Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election
This paper investigates whether online news that are shared on Facebook set the agenda for its readers. In response to the importance of social networking sites as sources of information, news media organizations have set up Facebook channels in which they publish ne...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English English |
| Published: |
IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia
2019
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/1/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/2/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda_SCOPUS.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/3/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda_WOS.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848788445914202112 |
|---|---|
| author | Mohamed, Shafizan Syed Abdullah Idid, Syed Arabi |
| author_facet | Mohamed, Shafizan Syed Abdullah Idid, Syed Arabi |
| author_sort | Mohamed, Shafizan |
| building | IIUM Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper investigates whether online news that are shared on Facebook set the agenda for its readers. In response to the importance of social networking sites as sources of information, news media organizations have set up Facebook channels in which they publish news stories or links to articles. This allows for a wider news reach as well as audience participation. When audience members read and subsequently comment on news articles on Facebook, it becomes possible to identify public opinions and sentiments on the issues being covered. To investigate whether user comments mirror the issues and sentiments presented in the news articles, the agenda-setting approach was applied. Content analysis was used to analyse audience comments on over 450 news articles from 4 major newspapers written during the Rantau by-election in Malaysia (April, 2019). The findings showed that while the newspapers and the readers do share some issue salience, the relationship does not typify a traditional agenda-setting dynamic. The news readers are not just the ones receiving the news and issues. Rather, they are also commenters who are influencing how others receive news and issues hence disrupting the conventional public opinion model. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T17:40:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | iium-77469 |
| institution | International Islamic University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English English English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T17:40:57Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | iium-774692020-03-30T11:37:19Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/ Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election Mohamed, Shafizan Syed Abdullah Idid, Syed Arabi H Social Sciences (General) H61.8 Communication of information JQ719 Elections in Malaysia This paper investigates whether online news that are shared on Facebook set the agenda for its readers. In response to the importance of social networking sites as sources of information, news media organizations have set up Facebook channels in which they publish news stories or links to articles. This allows for a wider news reach as well as audience participation. When audience members read and subsequently comment on news articles on Facebook, it becomes possible to identify public opinions and sentiments on the issues being covered. To investigate whether user comments mirror the issues and sentiments presented in the news articles, the agenda-setting approach was applied. Content analysis was used to analyse audience comments on over 450 news articles from 4 major newspapers written during the Rantau by-election in Malaysia (April, 2019). The findings showed that while the newspapers and the readers do share some issue salience, the relationship does not typify a traditional agenda-setting dynamic. The news readers are not just the ones receiving the news and issues. Rather, they are also commenters who are influencing how others receive news and issues hence disrupting the conventional public opinion model. IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia 2019-12-24 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/1/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda.pdf application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/2/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda_SCOPUS.pdf application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/3/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda_WOS.pdf Mohamed, Shafizan and Syed Abdullah Idid, Syed Arabi (2019) Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election. Intellectual Discourse, 27 (2). pp. 373-395. ISSN 0128-4878 E-ISSN 2289-5639 https://journals.iium.edu.my/intdiscourse/index.php/islam/article/view/1425/863 |
| spellingShingle | H Social Sciences (General) H61.8 Communication of information JQ719 Elections in Malaysia Mohamed, Shafizan Syed Abdullah Idid, Syed Arabi Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election |
| title | Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election |
| title_full | Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election |
| title_fullStr | Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election |
| title_full_unstemmed | Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election |
| title_short | Who sets the agenda? Locating the formation of public opinion during the Rantau by-election |
| title_sort | who sets the agenda? locating the formation of public opinion during the rantau by-election |
| topic | H Social Sciences (General) H61.8 Communication of information JQ719 Elections in Malaysia |
| url | http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/1/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/2/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda_SCOPUS.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/77469/3/77469_Who%20sets%20the%20agenda_WOS.pdf |