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Representations of Australia in South Korean online news: a qualitative and quantitative approach utilizing Leximancer and Korean keywords in context

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Abstract

This article outlines original empirical research using a quantitative computer-assisted big data approach to survey and evaluate the representation of Australia in popular South Korean online news media sources. This is an exploratory content analysis of news reporting (in Korean and English) on Australia in key Korean digital news media providers and distributors over a six-month-period during which certain key events occurred that drew Korean news media attention to Australia. The research aims to address the fundamental question: what forms and patterns of representation of Australia are present in South Korean online news media? It is designed in large part to understand how Australia is present as a theme in Korean online news, and how this theme is contextualized by associated topics, such as trade, security, or tourism. The quantitative analysis is augmented using a qualitative method: a series of key informant interviews conducted with editors and journalists responsible for the production and prioritization of news. Further, it is interpreted by locating the research in the context of the Australia-South Korea relationship. We summarize the complexities that arise when analyzing large amounts of textual content, especially from two very different languages, discuss the opportunities that arise from mixed methods—by combining big data (breadth) with contextual analysis (depth) and offer suggestions for aspiring researchers.

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Notes

  1. The keywords ‘sailors’ and ‘corvette’ are closely associated with North Korea due to the 2010 torpedo attack on the South Korean corvette Cheonan in 2010 which resulted in the deaths of 46 sailors.

  2. In January 2015, a rare and tremendously ugly goblin shark was found in Australian waters—the story received global attention in March. In October 2014, Australian tattooist and panellist on the TV panel discussion program ‘Non Summit’ (also known as ‘Alternative Summit’) announced he would leave the show to return to Australia to study.

  3. Reference to data source withheld for purposes of de-identification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Damien Spry & Tim Dwyer

  2. Centre for Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

    Damien Spry

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  1. Damien Spry
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  2. Tim Dwyer
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Correspondence to Damien Spry.

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Spry, D., Dwyer, T. Representations of Australia in South Korean online news: a qualitative and quantitative approach utilizing Leximancer and Korean keywords in context. Qual Quant 51, 1045–1064 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-016-0387-1

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