”They are (not) our responsibility”: A content analysis of Rohingya refugees’ representation in the conventional Indonesian media

With recent protests and demonstrations against the waves of Rohingya refugees’ arrivals in the western part of Indonesia, Aceh, in late 2023, the Rohingya community has become more marginalized in society, making them live in a more undesirable condition. This fact prompts people to see beyond how they live and more on how they are portrayed in public. Recognizing how the issue of refugee representation is crucial in shaping people’s perceptions of refugees themselves, it has become an attention in the scholarly world to take into account what meanings can be gained from the current representation of Rohingya refugees within society, especially in the Indonesian media context. Serving as an intermediary between society and what is happening in the world, the media plays a crucial role in representing the Rohingya refugees to the world and determining how the community will be perceived by society through their own creation of representation. This qualitative study aims to see how Rohingya refugees are represented in the Indonesian media outlets Detik.com, Kompas.com/.id, and The Jakarta Post and find the most recurring topics or discussions in their representation. Using thematic analysis, this study will delve into 60 articles that include news articles, columns, and editorials for its sample population. Acknowledging how media is a main tool for the Rohingyas’ representation, this study uses three concepts as the theoretical framework: media power to position media’s role within society, representation to analyze the constructed portrayal with the lexical structure, and advocacy in journalism to see if there are efforts to encourage advocacy in the discussed subjects.