Gender Representation in Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Online News
Abstract
In the digital media landscape, online news plays a crucial role in shaping public understanding of gender and violence, particularly in the context of online gender-based violence (OGBV). Despite increasing visibility of such issues, the ways in which gender is represented in news discourse remain complex and often subtle. This study aims to examine how gender representation is constructed in online news through a qualitative Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. The research adopts a case-oriented qualitative design, focusing on selected online news articles published between 2024 and 2025 from major Indonesian media platforms, including Kompas.com, Detik.com, CNN Indonesia, and BBC Indonesia. Data were collected through document analysis of 20–30 purposively selected articles addressing OGBV and analyzed using a thematic approach informed by Fairclough’s three-dimensional CDA framework. The findings reveal three dominant patterns: the positioning of victims as passive and voiceless subjects, the construction of perpetrators as collective actors that diffuse individual responsibility, and the prominence of legal-institutional framing that prioritizes regulation over lived experience. These patterns highlight how media discourse not only reflects but actively shapes social realities, reinforcing certain norms while obscuring others. The study contributes to discourse analysis and feminist media studies by emphasizing the role of ambiguity and discursive tension in gender representation. Practically, it underscores the importance of critical media literacy and more reflexive reporting practices, while opening avenues for further research on audience interpretation and digital media dynamics.
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