The Representations of the Minority Group in the Traditional Print Media of Singapore: A Comparative Content Analysis

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session I
  In Interactive Paper Session: Ethnicity and Race in Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Singapore is a multi-racial society, with the Chinese forming the dominant ethnicity group and the Malays forming the largest minority group. Scholars have long used the media to study the identity formation and the society’s perception of the minority group. This paper adopts the content analysis methodology and Clark’s model of four-stage minority media representations to analyze the portrayal of the Malays in Singapore’s The Straits Times print newspaper, followed by a comparison with the dominant Chinese’s media representations for further insights into practical nation building strategies. Results from 970 articles (articles from 1965-2001) show an interesting pattern. Implications for the model are discussed.

Authors

• Nathanael Subasaran, National U of Singapore

• Esther Geraldine Tan Tan, National U of Singapore

• Thi Ngoc Bich Pham Pham, National U of Singapore

• Shanwei Sabrina Tong Tong, National U of Singapore

• Julian Lin, National University of Singapore