Towards the operationalization of controversial news: A study of online news articles and reader comments during the 2017 presidential election in South Korea

Kim, Chan Woo; Park, Hyejin; Lee, Yenn; Park, Han Woo

Abstract

In this brief research note, we propose a set of concepts and methods for identifying and operationalizing controversial news items. Based on an analysis of online readers’ comments posted in response to political news articles in the lead-up to the most recent South Korean presidential election (May 9, 2017), we develop what we term as “controversy indicator.” We calculate a controversy score using the total number of reader comments and the proportion of “upvotes” (indicating approval) and “downvotes” (indicating disapproval) a given news article elicits. Our findings demonstrate the potential usefulness of the controversy indicator in understanding the contemporary news environment, which is becoming increasingly divisive and polluted with disinformation.

Citation

Kim, C. W., Park, H., Lee, Y., & Park, H. W. (2018). Towards the operationalization of controversial news: A study of online news articles and reader comments during the 2017 presidential election in South Korea. Quality and Quantity, 53, 1097-1108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0804-8

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 3, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Aug 17, 2018
• Publication Date: Aug 17, 2018
• Deposit Date: Aug 6, 2018
• Journal: Quality and Quantity
• Print ISSN: 0033-5177
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-7845
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Pages: 1097-1108
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0804-8
• Keywords: Controversy indicator, Election, News consumption polarization, Online news, Reader comment, South Korea