Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia

This study purposively explores representations of risks from Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in six Malaysian online newspapers (The Star, New Straits Times, The Edge Markets, Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Free Malaysia Today). Discourse on the LAMP’s risks was pervasive in onlin...

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Main Author:	Dauda, Sharafa
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English
Published:	2018
Subjects:	P87-96 Communication Mass media
Online Access:	http://eprints.usm.my/48652/1/SHARAFA%20DAUDA_hj.pdf
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id	my-usm-ep.48652
record_format	uketd_dc
spelling	my-usm-ep.486522021-03-17T07:10:26Z Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia 2018-08 Dauda, Sharafa P87-96 Communication. Mass media This study purposively explores representations of risks from Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in six Malaysian online newspapers (The Star, New Straits Times, The Edge Markets, Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Free Malaysia Today). Discourse on the LAMP’s risks was pervasive in online news after report in the New York Times highlighted that, an Australian company was granted licence in 2012 to import and process rare earth in Kuantan. The aim of this study is to explain the role of the media in the amplification and attenuation of risks from the LAMP. A total of 1,167 news articles were content analysed and two journalists were interviewed. Coding of data was guided by two frameworks – the Social Amplification of Risks Framework and the Social Semiotic Theory of Multimodality using thematic analyses and van Dijk’s discursive strategies. The research found seven types of risks (environmental, financial, health, occupational, property, radioactive, technological); and connections between environmental, financial, radioactive and health risks. Radioactive risk was repeatedly intertwined with other risks and was a key ingredient and major agent of amplification to direct public attention toward radioactive risk from the LAMP. Three categories of news sources – known, known/unknown and unknown emerged against the two categories in existing literature, but known sources predominated. A handful of news sources (NGOs, professional and trade organisations, residents, opposition and Malaysian government) defined risks from the LAMP in terms of health, though residents’definition also covered environmental and financial risks. Furthermore, alternative online newspapers amplified all seven risk types against mainstream’s five. Thus, the alternative online newspapers provided diverse coverage than the mainstream. Likewise, journalists’ roles in amplifying or attenuating risks included: using multiple sources, (non)fact-checking, (non)filtering risk information, decoding risk information and (non)application of journalism ethics. Modes used to amplify, or attenuate risks were: colour, illustration, image, writing; and these occurred within cultural, social, financial, hazardous, historical and political contexts. Discursive devices used to convey meaning were history as a lesson, situation description, number game, dramatisation, irony, counter-factual and repetition. The information and transmission mechanisms used included: politicisation, advocacy campaigns, allegations/brickbats and discursive devices. Overall, this study revealed that risk representation from rare earth in a digital news environment is multidimensional and intensified or weakened in a multi-layered discourse. The stakeholders are engaged in a contestation by positioning their narratives to oppose or support their interests, which are amplified or attenuated by the online newspapers as social amplification stations. 2018-08 Thesis http://eprints.usm.my/48652/ http://eprints.usm.my/48652/1/SHARAFA%20DAUDA_hj.pdf application/pdf en public phd doctoral Universiti Sains Malaysia Pusat Pengajian Komunikasi
institution	Universiti Sains Malaysia
collection	USM Institutional Repository
language	English
topic	P87-96 Communication Mass media
spellingShingle	P87-96 Communication Mass media Dauda, Sharafa Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia
description	This study purposively explores representations of risks from Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in six Malaysian online newspapers (The Star, New Straits Times, The Edge Markets, Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Free Malaysia Today). Discourse on the LAMP’s risks was pervasive in online news after report in the New York Times highlighted that, an Australian company was granted licence in 2012 to import and process rare earth in Kuantan. The aim of this study is to explain the role of the media in the amplification and attenuation of risks from the LAMP. A total of 1,167 news articles were content analysed and two journalists were interviewed. Coding of data was guided by two frameworks – the Social Amplification of Risks Framework and the Social Semiotic Theory of Multimodality using thematic analyses and van Dijk’s discursive strategies. The research found seven types of risks (environmental, financial, health, occupational, property, radioactive, technological); and connections between environmental, financial, radioactive and health risks. Radioactive risk was repeatedly intertwined with other risks and was a key ingredient and major agent of amplification to direct public attention toward radioactive risk from the LAMP. Three categories of news sources – known, known/unknown and unknown emerged against the two categories in existing literature, but known sources predominated. A handful of news sources (NGOs, professional and trade organisations, residents, opposition and Malaysian government) defined risks from the LAMP in terms of health, though residents’definition also covered environmental and financial risks. Furthermore, alternative online newspapers amplified all seven risk types against mainstream’s five. Thus, the alternative online newspapers provided diverse coverage than the mainstream. Likewise, journalists’ roles in amplifying or attenuating risks included: using multiple sources, (non)fact-checking, (non)filtering risk information, decoding risk information and (non)application of journalism ethics. Modes used to amplify, or attenuate risks were: colour, illustration, image, writing; and these occurred within cultural, social, financial, hazardous, historical and political contexts. Discursive devices used to convey meaning were history as a lesson, situation description, number game, dramatisation, irony, counter-factual and repetition. The information and transmission mechanisms used included: politicisation, advocacy campaigns, allegations/brickbats and discursive devices. Overall, this study revealed that risk representation from rare earth in a digital news environment is multidimensional and intensified or weakened in a multi-layered discourse. The stakeholders are engaged in a contestation by positioning their narratives to oppose or support their interests, which are amplified or attenuated by the online newspapers as social amplification stations.
format	Thesis
qualification_name	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.)
qualification_level	Doctorate
author	Dauda, Sharafa
author_facet	Dauda, Sharafa
author_sort	Dauda, Sharafa
title	Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia
title_short	Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia
title_full	Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia
title_fullStr	Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed	Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia
title_sort	malaysian mainstream and alternative online newspaper representations of risks from lynas rare earth project in pahang, malaysia
granting_institution	Universiti Sains Malaysia
granting_department	Pusat Pengajian Komunikasi
publishDate	2018
url	http://eprints.usm.my/48652/1/SHARAFA%20DAUDA_hj.pdf
_version_	1747821956976082944

Malaysian Mainstream And Alternative Online Newspaper Representations Of Risks From Lynas Rare Earth Project In Pahang, Malaysia

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