*Safiyyah Ahmad Sabri, Muhammad Raqib Mohd Sofian, Muhamad Zaki Mustafa

Abstract:

Due to its deeply held beliefs, cultural relevance and potential for conflict, religion frequently plays a delicate role in a plural country like Malaysia. Differences in religious practices, beliefs, and values can cause conflicts and make it difficult to maintain peace and harmony in a society where many different religions coexist. Using Shoemaker and Reese’s Hierarchy of Influences Model, this study investigated how religious conflicts are covered in Malaysian media. Religious conflicts are frequently and widely covered in Malaysia’s diverse society, which is a reflection of the complicated relationship between the impacts of journalistic practices. The model, which comprises of levels: individual, organisational, extra-media, ideological, and societal, offers a comprehensive framework in influencing the contents of news coverage. Using in-depth interviews with 10 journalists and editors from Utusan Malaysia and The Star, this study adopted a qualitative methodology through a thematic analysis from the levels of influences.

Keywords: Hierarchy of influences, religious conflicts, Malaysian media, journalistic practices, framing