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Media framing on news of the Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) movement in Malaysia: a quantitative content analysis of two Malaysian newspapers

Author

Listed:
  • Norehan Jinah

    (Ministry of Health Malaysia)

  • Kun Yun Lee

    (Ministry of Health Malaysia)

  • Nor Haniza Zakaria

    (Ministry of Health Malaysia)

  • Nursyahda Zakaria

    (Ministry of Health Malaysia)

  • Munirah Ismail

    (Ministry of Health Malaysia
    Hospital Sultan Ismail, Ministry of Health Malaysia)

Abstract

Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) Movement first surfaced in June 2021 following prolonged dissatisfaction towards the contract appointment policy of medical doctors in Malaysia. On the 26th of July 2021, an unprecedented strike (Hartal) was organised by contract doctors across Malaysia. It generated major media attention. This study sought to evaluate how the HDK movement was framed in the mainstream media and to analyse the framing trend in conjunction with the chronology of HDK movement events. A total of 109 news articles in two major national newspapers were analysed from 1st June 2021 until 28th February 2022 using quantitative content analysis method. The five-dimension media frame (responsibility, human interest, conflict, morality, and economic consequences) by Semetko & Valkenburg was applied to determine the trend of media framing. MANOVA test was performed to scrutinise the differences in frame portrayal before and after Hartal. Overall, the responsibility frame was the most used (76.2%) both pre- and post-strike, with the most frequently highlighted items being solutions to the HDK issue and the roles played by the government. The human interest frame and conflict frame followed next, with at least one item of each frame being featured in 33.0 and 32.1% of all news articles. Despite more news articles published post-strike, the aggregate mean scores of all the frames were higher during the pre-strike period, demonstrating how media framing in the earlier period significantly affected the subsequent events of the HDK movement and its impact on the contract appointment policy. In this case, media framing set an agenda for stakeholders to implement necessary policy changes to prevent subsequent strikes and to seek long-term solutions. Lastly, this study presents a novel approach to evaluating certain controversial matters that may not be suitably addressed by the conventional research method such as primary quantitative data collection or qualitative interviews.

Suggested Citation

  • Norehan Jinah & Kun Yun Lee & Nor Haniza Zakaria & Nursyahda Zakaria & Munirah Ismail, 2024. "Media framing on news of the Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) movement in Malaysia: a quantitative content analysis of two Malaysian newspapers," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03158-3
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03158-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cunling Gao & Hongfa Yi & Jinfu Wang & Shanshan Han, 2023. "Framing of female medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of the Chinese official media," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Anabela Carvalho & Jacquelin Burgess, 2005. "Cultural Circuits of Climate Change in U.K. Broadsheet Newspapers, 1985–2003," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1457-1469, December.
    3. Daniel Goodwin & Marie Raffin & Paul Jeffrey & Heather M. Smith, 2018. "Evaluating media framing and public reactions in the context of a water reuse proposal," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(6), pages 848-868, November.
    4. Cosmina Lelia Voinea & Hans van Kranenburg, 2017. "Media Influence and Firms Behaviour: A Stakeholder Management Perspective," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(10), pages 23-38, October.
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