How does an online audience react to news stories about gender issues? : an analysis of content developed by three mainstream media platforms (with an online presence) in Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a snapshot of how online audiences react to news stories about gender-issues. The research focuses on the taboo topic of abortion as it generates vehement reactions from both pro- and against camps. Netnography was used to sample articles published between 1 February 2018 and 28 February 2019 from the websites of the Times of Malta, Malta Today and the Malta Independent and their respective Facebook pages. Interviews with online editors aided the researcher to outline a model of the Maltese Media Ecosystem. Verbal and non-verbal audience reactions were analysed through a critical discourse analysis approach. The results suggest that using Facebook to distribute news stories is paramount for news organisations that wish to attract wider audiences to their websites. Furthermore, analytics tools enable mainstream media to understand their audiences’ reactions to news, thereby transforming the news-producer and news-consumer relationship.