The document provides an analysis of media coverage of Malaysia's 2012 budget from October 6-14, 2011. It finds that news media coverage focused on benefits for citizens and was mostly favorable, while social media discussion criticized "excessive" handouts as aimed at winning votes rather than economic growth and had a negative sentiment. Key criticisms across media were that the budget was not sustainable and unrealistic for the economy.

1. All-Media Analysis Seminar
Coverage on Malaysia Budget 2012
6 – 14 OCTOBER 2011

2. Introduction
This report presents the findings of media analysis of
coverage between 6 and 14 October 2011. This period
covers the date immediately before the announcement of
the Malaysian 2012 Budget (7 October), up until a week
after this announcement.
For the purpose of this analysis, coverage was sampled proportionally The sample of online social media discussion has been chosen to be
from a list of media outlets that were selected on the basis of: representative of overall social media posts. This is done by:
> Audience size, beginning with the outlets that reach the largest (a) Selecting online posts for analysis from representative online
audiences in the country; and channels; and
> Volume of reporting. (b) Setting a sub-sample for each market based on proportional size.
This resulted in a sample of 756 media reports for analysis. Thus, a spread of online posts across subjects, across the period has
Social media analysis was also conducted on a representative sample of been analysed. The net sentiment shown throughout this report was
the total 3,526 social media posts that originated from Malaysia in this determined from these sampled posts.
time. The social media posts that were monitored by Brandtology A representative sample of blog posts were also analysed to determine
appeared on forums, blogs, news websites, review sites, Q&As, the messages that they conveyed about the Budget, so that comparisons
microblogs, the public pages of social networking sites and video sites could be drawn with those that were communicated in the analysed news
(comments only). media coverage.
2

3. Executive summary – story focus
These charts show the story focus of each report, article or online post that was analysed
over the period. CHART 1
> The Malaysian Budget 2012 was
broadly labelled a “people’s Budget” in NEWS MEDIA
the news media. Nearly half of the 600 60
analysed coverage focused on the
54.9 55.2
rakyat (citizens), with often detailed
53.0
FAVOURABILITY
discussion of the possible impacts on 51.8
339
VOLUME
citizens of the various policy
announcements. This included the 300 50
government’s cash handouts – often 171
140
described in the media as “goodies” – 106
for various segments of society, such
as lower income households, students
and retirees. As a result of this sort of 0 40
THE RAKYAT OVERALL ECONOMY PUBLIC SECTOR PRIVATE SECTOR
discussion, the overall analysed news
FAV NEU UNFAV AVG FAV
coverage was predominantly
favourable. CHART 2
> As opposed to news media coverage, SOCIAL MEDIA (SAMPLED POSTS)
the sentiment of social media 200 100
discussion of the Malaysian Budget
2012 was negative, particularly in the 145 141
NET SENTIMENT
context of the economy and the private
VOLUME
sector. This negative sentiment was
100 -13.8 84 0
largely due to criticisms of “excessive”
-37.6
cash handouts from the government, -13.1 53
with suggestions that this was aimed -37.7
only at winning electoral votes rather
than at boosting Malaysia’s economic 0 -100
growth. THE RAKYAT OVERALL PUBLIC PRIVATE
ECONOMY SECTOR SECTOR
POS NEU NEG NET SENTIMENT
3

4. Executive summary - leading topics
These charts show the number of mentions of each topic in the analysed news media coverage and social media conversation.
CHART 3
NEWS MEDIA
The most often mentioned 400 60
topics in the analysed 56.0 56.5
54.9 55.5
news coverage were 53.5 53.6
FAVOURABILITY
52.9 53.4
52.5
individual taxes and 50.8
VOLUME
206
incentives, living costs, 175 165 160 160
200 50
142 128
public education and social 117 111
94
welfare. The media cited
comments from various tax
consultants who 0 40
commented on the viability INDIVIDUAL CIVIL LIVING BUDGET PUBLIC GROWTH SOCIAL MINISTRY GLOBAL CORPORATE
TAX & SERVANTS COST IMPLEMENT- EDU- WELFARE ALLO- ECONOMY TAX &
and possible impact of new SUBSIDIES ATION CATION CATION SUBSIDIES
policies across the FAV NEU UNFAV AVG FAV
different sectors. In
comparison, the most CHART 4
frequently – and negatively SOCIAL MEDIA (SAMPLED POSTS)
– discussed topic in the 200 100
analysed social media
NET SENTIMENT
conversations was the
VOLUME
Budget implementation. -4.5 -4.9
100 -14.8 -14.3 0
This suggests that the 76 -24.9 -25.0
47 -45.2 -47.0 -47.4
public has a relatively low 57
-36.5 27 26 25 21 20
confidence that the 19 17
government will deliver the 0 -100
measures that it has BUDGET CIVIL INDIVIDUAL HOUSING GROWTHCORPORATE SOCIAL LIVING GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT
promised. IMPLEMENT-
SERVANTS TAX & TAX & WELFARE COST ECONOMY
ATION SUBSIDIES SUBSIDIES
POS NEU NEG NET SENTIMENT
4

5. Executive summary – further issues and conclusion
> Consistently across both news and social media, the public appeared to contradictory to this message, such as “lack of reforms”, “no surprise”
agree that the “losers” from the Budget announcement were the middle and “neutral impact to [the stock] market”. A considerable number of
classes, minorities such as the disabled and private sector stakeholders. online posts criticised the Budget for neither providing permanent
The online public criticised the high Budget allocation to civil servants for changes to the structure of Malaysia’s taxation system, nor guidance to
bonus payouts and salary increments while low-income groups from the eliminate regulations and promote spending in order to build a strong
private sector were neglected. domestic consumer market.
> Across both news and social media, the most common criticisms of the CONCLUSION
2012 Budget were that it was short-sighted, not sustainable, and > Given the wide concerns expressed about the economic sustainability of
“unrealistic” in terms of the prospects for the Malaysian economy in the the Budget proposals, the government could consider more proactively
near future. Overall, opposition leaders and economists were among the communicating specific details about the proposals to the public. This
most vocal critics of the Budget’s contribution to the sustainable could include providing more information about the development and
development of the economy, while middle-class professionals mostly implementation of the projects, and addressing queries from the public in
discussed its lack of inclusiveness. a timely manner. This will help to boost public confidence about the
> The news media coverage analysed frequently quoted Chua Hak Bin, an government’s accountability in delivering the promises made in the
economist from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who held a cautious Budget, especially in the current global economic climate.
view on the growth outlook and, thus, the implementation of the Budget. > Although the Prime Minister and government ministers have an
His comments resonated with those of other economists and opposition undeniably strong presence in news media, opposition leaders seem to
party stakeholders. be utilising social media more effectively to communicate their
> Some online posts further suggested that the civil services have become messages. Government representatives are still lacking a presence in
highly politicised over the years due to higher distributions from the forums and blogs, whereas opposition leaders and members of the
Budget going to civil servants in order to get them to support the middle-class were active in these areas. A greater government
government. engagement in the social media space is therefore encouraged.
> Speculation about whether the government would impose a Goods and > Future news and social media tracking should relate to the
Services Tax (GST) appeared frequently before the Budget implementation process and results of high-profile projects, which are
announcement. Although the GST was not introduced in Budget 2012, commonly the focus of media and public interest. This would include
the online public expressed concerns that the government might impose financial aid offers for lower-income groups; ministry funding of projects
the tax if they win the upcoming general election. such as the new women’s and children’s hospitals; upgrades of rural
> Although the Prime Minister actively promoted the Budget as clinics; Kedai 1Malaysia; the Langkawi tourism project; and upgrades for
“transformational”, this message did not appear frequently; instead, the the Royal Malaysian Police.
analysed news and social media coverage reported comments that were
5

6. Media type
These charts show the breakdown of news media types and social media channels over the analysis period.
CHART 5 CHART 6
NEWS MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL
TELEVISION & NETWORKING
RADIO MICROBLOG SITE
7.9% 1.4% 3.1%
PRESS BLOG
47.1% 44.4%
ONLINE NEWS FORUM
45.0% 51.1%
> During the report period, news media coverage of the Budget 2012 > Negative reporting appeared mostly in online news, blogs and other
appeared much more prominently in both press and online outlets than social media channels. Nonetheless, some criticisms of the 2012
in broadcast media. Budget did also appear in news media coverage, and these criticisms
> Analysed online news media included more critical discussions of the across the media types were somewhat aligned. This was especially
Budget (especially in Harakah Daily and the Malaysian Insider), and the case with regard to the sustainability of the proposed government
this online coverage was less favourable overall than press and spending and the inclusiveness of the Budget.
broadcast coverage.
6

7. Trend analysis
This chart shows the volume and favourability of articles analysed over the report period. CHART 7
NEWS MEDIA The rakyat responded to various news The media focus shifted to
The media discussed the government’s “over-
articles, expressing their concerns about implementation of the Budget,
200 optimistic” target of 2012’s Budget deficit, and 60
and expectations of the Budget. specifically the allocations to
worrying debt levels in Malaysia.
government ministries.
FAVOURABILITY
VOLUME
100 50
0 40
THU 6 OCT FRI 7 OCT SAT 8 OCT SUN 9 OCT MON 10 OCT TUE 11 OCT WED 12 OCT THU 13 OCT FRI 14 OCT
BUDGET DAY VOL AVG FAV
This chart shows the volume and net sentiment of online posts analysed over the report period. CHART 8
SOCIAL MEDIA (SAMPLED POSTS)
200 Discussions continue about the 60
government’s handouts, with suggestions
Discussion of opposition party
Discussion related to speculation about that this was undertaken in order to win
reviews of the government’s
public votes in the upcoming election.
NET SENTIMENT
Budget allocation, particularly in terms
Budget allocations.
of a GST.
VOLUME
100 0
0 -60
THU 6 OCT FRI 7 OCT SAT 8 OCT SUN 9 OCT MON 10 OCT TUE 11 OCT WED 12 OCT THU 13 OCT FRI 14 OCT
BUDGET DAY
VOL NET SENTIMENT
7

8. Language breakdown
CHART 9
A substantial proportion of the
analysed news media coverage NEWS MEDIA TAMIL
was in English and came from CHINESE 4.2%
online news outlets, including 11.5%
The Star Online, Yahoo!
Malaysia and Malaysian Insider.
Coverage by Malay-language
media was more favourable than ENGLISH
media in other languages. Very 49.5%
few unfavourable reports
appeared in Malay-language
press, and these largely MALAY
consisted of articles about 34.8%
complaints from minority interest
groups such the Malaysian Trade
Union Congress or lecturers from
private colleges. Most of the CHART 10
unfavourable Malay-language SOCIAL MEDIA CHINESE
coverage came from online news 6.4%
channel Harakah Daily.
The majority of social media
conversations were in English,
particularly the posts that
appeared on the leading MALAY
35.1%
channels.
ENGLISH
58.5%
8

9. Commentators/influencers
Below are the leading news commentators and the most influential people in social media in the period that contributed to the topic Malaysia Budget
that were most frequently reported or responded to.
TABLE 1 TABLE 2
AVG INFLUENCE SENT-
NEWS COMMENTATORS VOL INFLUENCERS CHANNELS VOL
FAV SCORE IMENT
DATUK SERI NAJIB TUN RAZAK, MALAYSIA PRIME LOWYAT.NET
67 58.0 POLARIS 27 70 -8
MINISTER FORUM– KOPITIAM
DATUK DR. AWANG ADEK HUSSEIN, DEPUTY FINANCE EDITOR@
15 55.0 HORNBILL
MINISTER HORNBILL 27 43 -2
UNLEASHED
UNLEASHED
TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN YASSIN, MALAYSIA DEPUTY PRIME
12 54.2 MALAYSIAN MALAYSIAN MIRROR
MINISTER 24 43 -25
MIRROR BLOG
DATUK SERI LIOW TIONG LAI, MINISTER OF HEALTH 12 54.6 LOWYAT.NET
ROBERTNGO 3 100 0
FORUM– KOPITIAM
DATUK MUKHRIZ TUN MAHATHIR, DEPUTY MINISTER THE BURSA M’SIA
11 54.5
OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE & INDUSTRY SALAHDIN FORUM – PERSONAL 3 50 0
FINANCE
DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM, OPPOSITION LEADER 9 44.4
LOWYAT.NET
JOE_MAMAK 2 100 -13
FORUM– KOPITIAM
DATUK SERI DR. NG YEN YEN, MINISTER OF TOURISM 8 55.0
MIRI COMMUNITY
RYUNARUTO 2 90 0
FORUM – LOUNGE
CHUA HAK BIN, BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH
8 46.9 MIRI COMMUNITY
ECONOMIST RELAXJACK 2 65 -13
FORUM – LOUNGE
TONY PUA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR PETALING
8 45.6 LOWYAT.NET
JAYA UTARA FLAMING_LION 1 72 0
FORUM– KOPITIAM
DATUK SERI AHMAD HUSNI MOHAMAD HANADZLAH,
8 58.1 READZZAL TWITTER – MALAYSIA 1 56 0
SECOND MINISTER OF FINANCE
9

10. CO NT E NT A NA LYS I S FRO M NE W S ME DI A
News media findings

11. Story focus
CHART 11
600 60
This chart shows the story
focus of each news media 54.9 55.2
report. Story focus relates to 450 53.0 55
FAVOURABILITY
the main focus of the report, 339 51.8
VOLUME
and each report can have only
one story focus. The chart also 300 50
shows a breakdown of 171
favourable, neutral and 140
150 106 45
unfavourable reports, and the
average favourability of the
coverage that focused on each 0 40
main theme. THE RAKYAT OVERALL ECONOMY PUBLIC SECTOR PRIVATE SECTOR
FAV NEU UNFAV AVG FAV
> Most of the rakyat-focused coverage related to the and children as well as common folks requiring that would lay a strong foundation for better
rising cost of living, with discussion of incentives legal aid.’” (The Star, 8 October 2011). remuneration. Coverage stated that these policies
and assistance in the Budget for housing and were targeted at increasing productivity in the
> Most of the reporting that focused on the economy
public education. This coverage often linked to the public sector and enhancing government
discussed the government’s optimistic target of
announcement by the Malaysian Prime Minister, effectiveness in the long-term.
reducing the 2012 Budget deficit to 4.7% of gross
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, that this year’s
domestic product (GDP), down from 5.4% in 2011. > A low volume of coverage focused on the private
Budget aimed to enable the government to provide
Some key economists and opposition leaders sector, but these stories were slightly favourable
for the wellbeing of the people and the prosperity
questioned the viability of the government’s fiscal overall. Reports noted that the government’s move
of the nation. Coverage included:
deficit target and economic growth projections, to further liberalise 17 services sub-sectors over
“The Star columnist, Yap Leng Kuen writes, ‘It was given the gloomy outlook for the global economy. the course of 2012, with the aim of accelerating
quite a refreshing change, listening to the Budget investment, had been welcomed by many industry
> Public sector-focused reporting was the most
2012 proposals that provide an encompassing sources. Coverage stated that this liberalisation
favourable overall. Minister sources, who have
view of the multi-faceted interests and problems of would enhance the dynamism of industry, and
vested interests in their specific ministries, tended
the rakyat. The Government has made attempts to would widen opportunities for new and existing
to praise the Budget allocation that had been
show that it cares about the quality of education businesses to expand both within Malaysia and
proposed by the Prime Minister for their ministry.
and medical care, the plight of teachers, doctors outside.
Civil servants, in particular, were described as
working in government hospitals, retirees, women
benefiting from a new annual increment structure
11

12. Leading topics
CHART 12
400 60
56.0 56.5
55.5
54.9
300 53.5 53.6 53.4 55
52.9 52.5
FAVOURABILITY
50.8
VOLUME
206
200 175 165 50
160 160
142
128
117 111
94
100 45
0 40
INDIVIDUAL CIVIL LIVING BUDGET PUBLIC GROWTH SOCIAL MINISTRY GLOBAL CORPORATE
TAX & SERVANTS COST IMPLEMENT- EDUCATION WELFARE ALLOCATION ECONOMY TAX &
SUBSIDIES ATION SUBSIDIES
FAV NEU UNFAV AVG FAV
This chart shows the number of mentions of each topic in the analysed government’s accountability in delivering its promises to the people.
news media coverage. The chart shows the volume of favourable, neutral > The least favourably discussed topic was the global economy. This
and unfavourable mentions of each topic, as well as the average was understandable, given the underlying negative tone of reporting
favourability of the reports that mentioned each topic. about the global economic outlook. Discussion of the topic was
> The leading topic, individual taxes and subsidies, was often mentioned widespread, especially in terms of how the Budget proposals were
in the context of various comments from tax consultants. Most of these drafted to face the challenging economic conditions. For example:
experts were reported to have commended the viability and the “The grossly weakened global economy and the worldwide increase in
necessity of the introduction of these taxes and subsidies, frequently energy prices have driven the cost of almost every other consumer
citing current economic conditions for the rakyat. Interestingly, the item and service, including those of food, sharply higher … Najib, who
coverage that mentioned taxes and subsidies also often discussed is also finance minister, said the 2012 Budget would be about the
other stakeholders, such the private sector and civil servants. government delivering on its promise to ensure social justice while
> Budget implementation was also frequently mentioned alongside other keeping Malaysia on a strong economic course that will deliver long-
relevant topics, either through constructive suggestions about how the term prosperity for all” (The New Straits Times, 7 October 2011).
government should implement its Budget proposals, or criticisms of the
12

13. Leading messages
CHART 13
VOLUME
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
This chart shows the leading IS IN FAVOUR OF THE RAKYAT 240
tracked messages by volume
IS IN FAVOUR OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR 89
that appeared in the analysed
OFFERS CLEAR MEASURES TO ENHANCE
Malaysia budget coverage. THE WELL-BEING OF THE RAKYAT
69
Messages can be implied in STIMULATES ECONOMIC GROWTH 56
reporting or conveyed
explicitly, and can be either IS INCLUSIVE 55
favourable or unfavourable. DOES NOT PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE
37
DEVELOPMENT
IS IN FAVOUR OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR 34
FAV UNFAV
> The overall favourability of the news media groups to deal with rising living costs. For government for the generous allocation to the
towards the Budget was quite favourable, and example, the message appeared in reports on public sector in terms of ministry funding and
the leading messages were overwhelmingly the provision of RM500 to households that salary increases for civil servants.
favourable. earn less than RM3,000 per month, and free
school fees for primary and secondary
> News media reported extensively that the
education.
Budget is in favour of the rakyat, largely as a
result of the theme of this year’s Budget being > The Budget is in favour of the public sector
“Welfare for the Rakyat, Well Being for the was another favourable message that
Nation”. This message mainly appeared in appeared prominently in both news media.
praise of the various measures that the This message was expressed mainly by the
government was taking to alleviate the burden various ministries and civil servants (and
of the people, especially to help lower income representatives), as they thanked the
13

14. Stakeholder satisfaction
The three pie charts show the proportions of expressions of satisfaction against expressions of dissatisfaction for the three broad stakeholder groups
– public sector, private sector and rakyat.
CHART 14 CHART 15
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
PUBLIC
PRIVATE
SECTOR IS
SECTOR IS
NOT
NOT
SATISFIED
SATISFIED
WITH THE
WITH THE
BUDGET
BUDGET PRIVATE
10.7% PUBLIC 28.2% SECTOR IS
SECTOR IS SATISFIED
SATISFIED WITH THE
WITH THE BUDGET
BUDGET 71.8%
89.3%
CHART 16
> Only about a quarter of the analysed coverage contained an overt
RAKYAT
RAKYAT IS expression of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the 2012 Budget.
NOT
> Public sector expressions of satisfaction/dissatisfaction appeared
SATISFIED
WITH THE most often, with Budget 2012 coverage discussing the extensive
BUDGET allocations for this sector, and commonly citing ministry
22.1%
spokespeople in relation to their relevant areas. The relatively high
RAKYAT IS proportion of expressions of satisfaction/dissatisfaction by the
SATISFIED
WITH THE rakyat was found mainly in letters-to-the-editor, or opinion or news
BUDGET articles that contained comments from members of the public.
77.9%
> Notably, 40% of total analysed letters-to-the-editor and opinion
articles were neutral in tone (50.0 rating on the CARMA favourability
scale), as a result of expressions of both satisfaction and
dissatisfaction in the same media report.
14

15. Leading media by language
TABLE 3
AVERAGE
LANGUAGE MEDIA OUTLETS AUDIENCE VOLUME
FAVOURABILITY
THE STAR ONLINE 674,424 89 53.8
YAHOO! MALAYSIA 60,630 58 53.3
ENGLISH
MALAYSIAN INSIDER
456,895 47 48.4
(ALTERNATIVE NEWS)
UTUSAN MALAYSIA 41,413,162 71 54.1
UTUSAN ONLINE 407,925 58 56.1
MALAY
HARAKAH DAILY
349,027 20 42.3
(ALTERNATIVE NEWS)
SIN CHEW JIT POH 36,987,648 47 54.5
CHINESE
CHINA PRESS 18,870,540 38 52.6
MALAYSIA NANBAN 2,760,000 18 53.6
TAMIL
MAKKAI OSAI 52,000 13 54.6
15

16. Leading commentators
CHART 17
160 80
120 65
FAVOURABILITY
58.0
55.0 54.2 54.6 54.5
VOLUME
80 67 44.4 50
40 35
15 12 12 11 9
0 20
DATUK SERI NAJIB TUN DATUK DR. AWANG TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN DATUK SERI LIOW DATUK MUKHRIZ TUN DATUK SERI ANWAR
RAZAK, MALAYSIA ADEK HUSSEIN, YASSIN, MALAYSIA TIONG LAI, MINISTER MAHATHIR, DEPUTY IBRAHIM, OPPOSITION
PRIME MINISTER DEPUTY FINANCE DEPUTY PRIME OF HEALTH MINISTER OF LEADER
MINISTER MINISTER INTERNATIONAL TRADE
& INDUSTRY
FAV COMMENT NEU COMMENT UNFAV COMMENT AVG FAV
WHAT MEDIA SAYS WHAT MEDIA SAYS
“[DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND] EDUCATION MINISTER “WHAT WE ARE SEEING FROM THE BUDGET IS ONLY ONE
TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN YASSIN SAID THE BUDGET WHICH IS INDEBTING OUR CHILDREN, ENTRENCHING OUR
REFLECTED A CARING GOVERNMENT, ADDING THAT IT STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS AND VERY WEAK EXPENDITURE
WAS BASED ON SOUND IDEAS RECOMMENDED BY CONTROLS … OUR DEBT LEVELS WILL ONLY WORSEN IN THE
ECONOMIC EXPERTS. ‘I THINK THIS HAS BEEN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AS WE EMBARK ON RECORD LEVELS OF
BEST BUDGET SO FAR, AND IT ADDRESSES THE INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING SUCH AS THE RM53 BILLION
NEEDS OF ALL LAYERS OF SOCIETY, SUCH AS KLANG VALLEY MRT PROJECT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE
FARMERS, FISHERMEN, CIVIL SERVANTS, FUNDED ENTIRELY ON DEBT’ [DAP MP TONY PUA] SAID IN A
ENTREPRENEURS AND SO ON.’” STATEMENT”
The Star, 8 October 2011 The Malaysian Insider, 7 October 2011
16

17. FO CUS E S O N P E RCE P T I O N, O P I NI O N A ND B E HAV I O UR O F T HE
P UB L I C FRO M T HE S O CI A L ME DI A
Social media findings
“ @HORNBILL UNLEASHED.WORDPRESS.COM, 11 OCTOBER 2011
“IN FACT, ‘ONE-OFF’ PAYMENTS ARE AKIN TO PLACEBOS THAT GIVE
SHORT-TERM RELIEFS. RELIEFS THAT ARE PLAYS ON THE MIND
RATHER THAN REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO A MEDICAL AILMENT. AND
THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF BUDGET 2012. IT IS A SHORT TERM
PLACEBO, MEANT TO GRANT A ‘FEEL GOOD’ EFFECT AMONG A
SELECT FEW OF THE POPULACE. JUST ENOUGH TO AFFECT THE 5%
VOTE SWING BACK TO THE BARISAN NASIONAL IN ORDER TO RETAIN
THE TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY IN PARLIAMENT. HOW ELSE CAN YOU
EXPLAIN ITS IRRATIONALITY AND DISREGARD FOR FINANCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY?”

18. Social media metrics
TABLE 4
STORY FOCUS ENGAGEMENT INFLUENCE REACH NET SENTIMENT
This table shows numerical
comparisons of monitored
OVERALL ECONOMY 54.4% 57% 66.5% -37.6
subjects based on the following
index: Engagement, Influence, PRIVATE SECTOR 51.9% 56% 66.6% -37.7
Reach and Sentiment. For
definition of the Social Media PUBLIC SECTOR 49.4% 56% 60.8% -13.1
Metrics, please refer to the
Appendix from page 27. THE RAKYAT 49.9% 54% 64.4% -13.8
> Across the social media posts analysed, employers, the revision of the My First Home claiming that the current minimum wage salary
discussions about the overall economy were Scheme house price to RM400,000, as well as is not enough to pay off the mortgage on a
the most engaged (or triggered the highest cash aids and book vouchers for students. RM400,000 property in Malaysia.
level of responses). This was partially a result
> Revision of the upper limits of a property price
of frequent criticisms of the government’s cash
under the My First Home Scheme was
handouts, with suggestions that these
criticised by the rakyat. These conversations
measures were implemented in order to win
commonly described the housing scheme as
electoral votes rather than to impact on
“ineffective”, as the government had not
Malaysia’s economic growth.
increased the minimum wage for private
> Private sector-related discussions also had sector employees. The online public stated
higher reach. These discussions frequently that the government had shown a lack of
related to the increase of the Employee consideration by increasing the upper limit of
Provident Fund (EPF) contribution by this property price, with some contributors
18

19. Top 10 channels
This chart shows the top 10 social media channels that discussed the topic of housing affordability over the report period. CHART 18
LOWYAT.NET FORUM - KOPITIAM
LOWYAT.NET
FORUM - FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
KOPITIAM MALAYSIAN MIRROR BLOG
13.0% FREE
MALAYSIA LOWYAT.NET FORUM - FINANCE, BUSINESS & INVESTMENT
TODAY
OTHERS 10.5% HORNBILL UNLEASHED
42.6%
CARI CHINESE FORUM - LOCAL POLITICS
CARIGOLD FORUM - ISU SEMASA
DETIKDAILY.NET FORUM - POLITIK SEMASA
LIM KIT SIANG BLOG
CARI FORUM - ISU SEMASA (CURRENT ISSUES)
OTHERS
TOP 10 CHANNELS
> Lowyat.NET Forum – Kopitiam was the leading social media channel, contributing more than 450 online posts on the Malaysian Budget. The
online public in this forum frequently discussed the impact of the Budget proposals on Malaysian economic growth. In particular, the cash
handouts and benefits for the public sector were commonly described as “election ploys” to win votes from civil servants and low-income groups.
> Discussions also related to impacts on the private sector, such as the effects of the increase of EPF contribution and the revision of house price
under the My First Home scheme. This additionally included reviews by economists and local bankers of the “over-promised” Budget and the
government’s “overly optimistic” speculation of 2012 GDP growth.
> The discussions from another two popular channels, the Cari Forum – Isu Semasa and DetikDaily.net Forum – Politik Semasa, included a large
proportion of criticisms of the increased salaries and bonuses for civil servants. Contributors to these sites also frequently compared the Budget
proposals from the opposition party to those from the government.
19

20. Leading messages in blogs
CHART 19
VOLUME
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
IS IN FAVOUR OF THE RAKYAT 24
IS NOT INCLUSIVE 15
DOES NOT PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 11
IS IN FAVOUR OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR 8
OFFERS CLEAR MEASURES TO ENHANCE WELL-BEING OF THE RAKYAT 8
IS INCLUSIVE 7
DOES NOT STIMULATE ECONOMIC GROWTH 7
STIMULATES ECONOMIC GROWTH 7
IS NOT TRANSFORMATIVE 6
IS NOT IN FAVOUR OF THE RAKYAT 6
IS NOT IN FAVOUR OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR 6
FAV UNFAV
> A total of 50 of blog posts were also analysed > Economists and opposition leaders claimed means and not offering much clarity on the
to determine the messages that they that the Budget proposals will not lead to the sources of funding for the Budget.
conveyed about the Budget. sustainable development of the Malaysian
> The vocal critics of the Budget in the economy, suggesting that the short-term
blogosphere included leaders of the approach of government spending in the
opposition party such as Anwar Ibrahim, Lim forms of subsidies and one-off payments to
Kit Siang and Wan Azizah, as well as middle- the people does not solve the problem of
class citizens who were mainly professionals rising living costs in the long term. Blogs also
from the private sector. The most prevalent included frequent attacks on the government
criticisms from these groups related to the for its “unrealistic” projection of GDP growth
sustainability and inclusivity of the Budget. and the Budget deficit target for 2012, with
criticisms that it was spending beyond its
20

21. Story line: 6 – 14 October 2011
This chart shows the volume and sentiment of social media posts over the report period, with highlights of major stories in these conversations.
10 OCTOBER 2011 TOTAL MENTION: 417
7 OCTOBER 2011 TOTAL MENTION: 952
The volume of mentions increased on this day, after the opposition party reviewed the
The online discussions spiked when the Budget was announced. Discussions related
Budget allocation by the government. Engagement from representatives from the
to Budget allocation, in particularly speculation about the introduction of a GST, and
government and the opposition party was apparent in discussion across forums and
the implementation of the Budget. Much of the online public perceived the 2012
blogs on this day. Conversations suggested that the Budget distribution is inadequate to
Budget as a ploy by the government to gain electoral votes.
sustain Malaysia’s global economic growth, with widespread claims that the Budget
should cater to all levels of income groups.
8 OCTOBER 2011 TOTAL MENTION: 691
12 OCTOBER 2011 TOTAL MENTION: 325
Conversations continued to suggest that the Budget has failed to address a possible
Discussions continued to relate to the government’s cash handouts, again with
global recession. Budget 2012 was again described as perceived as tool for the
claims that these handouts were allocated in order to win public votes in the
government to win electoral votes. Middle-class citizens claimed they had received
upcoming election without consideration of the impact of the Budget on
the least benefits from the Budget, and that finance aids were targeted only at lower
recession and low GDP growth.
income groups.
CHART 20
1600 100
1200 50
NET SENTIMENT
VOLUME
800 0
400 -50
0 -100
6/10/2011 7/10/2011 8/10/2011 9/10/2011 10/10/2011 11/10/2011 12/10/2011 13/10/2011 14/10/2011
VOL NET SENTIMENT
21

22. Voice growth & channel growth
CHART 21
The voice growth chart shows the VOICE GROWTH
number of unique voices that joined 600
the digital conversation per day. This
provides an indication of how many
people were talking about the 450
Malaysian Budget in the analysis
VOLUME
period. The channel growth chart
300
shows the number of new channels
to which the conversation about the
Malaysian Budget spread over the 150
period.
Both new voice and new channel 0
04/10/11 06/10/11 08/10/11 10/10/11 12/10/11 14/10/11
growth peaked on 7 October, the
day that the Budget was announced. NEW VOICES CUMULATIVE GROWTH
The online conversations spiked with
speculations about Budget CHART 22
allocation, particularly relating to the CHANNEL GROWTH
introduction of a GST, and 100
discussions of the implementation of
the Malaysia Budget 2012.
75
VOLUME
50
25
0
04/10/11 06/10/11 08/10/11 10/10/11 12/10/11 14/10/11
NEW CHANNELS CUMULATIVE GROWTH
22

23. Top influencers
Below are the most influential people in the period that contributed the posts on the Budget that were most frequently responded to.
13 OCTOBER 2011 01:11
USER
“
CHANNEL
COMPARISONS with other countries indicate that we have too many civil servants for the population. Some 1.3 million civil
servants, together with retirees, accounted for nearly two-fifths of the Federal Government’s operating expenditure last year
of over RM150bil”. - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2068415
INFLUENCE TOTAL POSTS SENTIMENT URL
Polaris Lowyat.NET Forum – Kopitiam 70 27 Negative http://forum.lowyat.net/user/Polaris
11 OCTOBER 2011 18:20
USER
Malaysian Mirror
“ But beyond the lofty promises and glossy numbers, the so-called shadow budget, if ever it is implemented, could hurt rather
than benefit ordinary Malaysians.”- http://www.malaysianmirror.com/media-buzz-detail/6-nation/55159-putting-pakatans-
flawed-budget-under-scrutiny
CHANNEL
Blog
INFLUENCE
43
TOTAL POSTS
24
SENTIMENT
Negative
URL
http://www.malaysianmirror.com/index.html
11 OCTOBER 2011 3:38
USER
Free Malaysia Today
“ A government is more than a budget. It is not all money and mega projects and subsidies. The poor will remain poor no
matter what multi-billion ringgit transformation projects are rolled out.” -
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/10/11/battle-of-the-budgets/
CHANNEL
Blog
INFLUENCE
43
TOTAL POSTS
14
SENTIMENT
Negative
URL
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/
8 OCTOBER 2011 00:00
USER
“ This Budget 2012 measures to put cash in the pockets of voters ahead of a general election expected soon.” -
http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/24226/.
CHANNEL INFLUENCE TOTAL POSTS SENTIMENT URL
Hornbill Unleashed Blog 43 27 Negative http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com
23

24. A P P E NDI X
Methodology and
glossary of terms

25. Media Monitors & Brandtology analysis
This Media Analysis report uses both the ABOUT MEDIA MONITORS ANALYSIS
CARMA® media content analysis Media Monitors uses the CARMA® media
methodology and Brandtology’s proprietary content analysis methodology. This
Digital Conversation Management System methodology involves a systematic approach
(DCMS) system to analyse news reporting and that turns media content into meaningful data
social media conversations. that can be analysed both quantitatively and
qualitatively.
This analysis measures both news media
content and online conversations to derive
actionable data from total media intelligence. ABOUT BRANDTOLOGY ANALYSIS
Brandtology combines technology, processes
and trained professionals to deliver accurate
and relevant intelligence to clients.
The proprietary opinion mining and sentiment
analysis technologies aid organisations in
listening to digital conversations across
countries in multiple languages.
DISCLAIMER: While Media Monitors and Brandtology endeavour to provide accurate, reliable and complete information, Media Monitors and Brandtology make no representations in relation to the
accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information contained in this report. To the extent permitted by law, Media Monitors and Brandtology exclude all conditions, warranties and other obligations in
relation to the supply of this report and otherwise limits its liability to the amount paid by the recipient for the report. In no circumstances will Media Monitors and Brandtology be liable to the recipient or to
any third party for any consequential loss or damage, including loss of profit, in connection with the supply of this report.
25

26. Average favourability, net sentiment explained
COLOUR
RATING SCALE USED
This Media Analysis report uses both the Highly favourable 76 to 100
CARMA® media content analysis
methodology and Brandtology’s Moderately favourable 56 to 75 Favourable
proprietary Digital Conversation
Management System (DCMS) system to Average Slightly favourable 51 to 55
News Media
compare and contrast news and social Favourability
media conversation. Rating
Neutral/balanced 50 Neutral
0 to 100 scale
The CARMA favourability rating and where 50 is
Brandtology’s sentiment score are neutral Slightly unfavourable 45 to 49
comparable rating scales to assess
articles/conversations prominence and Moderately unfavourable 30 to 44 Unfavourable
tonality.
Highly unfavourable 0 to 30
The comparison of the two methodologies
is interpreted in a Likert 3-point scale Very Positive + 51 to +100
(Favourable/Neutral/ Positive
Unfavourable versus Positive/Neutral/ Sentiment Positive +1 to +50
Social Media
Negative) as shown in this table. Scale
-100 to +100
Neutral 0 Neutral
scale
where 0 is
neutral Negative - 1 to -50
Negative
Very Negative -51 to -100
26

27. News media analysis methodology
Best Practice Media Analysis
The Media Monitors’ best-practice media analysis uses a An aggregate score is calculated based on these multiple industry knowledge to identify key issues and attitudes
systematic approach to turn media content into variables and presented on a 0–100 scale where 50 is that appear in the media, answer clients’ key questions,
meaningful data. This approach analyses media content neutral. This is an overall rating of the favourability of and, where relevant, provide recommendations for further
both quantitatively and qualitatively. each media report towards the client organisation (and, if action.
relevant, other organisations or competitors). This
Media Monitors uses the CARMA® media content aggregate score is called the CARMA® Favourability The consistency of analysis is ensured in three key ways:
analysis methodology, which is internationally recognised Rating.
as one of the leading commercial systems available. The average favourability is the aggregated rating of the > Most of the variables analysed are objective criteria
CARMA® (Computer Aided Research and Media media coverage analysed. This can identify the potential (such as media name, positioning, sources’ names);
Analysis) uses advanced technology to quantify media impact of media reporting, and can be used to identify > The somewhat more subjective topics and
content, and human intelligence to provide qualitative trends and establish benchmarks for future data. messages are identified by either exact phrasing or
insight and analysis. The criteria for analysis (such as topics and specific key acceptable alternatives, provided to researchers
messages) are set up uniquely for each individual client before analysis begins; and
Media Monitors uses the CARMA® methodology to by a team of media analysis experts. These experts bring > Media Monitors uses multiple researchers on
qualitatively analyse media coverage by taking into their industry knowledge to identify projects to minimise individual subjectivity.
account multiple variables. These include the:
Average Favourability Explained
> Placement of media reports (front page or lead item in
broadcast media and websites);
> Positioning of organisation discussion (headline,
prominent mentions, passing mentions);
> Image (photos, illustrations, charts, cartoons, or the
image content of video);
> Topics discussed in the media and their relative
importance to the client organisation;
> Messages, both favourable and unfavourable,
communicated in media reports;
> Sources quoted (both organisation representatives
and other individuals who make relevant comments in
the media); and
> Tone of content (extreme language, adjectives and
adverbs, metaphors or similes and other figures of
speech).
27

28. Social media analysis methodology & glossary of terms
Social Media Metrics Explained Glossary of Terms
Brandtology social media analysis is based on
Engagement Quantifies the content creation and response Category This refers to the highest level referencing a
keywords and channels that have been identified by a
Index level of a particular subject. This takes into logical grouping. A category may contain one
Social Media Consultant (SMCs). SMCs work closely
account the number of conversations started, or more subjects.
with clients to determine what needs to be monitored,
as well as the number of relevant comments
how best to do this and how to ensure the deliverables Channel A source being monitored for posts.
and reports meet the clients’ objectives. and responses to the subject.
Examples are forums, reviews, blogs, etc.
Using these keywords and channels, relevant data – Influence Reflects the level of influence of a group of
such as author, content, date of content and influence Index online contributors discussing a certain Influence The influence score weights the importance of
of author – is extracted from forums, blogs, news, subject. Influencers are broken down into Score the author/commenter within his/her channel.
reviews, Q&As, microblogs, public pages on social bands of Very High, High, Moderate, Low and The score is within the range of 0 to 100.
networking sites and video sites (comments only) from Very Low Influence. Online contributors who
Keyword A keyword is used as a search term in the
the internet. are active content posters or garner more
matching process to tag posts to the
responses to their content will command a
The extracted data is processed by multilingual natural associated subject.
higher individual influence score. High
language processors to identify sentiments along a
Influencers have a higher weightage in Mentions Number of mentions or posts online.
five-point scale (very negative, negative, neutral,
determining the Influencer Index score. The
positive, and very positive).
higher the total Influence Index score, the Online Public Online public refers to a person or persons
Processed data is stored in databases and accessible more influential the group of online discussing, writing, or posting on social media
via our Digital Conversation Management System contributors discussing the subject are platforms like blogs, forum sites, Q&A sites,
(DCMS). Analysis based on proprietary algorithms is considered to be. review sites or microblogs.
performed on the data to derive statistics, trends,
indexes and charts. Net Sentiment Measures the ratio of positive to negative Sentiment Very Negative, Negative, Neutral, Positive
posts. A sentiment index value greater than 1 Scale and Very Positive.
A priority rating is also calculated based on a indicates a higher proportion of positive posts.
combination of the site and author influence. Voice An author creating the post or a commenter
Reach Measures the width and depth of the subject’s that made a comment.
Social Media Analysts (SMAs) access the data via our
reach across individual channels and unique
in-house ticketing system to ensure the relevancy and
voices, respectively. Voice Growth The Voice Growth chart shows the number of
accuracy of the data, as well as to train the system to
process data more efficiently on behalf of the clients. unique voices per day that have grown during
the time period. This provides an indication of
Once SMAs have checked the posts for relevancy and a “viral” growth type of view to show how
sentiment, Social Media Research Analysts (SMRAs) many more people are mentioning the
check for trends and gather insights that would be subject.
relevant to the client, and produce a report.
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29. CO P YRI G HT © 2 0 11 ME DI A MO NI TO RS G RO UP.
A L L RI G HT S RE S E RV E D.