Abstract
Using Critical Discourse Analysis, this study attempts to examine the representation of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Immigrants (henceforth RASIM) in news reports from three selected English online newspapers in Malaysia: The Star, The New Straits Times (NST) and Malaysiakini. This research aims to reveal the representations of RASIM and attempts to unravel the ways in which ideology and context shape the discourse surrounding RASIM. The focus of the article is the Refugee Swap Deal between Australia and Malaysia that was announced in 2011. Although the Refugee Swap deal did not take place, the media discourse provided distinctive information about discursive strategies that media draw upon to represent RASIM. The general characteristics of the news reports disclose that there are ideological differences at play and that three main themes are frequently utilised to attribute certain characteristics to RASIM: refugee protection, people smuggling and human trafficking, and policy and national security. In Malaysian media, the reporting on RASIM has been framed according to the political stance of newspapers: in a positive supportive way by the government linked media, The NST and The Star, and in a more balanced way in the alternative, or non-government linked media, Malaysiakini. These reporting styles show differences in situational context and ideology that shaped the discourse of the newspapers, contributing significantly to the portrayal of RASIM in particular ways. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/GEMA-2014-1402-07
Highlights
In order to take legal action against undocumented arrivals of migrants in Australia, an exchange deal between Australia and Malaysia was considered
The Star is the largest English newspaper in Malaysia, with a daily circulation of between 290,000 to 300,000 copies and is one of Malaysia‟s most popular news web sites (Alexa.com, 2012). It is majority owned by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), which is a political party in the ruling government coalition; the Barisan Nasional alliance (Pang, 2006)
The findings revealed that most quotations in the New Straits Times (NST) and the Star, whether direct or indirect were from Malaysian government officials
Summary
In order to take legal action against undocumented arrivals of migrants in Australia, an exchange deal between Australia and Malaysia was considered. In this arrangement, both countries agreed to swap 800 asylum seekers from Australia to Malaysia and 4000 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) registered refugees from Malaysia to Australia. The highest court in Australia judged in August 2011 that the refugee swap deal did not conform to the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and halted the deal. The agreement was reported with a considerable amount of attention in the Australian and Malaysian press. Due to its controversial nature, the matter was reported overseas
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