Konstruksi Framing Bangkok Post atas Pergeseran Kebijakan Ganja di Thailand 2025

Abstract

This study examines the pattern adopted by Bangkok Post in framing the cannabis restriction policy in Thailand in 2025. Using a qualitative approach and content analysis on 10 news articles, the paper examines the text through Zhongdang Pan and Gerald M. Kosicki’s framing theory, integrated with Arnstein’s ladder of participation and Habermas’s deliberative democracy. The analysis reveals that the Bangkok Post took a noticeably critical stance toward the new regulation. The coverage leaned heavily toward the negative economic impacts on small business owners and local farmers, putting them and activists at the center of the story. On the other hand, the government’s point of view was mostly presented in a dry, rigid, and purely technocratic way. Script and rhetorical structures played the biggest role here, using emotional language to drive home the narrative that this sudden policy had sparked a real crisis in the industry. Applying Arnstein's and Habermas's frameworks further proves that the policy reflects a top-down approach that neglected open public discussion and marginalized stakeholder participation. Ultimately, this research shows how the media can act as a political force that actively shapes public policy narratives.