State media resilience in the digital era: a systematic literature review of Chinese and Malaysian state media

State-owned media face threats to their legitimacy and competitiveness from the emergence of new media, the rapid rise of the technology revolution, the media sector’s restructuring, and the widespread use of the internet although common perceptions of state media have been studied in qualitative research. To expand the body of knowledge concerning qualitative research, this study aims to examine national news organizations in China and Malaysia along with distinctive features of state-owned media in China and Malaysia. The study has adopted the qualitative research methodology and adopted PRISMA guidelines for reporting. Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched for papers ranging from 2014 to 2023. A few factors are used to determine whenever an item is eligible for selection: access to and usage of English and Malay; qualitative research; and restrictions on evaluating the media environments of China and Malaysia. A total of 26 research papers were included in the thematic analysis. Results demonstrated that the majority of research has indicated that new media has surely had some impact on state-owned media that is headed by traditional media. State-owned media have, nevertheless, generally always maintained a significant degree of institutional influence. It can transform crises into opportunities by depending on the advancement and behaviors of new media.