Vol. 13 No. 3 (2025)
Space and Culture, India

Research

Public Discourse on Press Freedom: Twitter’s Role in the Backlash Against Indonesia's 2024 Broadcasting Law Revision

Published 2025-11-27

  • Fathul Qorib
    • ,
  • Frida Kusumastuti
    • ,
  • Saudah
    • ,
  • Samia Elviria
    • ,
  • Maielayuskha

Fathul Qorib
Lecturer & Media Researcher, Communication Department, University of Tribhuwana Tunggadewi, Indonesia image/svg+xml

Frida Kusumastuti
Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication Science, University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia image/svg+xml

Saudah
Lecturer, Bachelor’s Program of Communication Science and the Master’s Program in Public Administration, Universitas Merdeka Malang, Indonesia image/svg+xml

Samia Elviria
Lecturer, Department of Communication Science, Nurdin Hamzah University, Jambi, Indonesia

Maielayuskha
Lecturer, Department of Communication Science, Nurdin Hamzah University, Jambi, Indonesia

Abstract

The revision of Indonesia's Broadcasting Law in 2024 sparked intense debate on Twitter. This study analyses public discourse on Twitter from 10 May to 05 June 2024, focusing on 3,872 tweets, account engagement, popular accounts and hashtags, social networks, word clouds, sentiment, and media usage in opposing the revision of the law. This research is vital for further understanding the discussions surrounding Indonesia's Broadcasting Law, which has faced significant criticism for limiting press freedom and raising concerns about the erosion of democracy. The analysis revealed that peaks in discussion coincided with journalist protests and legislative meetings on the law. Most tweets expressed opposition to the revision, with Change.org emerging as the dominant platform leading the protests, likely used by activists to mobilise support through online petitions. Interestingly, the primary influences in this discourse were not from mass media or journalism but from influential social media personalities, alongside accounts with unclear identities, which also played a significant role in spreading information. The study also highlights the application of agenda-setting theory, in which Twitter, as a digital platform, played a key role in shaping the public agenda by amplifying concerns about press freedom and democracy. This research underscores the importance for policymakers considering input from the press community when crafting laws that balance regulation and the protection of press freedom.

Keywords

Indonesian Broadcasting Law, Public discourse, Press freedom, Twitter, Agenda Setting Theory, Change.org

pdf

Author Biography

Fathul Qorib

Fathul Qorib’s research interests are mainly in journalism studies, communication science theory, and social media. He is active in the Association of Indonesian Communication Science Study Programs (ASPIKOM) and the Indonesian Communication Science Scholars Association (ISKI). Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree at Kocaeli University, Türkiye.

Frida Kusumastuti

Frida Kusumastuti actively engaged in mass media research, especially in relation to the provision of public rights in the media, such as the rights of the disabled, women, and democracy. Currently, she is active in the Digital Literacy Activist Network (JAPELIDI) community and the Indonesian Anti Hoax Community (MAFINDO).

Saudah

Saudah actively serves as a resource person in various training sessions on communication and entrepreneurship development. Her academic interests include personal branding, mass media, telematics, and creative communities. She regularly publishes scholarly articles, particularly in the fields of media communication, the creative economy, and socio-cultural market studies.

Samia Elviria

Samia Elviria’s academic background and scholarly expertise are rooted in applied linguistics, with a particular interest in discourse and language analysis, social media, and intercultural communication. In addition to her academic responsibilities, she serves as the Head of Public Relations at Nurdin Hamzah University in Jambi.

Maielayuskha

Maielayuskha’s research focuses on communication and culture, with an emphasis on the role of information and communication technology. She teaches courses in both basic communication and contemporary communication theories.

References

  1. Aldous, K. K., An, J., & Jansen, B. J. (2019). View, Like, Comment, Post: Analyzing User Engagement by Topic at 4 Levels across 5 Social Media Platforms for 53 News Organizations. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 13, 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v13i01.3208
  2. Alhakim, A. (2022). Urgensi Perlindungan Hukum terhadap Jurnalis dari Risiko Kriminalisasi UU Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik di Indonesia. Jurnal Pembangunan Hukum Indonesia, 4(1), 89–106. https://doi.org/10.14710/jphi.v4i1.89-106
  3. Amrihani, H. A., & Ritonga, R. (2021). Freedom of the Press Regulations in Indonesia and Sweden: Limited but Free. Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, 6(2), 353–361. https://doi.org/10.25008/jkiski.v6i2.609
  4. Aroldi, P., & Colombo, F. (2020). Media, Generations, and the Platform Society. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 12208 LNCS, 567–578. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50249-2_40/FIGURES/1
  5. Atkinson, M. D., & DeWitt, D. (2019). Does Celebrity Issue Advocacy Mobilize Issue Publics? Political Studies, 67(1), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321717751294
  6. Barberá, P., Casas, A., Nagler, J., Egan, P. J., Bonneau, R., Jost, J. T., & Tucker, J. A. (2019). Who Leads? Who Follows? Measuring Issue Attention and Agenda Setting by Legislators and the Mass Public Using Social Media Data. American Political Science Review, 113(4), 883–901. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055419000352
  7. Battisti, E., Graziano, E. A., & Christofi, M. (2022). Equity crowdfunding platforms and social media: a Twitter analysis. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 28(5), 1206–1221. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-01-2021-0081
  8. Brockington, D. (2014). Celebrity Advocacy and International Development. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315886978
  9. Burgess, J., & Bruns, A. (2012). Twitter Archives and the Challenges of “Big Social Data” for Media and Communication Research. M/C Journal, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.561
  10. Carazo-Barrantes, C. (2021). Agenda-setting in a social media age. The Agenda Setting Journal, 5(1), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1075/asj.20006.car
  11. Carley, K. M., Malik, M., Landwehr, P. M., Pfeffer, J., & Kowalchuck, M. (2016). Crowd sourcing disaster management: The complex nature of Twitter usage in Padang Indonesia. Safety Science, 90, 48–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.04.002
  12. Casero-Ripollés, A., Alonso-Muñoz, L., & Marcos-García, S. (2022). The Influence of Political Actors in the Digital Public Debate on Twitter About the Negotiations for the Formation of the Government in Spain. American Behavioral Scientist, 66(3), 307–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642211003159
  13. Chung, W., & Zeng, D. (2020). Dissecting emotion and user influence in social media communities: An interaction modeling approach. Information & Management, 57(1), 103108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2018.09.008
  14. CNNIndnesia. (2025). Demonstrations against the Revised Broadcasting Law were held in various regions. CNNIndonesia.Com. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-7351319/demo-tolak-revisi-uu-penyiaran-digelar-di-berbagai-daerah
  15. detikcom. (2025). Journalists in Solo and Medan Protest Against Broadcasting Bill That Destroys Press Freedom. Detik.Com2. https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20240521193811-20-1100584/jurnalis-solo-medan-demo-tolak-ruu-penyiaran-perusak-kebebasan-pers
  16. Editor Papua Times. (2025). The Press Council and the Entire Press Community Reject the Draft Broadcasting Bill. Papuatimes.Com2. https://www.papuatimes.co.id/2024/05/15/dewan-pers-dan-seluruh-komunitas-pers-tolak-draf-ruu-penyiaran/
  17. Entman, R. M. (2010). Media framing biases and political power: Explaining slant in news of Campaign 2008. Journalism, 11(4), 389–408. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884910367587
  18. Faishal, N. (2025). Surabaya Journalists Again Protest Against Broadcasting Bill. Viva.Co.Id. https://jatim.viva.co.id/kabar/12937-lagi-jurnalis-surabaya-aksi-jalan-mundur-tolak-ruu-penyiaran
  19. Garg, D., Agarwal, A., & Vishnu, V. Y. (2022). A Bird in the Hand: A Neurologist’s Guide to Efficient Tweeting in the Age of Social Media. US Neurology, 18(2), 76. https://doi.org/10.17925/USN.2022.18.2.76
  20. Ghofur, N. (2024). Law, Media, and Democracy in the Digital Era: Freedom of Expression and ITE Regulation in Indonesia. Al-Mazaahib: Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum, 12(2), 184–204. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-mazaahib.v12i2.3703
  21. Grant, W. J., Moon, B., & Busby Grant, J. (2010). Digital Dialogue? Australian Politicians’ use of the Social Network Tool Twitter. Australian Journal of Political Science, 45(4), 579–604. https://doi.org/10.1080/10361146.2010.517176
  22. Hu, M., Liu, S., Wei, F., Wu, Y., Stasko, J., & Ma, K.-L. (2012). Breaking news on Twitter. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2751–2754. https://doi.org/10.1145/2207676.2208672
  23. Iannone, A. (2022). Democracy Crisis in South-East Asia: Media Control, Censorship, and Disinformation during the 2019 Presidential and General Elections in Indonesia, Thailand and 2019 Local Election in the Philippines. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik, 26(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.71417
  24. Jin, Y. (2017). Development of Word Cloud Generator Software Based on Python. Procedia Engineering, 174, 788–792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.01.223
  25. Jost, J. T., Barberá, P., Bonneau, R., Langer, M., Metzger, M., Nagler, J., Sterling, J., & Tucker, J. A. (2018). How Social Media Facilitates Political Protest: Information, Motivation, and Social Networks. Political Psychology, 39(S1), 85–118. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12478
  26. KabarBanyuwangi. (2025). Hundreds of Journalists in Banyuwangi Demonstrate and Collect Signatures to Reject the Revised Broadcasting Law. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwx1Wh0VJ9o
  27. Kabir, A. I., Karim, R., Newaz, S., & Hossain, M. I. (2018). The Power of Social Media Analytics: Text Analytics Based on Sentiment Analysis and Word Clouds on R. Informatica Economica, 22(1/2018), 25–38. https://doi.org/10.12948/issn14531305/22.1.2018.03
  28. Kakiailatu, T. (2007). Media in Indonesia: Forum for political change and critical assessment. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 48(1), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8373.2007.00330.x
  29. Klar, S., Krupnikov, Y., Ryan, J. B., Searles, K., & Shmargad, Y. (2020). Using social media to promote academic research: Identifying the benefits of twitter for sharing academic work. PLOS ONE, 15(4), e0229446. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229446
  30. Konieczna, M., & Powers, E. (2017). What can Nonprofit Journalists Actually do for Democracy? Journalism Studies, 18(12), 1542–1558. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2015.1134273
  31. Kuczerawy, A. (2018). Safeguards for Freedom of Expression in the Era of Online Gatekeeping. Auteurs & Media, 2017(3), 292–303. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3247682
  32. Kwak, H., Lee, C., Park, H., & Moon, S. (2010). What is Twitter, a social network or a news media? Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on World Wide Web, 591–600. https://doi.org/10.1145/1772690.1772751
  33. Mayrudin, Y. M. (2017). Construction of Ideological State Apparatus in the New Order Regime Against Communism in Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 2(2), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v2i02.19436
  34. McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187.
  35. McCombs, M. E., Shaw, D. L., & Weaver, D. H. (2014). New Directions in Agenda-Setting Theory and Research. Mass Communication and Society, 17(6), 781–802. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2014.964871
  36. Meeyoung Cha, Benevenuto, F., Haddadi, H., & Gummadi, K. (2012). The World of Connections and Information Flow in Twitter. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics - Part A: Systems and Humans, 42(4), 991–998. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSMCA.2012.2183359
  37. MetroTV. (2025). Broadcasting Law Revision Silences the Press. MetroTV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B6vBKpgNyQ
  38. Mohammadi, E., Thelwall, M., Kwasny, M., & Holmes, K. L. (2018). Academic information on Twitter: A user survey. PLOS ONE, 13(5), e0197265. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197265
  39. Muhid, H. K. (2025). Facts about the Broadcasting Bill that has sparked controversy. Tempo.Co2. https://www.tempo.co/politik/fakta-fakta-ruu-penyiaran-yang-menuai-polemik-58513
  40. Noval, S. M. R. (2024). Sociological Impact of Cyber Laws on Media: Virtue Community and Controversies. HighTech and Innovation Journal, 5(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.28991/HIJ-2024-05-01-04
  41. Nugroho, Y., Putri, D. A., & Laksmi, S. (2012). Mapping the landscape of the media industry in contemporary Indonesia. https://cipg.or.id/en/publication/landscape-media-industry-in-contemporary-indonesia/
  42. O’Regan, V. R. (2014). The celebrity influence: do people really care what they think? Celebrity Studies, 5(4), 469–483. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2014.925408
  43. Page, R. (2012). The linguistics of self-branding and micro-celebrity in Twitter: The role of hashtags. Discourse & Communication, 6(2), 181–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481312437441
  44. Parahita, G. D., & Ahmad, N. (2020). What Dampen the Indonesian Journalists’ Freedom and Safety in the Post-Soeharto New Order? In Handbook of research on combating threats to media freedom and journalist safety (pp. 83–105). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1298-2.ch006
  45. Park, C. S. (2019). Does Too Much News on Social Media Discourage News Seeking? Mediating Role of News Efficacy Between Perceived News Overload and News Avoidance on Social Media. Social Media + Society, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119872956
  46. Park, E. H., & Storey, V. C. (2023). Emotion Ontology Studies: A Framework for Expressing Feelings Digitally and its Application to Sentiment Analysis. ACM Computing Surveys, 55(9), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1145/3555719
  47. Pond, P., & Lewis, J. (2019). Riots and Twitter: connective politics, social media and framing discourses in the digital public sphere. Information, Communication & Society, 22(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1366539
  48. Putra, B. A. (2024, September 25). Press freedom in Indonesia: inconsistencies to Southeast Asian regional approaches. Frontiers in Communication, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1427427
  49. Recuero, R., Zago, G., & Soares, F. (2019). Using Social Network Analysis and Social Capital to Identify User Roles on Polarized Political Conversations on Twitter. Social Media + Society, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119848745
  50. Serwornoo, M. Y. W. (2024). Safety and security of journalists in Ghana: Policies and journalists’ perception of stakeholders, issues and practices. Journal of African Media Studies, 16(3), 285–301. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00125_1
  51. Slavtcheva-Petkova, V., Ramaprasad, J., Springer, N., Hughes, S., Hanitzsch, T., Hamada, B., Hoxha, A., & Steindl, N. (2023). Conceptualizing Journalists’ Safety around the Globe. Digital Journalism, 11(7), 1211–1229. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2162429
  52. Steele, J. (2012). The Making of the 1999 Indonesian Press Law. Indonesia, 94, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.5728/indonesia.94.0001
  53. Stromer-Galley, J. (2014). Presidential Campaigning in the Internet Age. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731930.001.0001
  54. Sumarwan, U., Hidayat, A., & Tyesta, L. (2023). Amendments to Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 40 of 1999 Concerning the Press: Between Needs and Obligations. Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, 8(1), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.25008/jkiski.v8i1.826
  55. Syn, S. Y., & Oh, S. (2015). Why do social network site users share information on Facebook and Twitter? Journal of Information Science, 41(5), 553–569. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551515585717
  56. Tapsell, R. (2015). Platform convergence in Indonesia. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 21(2), 182–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856514531527
  57. Tempo. (2025). The House of Representatives’ Legislation Body will seek input from the Press Council on the revised Broadcasting Law. Tempo.Co. https://www.tempo.co/politik/baleg-dpr-akan-minta-masukan-dewan-pers-soal-revisi-uu-penyiaran-53291?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  58. Thrall, A. T., Lollio-Fakhreddine, J., Berent, J., Donnelly, L., Herrin, W., Paquette, Z., Wenglinski, R., & Wyatt, A. (2008). Star Power: Celebrity Advocacy and the Evolution of the Public Sphere. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 13(4), 362–385. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161208319098
  59. Tsao, S.-F., Chen, H., Tisseverasinghe, T., Yang, Y., Li, L., & Butt, Z. A. (2021). What social media told us in the time of COVID-19: a scoping review. The Lancet Digital Health, 3(3), e175–e194. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30315-0
  60. Van Aelst, P., & Walgrave, S. (2011). Minimal or Massive? The Political Agenda-Setting Power of the Mass Media According to Different Methods. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 16(3), 295–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161211406727
  61. Wahyuningroem, S. L., Sirait, R., Uljanatunnisa, U., & Heryadi, D. (2024). Youth political participation and digital movement in Indonesia: the case of #ReformasiDikorupsi and #TolakOmnibusLaw. F1000Research, 12, 543. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.122669.3
  62. Weimann, G., & Brosius, H.-B. (2017). Redirecting the agenda: Agenda-setting in the online Era. The Agenda Setting Journal, 1(1), 63–101. https://doi.org/10.1075/asj.1.1.06wei
  63. Wiratraman, H. P. (1999). Press freedom, law and politics in Indonesia: a socio-legal study. Financial Times.
  64. Yang, L., Li, J., Lu, W., Chen, Y., Zhang, K., & Li, Y. (2020). The influence of font scale on semantic expression of word cloud. Journal of Visualization, 23(6), 981–998. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-020-00678-3

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.