SEMANTICS ANALYSIS OF SENTIMENT POLARITY IN HEALTH NEWS HEADLINES: A STUDY OF THE JAKARTA POST
Keywords:
Semantics, Sentiment Polarity, Health News, Headline Analysis, The Jakarta PostAbstract
This study explores the use of semantics in analyzing sentiment polarity in a health news headline published by The Jakarta Post, entitled “Four Reasons to Try to Get a Better Night’s Sleep.” Health news can influence readers’ understanding and behavior, making it important to examine how meaning is conveyed. The purpose of this study is to identify the sentiment polarity expressed in the headline and to explain how lexical and contextual elements shape this meaning. A qualitative descriptive method is applied, focusing on semantics as the main analytical approach. The data consist of one selected headline, supported by relevant expressions from the article to strengthen interpretation. The analysis includes identifying key words, interpreting their meanings, examining context, and determining sentiment polarity based on semantic reasoning. The findings show that the headline mostly conveys positive polarity, highlighted by words such as “better,” “try,” and “reasons,” which express improvement, encouragement, and logical persuasion. Negative expressions in the article, such as “risk” and “mental health issues,” are used as contrasts to highlight the benefits of enough sleep rather than create a negative tone. This study shows that sentiment polarity in health news headlines depends not only on explicit positive or negative words but also on how meaning is built through context and evaluative language, helping readers understand the message more clearly.
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