Journal of Social Humanities and Education: Scripta Humanika
Vol 1 No 3 (2026): February: Jurnal Sosial Humaniora dan Pendidikan: Scripta Humanika

Naturalizing Disaster in Media Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Sibolga Landslide Coverage on Kompas TV

Dwi Angeli Pardede (Unknown)
Isabel Selmiola Sabrina (Unknown)
Bella Sonia Sianturi (Unknown)
Partohap Saut Raja Sihombing (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Jan 2026

Abstract

Disaster discourse in Indonesian media often emphasizes natural factors while marginalizing structural causes, thereby depoliticizing complex socio-environmental issues. This study investigates the discursive construction of the Sibolga landslide as represented in the Kompas TV news article "PVMBG Ungkap Penyebab Longsor di Sibolga: Lereng Curam dan Hujan Ekstrem" published on November 27, 2025. Adopting a descriptive qualitative design within a critical paradigm, the research employs Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis framework, encompassing textual features, discursive practices, and socio-cultural contexts. The analysis reveals that the news discourse predominantly naturalizes the disaster by foregrounding geological and meteorological explanations provided by PVMBG, while systematically excluding perspectives from affected communities, independent researchers, and environmental advocates. Linguistic choices and narrative strategies legitimize scientific-institutional authority as the sole source of truth, while structural factors such as spatial planning violations, deforestation, and governance failures receive minimal or no attention. The study demonstrates how news media function not merely as information channels but as ideological spaces that reproduce dominant discourses on disaster, shifting responsibility from human actors and policies to uncontrollable natural forces. This research contributes to critical media and disaster studies by exposing how naturalization discourse reduces public demand for structural reforms and perpetuates vulnerability in disaster-prone communities in Indonesia.  

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Journal Info

Abbrev

scripta-humanika

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Social Sciences

Description

Journal of Social Humanities and Education: Scripta Humanika is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes research articles, conceptual papers, and critical reflections in the fields of social sciences, humanities, and education. The journal aims to serve as an academic platform for ...