The Construction of Social Actors in the News Coverage of the 2019 Presidential and Vice Presidential Victory Claims
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55123/sosmaniora.v5i3.8364Keywords:
Social Actor Construction, Critical Discourse Analysis, Stuart Hall, Political News Coverage, Victory ClaimsAbstract
This study examines the construction of social actors in news coverage claiming victory during the 2019 Indonesian Presidential Election in the April-May 2019 editions of Kompas Daily. The research aims to analyze how media discourse represents social actors and constructs political legitimacy within contested electoral narratives. Using a qualitative approach and Stuart Hall’s Critical Discourse Analysis, the study analyzes selected news articles focusing on the representation and positioning of political actors. The findings show that Kompas selectively foregrounds official institutions and political elites as dominant and credible actors, while grassroots supporters receive less prominent representation. The discourse of victory claims is constructed as a symbolic arena where legitimacy and truth are contested through language use, quotation patterns, and source selection. This study concludes that media discourse plays a significant role in shaping public interpretation and reinforcing ideological positions during political events. The research contributes to communication and media studies by highlighting the relationship between discourse, representation, and power in political journalism.
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