Portrayal of Indonesia's Reform in the Dutch Print Media

Abstract

This article assesses the nature of news coverage on Indonesia in the online versions of three Dutch (two national, one regional) newspapers and the paper version of a current affairs magazine. The research literature points to five recurrent frames in news reporting: conflict, human interest, economic impact, morality, responsibility. Our central research question is: how does news reporting on Indonesia in Dutch newspapers as well as in one Dutch current affairs magazine reflect these frames? The period of scrutiny starts with the coverage of the student riots in May 1998, leading up to Suharto's resignation, Habibi's Cabinet, the elections and the beginning of Wahid's presidency, until April 2000. In-depth interviews were also conducted with media-makers and experts on Indonesia with respect to their perception of the overall quality of the Dutch news reporting on Indonesia.