The Exploring Credibility Challenges of Malaysian Online News Portals
A Case Study among Universiti Malaysia Sabah Students
Abstract
This study was meant to explore the students' perception of the credibility of Malaysian online news portals using the method of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). The results of the study reveal that the proliferation of technologies such as social media and internet accessibility has greatly facilitated university students' access to online news portals. Individuals are seeking up-to-date information more than ever, due to the convenience of technology. Mainstream, alternative, and independent news portals each have distinct impacts on students. Key factors contributing to these credibility issues include information-seeking behaviour, convenience, confirmation bias, and social interaction. Perceptions of credibility vary depending on the type of news portal in the eyes of university students which could be driven by ideology, prejudice, and bias. However, convenience and credibility theme explain why online news portals are often criticized for their lack of credibility in the eyes of university students. Many students perceive clickbait headlines as a major issue with Malaysian online news portals, often finding discrepancies between headlines and the actual content of articles. Incomplete information and journalists' reluctance to address sensitive issues are also significant concerns for students when selecting online news portals. Bias and credibility issues on online news portals often manifest in political and racial controversies. Students also mentioned the 3R issues during the interviews. Despite these concerns, online news portals remain the primary source of information for university students. Overall, the credibility issues have eroded students' confidence in the reliability of online news.
Downloads
References
Ahmad, N. (2022). Dear Free Malaysia Today—Your words matter: COVID-19 and its subtle rhetoric. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 14(1), 19-32.
Aisah Meri & Lee Kuok Tiung (2021). Kajian Penggunaan Portal Berita Dalam Kalangan Remaja Di Sabah: News Portal Usage Among Teenagers In Sabah. Jurnal Komunikasi Borneo (JKoB), 9, 16-27.
Aitchison, J., & Lewis, D. M. (2003). New media language: Routledge London.
Alexopoulos, C., Saxena, S., Janssen, M., & Rizun, N. (2023). Whither the need and motivation for open government data (OGD) promotional strategies? Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance, 25(2), 153-168.
Allan, S. (2006). Online News: Journalism and the Internet. Open University Press. Maidenhead, England.
Antonopoulos, N., Konidaris, A., Polykalas, S., & Lamprou, E. (2020). Online Journalism: Crowdsourcing, and Media Websites in an Era of Participation. Studies in Media and Communication, 8(1), 25-36.
Apuke, O. D., & Omar, B. (2021). User motivation in fake news sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic: an application of the uses and gratification theory. Online Information Review, 45(1), 220-239.
Berry Jr, F. C. (1967). A study of accuracy in local news stories of three dailies. Journalism Quarterly, 44(3), 482-490.
Blumler, J. G., & Katz, E. (1974). The Uses of Mass Communications: Current Perspectives on Gratifications Research. Sage Annual Reviews of Communication Research Volume III.
Bogart, L. (1979). Editorial ideals, editorial illusions. Journal of Communication, 29(2), 11-21.
Bruce, H. (1999). Perceptions of the Internet: What people think when they search the Internet for information. Internet Research.
Cantor, M. G. (1980). Book Review: Gaye Tuchman, Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality. The Free Press, New York, 1978. Sociology of Work and Occupations, 7(4), 503-506.
Case, D. O., & Given, L. M. (2016). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior.
Claussen, J., Peukert, C., & Sen, A. (2019). The editor vs. the algorithm: Targeting, data and externalities in online news. Data and Externalities in Online News (June 5, 2019).
Deuze, M. (2004). What is multimedia journalism? Journalism studies, 5(2), 139-152.
Entman, R. M. (1991). Framing US coverage of international news: Contrasts in narratives of the KAL and Iran Air incidents. Journal of Communication, 41(4), 6-27.
Flanagin, A. J., & Metzger, M. J. (2000). Perceptions of Internet information credibility. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77(3), 515-540.
Gans, H. (1979). Decoding what’s news. In: New York: Free Press.
Govindaraju, G. M., Sahadevan, K. J., & Ling, T. P. (2019). Framing analysis of news coverage on renewable energy in the star online news portal. Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, Special Issue on SU18, February, 33-43.
Gunter, B. (1997). Measuring bias on television: Indiana University Press.
Gunter, B. (2005). Trust in the news on television. Paper presented at the Aslib Proceedings.
Gunter, B. (2012). Poor reception: Misunderstanding and forgetting broadcast news: Routledge.
Gunter, B., Campbell, V., Touri, M., & Gibson, R. (2009). Blogs, news and credibility. Paper presented at the Aslib proceedings.
Halloran, J. D., Elliott, P. R. C., & Murdock, G. (1970). Demonstrations and communication: A case study: Penguin Group.
Hasan, N. N. N., & Dauda, S. (2020). Roles of Malaysian online newspapers in the construction of public opinion on rare earth risks. Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research, 8(4), 432-452.
Haskins, J. B., & Miller, M. M. (1984). The effects of bad news and good news on a newspaper's image. Journalism Quarterly, 61(1), 3-65.
Heravi, A., Mubarak, S., & Choo, K.-K. R. (2018). Information privacy in online social networks: Uses and gratification perspective. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 441-459.
Howe, S. (2024, March 20). Social media statistics for Malaysia [updated 2023]. Meltwater. https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/social-media-statistics-malaysia
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The public opinion quarterly, 37(4), 509-523.
Kaur, P., Dhir, A., Chen, S., Malibari, A., & Almotairi, M. (2020). Why do people purchase virtual goods? A uses and gratification (U&G) theory perspective. Telematics and Informatics, 53, 101376.
Kemp, S. (2023, February 13). Digital 2023: Malaysia - DataReportal – global digital insights. DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-malaysia
Lee Kuok Tiung, Rizal Zamani Idris, & Rafiq Idris (2018). Propaganda Dan Disinformasi: Politik Persepsi Dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-14 (Pru-14) Malaysia. Jurnal Kinabalu, 171-171.
Lee, K. T. W., Eng, M. C., Tan, Y. S., & Liong, M. Y. (2023). Transcending information delivery: how Malaysian online news portals report on COVID-19 crisis response. Media Asia, 1-25.
Luan, N.M. and Beng, L.Y., 2018. MALAYSIAN CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS AND NATIONAL IDENTITY: A STUDY OF THE ROLES OF SIN CHEW DAILY IN CHINESE CULTURAL PRESERVATION AND NATION BUILDING. Kajian Malaysia: Journal of Malaysian Studies, 36(1).
Machete, P., & Turpin, M. (2020). The use of critical thinking to identify fake news: A systematic literature review. Paper presented at the Responsible Design, Implementation and Use of Information and Communication Technology: 19th IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services, and e-Society, I3E 2020, Skukuza, South Africa, April 6–8, 2020, Proceedings, Part II 19.
McQuail, D. (1977). Analysis of newspaper content: a report (Vol. 4): Stationery Office Books (TSO).
McQuail, D. (1992). Media performance: Mass communication and the public interest (Vol. 144): Sage London.
Metzger, M. J., Flanagin, A. J., & Zwarun, L. (2003). College student Web use, perceptions of information credibility, and verification behavior. Computers & Education, 41(3), 271-290.
Mohd Nor, N. F., Taufek, T. E., & Jaludin, A. (2024). Three Key Dimensions of Climate Change from Opinion News in a Malaysian Newspaper. Environmental Communication, 1-19.
Newhagen, J. E., & Levy, M. R. (1998). The future of journalism in a distributed communication architecture. The electronic grapevine: Rumor, reputation, and reporting in the new on-line environment, 9-21.
Omar, B., Ismail, N., & Kee, N. S. (2018). Understanding online consumption of public affairs news in Malaysia: A strategic approach. Journal of Asian pacific communication, 28(1), 172-194.
Rosengren, K. E. (1977). Four types of tables. Journal of Communication, 27(1), 67-75.
Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3-37.
Said, N. E. M. (1991). Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA): the library.
Soleymani, M. R., Esmaeilzadeh, M., Taghipour, F., & Ashrafi‐rizi, H. (2023). COVID‐19 information seeking needs and behaviour among citizens in Isfahan, Iran: a qualitative study. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 40(4), 359-370.
Steele, J. (2023). Malaysiakini and the Power of Independent Media in Malaysia. NUS Press Pte Ltd.
Vezjak, B., Hladnik, T., Peri, R., & Golja, M. KULTURNA DIAGNOZA.
Wheatley, D., & Ferrer-Conill, R. (2021). The temporal nature of mobile push notification alerts: A study of European news outlets’ dissemination patterns. Digital Journalism, 9(6), 694-714.
Willi, C. H., Nguyen, B., Melewar, T., & Dennis, C. (2014). Corporate impression formation in online communities: a qualitative study. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.
Copyright (c) 2024 NG WEI LIANG, LEE KUOK TIUNG
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author(s) retain the copyright of articles published in this journal, with first publication rights granted to Indonesian Journal of Economics, Social, and Humanities. All journal content is licenced under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
