Ideology and Rhetoric: Framing MetroTV News in the Lapindo Mudflow Tragedy

Abstract

This study examines the ideology and rhetorical patterns of MetroTV news when reporting on the Lapindo Mudflow tragedy that started in Sidoarjo, Indonesia in 2012. The ideology used to represent facts and opinions on the tragedy were evaluated using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The source of the data comprised 12 recordings of broadcasted news and included words, phrases, sentences, and discourses expressing the mudflow tragedy and its effects on people in the surrounding area. The findings indicate that the rhetorical patterns of Metro TV news included the title, orientation, sequence of events, and closing. Ideology was inserted in any kind of discourse units, imposing power and hegemony as tools of CDA effecting social changes.