ANALISIS FRAMING PEMBERITAAN RATU RACHMATUZAKIYAH DALAM PILKADA KABUPATEN SERANG 2024: STUDI PADA MEDIA RADAR BANTEN DAN KABAR BANTEN

Abstract

Local media in Banten plays a pivotal role in constructing political reality and influencing public perception during regional elections. This research aims to analyze how Ratu Rachmatuzakiyah is represented in the 2024 Serang Regency Election through the news framing of Radar Banten and Kabar Banten. Using a qualitative approach with Robert N. Entman’s framing model, 16 news articles were selected via purposive sampling for analysis across four elements: define problems, diagnose causes, make moral judgments, and treatment recommendations. The results indicate a significant divergence in framing strategies between the two portals. Kabar Banten predominantly constructs a narrative of social-religious legitimacy and populist optimism, positioning the candidate as a religious-humanist figure rooted in the "Serang Bahagia" vision. Conversely, Radar Banten emphasizes institutional legitimacy, elite networks, and empirical electability, often highlighting the candidate's connection to national political figures and survey-based competition dynamics. This study concludes that local digital media outlets in Banten function as active political agents that construct reality based on distinct editorial orientations, reinforcing the dominance of religious and elite-based narratives in local contests. These findings underscore the necessity of critical media literacy among voters in the digital era.