Framing Analysis of Kompas.com on the Diplomatic Implications of Indonesia’s Participation in the Board of Peace

Abstract

This study examines how Kompas.com framed the diplomatic implications of Indonesia’s participation in the Board of Peace (BOP) in January 2026. Using a qualitative approach, this research applies Robert N. Entman’s framing analysis and Burhan Bungin’s Social Construction of Mass Media Theory. The research corpus comprises seven purposively selected news articles published by Kompas.com from January 22 to 27, 2026. The analysis focuses on four framing dimensions: defining problems, diagnosing causes, making moral judgments, and suggesting remedies concerning the government’s foreign policy. The findings indicate that Kompas.com presented Indonesia’s participation in the BOP as a diplomatic achievement, but as a high-risk dilemma. The platform framed geopolitical polarization as the main problem, identified pressure from major powers as its underlying cause, emphasized Indonesia’s constitutional bebas-aktif principle over broader global commitments, and advocated strategic neutrality as the preferred response. Through critical expert perspectives and scrutiny of unilateral diplomatic gains, Kompas.com encouraged public skepticism and caution toward the government’s foreign policy decisions. Overall, the study demonstrates that Kompas.com shaped public discourse by constructing Indonesia’s BOP participation as a matter requiring strategic vigilance, illustrating the media’s role in constructing political reality rather than merely functioning as a neutral channel for reporting diplomatic events.