8/16/2019 An Analysis of Online News Comments

1/4

An Analysis of Online News Comments onChildren's Racial Perceptions in the U.S.

Hsin-liang ChenIndiana University - Indianapolis

755 West Michigan Street,Indianapolis, Indiana 4622-5!"5

chenhsin#i$p$i%ed$

&o'in (% Moeller  (ppalachian State University

!) *$ncan Hall+oone, C 2)6)

oellerra#appstate%ed$

ABSTRACT

This paper studies how a large online community madesense of a television and online news organization’s co-sponsored study of children’s perceptions of race in theAmerica. 2,90 readers’ comments from the !"" specialreport were collected in #ecem$er 20%0. After classifyingthese comments, there were four data sets& all comments,negative comments, positive comments, and popular comments 'comments with ()i*e+. Wordstat , a content-analysis software program, was used to analyze thewordphrase freuency of four data sets. The purpose of 

the content analysis was to identify any similar pattern of wordphrase among the data sets. f 2,90 comments,%,/1 comments '0+ received the ()i*e3 votes fromother online readers. 4owever, the ma5ority of thesecomments '%,/267 19.29+ received fewer than 2 votes of ()i*e.3 8egarding the positive comments, only comments were agreed upon $y the three reviewers. :evenof those comments were highly positive 'over $ased on a/-point )i*ert scale+. n the other side, 1 commentswere agreed upon $y the reviewers as negative comments.4owever, the ma5ority of those comments '6+ wereslightly negative '2.0%-6 $ased on a /-point )i*ert scale+.

Keywordsnline news comments, online news, social issues, user studies

NTRO!UCTON

The days in which people have to wait until the ne;twor*day to discuss news topics around the prover$ial(water cooler3 are long gone. a$rielle >iffords, one "?8 editor noted, (

8/16/2019 An Analysis of Online News Comments

2/4

Thelwall '200+ and Thelwall, Fryne, and >oody '200/+have descri$ed how $loggers use the

8/16/2019 An Analysis of Online News Comments

3/4

?ositive commentsver 1-1.99

/

%

2.60.22.%

 "egative comments2.0%-6%.0%-2%

16%06

%1.9%1.20.60.%

Ta0le . !istri0-tions of comments

RQ #1: Are news comments more positive or negativeregarding the issues of racial preference and children?According to Ta$le %, more comments were perceived asnegative $y the reviewers.

RQ #3: What were the common words and phrases usedin positive news comments?Fy comparison, the top %0 words from the positivecomments have higher percentage of appearance 'Ta$le 6+.:even out of ten words have over 20 of appearance. Ta0le 9. Top 2 common words and phrases frompositi:e comments 3N47;8

RQ #: What were the common words and phrases used

in negative news comments?(=4

8/16/2019 An Analysis of Online News Comments

4/4

comments

comments

Word

=4ehring, Jd. 8owmanQ )ittlefield.)anham, B#, 29-%.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/internet/25storify.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/internet/25storify.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2010/kids.on.race/http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/13/expanded_results_methods_cnn.pdfhttp://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/13/expanded_results_methods_cnn.pdfhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/Understanding%20the%20Participatory%20News%20Consumer.pdfhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/Understanding%20the%20Participatory%20News%20Consumer.pdfhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/Understanding%20the%20Participatory%20News%20Consumer.pdfhttp://informationr.net/ir/12-4/paper327.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/internet/25storify.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/internet/25storify.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2010/kids.on.race/http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/13/expanded_results_methods_cnn.pdfhttp://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/13/expanded_results_methods_cnn.pdfhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/Understanding%20the%20Participatory%20News%20Consumer.pdfhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/Understanding%20the%20Participatory%20News%20Consumer.pdfhttp://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/Understanding%20the%20Participatory%20News%20Consumer.pdfhttp://informationr.net/ir/12-4/paper327.html