Reputation in the Red Zone Situation: Pertamina Indonesia Petroleum Crisis amidst Digital Transparency and Public Scrutiny Based on Good Governance with the Image & Trust Repair Theory Approach

In early 2025, Indonesia’s state-owned oil company, Pertamina, faced a severe reputational crisis following revelations of fuel contamination and allegations of corruption in its Indonesia specific petroleum product distribution. The public outrage was amplified across digital platforms, transforming the incident from a technical failure into a symbol of deeper institutional mistrust. This study examines Pertamina’s crisis communication strategy through the lens of Framing Theory, Image Repair Theory (IRT), and Trust Repair Theory (TRT), aiming to evaluate how the company constructed its narrative, managed public perception, and attempted to restore its damaged reputation. Using a qualitative content analysis of official statements, press releases, and public responses on social media, the study reveals a dissonance between Pertamina’s defensive communication frames and the public’s demand for transparency and accountability. While the company relied heavily on denial and bolstering strategies as per IRT, it failed to address the core expectations outlined in trust repair processes—namely openness, restitution, and moral acknowledgment. The framing analysis highlights a mismatch between institutional narratives and civic discourse, suggesting that public trust is no longer managed vertically but contested horizontally through participatory media. Ultimately, the study argues that in the age of digital transparency, state-owned enterprises like Pertamina must shift from reactive messaging to proactive trust-building, embracing a culture of accountability and co-created legitimacy. This paper contributes to crisis communication scholarship by integrating traditional image repair models with the dynamics of trust restoration and digital framing, offering practical recommendations for public institutions operating under intense online scrutiny.

Crisis communication, Pertamina Indonesia Petroleum, Public trust, Image repair

1. Alon, I., Wang, Y., Shen, J., & Zhang, W. (2010). China Rules: Globalization and Political Transformation. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Bennett, W. L., & Segerberg, A. (2012). The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 739–768. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.670661 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Benoit, W. L. (1995). Accounts, excuses, and apologies: A theory of image restoration strategies. State University of New York Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Benoit, W. L. (1997). Image repair discourse and crisis communication. Public Relations Review, 23(2), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0363-8111(97)90023-0 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Boin, A., McConnell, A., & 't Hart, P. (2008). Governing after Crisis: The Politics of Investigation, Accountability and Learning. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Castells, M. (2009). Communication Power. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Coombs, W. T. (2007). Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163–176. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2002). Helping Crisis Managers Protect Reputational Assets. Management Communication Quarterly, 16(2), 165–186. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Da Costa, G. (2025, March 3). Pertamina CEO apologizes for corruption case in fuel oil procurement. Indonesia Business Post. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460- 2466.1993.tb01304.x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Freelon, D., McIlwain, C. D., & Clark, M. D. (2016). Beyond the hashtags: #Ferguson, #Blacklivesmatter, and the online struggle for offline justice. Center for Media & Social Impact. https://cmsimpact.org/resource/beyond-hashtags-ferguson- blacklivesmatter-online-struggle-offline-justice/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Gillespie, N., & Dietz, G. (2009). Trust repair after an organization-level failure. Academy of Management Review, 34(1), 127–145. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.35713319 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Greiling, D. (2007). Public Accountability and Performance Measurement in Government. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 18(1), 23–38. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Jakarta Daily. (2025, March 4). Public trust in Pertamina erodes amid Pertamax fuel adulteration allegations. Retrieved from Jakarta Daily. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Jakarta Globe. (2025, March 3). Pertamina CEO issues public apology amid graft and fuel blending scandals. Retrieved from Jakarta Globe. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Jakarta Post. (2025, March 8). Pertamina’s governance crisis and the lingering ghost of corruption. Retrieved from https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2025/03/ 08/pertaminas-governance- crisis-and-the-lingering-ghost-of-corruption.html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Khotimah, M. D., Fatimah, A. N., Rizki, M. F., Puspitasari, W., & Soegiarto, A. (2025). Public sentiment analysis on the issue of Pertamax fuel modification by Pertamina on social media. INNOVATIVE: Journal of Social Science Research, 5(3), 5057– 5072. Retrieved from https://j- innovative.org/index.php/Innovative/article/view/19219 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Kim, P. H., Dirks, K. T., Cooper, C. D., & Ferrin, D. L. (2004). When more blame is better than less: The implications of internal vs. external attributions for the repair of trust after a competence‐ vs. integrity‐based trust violation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 99(1), 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.07.003 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Kompas.com. (2025, February 26). Public demands clarity on Pertamax adulteration. Retrieved from https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2025/02/26/public-demands-clarity- pertamax-adulteration [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Laufer, D. (2003). Social Accountability and Corporate Greenwashing. Journal of Business Ethics, 43(3), 253–261. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022962719297 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Meriläinen, N., & Vos, M. (2021). Accountability, transparency and responsiveness: a framework for evaluating trust in corporations in crisis. Journal of Communication Management, 25(1), 43–58. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Papacharissi, Z. (2015). Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Pertamina. (2020). History and Corporate Profile. Jakarta: Pertamina Corporate Communication Division. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Pertamina. (2024). Annual Report 2023. Jakarta: Pertamina. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Financial Availability and Its Influence on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Kakamega County, Kenya
• Transformative Rural Land Governance For Gender Empowerment In Ethiopia: The Case Of Amhara Regional State Rural Land Policy
• PNP Patrol Operations: Experiences, Aspirations, and Policy Insights
• Public Policies within Mexico´S Fourth Transformation (4T) and Their Communication Strategies: Influence on University Citizenship (Mexico, 2018–2024)
• Implementation of Good Governance and Government Transformation Programs in Local Authorities: A Case Study of Kelantan, Malaysia