OCCUPATIONAL-SAFETY FRAMING AND ITS DECAY IN INDONESIAN NEWS COVERAGE OF THE IMIP MOROWALI SMELTER EXPLOSION: A TOPIC-MODELING STUDY, 2023–2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61677/jth.v4i2.1108Keywords:
Media framing, disaster discourse, nickel industry, topic modeling, Indonesia.Abstract
Nickel smelter expansion has concentrated industrial hazards in Indonesian resource extraction zones, yet how national media frame disasters at these sites remains unexamined computationally. This study aimed to identify the latent frames of Indonesian news coverage of the December 2023 furnace explosion at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) and to trace how victim-centered framing evolved over 30 months. A corpus of 178 Indonesian-language articles from Antara, Detik, and Kompas (December 2023–July 2026) was analyzed with latent Dirichlet allocation topic modeling (k = 5; Cv = 0.4671; seed = 42) and interpreted through Entman’s framing theory and the victim-centered disaster management paradigm. Five frames emerged: safety and casualty response (25.8%); nickel industry, environment, and downstreaming (23.6%); regional development and industrial zones (23.6%); production & commodity economics (15.7%); and electric vehicle battery supply chains (11.2%). Safety framing dominated December 2023 coverage (96.8%) but collapsed to 3.6% by May 2024–June 2025 and remained below 8% thereafter. Word-boundary verified victim vocabulary was confined to the safety frame, and sources differed sharply: the broadsheet Kompas devoted 48.6% of its output to regional development while contributing only 4.3% of safety-frame articles. Coverage therefore systematically displaced victim-centered disaster discourse with economic development narratives, implying a need for independent post-disaster investigation, worker-led monitoring, and sustained parliamentary oversight in resource extraction regions.
References
Aliifa, D. N., Putri, W. E., & Mirawati, I. (2025). Framing Analysis in Online Media detik.com and tempo.co Related to Hydrometeorological Disasters. Ekspresi dan Persepsi: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 8(1), 104–119. https://doi.org/10.33822/jep.v8i1.10085
Antara. (2023). PT IMIP berikan santunan Rp600 juta bagi korban ledakan tungku smelter. Antara News. https://www.antaranews.com/berita/3888321/pt-imip-berikan-santunan-rp600-juta-bagi-korban-ledakan-tungku-smelter
Astuti, R., Raman, S., & Yeremia, A. E. (2025). Putting community-centric justice into just transitions from the Global South: The case of Indonesia’s nickel sector. Environmental Research Letters, 20(5). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adc8b9
Blei, D. M., Ng, A. Y., & Jordan, M. I. (2003). Latent dirichlet allocation. The Journal of Machine Learning Research, 3, 993–1022. https://doi.org/10.5555/944919.944937
Boukes, M. (2022). Episodic and Thematic Framing Effects on the Attribution of Responsibility: The Effects of Personalized and Contextualized News on Perceptions of Individual and Political Responsibility for Causing the Economic Crisis. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 27(2), 374–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220985241
Choi, J.-A., & Shahin, S. (2025). Fractured spectacle: Contrasting reactions to Itaewon stampede across Korean and English-language networked publics. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 31(3), 800–816. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565251335427
De Kam, D., Grit, K., & Bal, R. (2019). Shared learning from incidents: A qualitative study into the perceived value of an external chair on incident investigation committees. Safety Science, 120, 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.06.031
Dea Purnama, S., & Utami Nugrahani, R. (2013). A Comparative Study of Online News Site Service Based on Consumer Preference to the Student of Telkom Institute of Management in 2011 (Objective of the Study: Detik.com, Kompas.com, Okezone.com, and Vivanews.com). Jurnal Sosioteknologi, 12(28), 263–276. https://doi.org/10.5614/sostek.itbj.2013.12.28.2
Detik. (2023). 2 Korban Luka Berat Ledakan Tungku PT ITSS Dirujuk ke Makassar-Jakarta. Detik. https://www.detik.com/sulsel/berita/d-7111205/2-korban-luka-berat-ledakan-tungku-pt-itss-dirujuk-ke-makassar-jakarta
Dikbıyık, D., & Alp, S. (2026). Analyzing sentiment shifts in news coverage of occupational accidents: A case study of the Amasra mining disaster in Türkiye. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, 83(1), 122–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815251358271
Drupsteen, L., & Guldenmund, F. W. (2014). What Is Learning? A Review of the Safety Literature to Define Learning from Incidents, Accidents and Disasters. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 22(2), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12039
Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x
Filho, A. P. G., Ferreira, A. M. S., Ramos, M. F., & Pinto, A. R. A. P. (2021). Are we learning from disasters? Examining investigation reports from National government bodies. Safety Science, 140, 105327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105327
Gawley, T., & Dixon, S. (2015). One side of the story: Examining newspaper coverage of workplace injury and fatality in Ontario, 2007–2012. Work, 53(1), 205–218. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-152140
Haunschild, P. R., Polidoro, F., & Chandler, D. (2015). Organizational Oscillation Between Learning and Forgetting: The Dual Role of Serious Errors. Organization Science, 26(6), 1682–1701. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2015.1010
Houston, J. B., Pfefferbaum, B., & Rosenholtz, C. E. (2012). Disaster News: Framing and Frame Changing in Coverage of Major U.S. Natural Disasters, 2000–2010. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 89(4), 606–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699012456022
Islam, A. F., Nawawi, J., & Rusdi, M. (2026). Peran Sumber Daya dalam Implementasi Kebijakan Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Kerja (K3) pada Sektor Pertambangan di Kawasan PT IMIP Kabupaten Morowali. NeoRespublica : Jurnal Ilmu Pemerintahan, 7(2), 379–389. https://doi.org/10.52423/neores.v7i2.1280
Jacobsson, A., Ek, Å., & Akselsson, R. (2012). Learning from incidents – A method for assessing the effectiveness of the learning cycle. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 25(3), 561–570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2011.12.013
Jong, W., & Brataas, K. (2021). Victims as Stakeholders: Insights from the Intersection of Psychosocial, Ethical, and Crisis Communication Paths. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 4, 73–92. https://doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.4.1.3
Jong, W., Van Assouw, I., Strating, I., & Dückers, M. L. A. (2026). Affected Circles: A relational perspective on crisis communication. Crisis and Risk Communication, 2(1), 96–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/29986907.2026.2650265
Juditha, C. (2014). Etika Jurnalisme Bencana Dalam Berita Televisi (Bencana Gunung Berapi Sinabung Di Tvone). Jurnal Komunikasi, 6(1), 24–40. https://doi.org/10.24912/jk.v6i1.22
Kompas. (2023, December 26). Korban Tewas Ledakan Smelter Nikel Dapat Santunan Rp 600 Juta. Kompas. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/12/26/17193921/korban-tewas-ledakan-smelter-nikel-dapat-santunan-rp-600-juta?page=all
Libassi, M. (2026). Cheap Nickel: Materiality and Socio‐Technical Reorganization on Indonesia’s Energy Transition Mineral Frontier. Antipode, 58(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.70151
Madsen, P., Dillon, R. L., & Tinsley, C. H. (2016). Airline Safety Improvement Through Experience with Near‐Misses: A Cautionary Tale. Risk Analysis, 36(5), 1054–1066. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12503
Mochtar, Z. A., Arizona, Y., Rahman, F., Mubdi, U., Ruhpinesthi, G. E., & Wafi, M. A. (2024). From Meaningful to Meaningless Participation: The Tragedy of Indonesia’s Omnibus Law on Job Creation. Jurnal Media Hukum, 31(2), 351–370. https://doi.org/10.18196/jmh.v31i2.23557
Muhyiddin, M., Mendatu, A., Amrizal, M. D. R., & Akbar, M. (2026). Jobless Growth or Structural Transformation? Labor Market Dynamics in Morowali, Indonesia’s Nickel-Based Industrialization Hub. Jurnal Perencanaan Pembangunan: The Indonesian Journal of Development Planning, 10(1), 29–50. https://doi.org/10.36574/jpp.v10i1.838
Murphy, V. L., Littlejohn, A., & Rienties, B. (2022). Learning from incidents: Applying the 3-P model of workplace learning. Journal of Workplace Learning, 34(3), 242–255. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-04-2021-0050
Naghavi-Konjin, Z., Mortazavi, S. B., Mahabadi, H. A., & Hajizadeh, E. (2020). Identification of factors that influence occupational accidents in the petroleum industry: A qualitative approach. Work, 67(2), 419–430. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203291
Pribadi, F. (2018). Komodifikasi Derita Korban Bencana. The Journal of Society & Media, 2(2), 146–153. https://doi.org/10.26740/jsm.v2n2.p146-153
Priyanto, A., Novaria, S. A. P., & Amani, H. F. (2026). Dialogcal Framing: A Content Analysis of National Online Media Coverage on the “Indonesia Gelap” Issue in 2025. Nyimak: Journal of Communication, 10(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.31000/nyimak.v10i1.14651
Röder, M., Both, A., & Hinneburg, A. (2015). Exploring the Space of Topic Coherence Measures. Proceedings of the Eighth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining, 2, 399–408. https://doi.org/10.1145/2684822.2685324
Rowland, P., Lan, M. F., Wan, C., & Pozzobon, L. (2025). Why is learning from patient safety incidents (still) so hard? A sociocultural perspective on learning from incidents in healthcare organizations. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 39(6), 861–876. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-08-2024-0334
Serou, N., Sahota, L. M., Husband, A. K., Forrest, S. P., Slight, R. D., & Slight, S. P. (2021). Learning from safety incidents in high-reliability organizations: A systematic review of learning tools that could be adapted and used in healthcare. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(1),1-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzab046
Shin, E., & Kim, Y. (2026). Itaewon crowd crush from the perspective of the disaster victims: Topic modeling based on news articles. Safety Science, 193, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2025.107009
Straub, A. M. (2021). “Natural disasters don’t kill people, governments kill people:” hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico–recreancy, and ‘risk society.’ Natural Hazards, 105(2), 1603–1621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04368-z
Sur Fadila, Alifia Nur Iddhiyan, Nur Arifudin, Ziana Walidah, & Desi Wilda Rizki Amelia. (2024). Analisis Kelalaian Perusahaan PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (PT. IMIP) terhadap Keselamatan Pekerja PT Indonesia Thingshan Stainless Stell (ITSS): Study Kasus Ledakan Tungku Smelter pada PT IMIP. Sosial Simbiosis : Jurnal Integrasi Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, 1(2), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.62383/sosial.v1i2.226
Thomas, T. L., Kannaley, K., Friedman, D. B., Tanner, A. H., Brandt, H. M., & Spencer, S. M. (2016). Media Coverage of the 2014 West Virginia Elk River Chemical Spill: A Mixed-Methods Study Examining News Coverage of a Public Health Disaster. Science Communication, 38(5), 574–600. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547016662656
Usman, W. I., Mazher, K. M., Tuffaha, F. M., Ghaithan, A. M., Aziz, M., Zahoor, H., Sharafat, A., & Mohammed, A. (2026). Barriers to learning from incidents in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 30(2), 100370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kscej.2025.100370
Vallés, P. J. (2026). Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage of the Tous Dam Disaster. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 1, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-026-00739-5
Wahyuni, H. I. (2008). Kecenderungan “Framing” Media Massa Indonesia dalam Meliput Bencana Sebagai Media Event. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik, 11(3), 307–330. https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.10990
Warburton, E. (2024). Nationalist enclaves: Industrialising the critical mineral boom in Indonesia. The Extractive Industries and Society, 20, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2024.101564
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 JTH: Journal of Technology and Health
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
