Local Media Hegemony and the Construction of Public Opinion: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Mining Accident Reporting

Abstract

The mining industry is highly susceptible to public issues, particularly workplace accidents. Local media coverage of mining workplace accidents plays a significant role in shaping local public opinion. This study aims to examine how local media report workplace accidents in the mining industry, how such reporting influences the construction of local public opinion, and why local media possess the power to shape local public opinion. This research uses a qualitative approach and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method. The research data consists of news texts on workplace accidents at PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) mine published by local media, and interviews with a number of informants. The findings reveal that local media consistently constructed a similar narrative regarding the mining accident. A notable pattern was the uniformity of headlines emphasizing that the information originated from a leaked corporate memorandum. These narratives constructed a local public perception that KPC lacked professionalism and transparency in managing public communication during the crisis. The ability of local media to shape local public opinion is influenced by several factors, including their emotional proximity to local audiences, their capacity to frame events in accordance with local socio-cultural contexts, journalists' rapid access to news sources, and media credibility developed through consistent and reliable news reporting.