Framing of Indonesian Radicalisation Pathways in the Australian news media: A Comparison of Broadsheets and Tabloids

Abstract

This study examines how radicalisation in Indonesia is treated in the Australian press. Radicalisation is widely defined as a dramatic shift in the belief system of an individual or a group, denial of democratic means, and justifying the use of violence to achieve the political aims in this paper. Although there are various types and drivers of radicalisation, the researcher limited this research to identifying the framing of six pathways of Islamic radicalisation in Indonesia identified by Hwang and Schulze and Idris. For this purpose, 301 articles from selected Australian broadsheets and tabloids, dating up to 8 May 2020, were collected. Using quantitative and qualitative content analysis to generate the frequency of terms and metaphors used to describe radicalisation pathways in Indonesia, the study finds that the securitising and stigmatising frames are mainly employed in the Australian press in portrayal of radicalisation in Indonesia. In addition, the study explores the different style of coverage employed in Australian broadsheets and tabloids. Before conducting the comparative study, the researcher surmised that broadsheets will cover radicalisation in Indonesia with neutral tone while tabloids will sensationalise the issue. However, the outcome revealed that the framing employed by...