In e na ional Jou nal o Social Science and Human Resea ch
ISSN (p in ): 2644-0679, ISSN (online): 2644-0695
Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025
DOI: 10.47191/ijssh / 8-i10-23, Impac ac o - 8.007
Page No: 7738-7745
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7738
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o
Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
A. Rahman Hakim1, He na2, Reza P adi ya Yudha3
1,2,3Uni e si as Gunada ma
ABSTRACT: This s udy examines how Indonesian mains eam digi al news na a i ely cons uc s social eali y a ound he
Rempang Eco Ci y p ojec du ing Augus –Sep embe 2024. Using quali a i e na a i e analysis, we analyze en i ems om
Kompas.com, De ikNews, CNNIndonesia.com, Kompas TV, and Kompaspedia o iden i y plo s uc u es, au ho ized oices,
e alua i e language, and scale shi s. We ind ou dominan na a i e ypes—De elopmen -as-P og ess, Righ s-and-Resis ance,
Technoc a ic-Go e nance, and En i onmen al-Risk—which compe e o de ine “wha he p oblem is” and who is au ho ized o
speak. Ac oss ou le s, s a e and in es o oices equen ly ancho openings/codas, which na u alizes de elopmen al ine i abili y,
while communi y and expe oices gain salience in esis ance- and isk-o ien ed pieces. The esul s suppo media iza ion
schola ship by showing ha news no only epo s e en s bu co-au ho s public meanings abou legi imacy, jus ice, and belonging.
We discuss implica ions o communica i e legi imacy in na ional s a egic p ojec s and sugges audience- and c oss-pla o m
ex ensions o u u e esea ch.
KEYWORDS: Media iza ion; Social Cons uc ion o Reali y, Na a i e Analysis, Rempang Eco Ci y.
I. INTRODUCTION
The Rempang Eco Ci y p ojec has eme ged as one o Indonesia’s mos ambi ious de elopmen plans, o icially designa ed as
a Na ional S a egic P ojec (NSP) unde he Coo dina ing Minis y o Economic A ai s in 2023. Wi h an in es men alue
p ojec ed a USD 11.6 billion, o app oxima ely IDR 381 illion, h ough coope a ion wi h China’s Xinyi G oup, he p ojec aims
o ans o m Rempang Island in o an in eg a ed hub o indus y, enewable ene gy, comme ce, ou ism, and esiden ial zones.
Co e ing 7,990 hec a es o land, he p ojec is expec ed o gene a e employmen o mo e han 306,000 wo ke s who will li e and
wo k in he designa ed a ea. This massi e unde aking has been p omo ed as a co ne s one o Indonesia’s long- e m economic
g ow h s a egy.
Howe e , he p ojec has spa ked in ense con o e sy due o he planned eloca ion o app oxima ely 2,637 households and he
con e sion o ecologically sensi i e a eas. As o mid-2024, o icial da a indica ed ha only 241 amilies had egis e ed o
eloca ion, wi h 127 amilies al eady mo ed and 114 s ill awai ing ans e , while mo e han 1,500 amilies con inued o esis
eloca ion. Go e nmen plans o land acquisi ion, housing ese lemen , and in as uc u e ha e igge ed esis ance om local
esiden s and Indigenous communi ies who pe cei e he ini ia i e as a h ea o hei cul u al iden i y, li elihoods, and ances al
land igh s. The si ua ion has escala ed in o p o es s, legal dispu es, and highly pola ized public deba es.
F om a communica ion s udies pe spec i e, his con o e sy is no me ely a ques ion o economic planning o adminis a i e
policy. I e lec s how de elopmen p ojec s a e media ed, na a ed, and con es ed in he public sphe e. Media co e age plays a
c ucial ole in aming he legi imacy o he p ojec , ampli ying he oices o s a e ac o s, in es o s, o a ec ed communi ies, and
shaping how he wide socie y in e p e s he meaning o Rempang Eco Ci y. This is consis en wi h he iew ha communica ion
is no only he ansmission o in o ma ion bu also he social cons uc ion o eali y (Be ge & Luckmann, 1966/2017).
Digi al news pla o ms such as Kompas, De ikNews, and CNN Indonesia ha e become cen al a enas whe e he Rempang
con lic is a icula ed. Thei epo ing has amed he issue al e na ely as an economic oppo uni y, a human igh s iola ion, o an
en i onmen al h ea . In he e a o media iza ion, whe e social p ac ices a e deeply en angled wi h media logics, public
unde s anding o Rempang canno be sepa a ed om how i is ep esen ed and ci cula ed in jou nalis ic na a i es (Could y &
Hepp, 2017; Hepp, 2020).
The u gency o s udying Rempang om a communica ion lens lies in his in e play be ween media and socie y. Media
na a i es do no simply e lec he ac s o eloca ion, in es men , o ecological change; hey ac i ely cons uc meanings ha
in luence public pe cep ion, social mobiliza ion, and policy legi imacy. The pola iza ion o na a i es—be ween s a e-led
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7739
mode niza ion and g ass oo s esis ance—illus a es how communica ion becomes a ba leg ound o powe and iden i y (Could y
& Hepp, 2017).
P e ious s udies on media and de elopmen in Indonesia o en ocused on economic policy communica ion o public ela ions
s a egies o go e nmen agencies. Ye , li le a en ion has been gi en o how news na a i es co-p oduce social eali y in
con es ed in as uc u e p ojec s. This s udy he e o e ills a signi ican gap by shi ing he lens om policy ou pu s and
go e nmen communica ion s a egies o he na a i e cons uc ions h ough which de elopmen con lic s a e publicly unde s ood.
By examining he case o Rempang, his esea ch highligh s he communica i e p ocesses h ough which meanings o p og ess,
jus ice, and belonging a e nego ia ed in he media sphe e.
Me hodologically, his s udy applies na a i e analysis o examine how i e na ional channels—Kompas.com, De ikNews,
CNNIndonesia.com, Kompas TV, and Kompaspedia—cons uc ed he social eali y o Rempang Eco Ci y du ing Augus –
Sep embe 2024. Unlike desc ip i e epo ing o policy communica ion analyses ha o en ocus on o icial s a emen s, na a i e
analysis highligh s how meaning is c ea ed, con es ed, and s abilized h ough jou nalis ic s o y elling s uc u es. This app oach
e eals no only he con en o news bu also he cul u al sc ip s h ough which de elopmen con o e sies a e ende ed in elligible
o he public (Riessman, 2022).
The no el y o his esea ch lies in si ua ing he Rempang con o e sy wi hin he amewo k o media iza ion and social
cons uc ion o eali y. By analyzing jou nalis ic na a i es, he s udy demons a es how media unc ion as co-au ho s o con es ed
eali ies, p oducing compe ing e sions o u h ha shape collec i e unde s anding. This con ibu es o communica ion
schola ship by b idging he empi ical con ex o Indonesia’s na ional de elopmen con lic s wi h b oade heo e ical deba es on
media, powe , and meaning-making in con empo a y socie y.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Con empo a y communica ion esea ch inc easingly unde s ands “ eali y” as some hing na a ed, ci cula ed, and s abilized
h ough media p ac ices. Building on social cons uc ionism, Could y and Hepp p opose ha e e yday li e is now cons i u ed
wi hin “deep media iza ion,” whe e meaning-making is en wined wi h da a ied in as uc u es and pla o m logics ha condi ion
wha becomes sayable, isible, and legi ima e in public a enas (Could y & Hepp, 2017; Hepp, 2020).
Media iza ion heo y e ames media no as a disc e e “e ec ” bu as a long- un me a-p ocess ha pe mea es social ields and
g adually moulds how eali y is enac ed wi hin each ield. Hepp emphasizes ha such moulding o ces a e con ex -dependen —
poli ics, wo k, e e yday li e—and mus be aced empi ically as hey econ igu e communica i e p ac ices and sha ed meanings
(Hepp, 2020).
A key implica ion is media cen ali y: in media ized cul u es, wha coun s as impo an ends o co ela e wi h wha is
na a able h ough news and ne wo ked pla o ms. Ye his cen ali y is no educ ionis . Media iza ion schola ship highligh s he
in e play be ween local li ewo lds and anslocal, media-media ed o ma ions—an analy ic duali y ha is c ucial o con lic s like
Rempang, whe e illage iden i ies and na ional de elopmen sc ip s mee wi hin digi al news lows (Hepp, 2020; Could y, 2012).
Wi hin his me a-p ocess, na a i e analysis o e s a p ecise lens o examine how jou nalism o ganizes con lic in o plo s,
oles, and symbolic opposi ions (e.g., p og ess s. dispossession; de elopmen s. igh s). Ra he han ea ing media logic as
de e minis ic, a media ed-cons uc ion pe spec i e asks how in as uc u es and news oom p ac ices se he condi ions unde
which jou nalis ic s o y elling becomes socially consequen ial (Could y & Hepp, 2017). Na a i e analysis hen makes isible
how meaning is c ea ed, con es ed, and s abilized h ough s o y s uc u es and e alua i e language (Riessman, 2022).
Recen Indonesian s udies align wi h his pe spec i e by showing how online media ame la ge p ojec s h ough selec i e
na a i e emphasis. Empi ical wo k on Rempang inds local ou le s and na ional po als leaning owa d p o-in es men ames o
go e nmen pe spec i es, while downplaying communi y loss—e idence o compe ing cons uc ions ci cula ing in he public
sphe e (Rahmawa i & Fi man, 2023).
These dynamics un old wi hin a b oade media en i onmen whe e owne ship s uc u es and poli ical ies shape agenda
p io i ies and na a i e p ominence. E idence om Indonesia documen s how owne ship a ilia ions and poli ical alignmen s can
in luence co e age pa e ns, wi h implica ions o which e sions o eali y gain isibili y (PR2Media, 2023).
Taken oge he , global media iza ion heo y and Indonesian empi ical indings sugges ha news na a i es a e no me e
e lec ions bu cons i u i e ac s: hey co-au ho public meanings abou legi imacy, jus ice, and belonging in con en ious
de elopmen . Wha emains unde explo ed, howe e , is a sys ema ic na a i e analysis ac oss Indonesia’s mains eam na ional
ou le s—mapping how s o ies abou Rempang a e plo ed, which ac an s a e au ho ized o speak, and how e alua i e cues s ee
eade s owa d pa icula in e p e a ions (Hepp, 2020; Riessman, 2022).
Add essing ha gap, he p esen s udy analyzes na a i es in Kompas, De ikNews, and CNN Indonesia o show how
media ized s o y elling cons uc s compe ing social eali ies a ound Rempang Eco Ci y, and o cla i y he communica i e
p ocesses h ough which hose eali ies gain ac ion in he na ional con e sa ion (Could y & Hepp, 2017; Hepp, 2020).
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7740
III. RESEARCH METHODS
A. Resea ch Design
This s udy adop s a quali a i e na a i e analysis o examine how mains eam digi al news cons uc s social eali y a ound
Rempang Eco Ci y. Ra he han ea ing news as neu al epo age, na a i e analysis in e oga es how s o ies a e plo ed, which
ac o s a e au ho ized o speak, and how e alua i e cues in i e eade s o judge e en s (T acy, 2020). This design is sui able in
media ized con ex s whe e public meanings a e co-au ho ed h ough jou nalis ic s o y elling and ci cula ion (d awing on he
media ed-cons uc ion pe spec i e)
B. Da a Sou ces
The co pus comp ises en online news i ems lis ed in Table 1 o he a ached documen , d awn om i e na ionally isible
channels: Kompas.com, De ikNews (De ik.com), CNNIndonesia.com, Kompas TV, and Kompaspedia. The empo al window is
es ic ed o Augus –Sep embe 2024, cap u ing he peak pe iod o con en ion. I ems we e loca ed h ough ou le sea ch pages and
in e nal ags using Bahasa Indonesia keywo ds (Rempang, Rempang Eco Ci y, elokasi, penggusu an, ada /ulaya , lingkungan,
in es asi), and e ained exac ly as enume a ed in Table 1 o ensu e ep oducibili y o he na a i e sample. Included gen es a e
s aigh news, ea u es, explaine s, li e epo s, and (whe e applicable) edi o ials ha explici ly ame he p ojec ’s meaning
Table 1. News I ems
Media & W i e
Da e
Ti le
De ikNews
(Muliawa i, 2024)
6 Sep
Komnas HAM masih upayakan mediasi kasus Pulau Rempang.
De ikNews
(Dahlia, 2024)
9 Sep
Polisi keja p o oka o sebabkan ben ok di Rempang.
Kompas TV (Fi daus,
2024)
20 Sep
Keke asan e hadap masya aka ada Pulau Rempang masih e jadi, p esiden
didesak be indak.
Kompas.com
(Maha ani &
Alexande , 2024)
17 Sep
Pembebasan lahan p oyek Rempang jadi anggung jawab BP Ba am.
Kompas.com
(Si ai & Pu ba,
2024)
31 Aug
Wa ga Rempang di e o ga du lis ik dan spanduk penolakan Rempang Eco
Ci y.
Kompas.com
(Wiyoga, 2024)
7 Sep
Doa wa ga mempe inga i 1 ahun ben ok Rempang: Tanah adalah ibu yang
kami sayangi.
Kompaspedia
(Yunia o, 2024)
20 Sep
Sep embe Hi am: en e an ca a an pelangga an HAM di bulan Sep embe .
CNNIndonesia.com
(A p/dal, 2024)
1 Sep
Wa ga Pulau Rempang di e o spanduk olak PSN dan ga du PLN dibaka .
CNNIndonesia.com
(A p/dal, 2024)
10 Sep
Wa ga Pulau Rempang kukuh olak elokasi imbas PSN Eco Ci y.
CNNIndonesia.com
(A pandi, 2024)
18 Aug
Wa ga Pulau Rempang menangis olak PSN Rempang Eco Ci y.
We included i ems ha subs an i ely add essed Rempang Eco Ci y and de eloped a disce nible s o y (headline–lede–body wi h
quo ed sou ces). We excluded b ie s unde ~150 wo ds lacking na a i e con en , duplica e epos s, pu ely ma ke upda es, non-
Indonesian edi ions, and agg ega o pages. These c i e ia p ese ed na a i e ichness while limi ing noise om mic o-upda es
and syndica ion (aligned wi h he inal en-i em lis in Table 1). Following selec ion, each a icle was a chi ed and p epa ed o
analysis by segmen ing he ex in o headline, lede, body pa ag aphs, quo a ions, and codas unde a uni o m me ada a scheme.
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7741
C. Analy ical F amewo k
The uni o analysis in his esea ch is he indi idual a icle. Fo each i em, we a chi ed he ull ex (and s ills whe e ele an ),
cap u ed me ada a (ou le , da e, au ho /byline when a ailable), and segmen ed he ex in o headline, lede, body pa ag aphs,
quo a ions, and codas. We p ese ed all Bahasa Indonesia quo a ions e ba im and ansla ed only when needed o analy ic
memoing. A p ojec log eco ds sea ch e ms, e ie al da es, and ile pa hs o enable audi abili y.
Analysis p oceeds wi h a s o y-g amma and ac an ial lens sui ed o news discou se. Each a icle is ead as a plo ed s o y ha
mo es om o ien a ion → complica ing ac ion → e alua i e u ning poin s → (a emp ed) esolu ions → codas, while ac o s a e
cas in ecognizable oles: s a e o icials ac oss adminis a i e le els (including secu i y appa a us), in es o s (e.g., he Xinyi
G oup ecosys em), a ec ed communi ies (local esiden s and Indigenous g oups), ci il socie y (NGOs, academics, eligious
igu es), media as na a o s, and o he ins i u ional oices such as expe s o cou s. Wi hin his plo ing, we iden i y how he ex
de ines he cen al p oblem (e.g., in es men delay, igh s iola ions, en i onmen al isk), aces causali y and empo ali y h ough
chains o e en s and pacing, and signals alua ion ia adjec i es, me apho s, modal e bs, and quo ed judgmen s ha cue mo al
s ance. We also examine oice and au ho iza ion—who speaks i s /las and how much ex ual space each ac o ecei es—
alongside spa ializa ion and scale, no ing shi s be ween illage li ewo lds and na ional/global de elopmen ames ( e e ences o
na ional s a egic p ojec s, supply chains, o ada /ulaya spaces). Finally, we a end o in e ex uali y by acking e e ences o
laws, o icial s a emen s, da a, p io e en s, o o he media ha s abilize one eali y o e o he s. On his basis, a icles a e
clus e ed induc i ely in o na a i e ypes—such as De elopmen -as-P og ess, Righ s-and-Resis ance, Technoc a ic-Go e nance,
and En i onmen al-Risk— es ed agains discon i ming cases a he han assumed a p io i (si ua ed wi hin he media ed-
cons uc ion pe spec i e).
D. Coding P ocedu e
Analysis un olded in h ee i e a i e cycles. Open coding su aced plo mo es, ac an s/ oles, oice cues, e alua i e language,
spa ializa ion, and in e ex ual e e ences wi hou imposing ca ego ies in ad ance. Axial coding hen o ganized hese desc ip i e
codes in o highe -o de amilies aligned wi h he na a i e amewo k, and d a ed p o isional na a i e- ype de ini ions wi h
inclusions/exclusions and exempla s. Selec i e coding applied he scheme o he ull co pus o assign a dominan na a i e ype
pe a icle, egis e any seconda y subplo s (no used o salience), and memo c oss-ou le and empo al con as s. This wo k low
ollows he media ed-cons uc ion logic ha news na a i es a e cons i u i e o public meaning, no me ely e lec i e o e en s
(Saldaña, 2021).
To bols e c edibili y, wo code s double-coded ~20% o he co pus o nego ia e sha ed unde s andings o ca ego ies. Fo
ca ego ical assignmen s (dominan na a i e ype; e alua i e alence), we compu ed Cohen’s κ as a checkpoin ( a ge ≥0.70)
be o e p oceeding wi h single-coding, esol ing disag eemen s by discussion and documen ing easons in an audi ail. We used
nega i e-case analysis (ac i ely seeking discon i ming a icles), simple iangula ion ac oss ou le s and mon hs, and sensi i i y
eads (e.g., e- eading wi hou headlines) o es obus ness agains house-s yle e ec s. These s eps align wi h he s udy’s
heo e ical s ance ha media enac eali y h ough na a i e ope a ions and au ho ized oices in media ized se ings.
All ma e ials a e publicly a ailable news i ems. We quo e spa ingly and pa aph ase whe e app op ia e, main aining ideli y o
meaning and a oiding unnecessa y iden i ica ion o p i a e indi iduals. Re lexi e memos documen ed how ou disciplina y
commi men s (communica ion heo y and media ed cons uc ion) migh shape a en ion o oice, au ho iza ion, and scale, and
we e e isi ed du ing ca ego y e inemen o mi iga e in e p e i e bias (consis en wi h he media ed-cons uc ion s ance ou lined
in he pape ).
This s udy ocuses on mains eam, na ional ou le s o e Aug–Sep 2024; i does no analyze local media o social pla o ms and
does no claim audience e ec s. The small-N, heo y-d i en co pus p io i izes dep h o na a i e mechanisms o e b ead h.
Findings should hus be in e p e ed as analy ic gene aliza ions abou how Indonesian news na a es con en ious de elopmen
unde condi ions o media iza ion, no as popula ion es ima es. Fu u e wo k can ex end he window, add local ou le s, and ace
audience up ake.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Ac oss he en-i em co pus (Aug–Sep 2024), wo na a i e ypes domina e: Righ s-and-Resis ance and Technoc a ic-
Go e nance. Righ s-and-Resis ance accoun s o all Augus i ems and he majo i y in Sep embe , while Technoc a ic-Go e nance
appea s in e mi en ly as a seconda y bu isible pa e n. De elopmen -as-P og ess and En i onmen al-Risk occu only as
seconda y subplo s. We quan i y hese dis ibu ions using na a i e salience by mon h (Figu e 1) and by ou le (Figu e 2).
Gi en he wo-mon h window, na a i e salience is calcula ed pe mon h as he p opo ion o coded a icles whose dominan
na a i e ype ma ches each line in Figu e 1.
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7742
Figu e 1. Tempo al Shi s in Rela i e Salience o Na a i e Types
Salience pe mon h = #(a icles wi h dominan na a i e ype) ÷ #(all coded a icles in ha mon h). Augus (n=3): Righ s-and-
Resis ance = 1.00; Sep embe (n=7): Righ s-and-Resis ance = 0.71; Technoc a ic-Go e nance = 0.29; De elopmen -as-P og ess =
0.00; En i onmen al-Risk = 0.00. Values pool Kompas.com, De ikNews, CNNIndonesia.com, Kompas TV, and Kompaspedia.
Figu e 2. Dis ibu ion o Dominan Na a i e Types by Ou le
Ba s show he coun o a icles pe ou le by dominan na a i e ype. Righ s-and-Resis ance domina es ac oss ou le s, while
Technoc a ic-Go e nance appea s in De ikNews and Kompas.com. De elopmen -as-P og ess and En i onmen al-Risk do no
appea as dominan ypes in his en-i em sample.
Appendix A lis s he en news i ems analyzed in his s udy (Augus –Sep embe 2024), including ou le , da e, o iginal
Indonesian i le, and he assigned dominan na a i e ype based on he coding scheme desc ibed in he Me hods. One-line coding
no es indica e he ex ual cues d i ing each label (plo ocus, oice/au ho iza ion, and e alua i e language).
Table 2. Co pus and Dominan Na a i e Labels
Media
Da e
Dominan Na a i e
Coding No e
De ikNews
6 Sep
Righ s and Resis ance
Righ s discou se, media ion, due p ocess
emphasized.
De ikNews
9 Sep
Technoc a ic-Go e nance
Ope a ional/secu i y lens, o de -
main enance, adminis a i e p oblem.
Kompas TV
20 Sep
Righ s and Resis ance
Violence claims, mo al call o au ho i y,
jus ice ame.
Kompas.com
17 Sep
Technoc a ic-Go e nance
Responsibili y alloca ion, adminis a i e
s eps, SOP language.
Kompas.com
31 Aug
Righ s and Resis ance
Communi y ha m/ e o mo i e, g ie ance
o eg ounded.
Kompas.com
7 Sep
Righ s and Resis ance
Iden i y/belonging, memo y, e hical
e alua ion o e da a.
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7743
Kompaspedia
20 Sep
Righ s and Resis ance
Human igh s ch onology, e alua i e
language, igh s lexicon.
CNNIndonesia.com
1 Sep
Righ s and Resis ance
P o es / e alia ion ocus, communi y impac
a cen e.
CNNIndonesia.com
10 Sep
Righ s and Resis ance
Explici e usal, consen and eloca ion
con es ed.
CNNIndonesia.com
18 Aug
Righ s and Resis ance
A ec i e cues, dispossession, mo al
e alua ion.
Ac oss he en-i em co pus (Augus –Sep embe 2024), wo na a i e ypes domina e he mains eam digi al co e age o
Rempang Eco Ci y: Righ s-and-Resis ance and Technoc a ic-Go e nance. Righ s-and-Resis ance accoun s o all Augus i ems
and a clea majo i y in Sep embe , while Technoc a ic-Go e nance appea s in e mi en ly as he second mos equen pa e n.
De elopmen -as-P og ess and En i onmen al-Risk su ace only as seconda y subplo s— aceable in single sen ences o side
pa ag aphs—bu do no o ganize he dominan plo o any s o y in his comp essed window. The dis ibu ion aligns wi h Figu e 1
(mon hly salience) and Figu e 2 (ou le dis ibu ion), indica ing ha a he heigh o con en ion he news agenda coalesced a ound
mo al and p ocedu al claims a he han in es men o ecological ho izons. This pa e n exempli ies how, unde condi ions o
deep media iza ion, jou nalism’s na a i e ope a ions ac i ely con igu e public eali y a he han me ely mi o e en s (Hepp,
2020).
Righ s-and-Resis ance s o ies plo Rempang as a con lic o e belonging, consen , and digni y. They o eg ound li ed
consequences o eloca ion and ampli y i s -pe son accoun s o ad ocacy oices, using e alua i e lexis ha in i es eade s o
in e p e e en s h ough an e hics o ha m and emedy. In na a i e e ms, hese pieces p o ide empo al dep h (memo y o p io
clashes, sequences o p o es and esponse) and codas ha call o dialogue o mo a o ia. Such s o ywo k is consis en wi h
na a i e analysis schola ship ha ea s plo ing, oice, and e alua ion as he p incipal mechanisms h ough which ex s make
meaning and guide mo al judgmen (Riessman, 2022).
Technoc a ic-Go e nance s o ies, by con as , ecas he p oblem as an adminis a i e sequence: e i ica ion, egis a ion,
compensa ion, and o de main enance. The plo leans on documen s, spokespe son b ie ings, and ins i u ional a ibu ions o
esponsibili y, wi h ci izens abs ac ed in o ca ego ies o caseloads. Codas emphasize h oughpu and imelines, no malizing he
p ojec as a policy wo k low a he han a mo al con o e sy. Read h ough media iza ion heo y, his s o yline illus a es how
ins i u ional logics ci cula e ia news and g adually mold wha coun s as “ easonable” ac ion in a gi en ield—he e, eloca ion as
p ocedu al compliance (Hepp, 2020).
Ou le endencies in Figu e 2 e lec his spli in plo p e e ences. CNNIndonesia.com, Kompas TV, and Kompaspedia mo e
o en sus ain Righ s-and-Resis ance as he dominan s o y o m, wi h ex ended quo es and con ex ual pa ag aphs ha ele a e
mo al and legal ocabula ies. Kompas.com and De ikNews ca y he co pus’s Technoc a ic-Go e nance i ems, consis en wi h
e en -d i en and policy-s ep epo age ha o eg ounds adminis a i e e bs ( e i y, map, egis e ) and emphasizes o de . These
a e endencies a he han ha d pa i ions, bu he agg ega e pa e n sugges s a di ision o na a i e labo in Indonesia’s
mains eam digi al sphe e. Tha di ision esona es wi h ecen accoun s o he media iza ion o poli ics, whe e he ela i e weigh
o media logics shapes how ins i u ional ac o s, ad ocacy g oups, and ci izens become publicly hinkable wi hin news na a i es
(S ömbäck, 2022).
Two mechanisms help explain why de elopmen al ine i abili y can eel pe suasi e in some i ems while g ie ance eels u gen
in o he s. Fi s is oice o de ing: s a e o secu i y sou ces ha open o close s o ies ancho eade s’ p io s (common in
Technoc a ic-Go e nance), while communi y- i s ledes e hically “p e-classi y” e en s be o e o icial jus i ica ions appea
( ypical in Righ s-and-Resis ance). Second is scale-wo k: go e nance plo s s e ch o na ional/global ames (PSN, in es o
pipelines), sh inking locali y in o adminis a i e uni s; esis ance plo s s a om illages, g a es, and homes, hen scale up o
cons i u ional no ms. These mechanisms illus a e how news o ganiza ions “co-au ho ” he social by selec ing plo s and scales ha
ende some u u es necessa y and o he s nego iable—a co e claim in con empo a y media iza ion heo y (Could y & Hepp, 2017;
Hepp, 2020).
The Indonesian media en i onmen adds an impo an s uc u al laye . Resea ch on owne ship and poli ical a ilia ion
documen s concen a ed con ol ac oss majo g oups and ecu ing alignmen s wi h poli ical eli es and s a e-linked in e es s. Such
condi ions can in luence which oices ob ain p ominence and how adminis a i e ames a ain commonsense s a us, especially in
momen s o con lic when isk managemen and s abili y a e edi o ial p io i ies (PR2Media, 2023; Sya ie , 2024). While ou
small-N co pus canno es causali y, he obse ed hie a chy o au ho iza ion—s a e/economic oices o en s uc u ing openings
and codas—acco ds wi h hese b oade sys em-le el dynamics.
A he same ime, he egula o y and p ess eedom con ex ma e s o how a esis ance na a i es can a el. Recen
o e iews highligh legal and poli ical p essu es ha may chill c i ical co e age o incen i ize sa e , p ocedu alis s o y elling
du ing con en ious episodes. This helps explain why En i onmen al-Risk emains ma ginal as a dominan plo in ou window:
Cons uc ing Social Reali y Th ough Media Na a i es: The Case o Rempang Eco Ci y in Indonesia
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7744
long-ho izon, expe -led ames s uggle o compe e wi h he immediacy and ins i u ional isibili y o secu i y o coo dina ion
upda es (Pu a, 2024).
Theo e ically, hese indings e ine wha deep media iza ion implies o de elopmen con lic s. Fi s , legi imacy is na a i ely
p oduced: epea ed go e nance codas (deadlines, esponsibili y, compliance) can sedimen he sense ha eloca ion is he de aul
pa h, whe eas sus ained i s -pe son es imony and igh s ocabula ies ecalib a e wha seems plausible o jus . Second,
e en ulness o ganizes a en ion: as media iza ion schola ship no es, when poli ics is inc easingly pe o med h ough media, peaks
o e en ulness (ope a ions, clashes, p esse s) disp opo iona ely s uc u e public meaning (S ömbäck, 2022; Hepp, 2020). Thi d,
in as uc u al condi ions—owne ship, pla o m dis ibu ion, news oom ou ines—shape which plo s a e na a i ely “a o dable”
in daily p oduc ion, ein o cing he pa e ned dominance we obse e (PR2Media, 2023; Sya ie , 2024).
Two limi a ions empe in e p e a ion. The co pus is small and es ic ed o wo mon hs a peak con en ion; De elopmen -as-
P og ess and En i onmen al-Risk may domina e in o he phases (announcemen , planning, pos -se lemen ). And ou analysis
a ge s ex ual cons uc ion a he han audience up ake. E en so, he pa e ns su ice o show how mains eam jou nalism co-
au ho s con es ed eali ies a ound Rempang in he hea o con lic and o indica e whe e communica i e legi imacy is likely o be
won o los . A logical ex ension is o add local media and c oss-pla o m laye s, hen es whe he na a i e salience acks ou le
s uc u e (owne ship, e enue mix) o e en cycles (policy deadlines), aligning mic o-le el s o y elling wi h meso- and mac o-
le el media iza ion p ocesses. This would mo e ully in eg a e na a i e analysis wi h con empo a y communica ion heo y on
media powe and ins i u ional change (Hepp, 2020; S ömbäck, 2022; Riessman, 2022).
V. CONCLUSIONS
Analyzing en news i ems om i e na ional ou le s (Aug–Sep 2024), his s udy shows ha mains eam digi al jou nalism
cons uc s— a he han me ely e lec s—public meaning a ound Rempang Eco Ci y. Two na a i e ypes domina e a he peak o
con en ion: Righ s-and-Resis ance, which con e s plausibili y o e hical and p ocedu al claims h ough empo al dep h and i s -
pe son es imony; and Technoc a ic-Go e nance, which no malizes eloca ion as adminis a i e compliance ia documen -d i en
sequencing, deadlines, and codas. These indings speci y how deep media iza ion ope a es h ough conc e e na a i e
mechanisms—plo ing, oice o de ing, e alua i e language, and scale-wo k— ha ende some u u es necessa y and o he s
nego iable.
P ac ically, policy legi imacy is communica i ely p oduced: i equi es codas ha add ess consen , emedy, and ecogni ion
wi h pa i y o KPIs and imelines. News ooms can mi iga e s uc u al il by a ying o ma (b ie s plus ea u es), disclosing oice
sequencing, and coupling en i onmen al ames o p esen - ense h esholds.
The s udy is limi ed by a sho window and small co pus ocused on na ional ou le s. Fu u e esea ch should ex end he
imeline, in eg a e local media and pla o ms, and pai na a i e coding wi h audience s udies and s uc u al a iables (owne ship,
e en cycles) o es how hese plo s a el, mu a e, and sedimen in o public common sense.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The au ho ex ends app ecia ion o colleagues, pa icipan s, and all pa ies who ha e con ibu ed hei ime, knowledge, and
assis ance, making his esea ch possible.
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