About the Workshop:

The workshop held on 9th July 2025 in Kuala Lumpur facilitated a valuable exchange of experiences and knowledge among experts from various fields within media and communication studies, focusing on comparative analyses of moral panics and polarizing media discourses in Malaysia and Germany. Participants, including representatives from academic institutions and independent journalism organizations, discussed both theoretical and methodological perspectives, emphasizing how local incidents become symbolic conflict fields and fuel polarizing narratives within media discourses. These insights are significant for advancing comparative research on polarized communication and media control.

Organizers:

Gayathry Venkiteswaran and Melanie Radue

Speakers:

• Zaharom Nain (Nottingham University Malaysia): The 3 R´s in Malaysia: Media and Polarization
• Azmyl Yunor (Sunway University Malaysia): The concept of Moral Panics
• Tung Wan Qing (Sunway University Malaysia): May 13 narratives
• Dineshwara Naidu and Irfan Naveen (CIJ, Malaysia): CIJs monitoring of hate speech

About the Project

The project “Splitting Waves: Comparative Analysis of Polarised Discourses in Malaysian and German Political Communication Networks” investigates how polarised media discourses and political instrumentalisation unfold in Germany and Malaysia—two societies marked by growing populism and ethnic or social tensions. Focusing on the “Berlin Public Pool Riots” in Germany and the “KK Mart Halal Mockery” in Malaysia, the research reveals how localized incidents catalyse moralised, polarizing debates that are used by political actors to mobilize populist narratives and reinforce identity politics.

Methodologically, the project employs a “Most Different Systems – Similar Outcomes” design, emphasizing how structurally distinct societies can experience similar discursive consequences—transforming isolated incidents into broader narratives of cultural threat and high-stakes moral conflict. The analysis is grounded in the concept of “moral panics,” considering how both media institutions and political actors construct threats to societal values, whether religious norms or public order, thus fuelling polarisation and complicating democratization processes. The research draws on recent theoretical extensions such as “polarised moral panics” and “dual panics” to deepen understanding of how these episodes escalate tensions and contribute to enduring political and social divisions in both countries.