (truthful, accurate speech), qaulan layyinan (gentle speech), qaulan balighan (effective, precise speech), qaulan ma'rufan (courteous, beneficial speech), qaulan karimah (dignified speech) and qaulan maisuran (accessible speech) to keep reporting critical yet respectful. These findings extend prior work on Qur'anic communication principles from interpersonal and da'wah contexts into the specific institutional setting of campus journalism. The study concludes that SKM Islamika performs a dual function as both a source of campus information and a vehicle of dakwah bil qalam (da'wah through writing), demonstrating that Islamic ethical communication and professional journalistic standards can be mutually reinforcing rather than competing frameworks. Keywords: Bil Hikmah; Islamic Communication Ethics; Qaulan; Student Press; Tabayyun.