Framing Palestine in Malaysian Online Media: A Content Analysis of Major Newspapers Prior to the Recent War

الملخص

This study analyzes the coverage of the Palestinian issue in major Malaysian online newspapers prior to the recent war. Employing content analysis, the research categorizes the types of issues addressed, including political, economic, security, social, humanitarian, media-related, and regional/international relations. It also examines the representation of Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, such as settlement expansion, violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, refugee issues, prisoners, killings, the siege, settler attacks, and military operations. The analysis further explores the framing references (political, historical, economic, humanitarian, legal, security, religious, and social) and evaluates both logical and illogical reasoning patterns in the coverage. Additional variables include the section placement of news (front page vs. inside page), the use of photographs, and the diversity of journalistic forms (news reports, features, editorials, interviews, investigative stories). The findings are expected to highlight the centrality of the Palestinian cause in Malaysian media discourse, reflecting Malaysia’s political stance and public solidarity with Palestine. The study contributes to the broader field of international media studies by situating Malaysia’s coverage within global narratives of the Palestinian issue.