from both sides of the line: a case study of singaporean and malaysian print media during the pedra...

From both sides of the line: A case study of Singaporean and Malaysian print media during the Pedra Branca territorial disputeJIAYU QUEEKFaculty of Science and ITSchool of Design, Communication and IT

MR PAUL SCOTTB.A., Grad. Dip. Comm., Grad. Dip. Ed., M.Lit.LecturerFaculty of Science and ITSchool of Design, Communication and IT

DR JANET FULTONPhD (Media and Communication)LecturerFaculty of Science and ITSchool of Design, Communication and IT

December 3, 2013

December 3, 2013

A presentation at the 2013 JEAA Conference, Sunshine Coast, QLD | www.newcastle.edu.au

3

AGENDA

• Background

• Research Problem

• Theoretical perspectives and methodology

• Newspaper profiles

• Distribution of articles over time (May ’08 – Nov ’08)

• Selection process for newspaper articles

• Sampling process and themes

• Findings

• Conclusions

• References

December 3, 2013


4BACKGROUND

("Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge," 2008)

Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh:

• 24nm E of Singapore, 7.7nm S of Malaysian state of Johor

• “White rock”

• Ownership of this island + Middle Rocks + South Ledge was disputed since 1979

• Pedra Branca awarded to Singapore in 2008

December 3, 2013


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RESEARCH PROBLEM

Context: Bilateral/multilateral disputes between countries.

Problem: How these issues are presented in local media.

• RQ1: In a territorial dispute between two countries, what perspectives can the local print media adopt?

• RQ2: How can these perspectives shift over the course of the dispute?

December 3, 2013


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THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

• Communications theories employed:

– Agenda-setting (McCombs & Shaw, 1972)

– Framing (Scheufele & Tewksbury 2007)

• NB: The bulk of this presentation addresses framing observations; agenda-setting is dealt with in the thesis

• Method: Comparison of articles from one Singaporean (The Straits Times) and one Malaysian newspaper (New Straits Times)

December 3, 2013


7NEWSPAPER PROFILES

Readership 1,387,000 236,000

Median age of readers

35-39 years old 35-39 years old

Income Median: SGD 7,103 Average: > RM 5,000

New Straits TimesThe Straits Times

(Source: NSTP Group 2012; Publicitas International 2013; Singapore Press Holdings 2012)

• Similar role of (mainstream) print media in both countries – nation-building (Nathan 2009) and supporting the establishment (Rajaratnam 2009)

December 3, 2013


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SELECTION PROCESS FOR NEWSPAPER ARTICLES• Time frame: 6 months before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing and 6 months after ICJ ruling on the dispute (i.e. May 2007 to November 2008)

• 130 articles located from The Straits Times, 79 articles located from New Straits Times

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9DISTRIBUTION OF ARTICLES OVER TIME (MAY ’07 – NOV ’08)

STNST

December 3, 2013


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SAMPLING PROCESS AND THEMES

• Systematic random sampling was performed and 5 articles chosen for each paper during each time period (total = 20)

• The 20 articles were run through CAQDAS (Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software) to generate main themes and concept maps

• Concepts + immersion in articles enabled three themes to emerge:

– Sovereignty, bilateral relations, Johor

December 3, 2013


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FINDINGS

• The legal status of a state, within its territory, that is not subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign state or laws other than that which are applicable internationally (Steinberger 2000)

• Concept: Sovereignty = ownership

Sovereignty

December 3, 2013


12FINDINGS

Newspaper During the hearing (Nov 2007)

During the decision (May 2008)

The Straits Times

Malaysian case untenable due to lack of any (protest) action.

Malaysian case untenable due to lack of any (protest) action.

Claim to sovereignty based on actions taken that prove its ownership.

Focus on other issues of maritime boundaries, etc.

New Straits Times

Had sovereignty of Pedra Branca right from the start; Singapore is challenger.

Other offshore islands will not be lost in the same way as Pedra Branca.

Malaysia got Middle Rocks, access issues to it.

Had sovereignty right from the start.

Sovereignty

December 3, 2013


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FINDINGS

• Described as symbiotic and special (Omar 2007; Ting 2009)

• Both countries strategically reliant on each other, yet also compete closely (Ting 2009)

• Relationship also marked by periods of tension and disputes (Ting 2009)

Bilateral relations

December 3, 2013


14FINDINGS



The Straits Times

Diplomacy is key to solve disputes between countries.

Maintaining good bilateral relations (between SG & MY) is important.

Maintaining good bilateral relations is important.

Both countries satisfied with the result; work on improving relations.

Going to the ICJ for arbitration was the right thing to do.

New Straits Times

Negative view of the longstanding dispute; an obstacle in bilateral relations.

Singapore is (sometimes) the aggressor in these disputes.

Malaysians should not feel angry at Singapore if the result doesn’t go their way.

Win-win situation for both countries.

Issue of ownership settled, avoid further conflict as best as possible.

Bilateral relations

December 3, 2013


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FINDINGS

• Refers to the ancient historical empire of the Johor Sultanate and its modern incarnation as the state of Johor within the Federation of Malaysia.

• Central to the dispute because of its historical relation to Pedra Branca as well as geographical proximity.

(Andaya 2004; National Library Board Singapore 2005)

Johor


16FINDINGS



The Straits Times

Johor is relevant to the dispute both geographically and historically.

More references towards Johor as a political entity (i.e. the Johor Sultanate; state of Johor) and its significance to the case.

Malaysia had original title over Pedra Branca VS sovereignty passed to Singapore due to its actions historical claims not as relevant.

New Straits Times

Malaysia has possessed sovereignty (through the Johor Sultanate) since time immemorial.

Malaysia has possessed sovereignty (through the Johor Sultanate) since time immemorial.

Focus on impact to Johor community: Muslims accepted the decision Fishermen don’t have access to fishing grounds near Middle Rocks – yet.

Johor


17FINDINGS

Theme The Straits Times New Straits Times

Sovereignty Media frames tended to shift from establishing the legitimacy of the Singapore argument to acknowledging Singapore’s victory

Also moved on to the practical future issues of delimiting maritime boundaries, etc.

Media frames tended to maintain the argument that Malaysia had sovereignty right from the start, although it had acknowledged Singapore’s victory in the ICJ ruling.

Focus shifted to Middle Rocks, which Malaysia was awarded, and the sovereignty of other offshore possessions.

Shifts over time

December 3, 2013


18FINDINGS

Theme The Straits Times New Straits Times

Bilateral relations

Media frames remained largely similar over time; i.e. bilateral relations are highly important and going to the ICJ for arbitration helped to not jeopardise it.

Secondary frame: Both countries were pleased with the result and wanted to advance relations to the next level.

Media frames appeared to approach the dispute negatively, regarding it as an obstacle in bilateral relations.

Singapore was observed to be framed as being aggressive with territorial claims.

Transitions to a more positive note in May 2008 – it was a win-win solution, opportunity to repair damaged relations, conflict avoidance.

Shifts over time

December 3, 2013


19FINDINGS

Theme The Straits Times New Straits TimesJohor Relevance of Johor Sultanate

and Johor (state) was mentioned since the ICJ accepted Malaysia’s argument of its salience to the dispute.

Possibly downplayed in favour of Singapore’s argument that its activities on Pedra Branca since the 1850s proved that it had sovereignty over the island.

Media frames initially emphasised on the importance of Johor to the dispute as part of the government’s arguments presented to the ICJ.

After the ICJ ruling, to maintain relevance, attention shifted over to the Johor community.

Shifts over time

December 3, 2013

December 3, 2013


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CONCLUSIONSRQ1: In a territorial dispute between two countries, what perspectives can the local print media adopt?

• Themes tied to sovereignty and diplomacy

• Establish historical and communal links to the disputed areas to legitimise ownership

• Media agendas and frames are also subject to the influence of national interests (Jang 2013)

December 3, 2013


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CONCLUSIONSRQ2: How can these perspectives shift over the course of the dispute?

• Not all perspectives change over the course of the dispute

• With a third-party (such as the ICJ) delivering a binding agreement, the victor may seek to emphasise its argument over other points of view

• Loser may ignore all points-of-view rather than its own; likely to shift focus away to other topics e.g. border security

• Unchanged perspectives are likely due to their high strategic importance for the country, e.g. maintaining bilateral relations with close neighbours

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CONCLUSIONSFinal statements

• Articles from both newspapers did not contain overly-inflammatory content against the other party

– Concept of ‘face’: A derivative of collectivist East Asian cultural logic. Represents an individuals sense of self-worth in social interactions (Aslani, Ramirez-Marin, Semnani-Azad, Brett & Tinsley 2013)

– Critically relevant to interactions between nations on the international stage

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CONCLUSIONSFinal statements

• This research has uncovered some of the possible media perspectives that may emerge from print media content during a territorial dispute, and how these perspectives may shift over time

• Model for media policy in future territorial disputes

• Possible further research: Comparisons between two or more countries on subjects such as journalistic treatment of sovereignty and foreign policy issues

December 3, 2013


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REFERENCESAndaya, LY 2004, 'Johor', in KG Ooi (ed.), Southeast Asia: A historical encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, vol. 1, ABC-CLIO, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA.

Blaxter, L., Hughes, C., & Tight, M. (2010). Thinking about methods. How to research (4th ed., pp. 54-80). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill International.

Crotty, M. (2003). Introduction: The research process. The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process (pp. 1 - 17). London: SAGE Publications.

Media search | Publicitas International. (2013) Retrieved 12 April 2013, from http://www.publicitas.com/en/home/media-solutions/media-search

Nathan, SR 2009, SPH has become an important part of Singapore's nation-building, journalism.sg, viewed 2 October 2013, from http://journalism.sg/2009/03/31/sph-has-become-an-important-part-of-singapores-nation-building/

National Library Board Singapore 2005, Strait of Johore | Infopedia, viewed 4 October 2013, http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_787_2005-01-24.html

NSTP Group 2012, The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad, viewed 16 May 2013, http://www.nstp.com.my/

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REFERENCESOmar, R 2007, 'Malaysia-Singapore relations: Issues and strategies', paper presented at the International Conference on Southeast Asia (ICONSEA), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 3 December 2007.

Rajaratnam, UD 2009, 'Role of traditional and online media in the 12th general election,Malaysia', The Journal of the South East Asia Research Centre for Communications and Humanities, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 33-58.

Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, agenda-setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models. Journal of Communication, 57, 9-20. doi: 10.1111/j.0021-9916.2007.00326.x

Singapore Press Holdings 2012, The Straits Times media kit 2012, viewed 17 May 2013, http://www.sph.com.sg/pdf/MediaKit2012/ST%20Media%20Kit%202012%20(Jan%202012).pdf

Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, No. 937 12 (International Court of Justice 2008).

Steinberger, H 2000, 'Sovereignty', in R Bernhardt (ed.), Encyclopedia of public international law, vol. IV, Elsvier, Amsterdam.

Ting, MH 2009, 'Singapore-Malaysia relations revisited: An "English School" IR analysis', New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 172-198.

Weerakkody, N. (2009). The research process. Research methods for media and communication (pp. 1-16). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press

A presentation at the 2013 JEAA Conference, Sunshine Coast, QLD December 3, 2013

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from both sides of the line: a case study of singaporean and malaysian print media during the pedra...

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