Media Perspectives on Ageing in Malaysia

Investigating Vulnerability and Responsibility in Newspaper Discourses

Abstract

Media representations of older adults shape public understandings of ageing and may reinforce or challenge ageism. In the context of Malaysia’s multi-ethnic and multilingual society, this study examines how narratives on ageing-related vulnerabilities and responsibility are constructed across four news outlets: Harian Metro (Malay), Sin Chew Daily (Chinese), The Star (English), and Malaysiakini (online). Guided by the theories of framing and vulnerability, the content analysis investigates the vulnerabilities that are highlighted, the use of episodic and thematic frames, and the attribution of responsibility for addressing older adults’ vulnerabilities. Material and physical vulnerabilities appeared most frequently, while all outlets except Malaysiakini predominantly used episodic framing. Healthy lifestyles emerged as a major individual-level response, whereas government was most frequently identified as responsible at the societal level. Theoretically, the findings show that episodic framing does not necessarily produce the attribution of individual responsibility; episodic coverage can coexist with societal responsibility. Integrating the two theories demonstrates how editorial and cultural contexts complicate conventional frame–responsibility relationships.