Woro Harkandi Kencana, Meisyanti Meisyanti, Ilona Vicenovie Oisina Situmeang, Sri Desti Purwatiningsih
Instagram has become a primary distribution channel through which Indonesian mass media package news for visually oriented, mobile-first audiences. This study examines how three of Indonesia’s leading news organizations: Liputan6, Kompas.com, detik.com, package news content on their official Instagram accounts. Using a qualitative comparative content analysis informed by social media affordance theory, visual framing theory, and news value, the study analyzes format choice (single image, carousel, reels), caption construction, hashtag strategy, visual branding, and interactivity across the three accounts. The findings show that although all three outlets adapt print-and broadcast-style news value to Instagram’s visual grammar, they diverge in packing emphasis: Liputan6 leans toward entertainment-inflected, youth-oriented convergence content; Kompas.com favors contextual, caption-heavy explanatory packaging consistent with its broadsheet identity; and detik.com prioritizes speed, , brevity, and high-frequency posting consistent with its breaking-news brand. The study argues that news packaging on Instagram is best understood as a negotiation between platform affordances, institutional journalistic identity, and audience engagement metrics, and offers implications for digital newsroom strategy and media literacy in Indonesia.