Media Content Analysis: A Research Approach

Undoubtedly, the power of the media is not hidden to anyone in today’s society. The news coverage of leading media has shown to considerably affect stock prices; lead to corporate collapses; cause falls in sales of products; result in resignation of senior office-holders – even bring down presidents. Analysis of the media content is a specialized sub-set of content analysis, which is an old and established research methodology. Media content analysis has proliferated as a research methodology in mass communication studies and social sciences with the arrival of television. Media content analysis is applied as a primary research method for studying portrayals of violence, racism and women in television programming as well as in films. A number of researchers have described content analysis as a technique to systematically and objectively conclude and identify the specific characteristics inside a text. The behaviorist and humanistic approaches are two main traditions in content analysis. The behaviorist approach to content analysis is primarily concerned with the effects the content produces. This approach is the one pursued by social scientists. While the behaviorist approach looks forward from media content and tries to identify its future effects, the humanistic approach looks backwards from media content and tries to conduct minute review on the society and the culture producing it. This article deals with content analysis, its importance with respect to the media and various kinds of content analysis.