The Save KPK Movement: A Framing Analysis of Coverage in Indonesian News Media Surrounding the KPK and Police Dispute

Abstract

Previous studies focusing on protest and social movement mostly concern identifying marginalization strategies that the media used to delegitimize the movement. This study attempted to examine how Indonesian mainstream media framed the Save KPK movement which emerged as a result of the dispute between the KPK and the Police. This study viewed these two institutions as collective and competing actors that represent certain interests and pursue the legality of their actions. In particular, this study proposed a typology of five framing devices used in the coverage of the Save KPK movement and explored the occurrence of framing strategies and the overall tone of the news coverage of the movement. A total of 246 articles on the Save KPK Movement was derived from the two most influential elite newspapers in Indonesia: the Kompas and the Media Indonesia. The Media Indonesia had 138 articles, while the Kompas published 108 articles. The results show that conflict, morality, and responsibility are the three framing devices mostly used in media coverage of the Save KPK movement. Further, the results demonstrated that the social movement organizations seem to be successful in the process of diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing. The results of this study provide more insight concerning framing strategies and media contents could be applied to be effective in shaping public opinion. In particular, the results highlight the positive side of the social movement organizations and their actions could strengthen the support of the public for the consequences of that target group. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p229