Moral Archivists and Agents of Accountability: Typologies of Advocacy Journalism in Local Indonesian Media's Coverage of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy

This study examines how local media implemented advocacy journalism in their coverage of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy, an event that killed 135 people and triggered prolonged collective trauma in Malang, Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzed 160 news articles and conducted in-depth interviews with journalists and editors from four local media outlets. The findings identify six typologies of advocacy journalism that are not isolated but interconnected, forming a dynamic spectrum of practices. Segmented Advocacy emerges as the dominant form through the direct representation of victims’ voices, often integrated with Emotional Advocacy to build public empathy. Meanwhile, Woven Advocacy and Counter-Frame Advocacy demonstrate strategic critiques that range from implicit to explicit challenges to state narratives. Emerging new typologies and Community Alliance further indicate the expansion of advocacy into cultural, spiritual, and collaborative engagement with civil society. The findings also reveal that institutional pressures and journalist polarization dynamics shape advocacy practices. These findings offer an empirically grounded perspective on advocacy journalism in the Global South, where local media act as moral archivists and agents of accountability sustaining collective memory and justice.