Competing Voices: News Corp's Coverage and Media Contestation in Australia’s 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum (August 30–October 14, 2023)

Syakilla Putri Aulia Haryanto, Dr. Dedy Permadi, S.I.P., M.A.

2026 | Skripsi | Ilmu Hubungan Internasional

Skripsi ini menganalisis sejauh mana posisi dominan News Corp dalam lanskap media Australia memengaruhi keseimbangan narasi yang saling bersaing terkait Referendum Indigenous Voice to Parliament tahun 2023 selama periode 30 Agustus–14 Oktober 2023. Dengan memosisikan media arus utama sebagai arena kekuasaan diskursif, penelitian ini menggunakan analisis wacana kualitatif untuk menilai distribusi visibilitas narasi, praktik pembingkaian, dan otoritas ideologis di antara media berita utama. Data penelitian terdiri atas 381 artikel berita yang dikodekan secara manual, yang diterbitkan oleh media milik News Corp (News.com.au dan The Australian) serta The Guardian Australia. Penelitian ini menempatkan dominasi struktural News Corp dalam ekosistem media Australia sebagai prasyarat utama bagi kemampuannya dalam membentuk wacana publik. Analisis dilakukan melalui tiga studi perbandingan. News.com.au dikaji sebagai platform media massa yang secara intensif menyebarkan bingkai ketidakpastian, perpecahan, dan konflik, sehingga menormalisasi sikap penolakan terhadap referendum di ruang publik. The Australian dianalisis sebagai media berorientasi elite yang menerjemahkan bingkai serupa ke dalam argumen konstitusional, hukum, dan tata kelola, yang berfungsi melegitimasi posisi “Tidak” bagi audiens politik dan kebijakan. Sebaliknya, The Guardian Australia diposisikan sebagai aktor kontra-hegemonik yang menonjolkan agensi masyarakat Adat, konteks historis, dan keadilan konstitusional, serta secara aktif menantang misinformasi. Melalui analisis perbandingan, penelitian ini berargumen bahwa pengaruh News Corp tidak semata-mata dijalankan melalui volume pemberitaan atau keberpihakan editorial, melainkan melalui strategi naratif terpadu lintas level yang memarjinalkan perspektif alternatif dan menstabilkan interpretasi hegemonik atas referendum. Temuan ini menegaskan implikasi demokratis dari konsentrasi kepemilikan media di Australia, khususnya dalam isu hak masyarakat Adat dan perubahan konstitusional.

This thesis examines the extent to which News Corp’s dominant position in the Australian media landscape influenced the balance of competing narratives surrounding the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum between August 30–October 14, 2023. Conceptualizing mainstream media as a site of discursive power, this study applies qualitative discourse analysis to assess how narrative visibility, framing practices, and ideological authority were distributed across major news outlets. The research draws on 381 manually coded news articles published by News Corp-owned outlets (News.com.au and The Australian) and The Guardian Australia. The study situates News Corp’s structural dominance within Australia’s media ecosystem as a prerequisite for its capacity to shape public discourse. It then examines three comparative cases. News.com.au is analyzed as a mass-market platform that saturated public debate with frames of uncertainty, division, and conflict, effectively normalizing opposition to the referendum. The Australian is examined as an elite-oriented outlet that translated these same frames into constitutional, legal, and governance-based arguments, legitimizing the “No” position for political and policy audiences. In contrast, The Guardian Australia is analyzed as a counter-hegemonic actor that foregrounded Indigenous agency, historical context, and constitutional justice, while actively contesting misinformation. Through comparative analysis, this study argues that News Corp’s influence operated not merely through volume or bias, but through an integrated, multi-level narrative strategy that marginalized alternative perspectives and stabilized hegemonic interpretations of the referendum. The findings highlight the democratic implications of media concentration in Australia, particularly in contexts involving Indigenous rights and constitutional change, and contribute to broader debates on media power, narrative dominance, and democratic deliberation.

Kata Kunci : News Corp, Indigenous Voice to Parliament, News.com.au, The Guardian