Murugaiah, Niveethene (2025) Representations Of Individuals With Mental Illness In Selected News Reports Of The Star Online And Malaysiakini: A Critical Discourse Analysis. PhD thesis, Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut.
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Abstract
Despite the crucial role of news media in shaping dominant narratives about mental health, existing literature shows that news representations of individuals with mental illness have generally been stigmatising. Notably, research on media portrayals of this group has mainly focused on mainstream newspapers, with little attention given to independent newspapers. Therefore, this study aims to compare how individuals with mental illness are represented in two widely read online newspapers in malaysia: the mainstream newspaper the star online and the independent newspaper malaysiakini. Using critical discourse analysis (cda), the study examines 12 selected news reports from each newspaper at both textual and ideological levels. The analysis is informed by van dijk's (1980) theory of semantic macrostructures, halliday and matthiessen’s (2014) systemic functional linguistics, and van dijk’s (1998) theory of ideology. The study’s findings reveal that representations of individuals with mental illness in both newspapers were broadly comparable across all three aspects of textual analysis, highlighting their perceived dangerousness and vulnerability. Furthermore, they were typically positioned as a ‘voiceless’ group in both newspapers. In contrast, individuals without mental illness, notably those in positions of power, were accorded the space to ‘give’ voices on behalf of those with mental illness.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics > P1-1091 Philology. Linguistics(General) |
| Divisions: | Pusat Pengajian Bahasa Literasi & Terjemahan (School of Languages, Literacies and Translation) > Thesis |
| Depositing User: | Mr Hasmizar Mansor |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Jun 2026 06:59 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jun 2026 06:59 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usm.my/id/eprint/64292 |
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