Criticizing the MBG Program: An Entman Framing Analysis of Kompas Coverage in Ketapang

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the framing employed by Kompas.com and Kompas TV in reporting the alleged food poisoning case associated with the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) in Ketapang. The study adopts a qualitative approach using Robert N. Entman’s framing analysis as the primary theoretical framework and Peter L. Berger’s social construction of reality as a supporting theory. Data were obtained through documentation of online news reports addressing issues related to the shark-meat menu, poisoning victims, acknowledgments of negligence, expert responses, and institutional evaluation. The findings show that the media framed the MBG case as an issue of food safety, implementation negligence, and weak accountability among program organizers. Kompas positioned shark meat, the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), mercury risks, and food-processing procedures as the central causes of the incident, while also constructing a moral judgment centered on child protection. This framing contributed to the formation of a public reality in which the MBG program was evaluated not merely in terms of food distribution, but also in relation to safety, supervision, and institutional responsibility.