Mapping trends: Researching news portrayal of the LGBTQ community
List of Authors
  • Hugh John Leong , Yeo Jiin Yih

Keyword
  • Research, Trends, LGBTQ, News, Portrayal

Abstract
  • A bibliometric analysis of 949 documents from the Scopus database (1992–2023) reveals a growing interest in researching the news portrayal of the LGBTQ community. The United States emerges as the primary contributor, with the University of Toronto leading in research output. Dhoest A, Lovelock M, and Meyer MDE stand out as principal researchers. Keyword analysis highlights a prevalent focus on "queer," while "LGBTQ" usage is on the rise, reflecting a shift towards more inclusive representation. This study provides insights into current trends, addresses existing gaps, and offers guidance for future research directions. By shedding light on evolving patterns in the depiction of LGBTQ individuals in the media, it contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of this important societal issue.

Reference
  • 1. Ahmi, A., Tapa, A., & Hamzah, A. H. (2020). Mapping of financial technology (FinTech) research: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(8), 379–392.
    2. Åkerlund, M. (2019). Representations of trans people in Swedish newspapers. Journalism Studies, 20(9), 1319–1338. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2018.1513816
    3. Al-Abbas, L. S., & Haider, A. S. (2021). The representation of homosexuals in Arabic-language news outlets. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 40(3), 309–337. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-05-2020-0130
    4. Alagappar, P. N., & Kaur, K. (2009). Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Language in India, 9, 24–47.
    5. Amenaghawon, F., & Ayantade, J. (2019). Homosexuality framing by a Nigerian newspaper. 6(1), 72–88.
    6. An, D., & Batra, K. (2022). Trends in scientifific output on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community research: A bibliometric analysis of the literature. School of Medicine Faculty Publications, 7(1), 114–131. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.19204/2022/TRND8
    7. Antonio, P., Ludo, W., & Nees, J. E. (2016). Constructing bibliometric networks: A comparison between full and fractional counting. Journal of Informetrics, 10(4), 1178-1195,. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2016.10.006.
    8. Antunovic, D. (2019). “Turned into the women’s journal”: Representation of sportswomen in Hungary’s sports magazine. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 54(1), 45–48. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690217698674
    9. Ayleen, C. (2023). Covering (il)legible bodies: A CDA of news discourse about undocuqueer life in the U.S. Journalism Practice, 17(1), 48–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1937282
    10. Barnhurst, K. G. (2003). Queer political news: Election-year coverage of the lesbian and gay communities on National Public Radio, 1992-2000. Journalism, 4(1), 5–28. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884903004001439
    11. Billings, A. C., Moscowitz, L. M., Rae, C., & Brown-Devlin, N. (2015). The art of coming out: Traditional and social media frames surrounding the NBA’s Jason Collins. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 92(1), 142–160. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699014560516
    12. Chen, Y. A. (2018). Media coverage and social changes: Examining valence of portrayal of the LGBT community from 2000 to 2014 in two U.S. magazines. Intercultural Communication Studies XXVII, 1, 83–95.
    13. Chuaikun, D., & Wijitsopon, R. (2023). A corpus-based study of LGBT-related news discourse in Thailand’s and international English-language newspapers. Applied Linguistics Review, 14(4), 967–991. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0036
    14. Ciszek, E., Haven, P., & Logan, N. (2023). Amplification and the limits of visibility: Complicating strategies of trans voice and representations on social media. New Media & Society, 25(7), 1605–1625. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211031031
    15. Colistra, R., & Johnson, C. B. (2021). Framing the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples: An examination of news coverage surrounding the U.S. supreme court’s landmark decision. Journal of Homosexuality, 68(1), 88–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2019.1627128
    16. Connolly, M. (2018). Liberating the screen: Gay and lesbian protests of LGBT cinematic representation, 1969–1974. Cinema Journal, 57(2), 66–88. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2018.0003
    17. Crees, N., Grousset-Rees, H., Richards, V., Davies, K., & McLoughlin, E. (2022). Exploring UK media’s influences on public perceptions of LGBTQIA+ representations at pride festivals. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 15(2), 272–292. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2022.2045301
    18. de Jong, M. J. W. (2006). From invisibility to subversion: Lesbian and gat representation in the U.S. news media during the 1950s. News and sexuality. Sage Publications.
    19. Drushel, B. (2023). Where radio dare not tread: Podcasts as queer audio media. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 21, 67–81. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1386/rjao_00073_1
    20. Ferreyra, E. (2022). LGBTQ+ representation in fictional podcast series. Literatura Ludowa. Journal of Folklore and Popular Culture, 66(2), 13–27. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1080167
    21. Fongkaew, K., Khruataeng, A., Unsathit, S., Khamphiirathasana, M., Jongwisan, N., Arlunaek, O., & Byrne, J. (2019). “Gay guys are shit-lovers” and “lesbians are obsessed with fingers”: The (mis)representation of LGBTIQ people in Thai news media. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(2), 260–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1398026
    22. Gabby, G., Shannon, H., Claire, F., & Jennevieve, F. (2017). Changing media and changing minds: Media exposure and viewer attitudes toward homosexuality. Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research, 5(5), 22–34. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/pjcr/vol5/iss1/5?utm_source=digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu%2Fpjcr%2Fvol5%2Fiss1%2F5&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
    23. Gregory, S., Natalie, A. B., Megan, T., Deren, V. P., Megan, C. B., Sara, L., Gary, W. H., Jose, A. B., Lisa, B. H., & Kathryn, E. M. (2022). Media representation, perception and stigmatisation of race, sexuality and HIV among young black gay and bisexual men. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 24(12), 1729–1743. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2021.2008506
    24. Habidin, N. B., Adzmi, A. M., Salleh, M. A. M., & Ali, M. N. S. (2023). Media screen addiction and the evolution of juveniles’ behaviour towards LGBT pornographic materials. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 15(3), 51-65.
    25. Huang, Y. (2017). Media representation of Tongxinglian in China: A case study of the People’s Daily. Journal of Homosexuality, 65(3), 338–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1317475
    26. Ilyas, M., Gillani, A. H., Ghumro, A. K., & Mahesar, R. A. (2021). Media presentation of political participation of transgender community in Pakistan. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry (TOJQI), 12(7), 1762–1770.
    27. Jacobs, L., & Meeusen, C. (2021). Coming out of the closet, also on the news? A longitudinal content analysis of patterns in visibility, tone and framing of LGBTs on television news (1986-2017). Journal of Homosexuality, 68(13), 2144–2168. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2020.1733352
    28. Joyce, N., & Harwood, J. (2014). Improving intergroup attitudes through televised vicarious intergroup contact: Social cognitive processing of ingroup and outgroup information. Communication Research, 4(5), 627–643. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650212447944
    29. Karthiayani, A., & Kamthan, M. (2021). Homosexuality and adoption of children: A bibliometric analysis. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-Journal), 5781, 1–18.
    30. Kerrigan, P. (2021). After marriage: The assimilation, representation, and diversification of LGBTQ lives on Irish television. Television & New Media, 22(1), 47–64. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476420976122
    31. Kerrigan, P., & O’Brien, A. (2018). “Openness through sound”: Dualcasting on Irish LGBT radio. LGBTQ+ and Radio/Audio Media Symposium. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2018.1477779
    32. Khlusova, A. (2017). Legitimising political homophobia: Sexual minorities and Russian television news. In R. S. Sabido (Ed.), Representing communities discourse and contexts (pp. 97–116). Springer International Publishing.
    33. Krstić, A., Parry, K., & Aiello, G. (2020). Visualising the politics of appearance in times of democratisation: An analysis of the 2010 Belgrade Pride Parade television coverage. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 23(2), 165–183. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549417743042
    34. Maharani, P. (2018). Portraying the multitudes: Representative of identities of sexual minorities of Indonesia-based feminist web magazine Magdalene.co. Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights, 2(2), 358–388. https://doi.org/doi:10.19184/jseahr.r2i2.5645
    35. Massimo, A., & Corrado, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
    36. Morrison, M. A., Parker, K. M., Sadika, B., Sameen, D. E., & Morrison, T. G. (2021). ‘Newsworthy enough?’: Media framing of Canadian LGBTQ persons’ sexual violence experiences. Psychology and Sexuality, 12(1–2), 96–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2020.1729845
    37. Muhmad Pirus, M. S., Salleh, I. M., & Muhammad, M. (2016). News media representation of homosexuality: An overview. Forum Komunikasi, 11(1), 65–80.
    38. Nguyen, T. T., Do, A. L., Nguyen, L. H., Vu, G. T., Dam, V. A. T., Latkin, C. A., Hall, B. J., Ho, C. S. H., & RCM, Z. M. and H. (2023). Scholarly literature in HIV-related lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies: A bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1028771
    39. Oyewola, D. O., & Dada, E. G. (2022). Exploring machine learning: A scientometrics approach using bibliometrix and VOSviewer. SN Applied Sciences, 4(5), 1–18. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-022-05027-7
    40. Philips, R. (2021). A corpus-assisted analysis of the discursive construction of LGBT Singaporeans in media coverage of Pink Dot. Journal of Language and Sexuality, 10(2), 180–201. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1075/jls.20010.phi
    41. Rajaratnam, U. D., Victor, J. U., Jayasainan, S. Y., & Fong, Y. L. (2020). Women leaders in the 14th General Election: A comparative framing analysis of the Malaysian media. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 12(3), 103-124.
    42. Rokhmansyah, A., Mulawarman, W. G., & Hudiyono, Y. (2021). Lgbt news on Tirto.Id online media: Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 57, 191–197. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211125.036
    43. Rusly, F. H., Ahmi, A., Talib, Y. Y. A., & Rosli, K. (2019). Global Perspective on Payroll System Patent and Research: A Bibliometric Performance. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE), 8(2S2), 148–157. https://www.ijrte.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v8i2S2/B10280782S219.pdf
    44. Santoniccolo, F., Trombetta, T., Paradiso, M. N., & Rollè, L. (2023). Gender and media representations: A review of the literature on gender stereotypes, objectification and sexualization. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5770), 1–15. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105770
    45. Seidenberg, A. B., Jo, C. L., Ribisl, K. M., Lee, J. G. L., Buchting, F. O., Kim, Y., & Emery, S. L. A. (2017). A national study of social media, television, radio, and internet usage of adults by sexual orientation and smoking status: Implications for campaign design. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14040450
    46. Sink, A., & Mastro, D. (2017). Mediated contact with gay men as a predictor of modern homonegativity: An analysis of exposure to characters appearing on television between 2000 and 2015. Communication Reports, 31(2), 78–90.
    47. Subir, S. Z. (2012). Beyond the closet? The trends and visibility of homosexuality coverage in Malaysian newspaper, 1998-2012. Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 16(9), 1998–2012.
    48. Subir, S. Z. (2019). Analysing news coverage on homosexuality in Malay language Newspapers in Malaysia, 1998-2012. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 35(4), 83–100. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2019-3504-06
    49. Sweileh, W. (2022). Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature on mental health and well-being of LGBT adolescents. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 26(4), 374–388. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-02-2022-0013
    50. Sweileh, W. M. (2018). Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature in transgender health (1900 - 2017). BMC International Health and Human Rights, 18(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-018-0155-5
    51. Ting, S. H., Yeo, J. Y., Jerome, C., & Ling, H. N. (2023). “I am who I am” Mitigating LGBTQ identities in heteronormative society. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 1–23.
    52. Ting, S. H., Chuah, K. M., Collin, J., & Johnson, A. (2021). Spotlight on LGBT in Malaysian online newspapers: Insights from textual analytics. Edpacs, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/07366981.2021.1958733
    53. Ting, S. H., Jerome, C., & Yeo, J. Y. (2023). Deviants or “normal” citizens?: Framing of LGBTQ in Malaysian newspapers. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 23(2), 14–28.
    54. Ting, S., Johnson, A., & Jerome, C. (2021). Backgrounding of LGBT in newspaper coverage in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 3(2), 1–13. http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajbs
    55. Tufan, F., & Şenyüz, B. (2023). You cannot turn my voice down: Podcasts as alternative media for queers in Turkey. Radio Journal:International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 21, 45–65. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1386/rjao_00072_1
    56. van Meer, M. M., & Pollmann, M. M. H. (2022). Media representations of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals on Dutch television and people’s stereotypes and attitudes about LGBs. Sexuality & Culture, 26, 640–664. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09913-x
    57. Wang, G., & Ma, X. (2021). Representations of LGBTQ+ issues in China in its official English-language media: a corpus-assisted critical discourse study. Critical Discourse Studies, 18(2), 188–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2020.1738251
    58. Wang, Z. (2017). Eyeing marriage equality: News media representation of same-sex marriage legalization debate in Taiwan [Master’s thesis, Lund University]. https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8906835&fileOId=8922448
    59. Worthen, M. G. F. (2023). Queer identities in the 21st century: Reclamation and stigma. Current Opinion in Psychology, 49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101512.
    60. Yanita, S. R., & Suhardijanto, T. (2020). Corpus-based analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender representations in Republika. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 28(1), 143–160.
    61. Yeo, J. Y., Ting, S. H., & Jerome, C. (2023). A bibliometric analysis of the research on social attitudes towards LGBT community (2002–2022). Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2186761
    62. Zakaria, R., Ahmi, A., Ahmad, A. H., & Othman, Z. (2020). Worldwide melatonin research: A bibliometric analysis of the published literature between 2015 and 2019. Chronobiology International, 38(1), 27–37. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2020.1838534