Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers

This article explores online news ability to on set the agendas of its readers on Facebook. Due to the decline in printed circulation, most contemporary newspaper organizations have opted to share their content on social media, most specifically, Facebook. By doing this, newspaper organizations are...

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Main Authors: Mohamed, Shafizan, Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman, Wan Mohd Ghazali, Wan Norshira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/7/79529_Election%20news%20and%20agenda%20setting%20on%20facebook%20by%20Malaysian%20English%20newspapers.pdf
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author Mohamed, Shafizan
Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman
Wan Mohd Ghazali, Wan Norshira
author_facet Mohamed, Shafizan
Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman
Wan Mohd Ghazali, Wan Norshira
author_sort Mohamed, Shafizan
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description This article explores online news ability to on set the agendas of its readers on Facebook. Due to the decline in printed circulation, most contemporary newspaper organizations have opted to share their content on social media, most specifically, Facebook. By doing this, newspaper organizations are able to reach wider readership as well as facilitate more dynamic user engagements and interactions whereby readers are able to comment, discuss and even share a news piece. Within these dynamic user interactions, lies the potential for extending the agenda setting function of newspapers. On top of that also lies the newspapers’ ability to facilitate the readers’ opinions on issues. To confirm this relationship between online news, Facebook and public opinion, this article content analyzed reader comments on over 600 news articles from major English newspapers written during the Semenyih and Rantau byelections in Malaysia. Results of the analysis indicated that while the newspapers and its readers on Facebook do share some issue salience, the relationship does not adopt the traditional agenda-setting dynamic. The ability to communicate on Facebook has allowed the readers to do more than simply receiving news and issues. Instead, they disrupt the often straightforward public opinion model by influencing how others receive news. Thus, newspapers’ contested relationship with the formation of public opinion is a significant change in the role of newspapers as the main agenda setter of political news.
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spelling iium-795292020-11-26T00:29:37Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/ Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers Mohamed, Shafizan Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman Wan Mohd Ghazali, Wan Norshira H61.8 Communication of information H93 Popular works JQ715 Politics and Government in Malaysia JQ719 Elections in Malaysia This article explores online news ability to on set the agendas of its readers on Facebook. Due to the decline in printed circulation, most contemporary newspaper organizations have opted to share their content on social media, most specifically, Facebook. By doing this, newspaper organizations are able to reach wider readership as well as facilitate more dynamic user engagements and interactions whereby readers are able to comment, discuss and even share a news piece. Within these dynamic user interactions, lies the potential for extending the agenda setting function of newspapers. On top of that also lies the newspapers’ ability to facilitate the readers’ opinions on issues. To confirm this relationship between online news, Facebook and public opinion, this article content analyzed reader comments on over 600 news articles from major English newspapers written during the Semenyih and Rantau byelections in Malaysia. Results of the analysis indicated that while the newspapers and its readers on Facebook do share some issue salience, the relationship does not adopt the traditional agenda-setting dynamic. The ability to communicate on Facebook has allowed the readers to do more than simply receiving news and issues. Instead, they disrupt the often straightforward public opinion model by influencing how others receive news. Thus, newspapers’ contested relationship with the formation of public opinion is a significant change in the role of newspapers as the main agenda setter of political news. Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 2020-03-05 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/7/79529_Election%20news%20and%20agenda%20setting%20on%20facebook%20by%20Malaysian%20English%20newspapers.pdf Mohamed, Shafizan and Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman and Wan Mohd Ghazali, Wan Norshira (2020) Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers. e-Bangi journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 17 (2). pp. 10-24. ISSN 1823-884x http://ejournals.ukm.my/ebangi/index
spellingShingle H61.8 Communication of information
H93 Popular works
JQ715 Politics and Government in Malaysia
JQ719 Elections in Malaysia
Mohamed, Shafizan
Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman
Wan Mohd Ghazali, Wan Norshira
Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers
title Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers
title_full Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers
title_fullStr Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers
title_full_unstemmed Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers
title_short Election news and agenda setting on facebook by Malaysian English newspapers
title_sort election news and agenda setting on facebook by malaysian english newspapers
topic H61.8 Communication of information
H93 Popular works
JQ715 Politics and Government in Malaysia
JQ719 Elections in Malaysia
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/79529/7/79529_Election%20news%20and%20agenda%20setting%20on%20facebook%20by%20Malaysian%20English%20newspapers.pdf