Online newspapers as significant agenda-setters in time of Covid-19

• Main Author: Mohamed, Shafizan
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: H61 Theory. Method; H61.8 Communication of information; H93 Popular works; RA Public aspects of medicine
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/85165/10/85165%20acceptance%20letter%20and%20certificate.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/85165/11/85165%20slides.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/85165/; https://waporasia2020.com/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

This study uses the agenda-setting approach to find the extent to which issues raised by the media have become public issues. The objective of the study is to identify the agenda set by the newspapers on the general public during a time when the audience is concerned with the pandemic. Are the newspaper reporting on the COVID0-19 and related issues or are they driven to provide other issues aimed to distract the attention of the audience? Likewise, do the audience members embrace the agenda set by the media or are they left alone to determine the agenda of interest given the unusual circumstances of the pandemic? A content analysis on 2400 news articles from four online papers (two in English and two in Malay) were made in the month of June while a public opinion study was made on 820 adults in July, 2020. The issues raised by the online newspapers and the general public were analysed to see whether the concept of agenda setting is still significant. The question asked, as normally the case in agenda setting studies, is what is the general issue of national importance that “you think is important facing the country today.” The question asked was an open-ended question and the numerous issues identified were then collapsed into 18 meaningful categories. A similar group of categories were also made for the contents of the online media. The results showed that despite the availability of numerous sources of information, newspapers are still significant agenda-setters.