AL-ULUM : Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora
Vol 11, No 2 (2025): Edisi Oktober

PESAN JURNALISME BENCANA DALAM FOTO: ANALISIS SEMIOTIKA ROLAND BARTHES PADA EVAKUASI KORBAN LIKUEFAKSI PALU 2018

ardi ardi (Program Pascasarjana Ilmu Komunikasi, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar)



Article Info

Publish Date
20 Oct 2025

Abstract

This study examines the journalistic message in Muhammad Fahrur Rasyid’s photograph of the evacuation of a victim during the 2018 Palu liquefaction disaster, employing Roland Barthes’ semiotic analysis. Photojournalism functions not merely as a factual record but also as a medium of social communication imbued with humanitarian meaning. The research data were collected through documentation and literature study, then analysed using Barthes’ three levels of signification: denotation, connotation, and myth. The findings reveal that at the denotative level the photo depicts the rescue process carried out by the SAR team; at the connotative level it symbolises vulnerability, hope, and solidarity; while at the myth level it represents a moral narrative of mutual aid as a universal humanitarian value. This research contributes to the study of disaster journalism by highlighting the humanistic and moral dimensions of a single photograph, shifting the focus away from mere representations of physical destruction or technical aspects of coverage. The study concludes that photojournalism can serve as a cultural text that fosters public empathy and collective memory of humanitarian tragedies.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ALSH

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Social Sciences

Description

Al Kalam Jurnal Komunikasi, Bisnis dan Manajemen menerbitkan naskah hasil penelitian yang relevan dengan bidang ilmu komunikasi, bisnis dan ...