Discourse Strategies in the Representing of Islam on Google News Indonesia: A Critical Study of Digital Media Framing

Abstract

Background: Research on religious discourse in the media has generally focused on print media or social media. Few investigations have examined how representations of Islam are constructed through news headlines, metadata, and digital discourse strategies that intersect with religious ideologies and majority–minority relations.

Objective: This research examines the patterns of discourse on the reporting of Islam in Google News Indonesia, for three reasons: (1) the need to understand the various strategies of discourse on Islam in a digital news aggregation platform; (2) the need to know the forms of Islamic representation; and (3) the need to explain social and ideological functions of the Islamic discourse as shaped by digital mediation.

Methodology: Data were compiled from screenshots and documentation of religious news content. Norman Fairclough’s and Teun A. van Dijk’s models of critical discourse analysis and Robert Entman’s semiotic and framing approaches were used for analysis.

Results: This study found that the discourse strategies in Islamic news on Google News Indonesia are personalization, legitimization, emotive narration, and prescriptive-normative discourse. These strategies are manifested not only in the textual content but also in unique visual and structural elements of Google News Indonesia —particularly its titles, summaries, and metadata—that characterize the aggregator’s display system. Through these digital features, discourse strategies contribute to shaping public opinion, guiding readers’ interpretive frames, and reinforcing social and moral values. Depicting Islam in varied expressions—spiritual, normative, social, practical, historical, and cultural—illustrates the adaptable nature of Islam as a value system that can be made relevant for different contexts.

Conclusion: Islamic meta-language on Google News Indonesia is not only supernatural al but also humanistic and situational, qualifying as an instrument for sociological enlightenment and an ideology of progress and inclusivism. The findings underline that the algorithmic and aggregative structure of Google News Indonesia actively mediates Islamic discourse, highlighting how digital platforms participate in constructing modern religious representations.

Unique Contribution: This study uniquely shows that Islamic discourse in Google News Indonesia is framed not as a purely transcendental narrative, but as a humanizing and contextual discourse shaped by key strategies—personalization, legitimization, emotive narration, and prescriptive-normative appeals. These strategies make Islam appear compassionate, approachable, and socially engaged, reflecting its relevance to everyday life. The link between these discourse forms and Google News Indonesia digital architecture highlights how algorithmic mediation amplifies inclusive and value-oriented representations of Islam as a modern agent of social change.

Key Recommendation: Journalists in particular should shift from ratio -oriented negative stories about Islam to explain and balance the context of Islam for inclusive media practice and social change, while on future research.