In content analysis, which is defined as a scientific method for objectively
analyzing messages in communication, there are various rules that must be
adhered to―similar to the methods in other social sciences. In this article, the
author focuses on whether reliability tests are carried out and verifies the current
status of content analysis in Journal of Mass Communication Studies. As a
result, the author found that the reliability tests required in content analysis
were not sufficiently carried out, and that stricter adherence to the rules was
necessary. Furthermore, when considering the proliferation of data analysis utilizing
computers with higher reproducibility, it becomes difficult to define content
analysis as only a quantitative and empirical method. Because of this, there
will be a need in the future to consider the tradeoff between reliability and
validity, which is an issue in content analysis, in order to establish a new role
for it as a method for achieving a balance between the two.
