Exploring the Image of Indonesia in International News Media through a Comparative Analysis of Leading News Websites from the World

The media’s role in shaping public opinion is evident through several studies done on the subject previously. Media also tends to influence audiences’ perceptions and the country’s image. The purpose of this study is to explore the portrayal of Indonesia in international news media. This study examines the identification of the Indonesian image as depicted by the international community (the international news media’s perspective is chosen for this case). Comparative content analysis is performed to examine three international news websites to study the perception of the world towards Indonesia. Findings reveal that Indonesian Politics is the most mentioned topic portrayed by the media in three countries followed by Indonesian State Actors as the most quoted source of information. Similar patterns were found while framing news about Indonesian image in Qatar and United States. Both countries portrayed Indonesia with a negative valence while Singapore portrayed Indonesia more positively and neutrally. This research potentially contributes to providing an overview of Indonesian image in foreign countries to actors responsible for national branding or Public Diplomacy in general. In future, this research can be used to develop the concept of nation branding or Public Diplomacy strategy, especially towards the United States, Qatar, and Singapore. Finally, recommendations for future studies on suitable national branding practices for Indonesia are suggested in this study.