Media Framing on Indonesian Forest Fire in Three ASEAN Affected Neighboring Countries

In Indonesia, forest fires become a problem every year during the annual dry season, when fires are lit to clear and/or prepare land for agriculture. The smoke from the fires creates a haze that affects not only the area where land is being cleared but also neighboring countries since it travels with the wind. This study explores media framing related to haze that blanketed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, through a qualitative content analysis of the news stories published in 2017 in three leading English newspapers from the three countries: The Jakarta Post (Indonesia), The Straits Times (Singapore) and The Star (Malaysia). A theoretical framework from Semetko & Valkernburg (2000) who suggest five media framing (conflict, responsibility, economic consequences, human interest, and morality) is used in the analysis. The research questions: What were the main frames used in the three newspapers from the three countries? The results indicate that responsibility was the most visible frame in the three newspapers. Alleged land clearance by plantation companies and individuals was the main theme associated with the responsibility frame.