Abstract: This study examines how local newspapers framed social issues during the 2018 Regional Head Election in the Province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Indonesia. Employing a qualitative content analysis approach based on Entman’s (1993) framing model, the research investigates news coverage in three major local newspapers: Suara NTB, Lombok Post, and Radar Lombok. 117 news articles published between January and July 2018 were analyzed to identify how the media defined problems, diagnosed causes, made moral evaluations, and suggested remedies. The findings reveal that local media actively selected, highlighted, and structured narratives around various social issues such as infrastructure, poverty, and public health. The coverage was not neutral; it was strategically constructed to influence public perceptions regarding the candidates’ capabilities and commitment to addressing these issues. Moreover, the newspapers explicitly linked these problems to the failures of previous governance, which was often characterized by widespread corruption. This study highlights the pivotal role of local newspapers as framing agents that actively construct socio-political realities through narratives shaped by specific ideological positions. Despite the growing dominance of digital media, local newspapers in NTB maintain their relevance and influence due to their perceived credibility and the depth of their analysis. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the interaction between media and local politics and its broader implications for the development of democracy in Indonesia.
Keywords: Media framing, Local political communication, Social issue representation, 2018 NTB Regional Election, Qualitative content analysis, Corruption discourse