The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis

This study examines the representation of actors and their actions in the news reports by the New Straits Times (NST) about pro-governmental and oppositional rallies in Malaysia, namely the Red Shirt and Bersih 4.0 rallies, respectively in order to find out whether there is a neutral stance in t...

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Main Author: Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2020
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/1/44467-143361-1-PB.pdf
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author Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa,
author_facet Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa,
author_sort Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa,
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This study examines the representation of actors and their actions in the news reports by the New Straits Times (NST) about pro-governmental and oppositional rallies in Malaysia, namely the Red Shirt and Bersih 4.0 rallies, respectively in order to find out whether there is a neutral stance in the reporting of these events. To analyse the data, Reisigl and Wodak’s (2016) discourse-historical approach (DHA) to critical discourse studies (CDS) has been employed. Specifically, the study looks at how the NST label and describe the actors involved in the reports, as well as their actions during the rallies through nomination and predication strategies as listed in the DHA. Based on the analysis, there is evidence of both groups of actors being depicted as the outgroups. However, the actors involved in the Red Shirt rally have been attributed mostly positively as opposed to their opponents. Interestingly, when the Red Shirt rally-goers were described negatively, this was countered with negative attributes of the Bersih rally-goers who have been described to be worse than them, and this might work to overshadow their own downsides. Based on the findings, it is evident that the NST seem to have constructed their reports in favour of the then-ruling party which was the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:170442021-07-13T01:51:34Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/ The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa, This study examines the representation of actors and their actions in the news reports by the New Straits Times (NST) about pro-governmental and oppositional rallies in Malaysia, namely the Red Shirt and Bersih 4.0 rallies, respectively in order to find out whether there is a neutral stance in the reporting of these events. To analyse the data, Reisigl and Wodak’s (2016) discourse-historical approach (DHA) to critical discourse studies (CDS) has been employed. Specifically, the study looks at how the NST label and describe the actors involved in the reports, as well as their actions during the rallies through nomination and predication strategies as listed in the DHA. Based on the analysis, there is evidence of both groups of actors being depicted as the outgroups. However, the actors involved in the Red Shirt rally have been attributed mostly positively as opposed to their opponents. Interestingly, when the Red Shirt rally-goers were described negatively, this was countered with negative attributes of the Bersih rally-goers who have been described to be worse than them, and this might work to overshadow their own downsides. Based on the findings, it is evident that the NST seem to have constructed their reports in favour of the then-ruling party which was the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2020 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/1/44467-143361-1-PB.pdf Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa, (2020) The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis. Geografia : Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 16 (4). pp. 250-259. ISSN 2180-2491 https://ejournals.ukm.my/gmjss/issue/view/1357
spellingShingle Noor Aqsa Nabila Mat Isa,
The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
title The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
title_full The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
title_fullStr The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
title_full_unstemmed The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
title_short The representation of Bersih 4.0 and Red Shirt Rallies in a Malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
title_sort representation of bersih 4.0 and red shirt rallies in a malaysian newspaper: a comparative analysis
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17044/1/44467-143361-1-PB.pdf