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- Volume 6, Issue 2, 2017
Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies - Volume 6, Issue 2, 2017
Volume 6, Issue 2, 2017
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Is it a revolution or a coup? Scandinavian media representations of the ousting of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy
More LessAbstractIn the summer of 2013, millions of Egyptians returned to Tahrir square in Cairo to demand the resignation of the country’s first democratically elected president. This article examines the two key terms mainly used to describe the ousting of President Mohamed Morsy, ‘coup’ and ‘revolution’, and how these terms can be understood as arguments for two different interpretations of the event. Particular focus is given to the press corps of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, which reveals a discrepancy between the interpretation of Scandinavian online press and the Egyptian majority, meaning that the Scandinavian press corps is telling a story that is not recognized by those it is about. While many media producers speak of a severe polarization, it is found that the divide is actually small in number, but grows over time, raising questions about journalistic practice and media ethics. It is concluded that Scandinavian reporting on the Middle East needs to be seriously evaluated and reformed in order to improve its credibility.
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Resistance journalism in Haiti: The role of Radio Enriquillo in the coup against Aristide
By Pedro RuquoyAbstractFrom the moment Jean-Bertand Aristide declared his intention to run for president of Haiti, the poorest mobilized to support him as he raised hopes of a better future after years of invasions and dictatorships. He went on to win the presidency in 1991, which was then called ‘Aristide’s year’ by his followers. Nevertheless, this hope was short-lived as he was rapidly deposed by a military coup d’etat on 30 September that same year. As is usual in these cases, a total blackout of the news media in that country followed under strict censorship and repression. However, in the darkest of moments, ‘Radio Enriquillo’, a local radio station in the south of the Dominican Republic, managed to evade censorship and kept the Haitians informed of what was happening in the country. This is the account from its then director who reported the events as they unfolded and a reminder that journalism can always make a difference as long as it fosters strong links with the community it serves.
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Parallel worlds: A computerized textual analysis of abstracts published in major journalism studies journals 2000–11
Authors: John Cokley, Elspeth Tilley, Susan Hetherington, Daniel Angus and Annie TaylorAbstractA total of 1018 English-language abstracts in the field of journalism studies, published from 2000–2011 in three internationally peer-reviewed journals, were subjected to computerized textual analysis and manual (human) discourse analysis to discover trends. The project aimed to build on previous studies and to describe what the researchers expected would be a new consensus snapshot among editors and top-level reviewers of the evolution and direction of Journalism Studies in the English-speaking world. Expected results emerged and are presented in detail: national priorities dominate two of the three journals while international and generally theoretical themes dominate the third. However, an unexpected result was that while the three journals contain identifiable themes in journalism studies over the twelve years examined, there was negligible evidence of interaction between these themes within or between the journals. Systems theory suggests that the ‘journalism’ itself, which has been the target of the ‘studies’ has been experiencing a period of stagnation and that very little, if any, overall interaction, discipline development and change has taken place. We argue that a root cause for this is the lack of professional leadership in journalism.
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Language use in Le Monde’s print and online ‘news at a glance’: A potential shift in news media role
By Elisabeth LeAbstractDemocracy and media are concepts that go hand in hand. While numerous debates pinpoint to the continuous need to reinforce democracy, financial difficulties keep plaguing western media. In their strategies for news presentations, print and online newspapers may reflect public spheres linked to various types of democracy; this may have an impact on their ability to attract readers. This article explores the print and online ‘news at a glance’ of the French quality daily, Le Monde (LM), through a frame and heteroglossia analysis. This analysis of language use reveals how the introduction of a new technological support has been accompanied by a change towards a more ‘open’ and less authority-prone conception of media function in society, a change that contributes to a shift from an active monitorial to a facilitative news media role.
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Fair game? Journalists’ experiences of online abuse
By Amy BinnsAbstractOnline abuse of journalists through comments below articles or on Twitter is now ubiquitous. The tough-minded industry culture means that it has generally been dismissed as unimportant; however, high-profile cases of rape and bomb threats have given it greater significance. This research, based on a survey of 267 journalists and four detailed interviews, sought to establish what effect it had on them and their behaviour. Results showed that women were more likely than men to report often receiving insults or threats, and had stronger emotional reactions to abuse. News reporters were more likely to report abuse than other sectors of the industry, and were more likely to report problems with online gangs. Many described their powerlessness when targeted by organized gangs. Some respondents described serious problems offline and online, including leaving jobs and self-censoring due to fear of abuse.
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Sharing media content in social media: The challenges and opportunities of user-distributed content (UDC)
Authors: Mikko Villi and José-Manuel Noguera-VivoAbstractThe article explores the distribution of mass media content by the online audience that connects by using the different social platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. The focus is on the new and developing concept of user-distributed content (UDC). From the viewpoint of media organizations, UDC is a process by which the mass media converge with online social networks through the intentional use of social media services and platforms in an effort to expand the distribution of media content. UDC does not have a long trajectory as a study object in media studies. The study suggests that practices related to UDC can be more strongly incorporated into management and journalism in mainstream media organizations, and that the distribution of media content can rely increasingly on the communication structures among the online audience. In the review of the UDC practices, complimented with interviews with Spanish and Finnish journalists, practitioners can find keys for a better understanding of audience management as part of the content distribution process.
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Reporters in the age of data journalism
Authors: Andreas Veglis and Charalampos BratsasAbstractIn the past, journalists were responsible for reporting the news. But today news stories disseminate as the incidents unfold, from multiple sources. Thus, gathering, filtering and visualizing events has a growing value. Huge amounts of data are available, but exploiting them is not an easy task. Data journalism can be defined as a journalism speciality in which numerical data are used in the production and distribution of information. This article investigates the necessary skills that journalists must have in order to cope with data journalism. More precisely, it defines data journalism, and discusses journalists’ Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, as well as the necessary skills for supporting data journalism. Special attention is given to Web 3.0 and open data that can play an important role in data journalism. A survey conducted among professional journalists in Greece concerning data journalism is also presented and discussed.
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Applied diversity: A normative approach to improving news representations of ethno-cultural minorities based on the Canadian experience
By Brad ClarkAbstractWestern news organizations have long been accused of either ignoring or misrepresenting ethnic minorities in the media discourse. Proposals for reform have often been tied to hiring ethnically diverse journalists and to broad cultural awareness initiatives. Despite several decades of such efforts, study after study shows ethnic minorities are all too often under- and misrepresented in the news discourse. In Canada, where high rates of immigration and a burgeoning indigenous population are creating unprecedented demographic diversity, news media still struggle to produce consistently inclusive and equitable coverage. This article draws on research from Canada, as well as the United States and other western nations, identifying the major impediments to more accurate representations of ethnic minorities. It challenges reform initiatives of the past and details their failure to address the dominant bias inherent in mainstream news production routines. The author proposes explicit, new approaches to newsgathering practices targeting that dominant bias.
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News values of amateur photographs
More LessAbstractThis article reflects on the decision-making process concerning the content criteria for the inclusion of amateur photographs in the news. The concept of news values gives an insight into this practice. I ask what content criteria amateur photographs convey that news media workers perceive as valuable, and which additional process-related characteristics are important. The findings show that the sourcing of amateur photographs largely follows traditional news values such as unpredictability, amplitude, conflict and negativity. They also reveal the importance of additional factors such as access and proximity. In addition, the article considers the relationship between the idea of high and low newsworthiness and the sourcing of amateur photographs, and shows that they are mainly applied at the ‘extreme ends of the news spectrum’. This important insight could be one of the keys to understanding how the professional news media adapt in the face of significant change in the media, and where the professional approach of assigning photographers is still relevant.
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‘Ghana in the Eyes of God’: Media ecology and the Anas journalistic investigation of Ghana’s judiciary
Authors: Felix Odartey-Wellington, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Percy BoamahAbstractIn September 2015, investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas revealed covertly gathered audio-visual evidence of judicial corruption in Ghana. We contextualize the journalistic investigation that resulted in what became known as the ‘judges scandal’ in media ecology, emphasizing the importance of digital technologies to the investigation. From a discourse analysis of media reportage, we argue that public focus on the human agency implicated in the investigation is unmatched by conversations regarding the impact of new communication technologies that facilitated the investigation. We suggest a conversational expansion to consider ramifications of new digital communication technologies for social power relations in Ghana, and the potential for holding public office holders to account. By highlighting communication technology as a factor, we direct attention to a potential area for intervention by way of journalistic activity and civil society capacity building in Ghana.
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Situational ethics in photojournalism: Moving beyond doing good or doing right
By Yung Soo KimAbstractReaders have different views on a photojournalist’s ethical situation when confronting the dilemma of whether to continue portraying a tragedy or intervening to help those in distress. Using an online experimental design with multiple stimuli, four situational characteristics were tested. Results showed that citizens (N=100) generally adopted a situational ethics rationale rather than an absolutist or utilitarian rationale. These findings substantiate an earlier study showing that readers do not universally condemn photojournalists who perform their professional duty instead of assisting persons in distress. However, readers would not object to photojournalists pursuing different actions according to specific situational circumstances.
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Newspaper trust and credibility in the age of robot reporters
Authors: Brad Schultz and Mary Lou ShefferAbstractAudience perception of trust and credibility related to computer-generated journalism was investigated through a national survey of news consumers. Results indicated significantly negative attitudes towards news stories produced by computer algorithms rather than human journalists, and that both credibility and trust were key predictive factors in such attitudes. Implications for the newspaper industry were discussed, including a greater need for newspaper transparency and audience education.
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Palestinian journalists, professional values and the negotiation of identity
Authors: Melinda B. Robins and Elizabeth Lester RoushanzamirAbstractThe world of the Palestinian journalist is complex, difficult and emotional. This project examines how journalists trained in what Americans would consider conventional professional values see themselves. A survey of 75 Palestinian journalists is augmented by the self-reports of sixteen long interviews that give insight into the negotiation of personal and professional identities.
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Watching over the watchdogs: Triangulation of press punishment in Sudan
More LessAbstractFew countries have experienced the ordeal that the Sudanese press has lived through. Since independence in the mid-1950s of the last century, democratic and authoritarian regimes have been ‘watching over’ the press through an assortment of councils, committees, ordinances, laws and/or ‘revolutionary measures’. Under all governments, newspapers were suspended, closed down, confiscated and/or nationalized. The current political regime is, however, unique in its antagonistic treatment of the press as it has, since its takeover of power through a coup in 1989, shown an adversarial attitude of suspicion and distrust of the independent press and the working journalists. Using Steven Lukes’ theoretical interpretation of a three-dimensional power, the article assesses the punitive role of press councils, security bureaus and courts in stifling the ‘free press’ system in Sudan, and highlights the evolutionary nature of press control mechanisms in the country. The current regime is given more emphasis, not only because it has reigned longer but also because it manifests the characteristics of both a military and a liberal political system. This remarkable detachment from the ordinary classification of either authoritarian or liberalitarian political systems underlines the major thesis of this article that authoritarian regimes abuse press freedom by adopting and adapting some features of a free press system.
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Children and crime/abuse frame: The view from Botswana
By Eno AkpabioAbstractThe overarching aim of this study was to determine how children and children’s issues have been framed in the Botswana print media. The study universe consisted of news stories on children and children’s issues over a five-year period (2005−09) in Botswana print media. Three newspapers – Mmegi (daily), The Voice and Midweek Sun (weeklies) – were randomly selected for the study. The units of analyses were themes, nature and slant of the news reports. To ensure reliability, two independent coders were contracted to code the content of the news stories. A combination of emergent coding and priori coding was used. The study’s findings indicate that the abuse and crime frame has come to dominate the reporting of children in the Botswana media, which is in line with an earlier UK study. As a consequence, the study recommends more scholarly investigation of the issue and calls for frame evolution to more positive portrayals of children.
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