The Star Newspaper on Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) Issue

A Content Analysis of Media Framing in Star Newspapers Penang

______________________________________________________________________________
A thesis
presented to
the faculty of American Degree Program
Segi College Penang
In requirements for the degree
Bsc Communication
______________________________________________________________________________
by
Kathamuthu
December 2014
______________________________________________________________________________
Advisor
Mr Susa

ABSTRACT
A Content Analysis on Star Newspaper Framing the Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) issue
by Kathamuthu
Newspaper coverage can have a positive or negative impact on the image of an issue written on
an article of a newspaper. This study examined the framing of the Pasukan Peronda Sukarela
(PPS) issue in the Star Newspapers published from the 31st of August 2014 up till the 20th of
September 2014 (3weeks). The Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) is an organization that was
formed to assist the police to bring down the crime rate in Penang. On 31st August 2014, 154
members of PPS after taking part in the Merdeka parade were arrested under Section 41 of the
Societies Act as its organization was accused of being an illegal organization.
A content analysis on 3 weeks of news coverage on the PPS issue in the Star Newspaper was
conducted. The studys purpose was to determine the weightage given by the Star Newspaper for
the story on the PPS issue based on the tone, story placement, and page placement of each
mention of PPS. Newspaper articles associated with the topic were retrieved from the printed
copy of Star Newspaper and analyzed.
The results showed that mentions of PPS were more negative. Story placement of the PPS issue
was more prominent only in the first 3 days after the incident. The story was placed in a smaller
column as days passed within the 3 weeks. Page placement of PPS mentions was also more
prominent in the first 3 days.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to sincerely thank Mr Susafor it was only his guidance and support that I had doing
this research throughout the period of time given. I will be forever thankful for the wisdom and
time you gave me to help me reach my goals. Also, I am extremely appreciative for Mr Tan who
endlessly gave his support , encouraging me to push through hard times. I would like to also
thank Ms, Yelo who was always there to aid me emotionally when things got out of hand. Thank
you all for the time and insights that all of you have provided me throughout this experience. I
am truly grateful.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.2
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS3
LIST OF TABLES...6
Chapter :
1. INTRODUCTION...7
2. LITERATURE REVIEW9
PPs...9
Newspaper..10
Framing..11
Agenda Setting...16
3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES...21
Hypotheses.....21
4. METHODOLOGY....24
Research Design and Coding.....25

Inter-Coder Reliability Analysis....26

Limitations.....27
5. RESULTS..29
Introduction..29
Frequencies....29
Hypothesis 1...30
Hypothesis 2.......31
Hypothesis 3...31
Hypothesis 4..32
6. DISCUSSION....37
Summary of Major Findings..37
Tone of PPS Mentions...37
Story Placement of PPSMentions......37
Page Placement of PPS Mentions......37
Future Research.....38
REFERENCES..41
APPENDIX: Coding Instructions..44

VITA..46
IST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Frequency of Tone of Mentions.31
2. Frequency of Story Placement of Mentions...32
3. Frequency of Page Placement of Mentions...33
4. Frequency of Tone of Mentions (Noncollapsed) ..34
5. Frequency of Story Placement of Mentions (Noncollapsed).....35
6. Frequency of Page Placement of Mentions (Noncollapsed)..36

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
According to the Malaysian Journal of Communication 2006, next year,2015 would mark the
410th year since the first newspaper was published in Strasbourg, Germany. It took many years
before newspapers started emerging in other countries. The first newspaper in Malaysia was an
English paper published in the year 1806 in Penang. It was published for the employees of The
East India Company who were based on the island. The second newspaper which was published
in 1824, in the then Strait Settlements and the Federated Malay Straits was also an English
Chronicle.
Over the years, many different titled newspapers emerged in Malaysia in order to satisfy the
ethnicity diversity in the country. Now there are more than 37 titled newspapers in Malaysia
where around 14 of them were English Newspapers. The highest circulated English newspaper
in Malaysia according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) is the Star Newspaper which in
the latest ABC report showed an increase of 40,080 copies to 338,368 (Audit Bureau of
Circulation (ABC) Report) in 2013, compared to the same period the previous year.
According to Star Career section in the Star Publication Online, The Star was first published on
Sept 9, 1971, starting off as a regional newspaper with its plant in George Town, Penang. Over
the next five years, the newspaper's circulation grew rapidly and by early 1976, it became
Penang's premier newspaper, outselling the then 139-year-old New Straits Times. A that very
same period, Malaysia's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who had retired a few years
earlier, joined the board of Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd) and became its chairman. (Star
Publications 1995-2014).

Ever since then, major shares of the Star has been owned by the ruling party though the Star
newspaper is a public listed company in Bursa Malaysia under the STAR PUBLICATIONS
(MALAYSIA) BHD. Currently (2014) The Star is majority-owned by the Malaysian Chinese
Association, the third-largest party in the ruling Barisan Nasional alliance. And hence, its
political alignment is pro-government.
Throughout the years, the media have become trustworthy sources of information for individuals
around the world. Media is the primary source for people to look up for information and daily
happenings. It is important to understand the different ways the media frame prominent news
information. The framing theory explains the medias influence on society. Tettah and King
(2011) described the framing theory proposes that how an idea, issue or personality is presented
(framed) in the media influence how people think about that issue or personality. People
regardless of whether the news is factual or not tend to believe information that are from the
media. According to Chyi and McCombs (2004), the news media often reframe the event by
emphasizing different attributes of the event, consciously or unconsciously, in order to keep the
story alive and fresh .It is often the case that various media outlets have differing viewpoints on
high-profile news stories.
Framing attributes in the media ownership. As of such is the study conducted in this research as
it aims to study the weightage given by The Star newspaper which is owned by the ruling
government on the PPS issue which is an organization formed by the Opposition party. The study
analyzed newspaper articles and examine the medias framing of the PPS issue in the first
3weeks since it hit the news.

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Framing Analysis
Framing Analysis is a growing area in communication research. Framing Analysis is about a
study in how media represent a specific topic, by drawing attention to specific issues at the
expense of others, the various factors and actors that may exert an influence on this selection
process, as well as the potential impact news framing may have on its audiences perceptions and
actions. One of the most cited definition of media framing was given by Entman (1993):
Framing essentially involves selection and salience. To frame is to select some aspects of a
perceived reality and make them more salient in a communicating text, in such a way as to
promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and / o r
treatment recommendation for the item described.
Gregory Bateson in 1950s was the first scholar to introduce framing theory. In his book, first
edition in 1972 and the second edition in 1987, entitled Steps to an ecology of mind, Bateson
looks at a frame as meta-communicative (Bateson 1987). During the very same period of time,
sociologist Goffman (1974) in his book entitled Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of
experience sees a frame as strip of activity, and as an approach to explain whatever the social
life situation of humankind. After two years of the release of Goffmans book, a sociologist,
Tuchman (1978) sees the news frame as windows to the world, mainly in the context of social
construction of reality paradigm. In his mind, the reality of an event depends on the extent of the
event can be seen and understood by journalists which are later translated into news. Where as,
William A. Gamson & Andre Mogdiliani (1989) highlighted that an important step in a framing

analysis is to identify framing devices, which are specific linguistic structures, such as
metaphors, visual icons, and catch phrases that communicate frames. Paul Messaris & Linus
Abraham (2007:11) defined framing as Frames are organizing principles that are socially
shared and persistent over time, that work symbolically to meaningfully structure the social
world, in order for us to understand the framing process. .With this definition, it is possible to
captured the dynamic process of negotiating meaning that occurs in the process, while
highlighting the relationships within discourse that may undergo changes over time (Messaris
&Abraham, 2007).
A number of Researches found on Framing Analysis according to the Provalis research 19952014 :

Crawley, C.E. (2006). Localized debates of agricultural biotechnology in community

newspapers: A quantitative content analysis of media frames and sources. Science
Communication, 28(3), 413-346.

Entman, R.M. (2010). Media framing biases and political power: Explaining slant in
news of Campaign 2008. Journalism, 11(4), 389-408,

Gabbay, M. & Thirkill-Mackelprang. (September, 2011). A quantitative analysis of

insurgent frames, claims, and networks in Iraq. Paper presented at the American Political
Science Association Annual Meeting.

Koenig, T., Mihelj, S., Downney, J. & Bek, M.G. (2006). Media framings of the issue of
Turkish access to to the EU: A European or national process? Innovation, 9(2), 149-169.

Lowry, D.T. & Xie, L. (May, 2007). Agenda-setting and framing by topic proximity: A
new technique for the computerized content analysis of network TV news presidential
Campaign Coverage. Paper presented at the International Communication Association,
Annual convention, San Francisco.

Lowry, D.T., Xie, L., Witte, O.R. (August, 2008) Agenda setting and rhetorical framing
by semantic proximity: a new computerized approach to the analysis of network TV
news. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication annual convention, Chicago, IL.

Matthews G, & Entman R.M. (May, 2009) Framing and slanting in the childrens health
policy debate. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International
Communication Association, Chicago.

Mchakulu, J.E.J (2011). Framing political communication in an African context: A

comparative analysis of post-election newspaper editorials and parliamentary speeches in
Malawi. Doctoral Thesis. Department of Media and Communication. University of
Leichester.

Pan, S. & Ryan (2007). Gender, framing and travelogues. Journal of Travel Research,
45(4), 464-474.

Park, Y. (2008). Newspaper coverage of the South Korea-U.S. agreement: A framing

analysis. Masters thesis, School of Journalism and Electronic Media, University of
Tennessee.

Tolley, E. (May 2011). The colour of your skin, or the content of your character? Race
framing in the 2008 Canadian election. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
Canadian Political Science Association, Waterloo, Ontario.

Tolley, E. (August 2011). Racial mediation and the framing of candidates viability in
Canadian politics. Paper presented at the 6th General Conference of the European
Consortium for Political Research. Reykjavik, Iceland.

News Framing
The study presented here is based on the framing theory of mass communication. There are many
other framing research describing how media sets a news stories. Scheufele and Tewksbury
(2007) explained that the media framing is based on a believe on how an issue is characterized in
news reports can have an impact on how the people interpret the story. The way individuals
classify information also adds to the framing theory and framing is a macro level and a micro
level construct (Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007). As a macro construct, the term framing refers
to modes of presentation that journalists and other communicators use to present information in a
way that resonates with existing underlying schemas among their audience (Scheufele &
Tewksbury, 2007, p. 12). Writers in the news industry use framing as a way to reduce the
complexity of the story. Micrconstruct explains how individuals use the information they receive
to form impressions about the issue (Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007). Each of these contributes to
the publics way of viewing a certain issues. Media has the power to create a specific impact to
the public by the way they portray a story.
Framing does not have only one meaning to it. According to Scheufele (1999), media and
individual frames have to be considered when reading a news story. Media frames are defined as

a main organizing objective or story line that delivers meaning to events that are unfolding
(Scheufele,1999, p. 106). Scheufele (1999) explained that by viewing media or news frames as
necessary to turn meaningless and non-recognizable happenings into discernible event can lead
to the story being framed. Public are almost all the time affected on how they understand an
event because of how a news was covered by the media. When it comes to understanding the
news published, people build their opinion based on how the news story was framed and their
own individual frames. Viewers interpret and process information based on the tone of the news
story (Scheufele,1999, p. 107). News writers play an important role in the development of
opinions among the public and when the focus is framed only negatively or positively toward the
subject, while the other aspects of the story are excluded.
Framing has been explored by various scholars and has been defined in various ways. According
to Chong and Druckman (2007), an individuals attitude has a major influence on how one
interprets media. For example, if an individual hears a news story about the positives of having
an abortion but has a strong belief against it, the overall attitude will not influenced by how the
story was framed. In addition to attitude, selection and salience are categorized within framing.
Entman (1993) explained that to frame a story is to select some aspect of a perceived reality and
make them more salient in a communicating text, in such a way as to promote a particular
problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation
(Entman,1993,).
What the media normally does is that it highlights a certain piece of information about a main
topic of a news story, which raises the salience of the issue. The term salience means making a
piece of information more noticeable, meaningful, or memorable to audience(Entman,1993). It
improves the probability that the audience will remember the information when there is an

increase in salience. Information can be added or taken out according to the message that the
media want to say to the public.
In order to help in understanding the media framing, Entman (1993) explained four illustrations
of theoretical debates in the study of mass communication. The first illustration discussed is
audience autonomy. One of the key concepts to the framing concept is the belief of dominant
meaning. From a framing perspective, dominant meaning consists of the problem, causal,
evaluative, and treatment interpretations with the highest probability of being noticed, processed,
and accepted by the most people (Entman,1993). The dominant meaning can be identified by a
particular framing of a situation that is frequently mentioned in the text and is the most common
opinion among the audience (Entman,1993).
Other than that, journalistic objectivity is also discussed. Journalists may follow the rules for
objective reporting and yet convey a dominant framing of the news text that prevents most
audience members from making a balanced assessment of a situation (Entman,1993). This is
because some of the journalists lack the understanding of framing that they end up unknowingly
impose their dominant frames on the news (Entman, 1993). If they had a better understanding of
the difference between including scattered oppositional facts and challenging a dominant frame,
they would have prepared a better news stories that would make each issue equally salient
(Entman,1993). A better understanding of this concept could result in more balanced reporting
throughout the media environment.
Next is content analysis. Entman (1993) stated that content analysis has the major task of
determining textural meaning and the identity of frames in the media (Entman,1993). He warns
that coders need to be aware when they draw conclusions about dominant meanings. Proper

coding instruction and agreement can result in valid results about issues and the frames that are
being portrayed in the media.
Public opinion and normative democratic theory is the final element mentioned. The democratic
process deals with the framing of any topic can influence public opinion. Entman stated that
democratic process could be influenced by how the issues are framed in the media
(Entman,1993). Media framing can potentially have an effect on any issue that is out in the
media.
One way that media framing has always been studied is by viewing the theory as a process. De
Vreese (2005) examined the communicative processes of framing. Communication is not static,
but rather a dynamic process that includes frame-building and frame-setting. De Vreese stated
that frame-building refers to the elements that influence the structure of each news frame
internally (De Vreese, 2005). However, external factors are important too. The frame-building
process takes place in a continuous interaction between journalists and elites and social
movements (De Vreese, 2005). This process is expressed in the text of the news story. De
Vreese (2005) stated that frame-setting refers to the interaction between media frames and
individuals prior knowledge and predispositions. As said earlier, frames in the news can affect
ones interpretation of the news story and frame-setting has been studied intently. This part of
the framing process has been investigated most elaborately, often with the goal to explore the
extent to which and understand what circumstances audiences reflect and mirror frames made
available to them in (De Vreese, 2005). Framing can have a large influence on society. De
Vreese (2005) continued by stating that there are consequences of framing on the individual and
the societal level. An individual level consequence may be altered attitudes about an issues
based on exposure to certain frames. On the societal level, frames may contribute to shaping

social level processes such as political socialization, decision-making, and collective actions
(De Vreese, 2005). Framing can affect the knowledge of an individual or public on a news topic,
which makes it an important part of the study of PPS issue framed by the Star Newspaper.
Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS)
According to Lim Guan Eng on the States Official Portal, no matter how many police officers
were hired and no matter how much rounds police made around the city, crime was still
happening in Penang and so in order to help the police , Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) was
formed. The main objective of the formation of PPS was to ensure peace in the city in order for
Penang to be recognized as a peaceful, safe state. The PPS were also responsible in helping the
police in clearing negative social activities that were occurring especially issues regarding drugs.
PPS members were also used as informers to the police department so that all crimes could be
encountered. Penang recorded a highest decrease in the crime rate in 2010 when crime rate were
reduced as much as 27%. Within 6 months of this year (2014) itself the decrease it crime rate is
of 25%. The Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng said, the PPS was formed for the
welfare of the people and it also has been of so much of help to the police department. The PPS
were accused of being an illegal organization and 154 of its members were arrested after taking
part in the Merdeka parade on 31st August 2014 under Section 41 of the Societies Act ( Malay
Mail. Mellisa Chi. September 2014).
Malaysian English Newspaper
The first newspaper in Malaysia was an English paper published for the employees of The East
India Company who were based on the island in the year 1806 in Penang. . Then in 1824, in then
the Strait Settlements and the Federated Malay Straits were published which were also an

English Chronicle (Malaysian Journal of Communication 2006). Over the years , the number of
English Newspaper has increased rapidly. Among the few English Newspapers in Malaysia are,
The Star, The Sun Daily, New Straits times, Malay Mail , Edge Malaysia and many more.
The Star Newspaper
Among all English Newspapers in Malaysia the Star Newspaper is currently the major national
newspaper. It has had its number of newspaper circulation rising over the years. According to
the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) the Star Newspaper s circulation statistics this year
resulted with an increase of 40,080 copies to 338,368 in 2013, compared to the same period the
previous year. The Star is a daily newspaper type owned by the Star Publication (Malaysia)
Berhad.
The Star Newspaper is a daily newspaper that was first published on 9 September 1971 as a
regional newspaper based in Penang. The Star Newspaper went into national circulation on 3
January 1976 when it set up its new office in Kuala Lumpur. In 1978, the newspaper
headquarters was relocated to Kuala Lumpur. The Star continued to expand its wings over the
years and in 1981, it moved its headquarters from Kuala Lumpur to Petaling Jaya which is also
its current premise to accommodate a growing number of staff and technology devices ( Star
Publication 1995-2014).
Political Economy Of The Malaysian English Media
In the early 70s, the Bumiputera trust agency, Perbadanan Nasional BHD (Pernas) acquired an 80
percent stake in the Straits Times Press. A majority of the shares was later transferred to Fleet
Holdings, an investment arm of UMNO. The Straits Times Press was renamed New Straits Times
Press (NSTP) when it was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1973(Media and

Democracy in Malaysia 2001). In the same year, Fleet Holdings also held shares in Utusan
Melayu Press. Although these investments brought in good returns, Gomez (1994) argues that
the acquisition of these publishing companies was intended to control the editorial content of
both the newspapers. As an effect, the ownership of New Straits Times Press and Utusan Melayu
Press gives UMNO control of the major newspapers in Malaysia. Two other main component
parties of Barisan Nasional, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysia Indian
Congress (MIC) also control a substantial part of the mainstream media. MCA, through its
official holding company, Huaren Holdings Sdn.Bhd, has a 58% stake in Star Publications,
which publishes the other mainstream English daily, The Star has a circulation of 206,832 and a
readership of 869,000. The Star began as a regional paper in Penang in 1971 but moved to the
capital of Kuala Lumpur and became a national daily in 1978.The Star in the early eighties used
to be able to exert some autonomy in raising issues through some critical veteran columnists and
editors. But all of this critical reporting stopped after an Operasi Lallang was formed causing a
string of arrest and the revoking of publishing license of two newspapers, The Star and Sin Chew
Jit Poh. The Star, being controlled by a component party of the ruling coalition, invariably
propagated the agenda and policies of its owners in order to maintain the control or status of the
ruling group. An analysis of The Star newspaper on the coverage the Hudud Law revealed that
The Star, substantially owned by MCA, employed the issue of Hudud Law to attack the
opposition party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in 1990. Another daily English newspaper,
The Sun, is owned by Vincent Tan. Gomez(1999, 112) revealed that Tan was given a license to
establish the English newspaper because of his connection with a former UMNO minister. He
was also allocated a 20 percent stake and 17 percent stake in The Star and TV3 respectively.
Malaysian media licenses are tightly controlled by the state and renewable on a yearly basis.

They can be revoked at will by the Minister of Information which makes ensures that owners of
media companies will be on the sides of those in the ruling government alliances. The other main
component party in the Barisan Nasional, MIC also has a substantial control of the Tamil press.
Ownership of Tamil press rests mainly in the hands of MIC president Samy Vellu and his wife.
Clearly, there is a tight relationship between the press and the political parties in the ruling
coalition. The control of the media by political parties allows them to decide on the scope and
nature of the media content. The press in a situation of control becomes inept in playing the
adversarial role of watchdog. Consequently, this situation makes it difficult for citizens to
exercise their right to information and their right to making informed choices.
Agenda Setting
When studying the media and its framing as well as its framing research, the agenda-setting
theory of communication research should also be acknowledged. This is because the two theories
has many similarities as well as difference which is valuable to this study in order to understand,
identify, and discuss both theories. The core principle of agenda setting theory is that the
prominence of elements in the news influences the prominence of those elements among the
public (Carol & McCombs, 2003). There are two levels of agenda setting. The first level is
concerned with the salience of objects and the second level is concerned with the salience of the
characteristics of those objects (Carol & McCombs, 2003). The news media present an agenda of
those topics and each one is also described. The research for this study focused on newspaper
articles. Newspapers can influence readers by whether the story is the lead story, front page
versus inside page, or the size of the headline (Carol & McCombs, 2003, p. 37). The amount of
repetition of a story can have the most powerful influence on the public.

Agenda-setting research has focused on a several different topics, but the most commonly
researched issues is how agenda-setting is used in political issues and campaigns. McCombs and
Shaw have played a very important part of the advancement of the agenda-setting theory.
McCombs (1997) described agenda-setting as the transmission of salience, not the
determination of opinions about a particular issue. McCombs went on to say that news media do
not intentionally or deliberately set the agenda for the newscast but still, the topics that are
chosen to be the main focus in a news story can affect the opinions of the audience (McCombs,
1997,). Each news organization should be aware of how they come up with each story. Although
McCombss (1997) research is mainly related to political issues, he presented his understanding
on how the public comes to an agreement on which issues are the most important. McCombs
(1997) also mentioned that there are limitations to the impact that the media has on the public.
He stated that, The news media help to achieve consensus, they do not alone determine what the
consensus will be (McCombs, 1997). The story could be a prominent piece on the medias
agenda however if it does not resonate with the public, the story will not be published. There
are agenda-setting effects of news coverage, but these effects on not inevitably flow from news
coverage (McCombs, 1997). The news media and the public have a significant influence on the
progression of agenda-setting.
According to McCombs (1997) there are four visions of agenda-setting that should be identified.
These four visions describe both what the agenda-setting role of the news media is and the
professional views of journalists about what the agenda-setting role of the news media should
be (McCombs, 1997).
The first vision is called professional detachment. In short, this vision says that the main focus of
a journalist is to only report the news and to stand apart from the public (McCombs, 1997).

McCombs commented that vision challenges the understanding of agenda-setting because most
of the time the news media cannot stand apart from the community. Whatever the media do,
they have an effect on the community they serve (McCombs, 1997). News media may try to
objectively report the news though the community will still be interested and feel the effects of
how the news was portrayed to them.
The second vision of agenda-setting is called targeted involvement. This vision moves towards
the end of the agenda-setting scale in that investigative reporting and editorial campaigns
actively seek to move issues onto the public agenda (McCombs, 1997). News reports have a
specific topic, for example government corruption. These are active attempts to set the public
agenda and, moreover, to set a portion of the governments agenda (McCombs, 1997). This
agenda-setting vision attempts to set the communitys agenda as well as the governments
agenda.
The next vision is called boosterism. McCombs (1997) explained that this type of news coverage
could seem like cheerleading. Economic development in a community, everything from the new
jobs that can result from a business firm coming to the community to the expenditure of public
funds for construction of roads and community facilities, is newsworthy up to a point
(McCombs, 1997). But no matter what, at a certain point there should boundaries between
publicity and newsworthy information.
The final vision of agenda-setting is called proactive agenda-setting. McCombs (1997) states,
these journalists believe that it is the duty and responsibility of the news media to ensure
through proactive reporting when necessary that the key issues, situations, and opportunities do
come to community attention (McCombs, 1997). McCombs continued by saying that journalists

are privileged and that the core assumption of public journalism and proactive agenda-setting is
that this privilege should be actively used to benefit the public (McCombs,1997). News media
need to enhance the bond between themselves and the community through communication
(McCombs, 1997).
Throughout the years, agenda-setting has been defined in many ways. Shaw (1979) explained
agenda-setting in a slightly different way than previously mentioned. He stated that agendasetting declares people are aware or not aware, pay attention to or neglect, play up or
downgrade specific features of the public scene as an outcome of news media viewing
(Shaw,1979).
Sensationalism is often one aspect of agenda setting that relates to the medias portrayal of an
individual. McQuail (2000) stated that sensationalism is used by the mass media as an instrument
to gain attention and prompt emotion from audiences. Sensationalism generates a certain level of
interest in a story by using language or graphics that are thrilling and shocking.
Media framing theory and the agenda-setting theory of communication both provide an insight to
how the media can influence their audience. To sum up these two theories, De Vreese (2005)
explained that, a frame is an emphasis in salience of different aspects of a topic. While agendasetting theory deals with the salience of issues, framing is concerned with the presentation of
issues. The main purpose of this study was to examine the media attention that PPS received
and these communication theories play a significant role within the research.

CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study was to determine how the Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) was
framed in the Star newspaper from 31st August 2014 up till the 20th of September 2014. A
quantitative content analysis was conducted for this study. The main focus for this study was to
determine the tone, story placement, and page placement of newspaper articles that mentioned
PPS. According to Neuendorf (2002) content analysis has been a fast-growing technique in the
world of quantitative research. Neuendorf stated that content analysis may be briefly defined as
the systematic, objective, quantitative analysis of message characteristics (Neuendorf, 2002).
The technique includes the examination of human interactions; the analysis of character
portrayals in TV commercials, films, and novels; the computer-driven investigation of word
usage in news releases and political speeches (Neuendorf, 2002).
Content analysis is used in many fields as an effective instrument to achieve research goals.
Content analysis has been used as a research tool for many studies on a variety of subjects and
topics. Ivory, Williams, Martins, and Consalvo (2009) used content analysis to determine if the
amount of profanity in video games has an effect on the final rating the game is given. Using
content analysis for the study provides the most comprehensive analysis of profanity in video
games to date as well as analyses assessing possible relationships between profanity prevalence
and games ratings, sales, and platforms (Ivory et al., 2009).
Another content analysis study researched the medias influence on public perceptions of foreign
nations. Wanta, Golan, and Lee (2004) examined network newscasts that had an agenda-setting
influence. By using content analysis as the research tool for the study, the researchers were able

to test whether the media attention of foreign nations in the news influenced how important the
nations are viewed as individuals and whether positive or negative coverage of those nations
influenced individuals assessments of the countries (Wanta et al., 2004). Content analysis has
been used to study various issues focused on how the media can influence perceptions of objects
or individuals.
For this research, the Star Newspaper itself was used to retrieve the story articles that were
regarding the PPS issue which were meant for the study. Data were collected from August 31st
2014 up to the 20th of November 2014. This time period was chosen because the first three weeks
since the news was published seemed to have detailed articles published almost every day.
Dependent variables for this study included tone of the mention of Pasukan Peronda Sukarela
(PPS) (negative, neutral, positive), story placement of the article (headline, lead, paired with
graphic, body), and page prominence (inside, section front, front page). Independent variables is
the Star Newspaper that was chosen. Each and every page of the Star Newspaper were examined
for the mentioned specific dates. After searching the terms Pasukan Peronda Sukarela and
PPS, in the Star Newspaper dated 31st August 2014 up till the 20th of September 2014, around
14 related articles were found. All 14 articles were chosen and used for analyzing in this study.
This study was an analysis of a single type of newspaper, The Star. The dependent variables were
tone, story placement, and page placement. Positive mentions included those that portrayed
Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) in a way that showed PPS to be legal while negative mentions
were those that criticized PPS and portrayed PPS of being guilty for conducting an illegal
organization. For example, the phrase "While some Penangites think that Penang Voluntary
Patrol members are disorganized and unruly, others are grateful to the PPS (02/09/2014, The
Star Newspaper), was coded as positive. The headline Council: Setting up of PPS can be seen as

a rebellious move (07/09/2014, The Star Newspaper) was coded as negative. The story variable
measured where the unit of analysis was located in the newspaper story. The story variable could
be located in the body, paired with a photo, in the lead, or headline of the story. The page
variable measured the placement of the unit of analysis within the newspaper, for example, inside
page, section front, or front page. Chi-square analysis with was used to test the weightage given
by the Star newspaper for the news articles on the PPS issue.
Inter-Coder Reliability Analysis
Coding instruments used were the coding sheet and the newspaper articles.Trial rounds of
newspaper analysis were conducted in order to assure inter-coder reliability. Each one article
mentions were examined during each trial. Through three trials of newspaper analysis, a 100%
agreement was reached on all variables except tone, which had a 90% agreement.
The coding scheme that was used consistently throughout the entire project (see Appendix A)
was used during the trial coding session. The coders examined the articles, and more precisely,
the sentences and phrases in which the unit of analysis was found. Both independent and
dependent variables were coded for each mention of the unit of analysis.During the third and
final training period, the coder reached 100% agreement on, story placement, and page
placement. A 90% agreement was reached for the tone variable. Next, Holstis (1969) formula to
measure inter-coder reliability was applied to the coding outcomes. The Holstis (1969) formula
for inter-coder reliability explains, 2M/N1+N2, where M is the number of coding decisions the
two judges agree on, and N1 and N2 refer to the number of coding decisions made by each
individual coder. For this study, Holstis formula was applied to story and page variables,
(2(21)/21+21), and a perfect agreement was reached. When the Holsti formula was applied to the

tone variable, (2(19)/21+21), a 90 agreement coefficient was reached. With the number (14) of
mentions for the unit of analysis applied, the level of significance for this study was set at .01.

CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
Introduction
Chi-square tests, as well as frequency tables, were analyzed to test the different variables looked
at in order to study the weightage given by the Star newspaper for the PPS issue. The results
section includes the quantitative data gained from conducting the tests.
Frequencies
The frequency data produced a general overview of the information obtained. This information is
shown below.
A sample of 21 newspaper articles was coded from a search that was developed using the search
terms Pasukan Peronda Sukarela and PPS. From these articles, 14 mentions of the unit of
analysis (Pasukan Peronda Sukarela and PPS) were coded. In the sample mentions were coded
from articles dated from 31st August 2014 up to the 20th of September 2014. These groupings
were applied to tone, and story placement of PPS mentions. Neutral and positive mentions were
combined. When mentions by tone were examined, a mention was considered neutral if it was
not predominately positive or negative. Negative mentions of PPS occurred most in all the
articles. As for story placement mentions that occurred appeared in a graphic or photo, lead, or
headline of the story were combined.
Following are the data tabulated in forms of table1, table 2 and table 3, each representing the
Frequency of Tone, the Frequency of Story Placement and the Frequency of Page Placement
respectively for all mentions of PPS.

Table 1: Frequency of Tone in the articles of the Star Newspaper on PPS issue
Article
Article 1 (31/08/2014)
Article 2 (01/09/2014)
Article 3 (02/09/2014)
Article 4 (03/09/2014)
Article 5 (04/09/2014)
Article 6 (05/09/2014)
Article 7 (06/09/2014)
Article 8 (07/09/2014)
Article 9 (10/09/2014)
Article 10 (11/09/2014)
Article 11 (12/09/2014)
Article 12 (15/09/2014)
Article 13 (17/09/2014)
Article 14 ( 20/09/2014)
Note: N=14; Chi-square=0.1508; df=0.1; p<.01

Tone
Negative
Neutral
Negative
Negative
Positive
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative

Table 2: Story Placement of the articles of the Star Newspaper on PPS issue
Article
Article 1 (31/08/2014)
Article 2 (01/09/2014)
Article 3 (02/09/2014)
Article 4 (03/09/2014)
Article 5 (04/09/2014)
Article 6 (05/09/2014)
Article 7 (06/09/2014)
Article 8 (07/09/2014)
Article 9 (10/09/2014)
Article 10 (11/09/2014)

Body (%)
50
100
10
50
25
50
50
10
8.33
16.67

Graphic(%)
50
50
0
0
10
0
0.5
0
0
50

Headline(%)
7.1/8
0.00
21/9
54/8.1
12/12
2/8.71
13/13
9/28
13/8
21/28

Article 11 (12/09/2014)
10
Article 12 (15/09/2014)
8.33
Article 13 (17/09/2014)
10
Article 14 ( 20/09/2014)
10
Note :N=14; Chi-square=0.051; df=0.1; NS=.014

50
0
0
0

3.41/5
5/4
28/7.5
7/3.3

Table 3: Page placement of the articles of the Star Newspaper on PPS issue
Article
Article 1 (31/08/2014)
Article 2 (01/09/2014)
Article 3 (02/09/2014)
Article 4 (03/09/2014)
Article 5 (04/09/2014)
Article 6 (05/09/2014)
Article 7 (06/09/2014)
Article 8 (07/09/2014)
Article 9 (10/09/2014)
Article 10 (11/09/2014)
Article 11 (12/09/2014)
Article 12 (15/09/2014)
Article 13 (17/09/2014)
Article 14 ( 20/09/2014)
Note : N=14;

Page Placement ( All were placed INSIDE)

Page 02 and Page 26
(story : page )
Page 04
(story :full page )
Page 06
(story :1/10 of the page )
Page 14
(story :2/4 of the page )
Page 16
(story : of the page)
Page 06
(story : 2/4 of the page)
Page 06
(story : of the page)
Page 10
(story : 1/10 of the page)
Page 18
(story: 1/12 of the page)
Page 12
(story : 1/6 of the page)
Page 10
( story : 1/10 of the page )
Page 16
( story : 1/12 of the page )
Page 16
(story : 1/10 of the page )
Page 12
( story 1/10 of the page )

CHAPTER 6
DISCUSSION
Summary of Major Findings
Based on the data and analysis conducted, it is clear on how the Star Newspaper frames the PPS
issue negatively.
Tone of Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) Mentions
The tone of PPS mentions during the 3 weeks time when PPS face legal issues that claimed PPS
to be an illegal organization was portrayed entirely negatively.

Story Placement of Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) Mentions

Story placement of PPS mentions was more prominent in the star newspaper during the first 3
days.
Page Placement of Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) Mentions
Page placement of PPS mentions was more prominent in the Star newspapers for the first two
days only.

.
APPENDIX
Coding Instructions
Unit of Analysis: Each mention of Amanda Knox and Knox
Date: Between November 2, 2007 and November 2, 2011
Coder Name:
Date: Date of publication
Enter actual date as mmddyy with no spaces or punctuation (ex. 71010 = July 10, 2010)
Independent variables

Enter the full name of the newspaper

Dependent variables
Tone: Tone toward PPS in the sentence/phrase containing the mention
1 = Negative (clearly negative toward PPS)
2 = Neutral (factual or neutral)
3 = Positive (clearly positive toward PPS)
Story: Number describing the mention on the page where it was printed
1= in the body of the story
2 = paired with graphic or photo caption
3 = in the lead of the story (first sentence/first paragraph)
4 = in the headline of the story (including subheads)$%
Page: Number of the placement of the story within the newspaper
1 = inside page of newspaper (also if no page number is given)
2 = section front of newspaper (ex. B1, G1, business front page)
3 = front page of newspaper (page A1 only)
4 = not applicable