European Proceedings of Educational Sciences - 2023 : Thematic Analysis of Malaysian Online News on People Living With Mental Illness

Ezzan Amnie, Azizan (2023) European Proceedings of Educational Sciences - 2023 : Thematic Analysis of Malaysian Online News on People Living With Mental Illness. European Proceedings of Educational Sciences, 7. pp. 896-908. ISSN 2672-815X

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Abstract

People from many walks of life are affected by mental diseases. Although mental illness is curable, most people who suffer from it avoid treatment since there is a strong public stigma against people who suffer from it. The general public is exposed to mental illness daily through various media, including news articles. However, media reporting on mental illness has been found to perpetuate stigma and influence the public view of those who suffer from mental illness. This study examines the extent to which mental illness-related news associated with violent crimes and suicidal behavior is reported in Malaysian online news articles. An inductive thematic analysis approach was adopted to analyze 86 news articles from six mainstream Malaysian newspapers. The study results indicate that most of the media negatively portrays violent crimes and suicidal behavior among individuals who suffer from mental illness. In addition, news reporting on the risk factors associated with violent crimes and suicidal behavior is often portrayed in a derogatory and stigmatizing manner. This further impact public stigma and reinforces negative stereotypes about people with mental illness in the media. This paper suggests that responsible reporting of mental illness to the public should be introduced with standard guidelines so that stigma reduction on mental illness and people who suffer from it can be achieved.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Malaysian newspapers, mental illness, news discourse, suicidal behavior, violent crimes
Divisions:	Institute of Graduate Studies (IGS)
Depositing User:	LIBRARY2 UPTM
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2025 08:37
Last Modified:	08 Jul 2025 08:37
URI:	http://eprints.kuptm.edu.my/id/eprint/4791

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