Discourse on Human Genetics Research in Mass Media News

  • Stefanus Khrismasagung Trikusumaadi Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Nasional
  • Noviana Dewi Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Nasional
  • Endang Widhiyastuti Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Nasional
Keywords: discourse analysis, human genetic research, mass media, rhetorical elements

Abstract

The development of genetic research in humans provides new hope for a better quality of life. One of the studies can reveal the molecular mechanism of a disease, the direction of prevention, and its treatment. Online and offline newspapers are one alternative publication for a wider audience. The purpose of this research is to see how the results of genetic research in humans are constructed in media discourse, both in the form of news, features, and news articles. The ideological content will be explored through an analysis of rhetorical elements in news discourse.  This research is a qualitative content analysis, using the discourse analysis method. The unit of analysis is news texts about human genetic research published in 5 online newspapers with the highest readers in the period January - December 2024. Reduction was carried out to obtain relevant news samples. The research results show that the results of human genetic research are discussed in health and lifestyle themes with informative and advocative purposes. The news conveys the latest research results, while also providing recommendations for healthy living at the individual level without a complete explanation in a broader social context. Based on the analysis of rhetorical elements, such presentation indicates the existence of a certain ideology at play in the construction of discourse.

References

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Condit, C. (2018). Rhetoricians on Human Remaking and the Project of Genomics. Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, 1, 19–36. https://doi.org/10.5744/RHM.2018.1007

Dempster, G., Sutherland, G., & Keogh, L. (2022). Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations. Journal of Science Communication, 21(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.21010206

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Fedeli, P., Casella, C., Buccelli, C., Cannovo, N., & Graziano, V. (2019). Genetic Research: The Role of Citizens, Public Health and International Stakeholders. The Open Public Health Journal, 12(1), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874944501912010106

Galasso, I., & Geiger, S. (2023). Genetic research and the collective good: Participants as leaders to reconcile individual and public interests. Journal of Medical Ethics, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108867

Haase, F.-A. (2020). Media Rhetoric. The History, Theory and Applications of Rhetoric as Mediated Communication. In SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3517032

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Kristensen, L. M. (2023). Audience Metrics: Operationalizing News Value for the Digital Newsroom. Journalism Practice, 17(5), 991–1008. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1954058

Kriyantono, R. (2006). Teknik Praktis Riset Komunikasi. Kencana Prenada Media Grup.

Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. A. (2009). Encyclopedia Of Communication Theory. SAGE Publication.

Madon, H., Fadzil, I. L. M., & Rahmat, N. H. (2021). a Rhetorical Analysis of News Article on Work From Home. European Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies, 3(2), 22–36. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v3i2.239

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Mamboleo, G., Chebutuk, R. D., & Matu, N. (2023). Science as a beat in journalism: Current status and implications for the future. Journal of Media and Communication (JMC), 2(1), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.51317/jmc.v2i1.375

Morosoli, J. J., Colodro-Conde, L., Barlow, F. K., & Medland, S. E. (2020). Understanding science communication in human genetics using text mining. BioRxiv, 2007–2020.

Morosoli, J. J., Colodro-Conde, L., Barlow, F. K., & Medland, S. E. (2024). Scientific clickbait: Examining media coverage and readability in genome-wide association research. PLoS ONE, 19(1 January), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296323

Ngoc, T. M., Quyen, D. T. X., & Dan, T. C. (2024). Study on Characteristics of Health Section of Online Thanh Nien Newspaper. European Journal of Literary Studies, 5(2), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejls.v5i2.539

Oleschuk, M. (2020). “in Today’s Market, Your Food Chooses You”: News Media Constructions of Responsibility for Health through Home Cooking. Social Problems, 67(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spz006

Oxman, M., Larun, L., Gaxiola, G. P., Alsaid, D., Qasim, A., Rose, C., Bischoff, K., & Oxman, A. (2021). Quality of information in news media reports about the effects of health interventions: Systematic review and meta-analyses. F1000Research, 10, 433. https://doi.org/10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.52894.1

Rakesh; Krupa, E. (2022). A Study Readers’ Preference Toward Online Newspapaer In COIMBATORE CITY. 35(01), 274–285.

Ramdhan, D. H. (2014). Penelitian Genom dan Implikasinya dalam Kesehatan Masyarakat di Indonesia. Kesmas: National Public Health Journal, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.21109/kesmas.v9i1.448

Sirugo, G., Williams, S. M., & Tishkoff, S. A. (2019). The Missing Diversity in Human Genetic Studies. Cell, 177(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.048

Tjandrawinata, R. R. (2016). Raymond R. Tjandrawinata - 2017 - Industri 4.0 Revolusi Industri 4.0 Revolusi Industri Abad Ini Dan Pengaruhnya Pada Bidang Kesehatan Dan Bioteknologi. Medicinus, 29(1), 31–39. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.49404

Viyanti, Cari, Sunarno, W., Prasetyo, Z. K., & Maulina, H. (2020). Claim and warrant: A contextual physics learning strategy to enhance studens’ argumentation skills. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1572(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1572/1/012011

Wróbel, S. (2015). “ Logos, Ethos, Pathos”. Classical Rhetoric Revisited. Polish Sociological Review, 3(191), 401–421. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44113896

Yang, M., Zhu, H., Li, X., Gong, W., Pang, X., & Lv, D. (2022). Study on the Construction of a Health Lifestyle for Older People in the Longevous Area in China. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912219

Zemlicka, K. (2022). A General Rhetoric for the Life of the Living: Deconstruction, Genetics, and Rhetoric in the Life Sciences. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 52, 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773945.2021.1990380

Adams, R., Challenger, A., Bratton, L., Boivin, J., Bott, L., Powell, G., Williams, A., Chambers, C., & Sumner, P. (2019). Claims of causality in health news: a randomised trial. BMC Medicine, 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1324-7

Adawiyah, R., 1i, I., Aisyah, S., Wadzir, M., Saufi, A., Rahmat, N. H., & Pengajian Bahasa, A. (2019). “Mekdi” scary delivery ads: the analysis of rhetorical elements. European Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics Studies, 3(3), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3517858

Anderson, P. S., Odom, A. R., Gray, H. M., Jones, J. B., Christensen, W. F., Hollingshead, T., Hadfield, J. G., Evans-Pickett, A., Frost, M., Wilson, C., Davidson, L. E., & Seeley, M. K. (2020). A case study exploring associations between popular media attention of scientific research and scientific citations. PLoS ONE, 15(7), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234912

Arikunto, S. (2013). Prosedur Penelitian Suatu Pendekatan Praktik. PT Rineka Cipta.

Azamat, X. (2023). International Journal of Law and Policy | Volume: 1 Issue: 5 2023. International Journal of Law and Policy, 1(5), 1–8.

Badara, A. (2012). Analisis Wacana; Teori, Metode, dan Penerapannya pada Wacana Media. Kencana Prenada Media Grup.

Badenschier, F., & Wormer, H. (2012). Issue Selection in Science Journalism: Towards a Special Theory of News Values for Science News? In P. Rödder, Simone; Franzen, Martina ; Weingart (Ed.), The Sciences’ Media Connection – Public Communication and its Repercussions, (pp. 59–85). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2085-5_4

Ceccarelli, L. (2018). CRISPR as agent: a metaphor that rhetorically inhibits the prospects for responsible research. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40504-018-0088-8

Cockerham, G. B. (2019). Ideology and Health. In The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (pp. 1–2). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeos1308

Condit, C. (2018). Rhetoricians on Human Remaking and the Project of Genomics. Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, 1, 19–36. https://doi.org/10.5744/RHM.2018.1007

Dempster, G., Sutherland, G., & Keogh, L. (2022). Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations. Journal of Science Communication, 21(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.21010206

Dolgov, A. Y. (2023). A study of genetics representation in the Russian mass media (using newspaper publications from the 1990s to early 2020s as an example). RUSSIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD.

Eriyanto. (2001). Analisis Wacana (N. Huda (ed.)). LKiS.

Eriyanto. (2002). ANALISIS FRAMING : Konstruksi, Ideologi, dan Politik Media. LKiS.

Fedeli, P., Casella, C., Buccelli, C., Cannovo, N., & Graziano, V. (2019). Genetic Research: The Role of Citizens, Public Health and International Stakeholders. The Open Public Health Journal, 12(1), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874944501912010106

Galasso, I., & Geiger, S. (2023). Genetic research and the collective good: Participants as leaders to reconcile individual and public interests. Journal of Medical Ethics, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108867

Haase, F.-A. (2020). Media Rhetoric. The History, Theory and Applications of Rhetoric as Mediated Communication. In SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3517032

Herwartz, Helmut; Theilen, B. (2013). Healthcare And Ideology: A Reconsederation Of Political Determinants Of Public Healthcare Funding In The OECD. Health Economic, 23, 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.2917

Heston, T. (2024). Critical Gaps in Medical Research Reporting by Online News Media. Cureus, 16. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57457

Hindorff, L., Bonham, V., Brody, L., Ginoza, M., Hutter, C., Manolio, T., & Green, E. (2017). Prioritizing diversity in human genomics research. Nature Reviews Genetics, 19, 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg.2017.89

Juengst, E., McGowan, M., Fishman, J., & Settersten, R. (2016). From “Personalized” to “Precision” Medicine: The Ethical and Social Implications of Rhetorical Reform in Genomic Medicine. The Hastings Center Report, 46 5, 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.614

Kabata, F., & Thaldar, D. (2023). The human genome as the common heritage of humanity. Frontiers in Genetics, 14(November), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1282515

Kim, H., Novakovic, U., Muntaner, C., & Hawkes, M. T. (2019). A critical assessment of the ideological underpinnings of current practice in global health and their historical origins. Global Health Action, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1651017

Kristensen, L. M. (2023). Audience Metrics: Operationalizing News Value for the Digital Newsroom. Journalism Practice, 17(5), 991–1008. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1954058

Kriyantono, R. (2006). Teknik Praktis Riset Komunikasi. Kencana Prenada Media Grup.

Littlejohn, S., & Foss, K. A. (2009). Encyclopedia Of Communication Theory. SAGE Publication.

Madon, H., Fadzil, I. L. M., & Rahmat, N. H. (2021). a Rhetorical Analysis of News Article on Work From Home. European Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies, 3(2), 22–36. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v3i2.239

Maghrifi, I. R. (2020). Analysis Of Characteristic News Content And Accuracy In Online Journalism (Rape Case by Reynhard Sinaga on Tirto.id News Portal). Qaulan: Journal of Islamic Communication, 1, 27–38.

Mamboleo, G., Chebutuk, R. D., & Matu, N. (2023). Science as a beat in journalism: Current status and implications for the future. Journal of Media and Communication (JMC), 2(1), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.51317/jmc.v2i1.375

Morosoli, J. J., Colodro-Conde, L., Barlow, F. K., & Medland, S. E. (2020). Understanding science communication in human genetics using text mining. BioRxiv, 2007–2020.

Morosoli, J. J., Colodro-Conde, L., Barlow, F. K., & Medland, S. E. (2024). Scientific clickbait: Examining media coverage and readability in genome-wide association research. PLoS ONE, 19(1 January), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296323

Ngoc, T. M., Quyen, D. T. X., & Dan, T. C. (2024). Study on Characteristics of Health Section of Online Thanh Nien Newspaper. European Journal of Literary Studies, 5(2), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejls.v5i2.539

Oleschuk, M. (2020). “in Today’s Market, Your Food Chooses You”: News Media Constructions of Responsibility for Health through Home Cooking. Social Problems, 67(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spz006

Oxman, M., Larun, L., Gaxiola, G. P., Alsaid, D., Qasim, A., Rose, C., Bischoff, K., & Oxman, A. (2021). Quality of information in news media reports about the effects of health interventions: Systematic review and meta-analyses. F1000Research, 10, 433. https://doi.org/10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.52894.1

Rakesh; Krupa, E. (2022). A Study Readers’ Preference Toward Online Newspapaer In COIMBATORE CITY. 35(01), 274–285.

Ramdhan, D. H. (2014). Penelitian Genom dan Implikasinya dalam Kesehatan Masyarakat di Indonesia. Kesmas: National Public Health Journal, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.21109/kesmas.v9i1.448

Sirugo, G., Williams, S. M., & Tishkoff, S. A. (2019). The Missing Diversity in Human Genetic Studies. Cell, 177(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.048

Tjandrawinata, R. R. (2016). Raymond R. Tjandrawinata - 2017 - Industri 4.0 Revolusi Industri 4.0 Revolusi Industri Abad Ini Dan Pengaruhnya Pada Bidang Kesehatan Dan Bioteknologi. Medicinus, 29(1), 31–39. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.49404

Viyanti, Cari, Sunarno, W., Prasetyo, Z. K., & Maulina, H. (2020). Claim and warrant: A contextual physics learning strategy to enhance studens’ argumentation skills. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1572(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1572/1/012011

Wróbel, S. (2015). “ Logos, Ethos, Pathos”. Classical Rhetoric Revisited. Polish Sociological Review, 3(191), 401–421. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44113896

Yang, M., Zhu, H., Li, X., Gong, W., Pang, X., & Lv, D. (2022). Study on the Construction of a Health Lifestyle for Older People in the Longevous Area in China. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912219

Zemlicka, K. (2022). A General Rhetoric for the Life of the Living: Deconstruction, Genetics, and Rhetoric in the Life Sciences. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 52, 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773945.2021.1990380.

Published
2025-06-01
How to Cite
Trikusumaadi, S. K., Dewi, N., & Widhiyastuti, E. (2025). Discourse on Human Genetics Research in Mass Media News. Indonesian Journal of Global Health Research, 7(3), 55-66. https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v7i3.5606

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