Abstract
Abstract Ethnicity, religion and related issues have always proved to be a difficult topic for reporting in multicultural societies. This study examined the gatekeeping process undertaken by Malaysian newspapers in reporting interethnic conflicts. The gatekeeping theory was employed as the theoretical framework. Interviews with editors from the mainstream and alternative newspapers found that gatekeeping took place at the individual, routine, and organizational as well as institutional levels. Significantly, two newspapers owned by pro-government political parties – Utusan by UMNO and The Star by MCA – claimed that ownership had an impact on their gatekeeping decision. It was found that political reason was the primary external factor influencing the gatekeeping of the newspapers in their coverage of interethnic conflicts. This study indicates that journalists/editors shape a reality that reflects the political, economic and ideological boundaries within which they work. More importantly, gatekeeping was found to reflect a struggle between dominant social norms and efforts for change.
Highlights
The last few years have seen a number of religious and ethnic tensions in Malaysia, which continue to impact on the lives of Malaysians from all walks of life
OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study aimed to examine the gatekeeping process undertaken by Malaysian newspapers in reporting interethnic conflicts
This study examined the gatekeeping process undertaken by Malaysian newspapers in reporting interethnic conflicts
Summary
The last few years have seen a number of religious and ethnic tensions in Malaysia, which continue to impact on the lives of Malaysians from all walks of life. The division between Malays and non-Malays is widened by the religious divide between Muslims and non-Muslims, creating a distinct and acute awareness of the “other”. This has resulted in the aggravation of the interethnic fracture of Malaysian society (Neo, 2006; Ooi, 2006). Religion and related issues have always proved to be a difficult topic for reporting in multicultural societies (Mustafa, 2010), where stories on ethnicity or religion are routinely judged and framed by the media to, albeit inadvertently, misrepresent and disrespect the essence of what adherents of different faiths/ethnic groups believe in. Stories on religion/ethnicity do provide the fuel for prolonged conflicts and even violence in societies that are historically divided by tribal and cultural rivalries. Mass communication is an important tool in the integration of societies because the media can act as change agents, which help to educate each subgroup and transform the traditionally segmented and divided society into a cohesive and integrated one where differences no longer become sources of conflict (Viswanath and Arora, 2000)
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