Media Monitoring: Negative Sentiment Dominates Coverage of June Student Protests
The information tracking and analysis agency, Binokular Media Monitoring, has released research findings regarding the distribution of public arguments and media focus concerning demonstrations by students and various community elements between 11–23 June.
Nicko Mardiansyah, News Analytics Manager at Newstensity Binokular, stated that based on Binokular’s monitoring, 16,428 articles were published by mass media regarding the demonstrations during the period of 11–23 June 2026.
“From that total, news with negative sentiment reached 9,064 articles, or 55 per cent,” Nicko said in a written statement on Thursday, 25 June 2026.
He continued that Binokular’s research also recorded positive coverage of the demonstrations amounting to 6,719 articles, or 41 per cent, accompanied by neutral coverage with 645 articles, or approximately 4 per cent of the total.
According to him, the dominance of negative sentiment indicates that mass media provided more space for aspects of criticism, controversy, policy responses, and pressure on the government and state institutions.
However, the significant proportion of positive sentiment also shows that there was coverage positioning the demonstrations as a part of expressing public aspirations and democratic dynamics.
Nicko emphasised that the dominance of negative sentiment in the context of mass media should not be prematurely interpreted as a rejection of student demonstrations. He noted that interpreting this sentiment requires caution to prevent substantive errors.
“Negative sentiment arises because the reporting contains criticism, concerns, policy polemics, or notes regarding the responses of institutions,” he said.
Referring to Binokular’s research results, he stated that the peak of negative sentiment news occurred on 12 June 2026, during the demonstration held by BEM UI and its alliance in the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia area.
During that period, Binokular recorded 3,330 articles before experiencing a fluctuating phase. On 15 June 2026, news coverage increased, recording 2,761 articles regarding the demonstrations published by mass media.
“Mass media coverage shows that student demonstrations do not stand as a single agenda. This issue is connected to government responses, statements from officials, demands, and the way security forces and public institutions respond to aspirations,” he said.
Regarding the intersection of student demonstrations, he added, this can also be seen in the monitoring of social media conversations. Binokular noted that demonstrations by BEM UI, Trisakti, Esa Unggul, and various other student elements were top issues, recording 14,035 conversations.
The next issue receiving high attention was the statement by the Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, regarding the hope that demonstrations would proceed politely. This statement recorded 7,232 conversations.
“The statement by Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya regarding Pertamax prices in Indonesia being cheaper than in other countries ranked fifth, with 5,149 conversations,” said Nicko.
According to him, the series of issues becoming the main discourse on social media shows that student demonstrations have evolved into multi-layered conversations. The data shows that the public is not only discussing those participating in the protests.
However, Nicko noted, the conversation also moves towards how state officials respond, the attitude of security forces in maintaining order, and how student demands are linked to economic issues or government policies.
“This intersection shows that the issue of demonstrations is not only positioned as a field event, but also as a space for a battle of narratives between student aspirations, the responses and attitudes of the state, and public attention,” he concluded.