Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Designing Technologies with and for Youth: Traps of Privacy by Design
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3261
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3261
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 229-238
Author-Name: Bieke Zaman
Author-Workplace-Name: Mintlab, Institute for Media Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium
Abstract: Media and communication scholars studying young people’s privacy often involve them in research in order to better understand their interactions with digital technologies. Yet there is a lack of research on how, when, and why it makes sense to involve young people in the design phase of new technologies and how data protection safeguards can be taken proactively by design. By engaging with the body of literature at the intersection of media and communication studies, participatory design, and child–computer interaction research, this article discusses how youth-centred design efforts risk falling into three traps of privacy by design, relating to: 1) the different degrees of decision power within and between child-centred design guidelines and participatory design with young people; 2) the involvement of young people in design as citizens versus consumers; and 3) the conditions under which their participation in design is empowerment rather than mere decoration. The contribution of this article is a critical, sociotechnical reflection on the challenges and opportunities of involving young people in privacy by design decision-making. The article concludes by outlining an agenda for participatory design within an encompassing empowerment and digital citizenship framework that invites young people to reflect on who they want to be in a data-driven society.
Keywords: digital citizenship; empowerment; participatory design; personal data; privacy; privacy by design; youth
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:229-238

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Privacy and Digital Data of Children with Disabilities: Scenes from Social Media Sharenting
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3350
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3350
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 218-228
Author-Name: Gerard Goggin
Author-Workplace-Name: Wee Kim Wee School of Information and Communication, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Author-Name: Katie Ellis
Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Culture & Technology, Curtin University, Australia
Abstract: Children with disabilities have been an overlooked group in the debates on privacy and data management, and the emergence of discourses on responsibilization. In this article, we offer a preliminary overview, conceptualization, and reflection on children with disabilities, their experiences and perspectives in relation to privacy and data when it comes to existing and emergent digital technology. To give a sense of the issues at play, we provide a brief case study of “sharenting” on social media platform (that is, sharing by parents of images and information about their children with disabilities). We conclude with suggestions for the research and policy agenda in this important yet neglected area.
Keywords: accessibility; children with disabilities; data rights; disability rights; Internet rights; privacy
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:218-228

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: “The Kids Hate It, but We Love It!”: Parents’ Reviews of Circle
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3247
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3247
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 208-217
Author-Name: Davide Cino
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Performing Arts, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy
Author-Name: Giovanna Mascheroni
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Performing Arts, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy
Author-Name: Ellen Wartella
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, USA
Abstract: The contribution aims to present a critical analysis of Circle—a screen time management and parental control device—through the lens of parental mediation, children’s surveillance, and children’s rights to online participation. Circle promises to sell parents peace of mind by allowing them to monitor their children’s online activities. In order to investigate how parents themselves understand Circle, we conducted a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of a sample of 154 parental reviews about the device on Amazon and Searchman by parents of children from early childhood to adolescence, with respect to perceived advantages and disadvantages of the device, parenting styles, and (the absence of) children’s voice and agency. Results suggest an ambivalent relationship between parents and the device. Most reviews adhere to the dominant discourses on ‘screen time,’ framing children’s ‘intimate surveillance’ as a good parenting practice, and emphasize the need for the ‘responsible parents’ to manage their children’s online experiences with the aid of Circle. Others, in turn, criticize the device for failing to enable fine grained monitoring, while few reported the device could dismiss children’s voice and cause conflicts in the households. Overall, findings suggest that parental control devices may promote restrictive mediation styles hindering children’s voice and their exploratory and participatory agency online.
Keywords: children; Circle; parental mediation; privacy; surveillance
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:208-217

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Digital by Default: Children’s Capacity to Understand and Manage Online Data and Privacy
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3407
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3407
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 197-207
Author-Name: Mariya Stoilova
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Author-Name: Sonia Livingstone
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Author-Name: Rishita Nandagiri
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Abstract: How do children understand the privacy implications of the contemporary digital environment? This question is pressing as technologies transform children’s lives into data which is recorded, tracked, aggregated, analysed and monetized. This article takes a child-centred, qualitative approach to charting the nature and limits of children’s understanding of privacy in digital contexts. We conducted focus group interviews with 169 UK children aged 11–16 to explore their understanding of privacy in three distinct digital contexts—interpersonal, institutional and commercial. We find, first, that children primarily conceptualize privacy in relation to interpersonal contexts, conceiving of personal information as something they have agency and control over as regards deciding when and with whom to share it, even if they do not always exercise such control. This leads them to some misapprehensions about how personal data is collected, inferred and used by organizations, be these public institutions such as their schools or commercial businesses. Children’s expectation of agency in interpersonal contexts, and their tendency to trust familiar institutions such as their schools, make for a doubly problematic orientation towards data and privacy online in commercial contexts, leading to a mix of frustration, misapprehension and risk. We argue that, since the complexity of the digital environment challenges teachers’ capacity to address children’s knowledge gaps, businesses, educators, parents and the state must exercise a shared responsibility to create a legible, transparent and privacy-respecting digital environment in which children can exercise genuine choice and agency.
Keywords: children; digital environment; data; datafication; digital by default; media literacy; peer learning; privacy
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:197-207

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Navigating Onlife Privacy: A Family Environment Perspective on Children’s Moral Principles
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3277
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3277
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 185-196
Author-Name: Joke Bauwens
Author-Workplace-Name: CEMESO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Author-Name: Katleen Gabriels
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Philosophy, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Author-Name: Lien Mostmans
Author-Workplace-Name: Office of Research and Innovation, Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Belgium
Abstract: This article illuminates which moral principles children and their parents invoke to explain onlife privacy-related practices from a family ecological and narrative approach. It draws on a focused ethnographic study with 10 Flemish socially privileged families with a keen interest in digital technologies and at least one child entering their teenage years. We analyse our data through the analytical lens of a sociopsychological framework that considers children’s privacy experiences from three dimensions: self-ego, environmental, and interpersonal. Overall, this article concludes that while risk-averse concerns are present in both the parents’ and children’s narratives about onlife privacy, parents have allowed their maturing children considerable privacy and leeway. Also, both parents and children articulated the importance of respecting one another’s privacy. We frame this set of principles as ‘quadruple R’: responsibility, risk, reputation, and respect for privacy.
Keywords: children; emerging teenagers; family environment; morality; onlife; privacy
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:185-196

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Strengthening Children’s Privacy Literacy through Contextual Integrity
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3236
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3236
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 175-184
Author-Name: Priya C. Kumar
Author-Workplace-Name: College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, USA
Author-Name: Mega Subramaniam
Author-Workplace-Name: College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, USA
Author-Name: Jessica Vitak
Author-Workplace-Name: College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, USA
Author-Name: Tamara L. Clegg
Author-Workplace-Name: College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, USA
Author-Name: Marshini Chetty
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Computer Science, University of Chicago, USA
Abstract: Researchers and policymakers advocate teaching children about digital privacy, but privacy literacy has not been theorized for children. Drawing on interviews with 30 families, including 40 children, we analyze children’s perspectives on password management in three contexts—family life, friendship, and education—and develop a new approach to privacy literacy grounded in Nissenbaum’s contextual integrity framework. Contextual integrity equates privacy with appropriate flows of information, and we show how children’s perceptions of the appropriateness of disclosing a password varied across contexts. We explain why privacy literacy should focus on norms rather than rules and discuss how adults can use learning moments to strengthen children’s privacy literacy. We argue that equipping children to make privacy-related decisions serves them better than instructing them to follow privacy-related rules.
Keywords: children; contextual integrity; digital technology; learning moments; password management; privacy education; privacy literacy; transmission principles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:175-184

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Children’s and Parents’ Perceptions of Online Commercial Data Practices: A Qualitative Study
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3232
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3232
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 163-174
Author-Name: Laurien Desimpelaere
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Belgium
Author-Name: Liselot Hudders
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Belgium / Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organization, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium
Author-Name: Dieneke Van de Sompel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Belgium / Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organization, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium
Abstract: Children’s personal data are often collected for commercial aims. Although regulations in different countries aim to protect children’s privacy (e.g., by imposing websites to request parental consent for the processing of children’s data for commercial purposes), concerns about protecting children’s online data continue to rise. This article therefore aims to get insights into parents’ and children’s privacy coping strategies and perceptions underlying these strategies. In-depth interviews with ten parents and nine children (8–11 years) were conducted. Findings show that although children engaged in avoidance (e.g., leaving the particular website) and confrontation (e.g., seeking support) strategies, they mainly did this to protect their privacy from malicious individuals—and not from commercial parties. Participating children also lacked general knowledge about both explicit and implicit data practices. To protect their children’s privacy, parents in this study mainly adopted restrictive mediation strategies, but lacked the knowledge to undertake concrete actions in the case of implicit data collection. Implications for policymakers are discussed.
Keywords: children; coping; data collection; online privacy; parents; privacy literacy
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:163-174

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Editorial: Children’s Voices on Privacy Management and Data Responsibilization
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3722
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3722
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 158-162
Author-Name: Ralf De Wolf
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, imec-mict, Ghent University, Belgium
Author-Name: Mariek M. P. Vanden Abeele
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Abstract: Contemporary children live in datafied societies in which they navigate and use technological innovations that drive on their personal information. Instructing privacy literacy is often presented as a key solution to help children manage their personal data responsibly. While there is agreement on the empowering potential of privacy literacy for children, there are also concerns over the burden that this responsibility places on them and their capacity for resilience. Children are key stakeholders in this debate. Nonetheless, we rarely hear their voices on issues related to their online privacy and data responsibilization. The articles included in this thematic issue account for this limitation by amplifying the voices of children, looking into the practices of parents and exploring the role of the tools being used.
Keywords: children; data responsibilization; empowerment; online; parents; privacy; sharenting
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:158-162

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Free Speech Under Pressure: The Effect of Online Harassment on Literary Writers
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3252
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3252
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 145-157
Author-Name: Juliane Wegner
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media Research, University of Rostock, Germany
Author-Name: Elizabeth Prommer
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media Research, University of Rostock, Germany
Author-Name: Carlos Collado Seidel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of History and Cultural Studies, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
Abstract: In the perception of writers in Germany, free speech is under strong pressure. A survey study, in which 526 literature writers took part, reveals innumerable aspects of hate speech, online harassment, and even physical assaults. Every second person has already experienced assaults on his or her person and is also aware of attacks on colleagues. Three quarters are concerned about freedom of expression in Germany and complain of an increase in threats, intimidation, and hateful reactions. The research project was developed in collaboration between the Institute for Media Research, University of Rostock, and the PEN Center Germany.
Keywords: democratic discourse; freedom of expression; hate speech; self-censorship
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:145-157

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: American Muslim Character Cancellation: Framing Engagement through the Sphere of Deviance
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3121
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3121
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 133-144
Author-Name: Jibril Latif
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mass Communications and Media, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait
Abstract: While freedom of religion is constitutionally safeguarded in the United States, practice and expression thereof are modulated by apparatuses exhorting both ethnic and faith communities to flatten into expedient caricatures. The ‘moderate Muslim’ caricature is contingently acknowledged as a victim of animus thereby expected to unquestioningly advance state objectives. American Muslim scholars consequentially maintain a vigilant wariness of state engagement, sentiments further intensified when Donald Trump came to power. With the Trump regime’s perilous track record, Muslims willing to engage the federal government during the initial term were expectedly criticized. Situating the American Muslim communal consultation process (<em>al-shūrā</em>), this article analyzes 100 opinion editorials responding to the Department of State’s formation of the Commission on Unalienable Rights in 2019, and its inclusion of a recognizable Muslim scholar as commissioner. For disparate reasons, editorials authored by critical communal voices formulated a perceived consensus against any engagement with the regime whatsoever, suggesting self-censoring expressive parameters and balkanization. Using Daniel Hallin’s sphere of deviance, findings indicate that amidst increased expectations for religious leaders to be more accessible and accommodating, communal consultation on political issues broke down in the virtual spaces the scholar’s critics inhabited whilst his own public relations messaging operated with discernable ambivalence. Findings further suggest that as American Muslims increasingly identify with the social justice language of the far-left, communal thought leaders’ racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds disproportionately factor into how their words and engagements are interpreted and tolerated.
Keywords: American Muslim; Arab media; balkanization; cancel culture; media framing
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:133-144

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: ‘Four Populisms’ of Alexey Navalny: An Analysis of Russian Non-Systemic Opposition Discourse on YouTube
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3169
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3169
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 121-132
Author-Name: Sofya Glazunova
Author-Workplace-Name: Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Abstract: The rise of populist movements across the globe has instigated considerable research interest into populism, predominantly in Western democracies. Non-democratic Russia, however, is not exempt from this populist trend, and distinguishable populist rhetoric can be observed both inside and outside the establishment. Alexey Navalny, who regularly organises mass protests in Russia, is considered to be an outsider of systemic politics. Despite several unsuccessful attempts to be elected, his popularity continues to grow, largely due to digital instruments such as YouTube. In light of limited press freedom, YouTube has become one of the most trustworthy platforms for Navalny to publish his investigative documentaries about Russian corruption. In his videos, Navalny adopts a populist communication style to oppose himself to Putin’s ‘corrupt’ elite. Different investigative journalism practices help Navalny to discredit the establishment, whereas his activist appeals may motivate his supporters to engage in political action. In this article, I explore how Navalny combines the practices of investigative journalism and civic activism in his populist communication on YouTube. Using the method of content analysis, I explore a case study of Navalny’s YouTube communication and reveal four types of populism which play a special role in his narration. These are ‘superficial,’ ‘investigative,’ ‘radical,’ and ‘advocacy’ populisms. Advocacy<em> </em>populism, for instance, provides evidence of corruption elite crimes through journalism practices and in calling people to political action. The most visible concentration of these parts of narration was observed in YouTube videos released by the activist before and during anti-corruption protests of 2017.
Keywords: corruption; digital activism; investigative journalism; opposition; populism; press freedom; YouTube
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:121-132

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Freedom of Expression and Alternatives for Internet Governance: Prospects and Pitfalls
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3299
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3299
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 110-120
Author-Name: Emma Ricknell
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, Linnaeus University, Sweden
Abstract: This article dives into the ongoing debate on how to address concerns of personal safety and respect online, as well as consequences for exposure to polarizing and in various ways harmful information, while at the same time safeguarding the democratic essentials of freedom of expression and participation. It does so by examining the issue from a less common angle, namely who governs the Internet and the platforms where much of the toxic material appears. By applying a model of free speech regulation conceptualized by legal scholar Jack Balkin (2018a, 2018b), the article explores different theoretical future scenarios of Internet governance involving three main players, namely governments, private companies, and speakers. The analysis finds that depending on which player is at the forefront, the outcomes from the standpoint of participation and freedom of speech may be drastically different. While there is potential for transformation that can enable more ownership, transparency, and agency for citizens and news media, some potential paths will place ever-increasing control over the interests of users.
Keywords: decentralization; freedom of expression; Internet governance; social media platforms; walled garden
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:110-120

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Editorial: Freedom of Expression and the Online Abyss
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3693
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3693
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 107-109
Author-Name: Maria Elliot
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Journalism, Linnaeus University, Sweden
Author-Name: Kristoffer Holt
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Journalism, Linnaeus University, Sweden
Abstract: This introduction to the thematic issue <em>Freedom of Expression, Democratic Discourse and the Social Media</em> discusses the state of the debate surrounding freedom of expression in the field of communication studies and presents four original articles dealing with freedom of speech in contemporary media from different perspectives.
Keywords: democratic discourse; freedom of expression; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:107-109

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Digital Public Sphere and Geography: The Influence of Physical Location on Twitter’s Political Conversation
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3145
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3145
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 96-106
Author-Name: Andreu Casero-Ripollés
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, Spain
Author-Name: Josep-Lluís Micó-Sanz
Author-Workplace-Name: Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain
Author-Name: Míriam Díez-Bosch
Author-Workplace-Name: Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain
Abstract: Social media has instituted new parameters for the political conversation in the digital public sphere. Previous research had identified several of these new phenomena: political polarisation, hate speech discourses, and fake news, among others. However, little attention has been paid to the users’ geographical location, specifically to the role location plays in political discussion on social media, and to its further implications in the digital public sphere. A priori, we might think that on the digital landscape geographical restrictions no longer condition political debate, allowing increasingly diverse users to participate in, and influence, the discussion. To analyse this, machine learning techniques were used to study Twitter’s political conversation about the negotiation process for the formation of the government in Spain that took place between 2015 and 2016. A big data sample of 127,3 million tweets associated with three Spanish cities (Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia) was used. The results show that the geographical location of the users directly affects the political conversation on Twitter, despite the dissolution of the physical restrictions that the online environment favours. Demographics, cultural factors, and proximity to the centres of political power are factors conditioning the structure of digital political debate. These findings are a novel contribution to the design of more effective political campaigns and strategies, and provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the digital public sphere provided by Twitter.
Keywords: big data; democracy; digital public sphere; geography; political communication; political discussion; social media; Twitter
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:96-106

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Political Opinion Formation as Epistemic Practice: The Hashtag Assemblage of #metwo
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3164
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3164
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 84-95
Author-Name: Sebastian Berg
Author-Workplace-Name: Research Group “Democracy & Digitalization,” Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, Germany
Author-Name: Tim König
Author-Workplace-Name: Research Group “Democracy & Digitalization,” Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, Germany
Author-Name: Ann-Kathrin Koster
Author-Workplace-Name: Schaufler Kolleg, Technical University Dresden, Germany
Abstract: The article contributes to the literature on the political use of hashtags. We argue that hashtag assemblages could be understood in the tradition of representing public opinion through datafication in the context of democratic politics. While traditional data-based epistemic practices like polls lead to the ‘passivation’ of citizens, in the digital constellation this tendency is currently challenged. In media like Twitter, hashtags serve as a technical operator to order the discursive fabrication of diverse publicly articulated opinions that manifest in the assemblage of tweets, algorithms and criticisms. We conceptualize such a critical public as an epistemic sensorium for dislocations based on the expression of experienced social imbalances and its political amplification. On the level of opinion formation, this constitutes a process of democratization, allowing for the expression of diverse opinions and issues even under singular hashtags. Despite this diversity, we see a strong tendency of publicly relevant actors such as news outlets to represent digital forms of opinion expression as unified movements. We argue that this tendency can partly be explained by the affordances of networked media, relating the process of objectification to the network position of the observer. We make this argument empirically plausible by applying methods of network analysis and topic modelling to a dataset of 196,987 tweets sampled via the hashtag #metwo that emerged in the German Twittersphere in the summer of 2018 and united a discourse concerned with racism and identity. In light of this data, we not only demonstrate the hashtag assemblage’s heterogeneity and potential for subaltern agency; we also make visible how hashtag assemblages as epistemic practices are inherently dynamic, distinguishing it from opinion polling through the limited observational capacities and active participation of the actors representing its claims within the hybrid media system.
Keywords: #metwo; assemblages; big data; datafication; democracy; epistemic practices; hashtag; network analysis; topic modelling; Twitter analysis
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:84-95

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Social Media, Populism, and Migration
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3212
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3212
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 73-83
Author-Name: Mario Datts
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Sciences, University of Hildesheim, Germany
Abstract: Several scholars have attributed high hopes to social media regarding their alleged ability to enable a nonhierarchical and freely accessible debate among the citizenship (Loader &amp; Mercea, 2011; Shirky, 2011). Those hopes have culminated in theses such those describing the social web as being a ‘new public sphere’ (Castells, 2009, p. 125) as well as in expectations regarding its revitalizing potential for the ‘Habermas’s public sphere’ (Kruse, Norris, &amp; Flinchum, 2018, p. 62). Yet, these assumptions are not uncontested, particularly in the light of socially mediated populism (Mazzoleni &amp; Bracciale, 2018). Interestingly, research on populism in the social web is still an exception. The same is true for the populist permeation of the social media discourse on migration, as a highly topical issue. This study seeks to elaborate on this research gap by examining to what extent the Twitter debate on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) was permeated by populist content. For this purpose, almost 70,000 tweets on the most important Hashtags referring to the GCM that took place in Marrakesh in December 2018 were collected and the 500 widest-reaching tweets analysed in terms of their populist permeation. Against initial expectations, the empirical findings show that populist narratives did not dominate the Twitter debate on migration. However, the empirical results indicate that ordinary citizens play an important role in the creation and dissemination of populist content. It seems that the social web widens the public sphere, including those actors who do not communicate in accordance with the Habermasian conceptualization of it.
Keywords: migration; populism; social media; Twitter
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:73-83

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Measuring Online Political Dialogue: Does Polarization Trigger More Deliberation?
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3149
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3149
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 63-72
Author-Name: Ignacio-Jesús Serrano-Contreras
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, University of Granada, Spain
Author-Name: Javier García-Marín
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, University of Granada, Spain
Author-Name: Óscar G. Luengo
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, University of Granada, Spain
Abstract: In recent years, we have witnessed an increasing consolidation of different realms where citizens can deliberate and discuss a variety of topics of general interest, including politics. The comments on news posts in online media are a good example. The first theoretical contributions called attention to the potential of those spaces to build a <em>healthy </em>(civic and participatory) public sphere, going much deeper in the process of political dialogue and deliberation (Fung, Gilman, &amp; Shkabatur, 2013; Lilleker &amp; Jackson, 2008; O’Reilly, 2005; Stromer-Galley &amp; Wichowski, 2011). Polarization has been configured as a constant feature of the quality of the mentioned dialogues, particularly in Mediterranean countries (polarized pluralists’ cases). One of the research challenges at the moment has to do with the scrutiny of polarization within the political deliberation provoked by news stories. The goal of this article is the analysis of political dialogue from the perspective of the polarization in the increasingly popular network YouTube, which is presenting very particular characteristics. Using a sample of almost 400,000 posted comments about diverse topics (climate change, the Catalonian crisis, and Political parties’ electoral ads) we propose an automated method in order to measure polarization. Our hypothesis is that the number of comments (quantitative variable) is positively related to their polarization (qualitative variable). We will also include in the examination information about the ideological editorial line of newspapers, the type of topic under discussion, the amount of traceable dialogue, etc. We propose an index to (1) measure the polarization of each comment and use it to show how this value has behaved over time; and (2) verify the hypothesis using the average polarization of comments for each video.
Keywords: algorithms; polarization; public sphere; social media; text mining; YouTube
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:63-72

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Incidental Exposure to Non-Like-Minded News through Social Media: Opposing Voices in Echo-Chambers’ News Feeds
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3146
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3146
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 53-62
Author-Name: Pere Masip
Author-Workplace-Name: Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Ramon Llull University, Spain
Author-Name: Jaume Suau
Author-Workplace-Name: Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Ramon Llull University, Spain
Author-Name: Carlos Ruiz-Caballero
Author-Workplace-Name: Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, Ramon Llull University, Spain
Abstract: Debates about post-truth need to take into account how news re-disseminates in a hybrid media system in which social networks and audience participation play a central role. Hence, there is a certain risk of reducing citizens’ exposure to politically adverse news content, creating ‘echo chambers’ of political affinity. This article presents the results of research conducted in agreement with 18 leading Spanish online news media, based on a survey (N = 6625) of their registered users. The results highlight that high levels of selective exposure that are a characteristic of offline media consumption are being moderated in the online realm. Although most of the respondents get news online from like-minded media, the figures related to those who also get news from media with a different media ideology should not be underestimated. As news consumption is becoming more ‘social,’ our research points out that Spanish citizens who are more active on social media sites are more likely to be exposed to news content from different ideological positions than those who are less active users. There is a weak association between the use of a particular social network site and gaining access to like- and non-like-minded news.
Keywords: incidental exposure; news consumption; polarization; selective exposure; social media; Spain
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:53-62

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Ready for the World? Measuring the (Trans-)National Quality of Political Issue Publics on Twitter
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3162
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3162
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 40-52
Author-Name: Wolf J. Schünemann
Author-Workplace-Name: Political Science Department, Institute of Social Sciences, Hildesheim University, Germany
Abstract: This article presents a multi-method research design for measuring the (trans-)national quality of issue publics on Twitter. Online communication is widely perceived as having the potential to overcome nationally bound public spheres. Social media, in particular, are seen as platforms and drivers of transnational communication through which users can easily connect across borders. Transnational interactivity can be expected in particular for policy fields of global concern and elite or activist communication as practiced on Twitter. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of evidence for the enduring national structuration of political communication and publics as it results from a shared language (mostly), culturally defined media markets, established routines of social and political communication, and sociocultural stocks of knowledge. The study goes beyond measuring user interaction and also includes indicators of cross-referential cohesion. It applies a set of computational methods in network and discourse analysis and presents empirical evidence for Twitter communication on climate change being a prime issue of global concern and a globalized policy agenda. For empirical analysis, the study relies on a large Twitter dataset (N ≈ 6m tweets) with tweet messages and metadata collected between 2015 and 2018. Based on basic measurements such as geolocation and language use, the metrics allowed measurement of cross-national user interactions, user centrality in communicative networks, linking behaviour, and hashtag co-occurrences. The findings of the exploratory study suggest that a combined perspective on indicators of user interaction and cross-referential cohesion helps to develop a better and more nuanced understanding of online issue publics.
Keywords: climate change; cross-referential cohesion; issue publics; national structuration; network analysis; transnational communication; Twitter
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:40-52

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Identity and European Public Spheres in the Context of Social Media and Information Disorder
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3167
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3167
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 28-39
Author-Name: Jan Erik Kermer
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, LUISS Guido Carli University, Italy
Author-Name: Rolf A. Nijmeijer
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, LUISS Guido Carli University, Italy
Abstract: It was expected that the increasing coverage of EU affairs in national public spheres would lead to a greater sense of European belonging. The Internet was expected to foster this process. However, these expectations do not square with the current political climate of identity politics and the revitalisation of nationalism. How can this incongruence between theory and reality be understood? An intervening variable has added an unpredictability to the mix: information disorder. It is our view that this theory needs revising to include other intervening variables such as social media and information disorder. In this article, we argue that the current dynamic of Europeanised political communication is likely to compromise the civic and vertical components of EU-identity.
Keywords: Europeanisation; information disorder; public sphere; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:28-39

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Platform Party between Digital Activism and Hyper-Leadership: The Reshaping of the Public Sphere
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3230
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3230
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 16-27
Author-Name: Emiliana De Blasio
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, LUISS University, Italy
Author-Name: Lorenzo Viviani
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, University of Pisa, Italy
Abstract: The so-called crisis of representation has formed the theoretical framework of many studies on media and democracy of the past thirty years. Many researches have highlighted the crisis of legitimacy and credibility of the ‘traditional’ parties (Katz &amp; Mair, 2018) and communication was considered, at the same time, one of the causes of acceleration towards post-representative politics (Keane, 2013) but also an indispensable tool for re-connecting citizens to politics. Various phenomena have developed within this framework: a) the birth of political aggregations as a result of mobilization in the digital ecosystem; b) the development of digital platforms for democratic participation; c) the birth of parties defined as ‘digital’ or ‘platform’; and d) the growing centrality of digital political activism, both as a phenomenon within the digital communicative ecosystem (also in the context of social media) and as a result of the transformation of social movements. This article studies the role of platform parties as a space for the emergence of authoritarian tendencies (hyper-leadership) but also as an organizational opportunity for the development of new forms of digital activism. In particular, the article presents a research on the use of digital platforms (and their political and organizational consequences) by political parties in Italy, France, and Spain. The study shows the relationships between the evolution of digital ecosystems and the way in which political organization is organised, also highlighting how the new forms of mobilization and aggregation have opened up different yet interconnected public spaces.
Keywords: digital activism; digital ecosystem; platform party; post-representative democracy; public sphere
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:16-27

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Rethinking Public Agenda in a Time of High-Choice Media Environment
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3166
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3166
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 6-15
Author-Name: Sara Bentivegna
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Author-Name: Giovanni Boccia Artieri
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy
Abstract: Contemporary political communication is conditioned by an information environment characterised, on the one hand, by increased choice, and on the other by the fragmentation and multiplication of the ways of consuming information. This article introduces the notion of the ‘interrelated public agenda’ as a frame to study this context, taking into account elements of convergence and divergence from a single viewpoint, adopting a complex analysis model which proceeds along axes which make it possible to detect a continuum in which opposing forces are in a constant, problematic equilibrium. In this sense, we identified three dimensions which are helpful in describing public agenda interrelations. First, <em>horizontality vs verticality</em>, which contains the dynamics of power, and is generated in a context of political disintermediation, through the altered nature of the media system—in the complex relation between legacy media and web 2.0, and between social, institutional actors, and others. Second, <em>personal vs aggregative</em>, which stresses the need to take account of convergences and divergences between personal orientation towards certain issues and the aggregative pressure in different media spaces in which people feel at home: from information consumption via media diets of varying complexity to active participation in the production of content or in public discourse, offline and online. And finally, <em>dynamic vs static</em>, which points to the need to orient analysis towards the relation between media spaces rather than focusing on specific spaces, thus helping, importantly, to make up for the current dearth of research in comparison with studies of single platforms.
Keywords: legacy media; media environment; political communication; public agenda; public sphere; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:6-15

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Ongoing Transformation of the Digital Public Sphere: Basic Considerations on a Moving Target
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3639
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i4.3639
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 4
Pages: 1-5
Author-Name: Emiliana De Blasio
Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Conflict and Participation Studies, LUISS University, Italy
Author-Name: Marianne Kneuer
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Sciences, University of Hildesheim, Germany
Author-Name: Wolf Schünemann
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Sciences, University of Hildesheim, Germany
Author-Name: Michele Sorice
Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Conflict and Participation Studies, LUISS University, Italy
Abstract: The recent decades more than anything else have revealed the ambivalence not only of the articulated expectations about the digital public sphere but also of the ‘real’ development itself. This thematic issue of <em>Media and Communication</em> highlights some of the criticalities and specificities of the evolution of the public sphere during this period where digital communication ecosystems are becoming increasingly central. The different articles offer a polyphonic perspective and thus contribute significantly to the debate on the transformations of the public sphere, which—in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic—dramatically affect the very essence of our democracy.
Keywords: crisis; democracy; digital ecosystems; digital media; platforms; politics; post-public sphere; public sphere
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:1-5

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Public Service Media in a Digital Media Environment: Performance from an Audience Perspective
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3141
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3141
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 359-372
Author-Name: Annika Sehl
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Journalism, Faculty of Business Administration, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Germany
Abstract: For decades, public service broadcasting has played an important role in the provision of news and information in many European countries. Today, however, public service media (PSM) are confronted with numerous challenges, including the need to legitimise their role in an increasingly digital media environment. Against this background, this study examines the audience perspective on the topic with an international comparative approach. It analyses the population’s assessment of, and attitudes towards, the performance of PSM. The aim is to identify what relevance is attributed to PSM by the public in the digital age and how they see PSM’s role in comparison to other more recent (digital) media offerings. An online survey was conducted in three specifically selected countries: Germany, France, and the UK. Overall, the findings show that respondents attribute a clear role to PSM and distinguish it from other media offerings in the increasingly digital media environment. They rate the information quality offered by PSM as higher than that of most other media offerings. Respondents are more likely to value social media platforms for entertainment purposes than PSM. The findings also reveal differences in the evaluation of PSM depending on PSM news use, interest in news, political interest, as well as on demographic variables. On the other hand, differences between the individual countries overall were surprisingly small, pointing to the fact that PSM across the countries sampled are—with deviations—perceived to be performing better than (most) other media, despite being confronted with changes and challenges in their environment.
Keywords: audience assessment; comparative research; digital transformation; media performance; online survey; public service media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:359-372

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Reach or Trust Optimisation? A Citizen Trust Analysis in the Flemish Public Broadcaster VRT
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3172
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3172
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 348-358
Author-Name: Ike Picone
Author-Workplace-Name: imec-SMIT, Department of Communication Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Author-Name: Karen Donders
Author-Workplace-Name: imec-SMIT, Department of Communication Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Abstract: In democracies, one of Public Service Media’s (PSM) main roles is to inform the public. In a digital news ecosystem, where commercial, citizen, and alternative news sources have multiplied, questions about the ability and need for PSM to fulfil this role are increasingly being raised. While the role of PSM can and should be scrutinized, a too-narrow a focus on an informed citizenry may obfuscate aspects, other than audience reach and objectivity, that are key to this information role, such as trust. Against this background, this article studies whether and to what extent citizens still trust the news and information services of their public broadcaster, asking if that trust is still high, whether there is a difference between groups in the population, and if trust is in line with reach. Based on a representative survey of news users in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium, the article studies the reach and trust scores of the brands of VRT, Flanders’ PSM, and compares them to those of its main competitors, with a specific focus on differences in terms of age, education levels, and political orientation. The results suggest that VRT struggles more than the main commercial players to reach young people and the lower-educated, but still leads when it comes to trust. The data show the continued importance of widening our assessment of PSM beyond market-focused indicators of reach.
Keywords: audiences; Belgium; disinformation; media policy; media trust; informed citizenry; social stratification; policy assessment; political orientation; public service media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:348-358

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Perceptions of Media Performance: Expectation-Evaluation Discrepancies and Their Relationship with Media-related and Populist Attitudes
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3142
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3142
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 335-347
Author-Name: Nayla Fawzi
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media, LMU Munich, Germany
Author-Name: Cornelia Mothes
Author-Workplace-Name: Media Management Department, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Abstract: Public criticism of professional media is omnipresent in many democratic societies. This debate has often been examined concerning what the audience demands from the media (expectations) or how they evaluate media performance (evaluations). Based on a representative, quota-based online survey of the German population in 2019, this study examines citizens’ expectations, evaluations, and the discrepancies between both, as well as their relationship with media trust, socio-political predispositions—particularly populist attitudes—and individual media use in high-choice media environments. Results show that citizens have high expectations of the media which they mainly do not see fulfilled and that expectation-evaluation discrepancies are related to lower media trust in the case of particularly important and/or most noticeably underperformed media functions. Both expectations and evaluations were associated with populist attitudes, but only in the case of anti-elite attitudes in such a way that increased expectations collide with negative media evaluations. For anti-outgroup attitudes, instead, the analyses show a generally negative assessment of journalistic media, both in terms of expectations and evaluations. Media use does only play a minor role.
Keywords: journalistic quality; media performance; media trust; populist attitudes; quality evaluations; quality expectations
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:335-347

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: News Media Performance Evaluated by National Audiences: How Media Environments and User Preferences Matter
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3091
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3091
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 321-334
Author-Name: Desiree Steppat
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Author-Name: Laia Castro Herrero
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Author-Name: Frank Esser
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract: Media fragmentation and polarization have contributed to blurring the lines between professional and non-professional journalism. Internationally, more fragmented-polarized media environments are often associated with the emergence of non-professional news providers, the weakening of journalistic standards, and the segmentation of audiences along ideological leanings. Furthermore, these environments are home to partisan and alternative news media outlets, some of which try to actively undermine the credibility of traditional mainstream media in their reporting. By following an audience-centric approach, this study investigates the consequences of more fragmented-polarized media environments and consumption habits on users’ perceptions of news media performance. We use online-survey data from five countries that differ in the extent of fragmentation and polarization in the media environment (CH = 1,859, DK = 2,667, IT = 2,121, PL = 2,536, US = 3,493). We find that perceptions of high news media performance are more likely to be expressed by citizens from less fragmented-polarized media environments. Positive perceptions of news media performance are also stronger among users of traditional media, and those who inform themselves in a more attitude-congruent manner. By contrast, citizens from more fragmented-polarized media environments and users of alternative news media tend to express less satisfaction with news media performance. Based on these results, we argue that perceptions of news media performance among news users are shaped by their individual media choices as well as by the composition of the news media environments that surrounds them.
Keywords: alternative media; audiences; media environment; media performance; news; online media; polarization; traditional media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:321-334

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Self-Inflicted Deprivation? Quality-as-Sent and Quality-as-Received in German News Media
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3139
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3139
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 304-320
Author-Name: Stefan Geiß
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology—NTNU, Norway
Abstract: Both the news media and citizens have been blamed for citizens’ lack of political sophistication. Citizens’ information source choices can certainly contribute to suboptimal results of opinion formation when citizens’ media menus feature few, redundant, or poor-quality outlets. How strongly news consumers’ choices affect the quality of information they receive has rarely been investigated, however. The study uses a novel method investigating how content-as-sent translates into content-as-received that is applicable to high-choice information environments. It explores quality-as-sent and quality-as-received in a content analysis that is combined with survey data on news use. This study focuses on ‘selection quality’ measured in terms of scope and balance of subtopic units, information units, and protagonist statements sent/received. Regarding <em>quality-as-sent</em>, the scope of news proves to be lowest in TV news and substantially greater for online news and newspapers; imbalance of coverage varies only moderately between outlets. As for <em>quality-as-received, </em>the scope citizens received was only a small fraction of what the news outlets provided in combination or what the highest-quality news outlet provided, but was close to what one average news outlet provided. There was substantial stratification in the extent to which news coverage quality materializes at the recipient level. Scope-as-received grew mainly with using more news, relatively independent of which specific news outlets were used. Imbalance-as-received, however, was a function of the use of specific outlet types and specific outlets rather than the general extent of news use. Using additional news media improved the quality-as-received, invalidating the notion that different news outlets merely provide “more of the same.”
Keywords: news bias; news diversity; news journalism; news performance; news quality; news use; online news
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:304-320

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Audience-Based Indicators for News Media Performance: A Conceptual Framework and Findings from Germany
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3191
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3191
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 293-303
Author-Name: Uwe Hasebrink
Author-Workplace-Name: Leibniz Institute for Media Research 
Author-Name:  Hans-Bredow-Institut, Germany
Author-Name: Sascha Hölig
Author-Workplace-Name: Leibniz Institute for Media Research 
Author-Name:  Hans-Bredow-Institut, Germany
Abstract: Many attempts to conceptualize and to assess the performance of media systems or single news media outlets focus on the “supply side” of public communication, operationalized as characteristics of the news content and the form of presentation. These characteristics indicate the potential performance of news media; they are a necessary but not a sufficient condition for media performance. In order to assess the actual performance of news media we need to know what kind of audiences they reach, how they fulfil their users’ news-related interests and needs, and how they contribute to their users’ perceptions of the news environment. In this article, we propose a conceptual framework for the definition of audience-based indicators for news media performance. We apply this framework to data gathered as part of the 2019 Reuters Institute Digital News Survey for Germany. We compare 42 news media, both online and offline, in regard to their reach in different parts of the population, and to their audiences’ interest in news and politics, their trust in media, and their perceptions of the overall performance of German news media. The findings underline that news media performance is a multidimensional concept and that there are different ways in which news media can perform. Furthermore, the particular type of media, technically or organizationally, still matters when it comes to audiences’ expectations and perceived functions.
Keywords: media performance; media use; news audiences; news media; trust
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:293-303

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Democratic Theory and the Potential of Value Frames in Assessing Media Performance
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3058
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3058
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 281-292
Author-Name: Ralph Weiß
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
Author-Name: Raphael Kösters
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
Author-Name: Merja Mahrt
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
Abstract: Media users need information and knowledge to act as free citizens. From this basic democratic assumption, news standards for media performance can be derived. Porto’s (2007) model of the ‘interpreting citizen’ assigns a central role to the diversity of interpretive frames. These frames enable citizens to make judgments about societal issues and related political positions. However, a theoretical foundation for classifying these frames in terms of their content is missing. We propose to derive such a basis from democratic theories of citizenship, which assume that values define a citizen’s position vis-à-vis the political sphere. Building on the cleavage approach from political science, we characterize which values organize political debates. The results of a large-scale content analysis of German news media demonstrate which empirical insights into media performance can be gained with a theoretically derived classification of value frames (most notably, measuring the substantive content of plurality). Based on this, we discuss additional avenues for future research.
Keywords: cleavages; citizenship; democracy; diversity; framing; media performance; news standards; plurality; political values
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:281-292

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: In the Service of Good Journalism and Audience Interests? How Audience Metrics Affect News Quality
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3228
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3228
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 270-280
Author-Name: Silke Fürst
Author-Workplace-Name: IKMZ—Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract: A large and growing body of literature shows that audience metrics exert a significant influence in many newsrooms around the world. Scholars assume that this might affect the quality of news, but findings on how audience metrics influence news quality and media performance are scattered. Based on a widely used set of news quality criteria, this article is the first to focus on this question. It reviews and discusses the existing findings by considering the influence of audience metrics across four analytical dimensions: A) the allocation of resources and recognition; B) the volume, practices and rhythms of news production; C) the selection and placement of topics; and D) the formats and styles of news presentation. The analysis reveals that journalists’ use of audience metrics has a mainly negative impact on news quality. This effect is the result of both the growing economic pressures on newsrooms and a dominant rhetoric that equates measures of audience size with audience interests and good journalistic work.
Keywords: analytics; audience; datafication; journalism; media performance; metrics; news quality; quantification; soft news; tabloidisation
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:270-280

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Mapping and Explaining Media Quality: Insights from Switzerland’s Multilingual Media System
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3140
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3140
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 258-269
Author-Name: Linards Udris
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Author-Name: Mark Eisenegger
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Author-Name: Daniel Vogler
Author-Workplace-Name: Research Center for the Public Sphere and Society, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Author-Name: Jörg Schneider
Author-Workplace-Name: Research Center for the Public Sphere and Society, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Author-Name: Andrea Häuptli
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract: In this article, we analyse how various macro- and meso-level factors influence news media’s provision of hard news, an important element of media quality. The research draws on a content analysis of more than 100,000 news items between 2015 and 2019 from 53 print, radio, TV, and online news outlets in Switzerland, a small state with three linguistically segmented media markets, each of which is partially influenced by a large neighbouring country (Germany, France, and Italy). The research design takes into account the multi-dimensional character of hard news and allows for analysis with explanatory factors on different levels: On the meso-level, ownership types complemented with media types, and on the macro-level language regions of different market size. Findings show large differences in the importance of hard news overall and these findings are consistent across the three dimensions of hard news (topic dimension, focus dimension, style dimension). Hard news orientation differs especially between private and public media, but also within privately held media outlets, and less so within public media, which points to a general quality culture embedded within public media organizations. Thus, rather than by language region and the according media market size or by ownership types, quality differences can be best explained by media types.
Keywords: content analysis; media ownership; media performance; media quality; media types; news; Switzerland
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:258-269

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Soft Presentation of Hard News? A Content Analysis of Political Facebook Posts
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3152
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3152
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 244-257
Author-Name: Miriam Steiner
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany
Abstract: The current media environment is primarily characterised by a large amount of information and, in contrast, rather fragmented audience attention. This is especially true for social media, particularly Facebook, which have become important news sources for many people. Journalists cannot help but publish content on Facebook if they want to reach the part of their audience that mainly—or even only—consumes news there. On Facebook, journalists are at the mercy of the algorithm that determines the visibility of their content. Because user engagement is a crucial factor in the algorithm, concerns have been raised that journalists are abandoning their normative quality standards to make the news as attractive as possible to the audience—at the expense of media performance. A softened presentation of the news, particularly in Facebook posts, may help achieve this aim, but research on this subject is lacking. The present study analyses this practice of softening the news in four German media outlets’ (<em>BILD</em>,<em> FAZ</em>,<em> Der Spiegel</em>,<em> Tagesschau</em>) political Facebook posts. The results show that the overall level of news softening is low to medium. Furthermore, comparing them to website teasers reveals that news softening is only slightly higher on Facebook (mainly <em>BILD</em> and <em>Der Spiegel</em>), and that there are no converging trends between quality or public service media and tabloid media. Exaggerated fears about news softening are therefore unnecessary. Continued analysis of news softening, as well as ongoing adaption of the concept according to dynamic developments, is nevertheless important.
Keywords: Facebook; Germany; journalism; political news; quantitative content analysis; social media logic; soft news
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:244-257

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: More Relevant Today Than Ever: Past, Present and Future of Media Performance Research
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3536
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3536
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 239-343
Author-Name: Melanie Magin
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Author-Name: Birgit Stark
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Abstract: Media performance is constitutive for functioning democracies. But what is the situation regarding media performance in the age of digitalisation? And how can media performance continue to be assured under the current difficult economic conditions for the news industry? In this essay, we give a short overview of how media performance research has developed from the introduction of private broadcasting to the spread of the Internet and social media. In the course of this development, the initial focus of media performance research on media content has broadened to include media quality from the user perspective. We show how the contributions to this thematic issue relate with existing lines of media performance research, but also add new facets to them. Finally, we point to the directions in which research on media performance should evolve in order to keep pace with current developments in the media market.
Keywords: democracy; information intermediaries; media consumption; media performance; media quality; media structures; news quality; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:239-343

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Open-Source’s Inspirations for Computational Social Science: Lessons from a Failed Analysis
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3163
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3163
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 231-238
Author-Name: Nathaniel Poor
Author-Workplace-Name: Underwood Institute, USA
Abstract: The questions we can ask currently, building on decades of research, call for advanced methods and understanding. We now have large, complex data sets that require more than complex statistical analysis to yield human answers. Yet as some researchers have pointed out, we also have challenges, especially in computational social science. In a recent project I faced several such challenges and eventually realized that the relevant issues were familiar to users of free and open-source software. I needed a team with diverse skills and knowledge to tackle methods, theories, and topics. We needed to iterate over the entire project: from the initial theories to the data to the methods to the results. We had to understand how to work when some data was freely available but other data that might benefit the research was not. More broadly, computational social scientists may need creative solutions to slippery problems, such as restrictions imposed by terms of service for sites from which we wish to gather data. Are these terms legal, are they enforced, or do our institutional review boards care? Lastly—perhaps most importantly and dauntingly—we may need to challenge laws relating to digital data and access, although so far this conflict has been rare. Can we succeed as open-source advocates have?
Keywords: computational social science; fandom; games; online community; open source; Reddit
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:231-238

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Exploring the Effect of In-Game Purchases on Mobile Game Use with Smartphone Trace Data
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3007
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3007
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 219-230
Author-Name: Kristof Boghe
Author-Workplace-Name: imec-mict-UGent, Ghent University, Belgium
Author-Name: Laura Herrewijn
Author-Workplace-Name: Center for Persuasive Communication, Ghent University, Belgium
Author-Name: Frederik De Grove
Author-Workplace-Name: imec-mict-UGent, Ghent University, Belgium
Author-Name: Kyle Van Gaeveren
Author-Workplace-Name: imec-mict-UGent, Ghent University, Belgium
Author-Name: Lieven De Marez
Author-Workplace-Name: imec-mict-UGent, Ghent University, Belgium
Abstract: Microtransactions have become an integral part of the digital game industry. This has spurred researchers to explore the effects of this monetization strategy on players’ game enjoyment and intention to continue using the game. Hitherto, these relationships were exclusively investigated using cross-sectional survey designs. However, self-report measures tend to be only mildly correlated with actual media consumption. Moreover, cross-sectional designs do not allow for a detailed investigation into the temporal dimension of these associations. To address these issues, the current study leverages smartphone trace data to explore the longitudinal effect of in-game purchase behavior on continual mobile game use. In total, approximately 100,000 hours of mobile game activity among 6,340 subjects were analyzed. A Cox regression with time-dependent covariates was performed to examine whether performing in-game purchases affects the risk of players removing the game app from their repertoire. Results show that making an in-game purchase decreases this risk initially, prolonging the survival time of the mobile gaming app. However, this effect significantly changes over time. After the first three weeks, a reversal effect is found where previous in-game purchase behavior negatively affects the further survival of the game. Thus, mobile games without previous monetary investment are more prone to long-term continual game use if they survive the first initial weeks. Methodological and theoretical implications are discussed. As such, the current study adds to those studies that use computational methods within a traditional inferential framework to aid theory-driven inquiries.
Keywords: computational methods; continual game use; in-game purchases; monetization; smartphone trace data; survival analysis
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:219-230

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: A Computational Approach to Analyzing the Twitter Debate on Gaming Disorder
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3128
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3128
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 205-218
Author-Name: Tim Schatto-Eckrodt
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Münster, Department of Communication, Germany
Author-Name: Robin Janzik
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Münster, Department of Communication, Germany
Author-Name: Felix Reer
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Münster, Department of Communication, Germany
Author-Name: Svenja Boberg
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Münster, Department of Communication, Germany
Author-Name: Thorsten Quandt
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Münster, Department of Communication, Germany
Abstract: The recognition of excessive forms of media entertainment use (such as uncontrolled video gaming or the use of social networking sites) as a disorder is a topic widely discussed among scientists and therapists, but also among politicians, journalists, users, and the industry. In 2018, when the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to include the addictive use of digital games (gaming disorder) as a diagnosis in the International Classification of Diseases, the debate reached a new peak. In the current article, we aim to provide insights into the public debate on gaming disorder by examining data from Twitter for 11 months prior to and 8 months after the WHO decision, analyzing the (change in) topics, actors, and sentiment over time. Automated content analysis revealed that the debate is organic and not driven by spam accounts or other overly active ‘power users.’ The WHO announcement had a major impact on the debate, moving it away from the topics of parenting and child welfare, largely by activating actors from gaming culture. The WHO decision also resulted in a major backlash, increasing negative sentiments within the debate.
Keywords: addiction; content analysis; entertainment research; games; gaming disorder; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:205-218

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Popular Music as Entertainment Communication: How Perceived Semantic Expression Explains Liking of Previously Unknown Music
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3153
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3153
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 191-204
Author-Name: Steffen Lepa
Author-Workplace-Name: Audio Communication Group, TU Berlin, Germany
Author-Name: Jochen Steffens
Author-Workplace-Name: Media Department, University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, Germany
Author-Name: Martin Herzog
Author-Workplace-Name: Audio Communication Group, TU Berlin, Germany
Author-Name: Hauke Egermann
Author-Workplace-Name: York Music Psychology Group, University of York, UK
Abstract: Our contribution addresses popular music as essential part of media entertainment offerings. Prior works explained liking for specific music titles in ‘push scenarios’ (radio programs, music recommendation, curated playlists) by either drawing on personal genre preferences, or on findings about ‘cognitive side effects’ leading to a preference drift towards familiar and society-wide popular tracks. However, both approaches do not satisfactorily explain why previously unknown music is liked. To address this, we hypothesise that unknown music is liked the more it is perceived as emotionally and semantically expressive, a notion based on concepts from media entertainment research and popular music studies. By a secondary analysis of existing data from an EU-funded R&amp;D project, we demonstrate that this approach is more successful in predicting 10000 listeners’ liking ratings regarding 549 tracks from different genres than all hitherto theories combined. We further show that major expression dimensions are perceived relatively homogeneous across different sociodemographic groups and countries. Finally, we exhibit that music is such a stable, non-verbal sign-carrier that a machine learning model drawing on automatic audio signal analysis is successfully able to predict significant proportions of variance in musical meaning decoding.
Keywords: entertainment; genre preferences; musical expression; music preferences; musical taste; popular music; push scenarios; semantics
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:191-204

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: (A)synchronous Communication about TV Series on Social Media: A Multi-Method Investigation of Reddit Discussions
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3046
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3046
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 180-190
Author-Name: Julian Unkel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication, LMU Munich, Germany
Author-Name: Anna Sophie Kümpel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication, LMU Munich, Germany
Abstract: Audiences’ TV series entertainment experiences are increasingly shaped not only by the events on the ‘first screen’ but also by discussions on social media. While an extensive body of research has examined practices of ‘second screening,’ especially on Twitter, online discussions before and after the live broadcast and on other platforms have received less attention. On Reddit—one of the most important platforms for Social TV—discussions often take place in temporally structured threads that allow users to discuss an episode before (pre-premiere thread), during (live premiere thread), and after (post-premiere thread) it airs. In this project, we examine whether these spaces mainly indicate temporal preferences among users or are associated with different usage practices and motives. To do so, we conducted two case studies of the Reddit community r/gameofthrones: a survey about usage motives (<em>n</em> = 417) and an automated content analysis of approximately 1.2 million comments left on the episode discussion threads in which we examined thread use over time, interactions between users, and discussion content. The results revealed differing usage motives and practices for the three thread types, illustrating the distinct function that these communication spaces fulfil for users.
Keywords: entertainment; multi-method; Reddit; second screen; social media; social TV; TV series; usage motives
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:180-190

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: A Graph-Learning Approach for Detecting Moral Conflict in Movie Scripts
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3155
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3155
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 164-179
Author-Name: Frederic René Hopp
Author-Workplace-Name: Media Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Author-Name: Jacob Taylor Fisher
Author-Workplace-Name: Media Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Author-Name: René Weber
Author-Workplace-Name: Media Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Abstract: Moral conflict is central to appealing narratives, but no methodology exists for computationally extracting moral conflict from narratives at scale. In this article, we present an approach combining tools from social network analysis and natural language processing with recent theoretical advancements in the Model of Intuitive Morality and Exemplars. This approach considers narratives in terms of a network of dynamically evolving relationships between characters. We apply this method in order to analyze 894 movie scripts encompassing 82,195 scenes, showing that scenes containing moral conflict between central characters can be identified using changes in connectivity patterns between network modules. Furthermore, we derive computational models for standardizing moral conflict measurements. Our results suggest that this method can accurately extract moral conflict from a diverse collection of movie scripts. We provide a theoretical integration of our method into the larger milieu of storytelling and entertainment research, illuminating future research trajectories at the intersection of computational communication research and media psychology.
Keywords: computational narratology; entertainment; eMFD; graph learning; MIME; moral conflict; movie scripts; network science
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:164-179

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: What Is Important When We Evaluate Movies? Insights from Computational Analysis of Online Reviews
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3134
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3134
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 153-163
Author-Name: Frank M. Schneider
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media and Communication Studies, University of Mannheim, Germany
Author-Name: Emese Domahidi
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media and Communication Science, TU Ilmenau, Germany
Author-Name: Felix Dietrich
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media and Communication Studies, University of Mannheim, Germany
Abstract: The question of what is important when we evaluate movies is crucial for understanding how lay audiences experience and evaluate entertainment products such as films. In line with this, subjective movie evaluation criteria (SMEC) have been conceptualized as mental representations of important attitudes toward specific film features. Based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of self-report data from online surveys, previous research has found and validated eight dimensions. Given the large-scale evaluative information that is available in online users’ comments in movie databases, it seems likely that what online users write about movies may enrich our knowledge about SMEC. As a first fully exploratory attempt, drawing on an open-source dataset including movie reviews from IMDb, we estimated a correlated topic model to explore the underlying topics of those reviews. In 35,136 online movie reviews, the most prevalent topics tapped into three major categories—Hedonism, Actors’ Performance, and Narrative—and indicated what reviewers mostly wrote about. Although a qualitative analysis of the reviews revealed that users mention certain SMEC, results of the topic model covered only two SMEC: Story Innovation and Light-heartedness. Implications for SMEC and entertainment research are discussed.
Keywords: entertainment media; IMDb; movie evaluation; movie reviews; topic modeling; self-reports
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:153-163

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: New Formats, New Methods: Computational Approaches as a Way Forward for Media Entertainment Research
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3530
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3530
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 147-152
Author-Name: Johannes Breuer
Author-Workplace-Name: Data Archive for the Social Sciences, GESIS—Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Author-Name: Tim Wulf
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication, LMU Munich, Germany
Author-Name: M. Rohangis Mohseni
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Media and Communication Science, Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany
Abstract: The rise of new technologies and platforms, such as mobile devices and streaming services, has substantially changed the media entertainment landscape and continues to do so. Since its subject of study is changing constantly and rapidly, research on media entertainment has to be quick to adapt. This need to quickly react and adapt not only relates to the questions researchers need to ask but also to the methods they need to employ to answer those questions. Over the last few years, the field of computational social science has been developing and using methods for the collection and analysis of data that can be used to study the use, content, and effects of entertainment media. These methods provide ample opportunities for this area of research and can help in overcoming some of the limitations of self-report data and manual content analyses that most of the research on media entertainment is based on. However, they also have their own set of challenges that researchers need to be aware of and address to make (full) use of them. This thematic issue brings together studies employing computational methods to investigate different types and facets of media entertainment. These studies cover a wide range of entertainment media, data types, and analysis methods, and clearly highlight the potential of computational approaches to media entertainment research. At the same time, the articles also include a critical perspective, openly discuss the challenges and limitations of computational methods, and provide useful suggestions for moving this nascent field forward.
Keywords: communication research; computational methods; computational social science; media entertainment
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:147-152

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Drones, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Journalism: Mapping Their Role in Immersive News Content
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3031
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3031
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 137-146
Author-Name: John V. Pavlik
Author-Workplace-Name: Journalism and Media Studies, Rutgers University, USA
Abstract: Drones are shaping journalism in a variety of ways including in the production of immersive news content. This article identifies, describes and analyzes, or maps out, four areas in which drones are impacting immersive news content. These include: 1) enabling the possibility of providing aerial perspective for first-person perspective flight-based immersive journalism experiences; 2) providing geo-tagged audio and video for flight-based immersive news content; 3) providing the capacity for both volumetric and 360 video capture; and 4) generating novel content types or content based on data acquired from a broad range of sensors beyond the standard visible light captured via video cameras; these may be a central generator of unique experiential media content beyond visual flight-based news content.
Keywords: augmented reality; drones; journalism; photogrammetry; virtual reality; volumetric
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:137-146

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Audience Attention and Emotion in News Filmed with Drones: A Neuromarketing Research
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3081
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3081
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 123-136
Author-Name: Luis Mañas-Viniegra
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Communication Studies, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Author-Name: Alberto García-García
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Communication Studies, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Author-Name: Ignacio J. Martín-Moraleda
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Communication Studies, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Abstract: Emotional journalism is being driven by audiovisual technology such as drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, which have demonstrated their usefulness in transforming objective news into news stories from a new visual perspective, facilitating access to dangerous or difficult places. They also allow for greater immersion by an audience that has become an active participant in the news, and they contribute to the storytelling of communication despite the risk to privacy and security that their misuse might entail. The aim of this research is to determine the differences in attention and intensity of the emotions experienced when viewing two pieces of audiovisual news: One was filmed with the technological support of a drone, and the other was produced in the conventional way. The techniques of eye tracking and galvanic skin response were used in 30 Spanish university students. The results suggest that attention was focused on the most spectacular visual elements, although the images filmed with a drone received a higher concentration of attention from the subjects, and this attention was spread throughout the entire image, which demonstrates that drones enhance the effectiveness of panoramic images with natural landscapes. The greatest emotion generated by viewing the images recorded with drones was statistically significant, but it was limited exclusively to these particular scenes, and not to the entire recording of the news.
Keywords: audiovisual technology; breaking news; communication; drone; emotional journalism; eye tracking; galvanic skin response; neuromarketing; unmanned aerial vehicles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:123-136

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Relationships between Law Enforcement Authorities and Drone Journalists in Spain
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3097
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3097
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 112-122
Author-Name: Jorge Gallardo-Camacho
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Camilo José Cela University, Spain
Author-Name: Vanessa Rodríguez Breijo
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences and Social Work, University of La Laguna, Spain
Abstract: The article analyzes the relationship between law enforcement authorities and drone journalists, professionals who use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for newsgathering purposes, in Spain. The study has two specific objectives. First, to identify the criteria that law enforcement authorities have set for the public dissemination in traditional and social media of the drone footage they have obtained as part of their police operations, and to characterize the relationship that exists between law enforcement authorities and drone journalists. The study is guided by three hypotheses: Spanish law enforcement authorities have more capacity than journalists to shoot aerial news footage (H1); for Spanish law enforcement authorities, the informational use that can be made of the drone footage they obtain is of secondary importance (H2); and drone journalists feel their work is heavily restricted by law enforcement authorities (H3). These hypotheses are tested with the use of in-depth interviews with representatives of three law enforcement organizations in Spain and five drone pilots who have collaborated with news media outlets. The study concludes that the current regulatory framework for UAVs in Spain is very restrictive, in comparison to other countries, which prevents the development of drone journalism.
Keywords: aerial footage; drones; journalism; news production; television; unmanned aerial vehicles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:112-122

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Technologies, Ethics and Journalism’s Relationship with the Public
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3039
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3039
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 101-111
Author-Name: Megan Duncan
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA
Author-Name: Kathleen Bartzen Culver
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, USA
Abstract: Drones can provide a bird’s eye view of breaking news and events that can be streamed live or used in edited news coverage. Past research has focused on the training and ethics of journalists and drone operators. Little attention, however, has been given to audiences and their acceptance and perception of ethics. We suggest that audiences who are open to personal technology use will perceive news media using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as more ethical in an extension of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. In a survey (N = 548) of adults living in the United States, we explore the correlates between trust, technology, privacy, and the use of UAVs. Results suggest all three are positively correlated with openness toward drone journalism. We find the audience has preferences for the types of news stories that should be covered using drones. Participants indicated they welcome drone journalism when covering traffic and investigative stories, but not celebrities and politicians. The findings have implications for newsrooms, suggesting transparency and outreach to educate people on the technology could help build trust. Further, the results suggest that Diffusion of Innovation theory can be applied when mediated through news media.
Keywords: drones; innovation; journalism; news audiences; unmanned aerial vehicles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:101-111

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Dual Control: Investigating the Role of Drone (UAV) Operators in TV and Online Journalism
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2980
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.2980
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 93-100
Author-Name: Catherine Adams
Author-Workplace-Name: Journalism and Media, Nottingham Trent University, UK
Abstract: At a time when TV and online journalism embraces more moving images filmed from drones than ever before, this article seeks to explore the thoughts and actions of those who produce them. It builds on earlier research into how aerial images impact on the viewer through the lens of ‘quality journalism’ (Adams, 2018). It investigates how drone operators are involved in the journalistic process, what meanings and effects they seek and who controls their work in a market-driven environment. Qualitative analysis was carried out of seventeen in-depth interviews with drone operators, journalists and editors working in UK and around the world. Data revealed a high degree of creative freedom among the operators, a passion for using drones and some desire to immerse and impress the viewer. It showed that aerial images have become paramount in video journalism amid market pressures to find ever more sophisticated and ‘cinematic’ shots. Interviewees felt drones had been “good for journalism,” by providing raw data, exciting new perspectives, context and story-telling techniques and “space to think.” The article explores the significant yet often unplanned contribution to the journalistic process of the drone operator and recommends more is done to increase understanding between journalist and pilot, such as providing training courses designed to teach quality drone journalism, as the media approaches ‘peak drone.’
Keywords: drone; journalism; operator; pilot; TV; unmanned aerial vehicles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:93-100

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Post-Hype Uses of Drones in News Reporting: Revealing the Site and Presenting Scope
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3199
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3199
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 85-92
Author-Name: Jonas Harvard
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication Science, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
Abstract: Camera-equipped drones have emerged as an increasingly commonplace tool for media to acquire aerial imagery. Previous research has mainly focused on the innovative aspects and creative potential of the technology. This article argues that early optimistic projections reflected a novelty effect, typical of a culturally embedded idea that new and better technologies continuously replace older ones. Using a historical theory which distinguishes techno-optimistic innovation discourse from actual observations of technology in use, photojournalists were interviewed on the role of drones in news reporting. The results show that the practitioners historicise drones, relating them to previous aerial technologies, and they reflect on current and future uses of drones in journalism based on a notion of phases, where early hype gives way to subsequent drone fatigue. Drones are seen by many as a more convenient tool to do things that journalism has done before, but the convenience increases the use of aerial imagery. The results also show that, although photojournalists see a wide range of potential uses, there are also limitations, including the ideals of the invisible observer, safety concerns, and the perils of over-aesthetic imagery. The post-hype uses of drone photography were summarized in two categories: (a) revealing the site, establishing ‘this happened here’ and (b) presenting scope, or showing how vast or large something is.
Keywords: drone journalism; drone use; drones; history of technology; media technology; photojournalism; unmanned aerial vehicles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:85-92

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Diffusion of Drone Journalism: The Case of Finland, 2011–2020
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3075
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3075
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 75-84
Author-Name: Turo Uskali
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Author-Name: Ville Manninen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland / Innovation and Entrepreneurship InnoLab, University of Vaasa, Finland
Author-Name: Pasi Ikonen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Author-Name: Jere Hokkanen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Language and Communication Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Abstract: This article details Finnish news organizations’ adoption of drones for journalistic purposes from 2011 to 2020. The theoretical starting point of the article is Rogers’ (1962) diffusion of innovations theory, which explains how new ideas and technologies spread in societies. The main empirical data for the study were derived from a phone survey conducted among the 80 most popular newspapers in Finland. The findings reveal that drone journalism in Finland has already diffused from a few pioneering organizations to a large number of newsrooms, including regional, mid-sized newspapers. Most of the newspapers are either using in-house drones, buying commissioned images, or using both strategies. The frequency of use was found to be much higher for those newsrooms using their own drones. Finally, the article ponders possible explanations for different trajectories in the adoption of drones in various countries based on the Finnish case.
Keywords: aviation; drone journalism; Finland; news organizations; newspapers; visual journalism
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:75-84

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Drone Journalism as Visual Aggregation: Toward a Critical History
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3117
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3117
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 64-74
Author-Name: James F. Hamilton
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Entertainment and Media Studies, University of Georgia, USA
Abstract: The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs—commonly referred to as drones) in journalism has emerged only recently, and has grown significantly. This article explores what makes drone imagery as an instance of what scholars of visual culture call an aerial view so compelling for major news organizations as to warrant such attention and investment. To do this, the concept ‘visual aggregation’ is introduced to theorize the authority of drone imagery in conventional journalistic practice. Imagery produced through drone journalism is a visual analogy to statistical summary and, more recently, of what is referred to as data journalism. Just as these combine an aggregate of cases to produce an understanding of an overall trend, drone imagery aggregates space visually, its broad visual field revealing large-scale spatial patterns in ways analogous to the statistical capture/analysis of large bodies of data. The article then employs a cultural and historical approach to identify key points in the emergence of visual aggregation as authoritative truth. The aerial view as a claim to truth is manifest in a wide range of antecedent social formations, devices and practices prior to their amalgamation in what has today become drone journalism. This analysis aids understanding of how drone journalism is a response to the institutional crises of journalism today.
Keywords: aerial view; drones; journalism; photography; unmanned aerial vehicles; visual aggregation; visual culture
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:64-74

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Journalism from Above: Drones and the Media in Critical Perspective
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3442
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3442
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 60-63
Author-Name: Jonas Harvard
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication Science, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
Author-Name: Mats Hyvönen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, Uppsala University, Sweden
Author-Name: Ingela Wadbring
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication Science, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
Abstract: In the last decade, the development of small, remotely operated multicopters with cameras, so-called drones, has made aerial photography easily available. Consumers and institutions now use drones in a variety of ways, both for personal entertainment and professionally. The application of drones in media production and journalism is of particular interest, as it provides insight into the complex interplay between technology, the economic and legal constraints of the media market, professional cultures and audience preferences. The thematic issue <em>Journalism from Above: Drones, the Media, and the Transformation of Journalistic Practice</em> presents new research concerning the role of drones in journalism and media production. The issue brings together scholars representing a variety of approaches and perspectives. A broad selection of empirical cases from Finland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US form the basis of an exploration of the changing relations between the media, technology and society. The articles address topics such as: Adaption of drone technology in the newsrooms; audience preferences and reactions in a changing media landscape; the relation between journalists and public authorities who use drones; and attitudes from journalistic practitioners as well as historical and future perspectives.
Keywords: aerial views; audience preferences; drones; journalism; media history; media production; new media technology; photojournalism; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:60-63

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Automated Journalism: A Meta-Analysis of Readers’ Perceptions of Human-Written in Comparison to Automated News
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3019
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3019
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 50-59
Author-Name: Andreas Graefe
Author-Workplace-Name: Business Faculty, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Author-Name: Nina Bohlken
Author-Workplace-Name: Business Faculty, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Abstract: This meta-analysis summarizes evidence on how readers perceive the credibility, quality, and readability of automated news in comparison to human-written news. Overall, the results, which are based on experimental and descriptive evidence from 12 studies with a total of 4,473 participants, showed no difference in readers’ perceptions of credibility, a small advantage for human-written news in terms of quality, and a huge advantage for human-written news with respect to readability. Experimental comparisons further suggest that participants provided higher ratings for credibility, quality, and readability simply when they were told that they were reading a human-written article. These findings may lead news organizations to refrain from disclosing that a story was automatically generated, and thus underscore ethical challenges that arise from automated journalism.
Keywords: automated news; computational journalism; credibility; journalism; meta-analysis; perception; quality; review; robot journalism
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:50-59

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Automated Journalism as a Source of and a Diagnostic Device for Bias in Reporting
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3022
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3022
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 39-49
Author-Name: Leo Leppänen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Author-Name: Hanna Tuulonen
Author-Workplace-Name: Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Author-Name: Stefanie Sirén-Heikel
Author-Workplace-Name: Media and Communication Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland
Abstract: In this article we consider automated journalism from the perspective of bias in news text. We describe how systems for automated journalism could be biased in terms of both the information content and the lexical choices in the text, and what mechanisms allow human biases to affect automated journalism even if the data the system operates on is considered neutral. Hence, we sketch out three distinct scenarios differentiated by the technical transparency of the systems and the level of cooperation of the system operator, affecting the choice of methods for investigating bias. We identify methods for diagnostics in each of the scenarios and note that one of the scenarios is largely identical to investigating bias in non-automatically produced texts. As a solution to this last scenario, we suggest the construction of a simple news generation system, which could enable a type of analysis-by-proxy. Instead of analyzing the system, to which the access is limited, one would generate an approximation of the system which can be accessed and analyzed freely. If successful, this method could also be applied to analysis of human-written texts. This would make automated journalism not only a target of bias diagnostics, but also a diagnostic device for identifying bias in human-written news.
Keywords: algorithmic journalism; automated journalism; bias; diagnosis; journalism; news automation
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:39-49

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Negotiated Autonomy: The Role of Social Media Algorithms in Editorial Decision Making
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3001
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3001
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 27-38
Author-Name: Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communications Studies, Northwestern University, USA
Author-Name: Nicholas Diakopoulos
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communications Studies, Northwestern University, USA
Abstract: Social media platforms have increasingly become an important way for news organizations to distribute content to their audiences. As news organizations relinquish control over distribution, they may feel the need to optimize their content to align with platform logics to ensure economic sustainability. However, the opaque and often proprietary nature of platform algorithms makes it hard for news organizations to truly know what kinds of content are preferred and will perform well. Invoking the concept of algorithmic ‘folk theories,’ this article presents a study of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 U.S.-based news journalists and editors to understand how they make sense of social media algorithms, and to what extent this influences editorial decision making. Our findings suggest that while journalists’ understandings of platform algorithms create new considerations for gatekeeping practices, the extent to which it influences those practices is often negotiated against traditional journalistic conceptions of newsworthiness and journalistic autonomy.
Keywords: algorithms; gatekeeping; journalism; newsworthiness; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:27-38

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Assistance or Resistance? Evaluating the Intersection of Automated Journalism and Journalistic Role Conceptions
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3054
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3054
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 16-26
Author-Name: Aljosha Karim Schapals
Author-Workplace-Name: Digital Media Research Centre, School of Communication, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Author-Name: Colin Porlezza
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, School of Arts and Social Sciences, University of London, UK
Abstract: Newsrooms are a social context in which numerous relationships exist and influence news work—be it with other journalists, the audience, and technology. As some of these relations change due to technological innovations, new hybrid contexts—technologies that are interwoven with newsroom values, routines, and socio-cultural experiences—can emerge. One key question is how journalists conceptualise and interact with such technologies, and to what degree they retain (creative) agency in the process. Therefore, this study evaluates the intersection of automated journalism and journalistic role conceptions. Using Hanitzsch’s and Vos’s circular model of journalistic roles (2017) and Deuze’s understanding of journalism as an ideology (2005) as a theoretical framework, this study examines some of the discursive aspects of automated journalism by asking: To what extent are journalistic roles (a) challenged or (b) advanced as a result of automated journalism? Our findings more closely align with the latter, pointing to a strong sense of discursive maintenance of journalists’ roles and their core skillset and thus suggesting a high degree of ideological continuity in the face of industrial disruption. It concludes with an agenda for future research and stresses that at times when journalism and automation intersect, the field would benefit from incorporating emerging conceptual frameworks such as human–machine communication.
Keywords: algorithmic journalism; automated journalism; computational journalism; journalism; news; newsroom; technology
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:16-26

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Automation in Sports Reporting: Strategies of Data Providers, Software Providers, and Media Outlets
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2996
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.2996
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 5-15
Author-Name: Jessica Kunert
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Journalism and Communication Studies, University of Hamburg, Germany
Abstract: This study examines how algorithmic processing affects structures and practices in sports journalism in Germany. A multi-level perspective is used to determine which strategies data providers, software providers, and media outlets use to develop automated reporting, which compiles perspectives across the entire line of news production. The results of 11 in-depth interviews show that non-journalistic actors are vital partners in the news production process, as all actors work together in data handling, training, and software development. Moreover, automation can generate additional content such as match and historical coverage to help address shortfalls in capacity. However, given the business case for automation, amateur football (soccer) is currently the only viable candidate for its use. Many actors involved in the process argue that automated content is an added value for their readers, but claim that content quality has to be put before quantity. This means that some media outlets edit automated articles to increase the quality of their sports journalism, but that this is done only on a small scale. Media outlets do not perceive their roles to be changing, but see automation as a helpful tool that complements their work; a few use automatically created articles as a baseline for in-depth reporting. Moreover, the so-called ‘meta-writer’ has not become a reality yet, as data-processing and news writing are still kept separate. This article sheds new light on the use of automation in the sports beat, highlighting the growing role of non-journalistic actors in the news production process.
Keywords: algorithmic journalism; automated journalism; automated news; data journalism; football; Germany; meta-journalist; robo-news; soccer; sports journalism
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:5-15

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Algorithmic Actants in Practice, Theory, and Method
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3395
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i3.3395
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 3
Pages: 1-4
Author-Name: Rodrigo Zamith
Author-Workplace-Name: Journalism Department, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, USA
Author-Name: Mario Haim
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Studies, University of Leipzig, Germany
Abstract: What changes as algorithms proliferate within journalism and become more sophisticated? In this essay, we synthesize the articles in this thematic issue, which offer empirical evidence for how algorithms—and especially those designed to automate news production—are being incorporated not only into journalistic activities but also into the logics of journalism itself. They underscore that journalists have neither feared nor rejected such algorithms, as might be expected given the recent history of technological adoption in journalism. Instead, journalists have sought to normalize the technology by negotiating them against existing values and practices, and perhaps even reified some normative ideological constructs by finding unique value in what they offer as humans. These articles also highlight the shortcomings of those algorithms, giving pause to postulations of algorithms as potential solutions to shortcomings of trust in news and market failures. Indeed, such algorithms may end up amplifying the very biases that seed distrust in news all the while appearing less valuable to readers than their human counterparts. We also point to new opportunities for research, including examinations of how algorithms shape other stages in the journalistic workflow, such as interviewing sources, organizing knowledge, and verifying claims. We further point to the need to investigate higher analytic levels and incorporate additional perspectives, both from more diverse contexts (e.g., Global South) and from our sister academic fields (e.g., human–computer interaction). We conclude with optimism about the continued contributions this stream of work is poised to make in the years to come.
Keywords: actants; algorithmic journalism; algorithms; automated journalism; automation; journalism; journalism studies; robot journalism
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:1-4

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Empowering Users to Respond to Misinformation about Covid-19
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3200
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3200
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 475-479
Author-Name: Emily K. Vraga
Author-Workplace-Name: Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota, USA
Author-Name: Melissa Tully
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Iowa
Author-Name: Leticia Bode
Author-Workplace-Name: Communication, Culture, and Technology, Georgetown University, USA
Abstract: The World Health Organization has declared that misinformation shared on social media about Covid-19 is an “infodemic” that must be fought alongside the pandemic itself. We reflect on how news literacy and science literacy can provide a foundation to combat misinformation about Covid-19 by giving social media users the tools to identify, consume, and share high-quality information. These skills can be put into practice to combat the infodemic by amplifying quality information and actively correcting misinformation seen on social media. We conclude by considering the extent to which what we know about these literacies and related behaviors can be extended to less-researched areas like the Global South.
Keywords: Coronavirus; correction; Covid-19; misinformation; news literacy; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:475-479

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Science Journalism and Pandemic Uncertainty
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3224
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3224
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 471-474
Author-Name: Sharon Dunwoody
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA
Abstract: Novel risks generate copious amounts of uncertainty, which in turn can confuse and mislead publics. This commentary explores those issues through the lens of information seeking and processing, with a focus on social media and the potential effectiveness of science journalism.
Keywords: Covid-19; information processing; information seeking; science journalism; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:471-474

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: German Media and Coronavirus: Exceptional Communication—Or Just a Catalyst for Existing Tendencies?
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3242
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3242
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 467-470
Author-Name: Holger Wormer
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Science Journalism, Institute and School of Journalism, TU Dortmund University, Germany
Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has immediate effects on science journalism and science communication in general, which in a few cases are atypical and likely to disappear again after the crisis. However, from a German perspective, there is some evidence that the crisis—and its accompanying ‘infodemic’—has, above all, accelerated and made more visible existing developments and deficits as well as an increased need for funding of science journalism.
Keywords: coronavirus; fake news; journalism funding; science communication; science journalism
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:467-470

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Coronavirus in Spain: Fear of ‘Official’ Fake News Boosts WhatsApp and Alternative Sources
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3217
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3217
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 462-466
Author-Name: Carlos Elías
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Studies, Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain
Author-Name: Daniel Catalan-Matamoros
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Studies, Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain
Abstract: The communication of the Coronavirus crisis in Spain has two unexpected components: the rise of the information on social networks, especially WhatsApp, and the consolidation of TV programs on mystery and esotericism. Both have emerged to “tell the truth” in opposition to official sources and public media. For a country with a long history of treating science and the media as properties of the state, this very radical development has surprised communication scholars.
Keywords: Coronavirus; Covid-19; fake news; journalism; social media; Spain; WhatsApp; YouTube
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:462-466

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Spreading (Dis)Trust: Covid-19 Misinformation and Government Intervention in Italy
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3219
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3219
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 458-461
Author-Name: Alessandro Lovari
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
Abstract: The commentary focuses on the spread of Covid-19 misinformation in Italy, highlighting the dynamics that have impacted on its pandemic communication. Italy has recently been affected by a progressive erosion of trust in public institutions and a general state of information crisis regarding matters of health and science. In this context, the politicization of health issues and a growing use of social media to confront the Coronavirus “infodemic” have led the Italian Ministry of Health to play a strategic role in using its official Facebook page to mitigate the spread of misinformation and to offer updates to online publics. Despite this prompt intervention, which increased the visibility and reliability of public health communication, coordinated efforts involving different institutions, media and digital platform companies still seem necessary to reduce the impact of misinformation, as using a multichannel strategy helps avoid increasing social and technological disparities at a time of crisis.
Keywords: Coronavirus; Covid-19; emergency; health communication; Italy; misinformation; public communication; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:458-461

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: How China’s State Actors Create a “Us vs US” World during Covid-19 Pandemic on Social Media
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3187
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3187
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 452-457
Author-Name: Xin Zhao
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Journalism, Bournemouth University, UK
Abstract: Health and science controversies surrounding Covid-19 pandemic have been politicized by state actors to manipulate international relations and politics. China is no exception. Using a package of communication tactics, the Chinese government has been engaging in an English-language information campaign to create an “Us vs US” world during the pandemic on social media. While the world is scrutinizing the accuracy of and the intention behind the information disseminated by China’s state actors, this commentary urges scholars to also focus on the influence of such information on global audiences, as well as on global power dynamics.
Keywords: China; Coronavirus; Covid-19; ideological square; information campaign; mis/disinformation; national responsibility; soft power; “us” vs “them”
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:452-457

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: “Cultural Exceptionalism” in the Global Exchange of (Mis)Information around Japan’s Responses to Covid-19
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3229
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3229
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 448-451
Author-Name: Jamie Matthews
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University, UK
Abstract: Despite reporting early cases, Japan’s infection rates of Covid-19 have remained low. This commentary considers how a discourse of cultural exceptionalism dispersed across the networked global public sphere as an explanation for Japan’s low case count. It also discusses the consequences for wider public understanding of evidence-based public-health interventions to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.
Keywords: Covid-19; culture; Japan; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:448-451

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Covid-19 Misinformation and the Social (Media) Amplification of Risk: A Vietnamese Perspective
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3227
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3227
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 444-447
Author-Name: Hoa Nguyen
Author-Workplace-Name: Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, USA
Author-Name: An Nguyen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Journalism, Bournemouth University, UK
Abstract: The amplification of Coronavirus risk on social media sees Vietnam falling volatile to a chaotic sphere of mis/disinformation and incivility, which instigates a movement to counter its effects on public anxiety and fear. Benign or malign, these civil forces generate a huge public pressure to keep the one-party system on toes, forcing it to be unusually transparent in responding to public concerns.
Keywords: Covid-19 infodemic; disinformation; misinformation; online incivility; risk amplification; Vietnamese social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:444-447

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Africa and the Covid-19 Information Framing Crisis
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3223
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3223
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 440-443
Author-Name: George Ogola
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Journalism, Media and Performance, University of Central Lancashire, UK
Abstract: Africa faces a double Covid-19 crisis. At once it is a crisis of the pandemic, at another an information framing crisis. This article argues that public health messaging about the pandemic is complicated by a competing mix of framings by a number of actors including the state, the Church, civil society and the public, all fighting for legitimacy. The article explores some of these divergences in the interpretation of the disease and how they have given rise to multiple narratives about the pandemic, particularly online. It concludes that while different perspectives and or interpretations of a crisis is not necessarily wrong, where these detract from the crisis itself and become a contestation of individual and or sector interests, they birth a new crisis. This is the new crisis facing the continent in relation to the pandemic.
Keywords: Africa; Coronavirus; Covid-19; crisis; health journalism; misinformation; news framing
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:440-443

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: “On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 425-439
Author-Name: Kaisu Koivumäki
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu, Finland
Author-Name: Timo Koivumäki
Author-Workplace-Name: Oulu Business School; University of Oulu, Finland
Author-Name: Erkki Karvonen
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu, Finland
Abstract: In contemporary media discourses, researchers may be perceived to communicate something they do not intend to, such as coldness or irrelevance. However, researchers are facing new responsibilities concerning how popular formats used to present science will impact science’s cultural authority (Bucchi, 2017). Currently, there is limited research on the microlevel practices of digital science communication involving researchers as actors. Therefore, this qualitative study explores how digital academic discourse practices develop, using the tweeting and blogging of researchers involved in a multidisciplinary renewable energy research project as a case. The results of a thematic analysis of interviews with researchers (n = 17) suggests that the researchers’ perceptions form a scale ranging from traditional to progressively adjusted practices, which are labelled ‘informing,’ ‘anchoring,’ ‘luring,’ and ‘maneuvering.’ These imply an attempt to diminish the gap between science and the public. The interviewees acknowledge that scientific facts may not be interesting and that they need captivating means that are common in the use of new media, such as buzzwords and clickbait. It appears that trials and experimentation with hybrid genres helped the researchers to distinguish the contours of digital academic discourses. The implications support suggestions to broaden the trajectories of expertise and communication, including issues of culture and identity, trust, and the relevance of science. It is argued that scientists’ embrace of new media channels will refine some articulations of the mediatization processes, and these findings support recent suggestions that mediatization could also be conceptualized as a strategic resource.
Keywords: communication; media research; new media; science communication; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:425-439

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Health and Scientific Frames in Online Communication of Tick-Borne Encephalitis: Antecedents of Frame Recognition
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2859
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2859
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 413-424
Author-Name: Sarah Kohler
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Science Communication, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Author-Name: Isabell Koinig
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communications, University of Klagenfurt, Austria
Abstract: In a period characterized by vaccine hesitancy and even vaccine refusal, the way online information on vaccination is presented might affect the recipients’ opinions and attitudes. While research has focused more on vaccinations against measles or influenza, and described how the framing approach can be applied to vaccination, this is not the case with tick-borne encephalitis, a potentially fatal infection induced by tick bites. This study takes one step back and seeks to investigate whether health and scientific frames in online communication are even recognized by the public. Moreover, the influence of selected health- and vaccine-related constructs on the recognition of frames is examined. Study results indicate that health frames are the most easily identified and that their use might be a fruitful strategy when raising awareness of health topics such as vaccination.
Keywords: framing; health communication; science communication; tick-borne encephalitis; vaccination
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:413-424

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Does Scientific Uncertainty in News Articles Affect Readers’ Trust and Decision-Making?
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2824
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2824
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 401-412
Author-Name: Friederike Hendriks
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Psychology and Sport Studies, University of Münster, Germany
Author-Name: Regina Jucks
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Psychology and Sport Studies, University of Münster, Germany
Abstract: Even though a main goal of science is to reduce the uncertainty in scientific results by applying ever-improving research methods, epistemic uncertainty is an integral part of science. As such, while uncertainty might be communicated in news articles about climate science, climate skeptics have also exploited this uncertainty to cast doubt on science itself. We performed two studies to assess whether scientific uncertainty affects laypeople’s assessments of issue uncertainty, the credibility of the information, their trust in scientists and climate science, and impacts their decision-making. In addition, we addressed how these effects are influenced by further information on relevant scientific processes, because knowing that uncertainty goes along with scientific research could ease laypeople’s interpretations of uncertainty around evidence and may even protect against negative impacts of such uncertainty on trust. Unexpectedly, in study 1, after participants read both a text about research methods and a news article that included scientific uncertainty, they had lower trust in the scientists’ assertions than when they read the uncertain news article alone (but this did not impact trust in climate science or decision-making). In study 2, we tested whether these results occurred due to participants overestimating the scientific uncertainty at hand. Hence, we varied the framing of uncertainty in the text on scientific processes. We found that exaggerating the scientific uncertainty produced by scientific processes (vs. framing the uncertainty as something to be expected) did not negatively affect participants’ trust ratings. However, the degree to which participants preferred effortful reasoning on problems (intellective epistemic style) correlated with ratings of trust in scientists and climate science and with their decision-making. In sum, there was only little evidence that the introduction of uncertainty in news articles would affect participants’ ratings of trust and their decision-making, but their preferred style of reasoning did.
Keywords: fake news; procedural knowledge; readership; science communication; scientific literacy; scientific uncertainty; trust
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:401-412

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Third-Person Perceptions and Calls for Censorship of Flat Earth Videos on YouTube
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2853
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2853
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 387-400
Author-Name: Asheley R. Landrum
Author-Workplace-Name: College of Media and Communication, Texas Tech University, USA
Author-Name: Alex Olshansky
Author-Workplace-Name: College of Media and Communication, Texas Tech University, USA
Abstract: Calls for censorship have been made in response to the proliferation of flat Earth videos on YouTube, but these videos are likely convincing to very few. Instead, people may worry these videos are brainwashing others. That individuals believe other people will be more influenced by media messages than themselves is called third-person perception (TPP), and the consequences from those perceptions, such as calls for censorship, are called third-person effects (TPE). Here, we conduct three studies that examine the flat Earth phenomenon using TPP and TPE as a theoretical framework. We first measured participants’ own perceptions of the convincingness of flat Earth arguments presented in YouTube videos and compared these to participants’ perceptions of how convincing others might find the arguments. Instead of merely looking at ratings of one’s self vs. a general ‘other,’ however, we asked people to consider a variety of identity groups who differ based on political party, religiosity, educational attainment, and area of residence (e.g., rural, urban). We found that participants’ religiosity and political party were the strongest predictors of TPP across the different identity groups. In our second and third pre-registered studies, we found support for our first study’s conclusions, and we found mixed evidence for whether TPP predict support for censoring YouTube among the public.
Keywords: censorship; conspiracy theories; fake news; flat Earth; third-person effects; third-person perceptions; YouTube
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:387-400

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Rezo and German Climate Change Policy: The Influence of Networked Expertise on YouTube and Beyond
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2862
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2862
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 376-386
Author-Name: Joachim Allgaier
Author-Workplace-Name: Chair of Society and Technology, Human Technology Center, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Abstract: Just before the European election in May 2019 a YouTube video titled <em>The Destruction of the CDU</em> (Rezo, 2019a) caused political controversy in Germany. The video by the popular German YouTuber Rezo attacked the conservative Government party CDU (<em>Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands</em>) mainly for climate inaction. As a reaction to the subsequent attacks on Rezo and his video from the political establishment an alliance of popular German YouTubers formed to release a second video. In this video, the YouTubers asked their followers not to vote for the Government or the far-right parties, because they would ignore the expertise of scientists and the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change and therefore be unable to provide sustainable solutions for the future. This debate started as a YouTube phenomenon but quickly evolved into a national public discussion that took place across various social media channels, blogs, newspapers, and TV news, but also e.g., in discussions in schools, churches, as well as arts and cultural events. The focus of this contribution is on the formation of the heterogeneous coalition that emerged to defend and support the YouTubers. It prominently involved scientists and scientific expertise, but other forms of expertise and ‘worlds of relevance’ were also part of this coalition. The conceptual tools of ‘networked expertise’ and ‘ethno-epistemic assemblages’ are employed to explore expertise and credibility as well as the associations and networks of actors involved which illuminate how a single YouTuber was able to contribute to the unleashing of a national debate on climate change policy.
Keywords: climate change; controversy; Germany, global warming; influencers; networks; science communication; YouTube
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:376-386

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Visual Vaccine Debate on Twitter: A Social Network Analysis
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2847
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2847
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 364-375
Author-Name: Elena Milani
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, UK
Author-Name: Emma Weitkamp
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, UK
Author-Name: Peter Webb
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Health and Social Sciences, University of the West of England, UK
Abstract: Pro- and anti-vaccination users use social media outlets, such as Twitter, to join conversations about vaccines, disseminate information or misinformation about immunization, and advocate in favour or against vaccinations. These users not only share textual content, but also images to emphasise their messages and influence their audiences. Though previous studies investigated the content of vaccine images, there is little research on how these visuals are distributed in digital environments. Therefore, this study explored how images related to vaccination are shared on Twitter to gain insight into the communities and networks formed around their dissemination. Moreover, this research also investigated who influences the distribution of vaccine images, and could be potential gatekeepers of vaccination information. We conducted a social network analysis on samples of tweets with images collected in June, September and October 2016. In each dataset, pro- and anti-vaccination users formed two polarised networks that hardly interacted with each other, and disseminated images among their members differently. The anti-vaccination users frequently retweeted each other, strengthening their relationships, making the information redundant within their community, and confirming their beliefs against immunisation. The pro-vaccine users, instead, formed a fragmented network, with loose but strategic connections that facilitated networking and the distribution of new vaccine information. Moreover, while the pro-vaccine gatekeepers were non-governmental organisations or health professionals, the anti-vaccine ones were activists and/or parents. Activists and parents could potentially be considered as alternative but trustworthy sources of information enabling them to disseminate misinformation about vaccinations.
Keywords: activism; misinformation; social media; social network analysis; Twitter; vaccination
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:364-375

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Memes of Gandhi and Mercury in Anti-Vaccination Discourse
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2852
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2852
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 353-363
Author-Name: Jan Buts
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Abstract: This study focuses on two widely circulating memes in the anti-vaccination movement, namely lists of vaccine ingredients containing mercury, and quotes attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Mercury has been identified by conspiracy theorists as one of the most harmful components of vaccines, and Gandhi, who has condemned vaccination practices, has been celebrated as a significant source of authority. Quotes attributed to Gandhi against vaccination, complete with picture and embellished font, circulate across various popular platforms, as do intimidating images of syringes dipped in poison coupled with a list of seemingly occult or dangerous ingredients. This article analyses both memes, moving from the imageboard 4chan to the search engine Google Images,<em> </em>and illustrates how the repurposed, often ironic use of visual tropes can either undermine or strengthen the claims that accompany them. The aim is to explore the intersections of conspiracy theory, visual rhetoric, and digital communication in order to elucidate the ambiguity of memes as vehicles for the spread of controversial health-related information.
Keywords: conspiracy theories; memes; misinformation; vaccination
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:353-363

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Vaccine Assemblages on Three HPV Vaccine-Critical Facebook Pages in Denmark from 2012 to 2019
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2858
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2858
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 339-352
Author-Name: Torben E. Agergaard
Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Author-Name: Màiri E. Smith
Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Author-Name: Kristian H. Nielsen
Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Abstract: Misinformation about vaccines on social media is a growing concern among healthcare professionals, medical experts, and researchers. Although such concerns often relate to the total sum of information flows generated online by many groups of stakeholders, vaccination controversies tend to vary across time, place, and the vaccine at issue. We studied content generated by administrators on three Facebook pages in Denmark established to promote critical debate about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. We developed a qualitative coding frame allowing us to analyze administrators’ posts in terms of prevalent topics and intertextual material incorporated by linking and sharing. We coded more than a third of the posts (n = 699) occurring in the period from November 2012, when the first page was founded, to May 2019. We found that the pages mainly addressed the reports of adverse events following HPV vaccination and the (perceived) inadequate response of healthcare systems. To construct their central message, the pages assembled different sources, mostly reporting from Danish news media, but also personal narratives, scientific information, political assertions, and more. We conclude that HPV vaccination assemblages such as these pages are heterogeneous and contextual. They are not uniform sites of vaccine criticism, but rather seem to respond to and exchange information and misinformation within the communication environment in which they are embedded.
Keywords: controversy; Denmark; Facebook; Human Papillomavirus; misinformation; qualitative content analysis; social media; vaccination
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:339-352

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Pro-Science, Anti-Science and Neutral Science in Online Videos on Climate Change, Vaccines and Nanotechnology
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2937
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2937
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 329-338
Author-Name: M. Carmen Erviti
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Management Assistants, University of Navarra, Spain
Author-Name: Mónica Codina
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain
Author-Name: Bienvenido León
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain
Abstract: Online video has become a relevant tool to disseminate scientific information to the public. However, in this arena, science coexists with non-scientific or pseudoscientific beliefs that can influence people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Our research sets out to find empirical evidence of the representation of pro-science, anti-science and neutral stances in online videos. From a search on Google videos, we conducted content analysis of a sample of videos about climate change, vaccines and nanotechnology (n = 826). Results indicate that a search through Google videos provides a relatively small representation of videos with an anti-science stance, which can be regarded as positive, given the high potential influence of this search engine in spreading scientific information among the public. Our research also provides empirical evidence of the fact that an anti-science stance is more frequent in user-generated content than in videos disseminated by other types of producers.
Keywords: climate change; Google; nanotechnology; science communication; user-generated content; vaccines; video production
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:329-338

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Digital Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement with Health and Science Controversies: Fresh Perspectives from Covid-19
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3352
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3352
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 323-328
Author-Name: An Nguyen
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Journalism, Bournemouth University, UK
Author-Name: Daniel Catalan-Matamoros
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Studies, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain
Abstract: Digital media, while opening a vast array of avenues for lay people to effectively engage with news, information and debates about important science and health issues, have become a fertile land for various stakeholders to spread misinformation and disinformation, stimulate uncivil discussions and engender ill-informed, dangerous public decisions. Recent developments of the Covid-19 infodemic might just be the tipping point of a process that has been long simmering in controversial areas of health and science (e.g., climate-change denial, anti-vaccination, anti-5G, Flat Earth doctrines). We bring together a wide range of fresh data and perspectives from four continents to help media scholars, journalists, science communicators, scientists, health professionals and policy-makers to better undersand these developments and what can be done to mitigate their impacts on public engagement with health and science controversies.
Keywords: anti-5G; anti-vaccination; Covid-19; conspiracy theories; disinformation; healh controversies; infodemic; misinformation; science controversies
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:323-328

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Data Subjects vs. People’s Data: Competing Discourses of Privacy and Power in Modern Russia
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2883
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2883
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 314-322
Author-Name: Tetyana Lokot
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Communications, Dublin City University, Ireland
Abstract: The notion of individual privacy has always been a political one throughout Russia’s Soviet and post-Soviet periods, but in the age of all-encompassing datafication and digitisation of identities, privacy has become an even more contested concept. This article considers how Russian state officials and Russian digital rights advocates construct the notion of privacy in their public online discourses. I argue that how these actors talk about privacy helps shape the norms and the politics around it in Russia. An in-depth analysis of activity reports published online by the state internet regulator and a grassroots digital rights group reveals competing privacy discourses underpinned by differential understandings of how anonymity, secrecy, confidentiality, and control of personal data determine the distribution of power and agency in Russian public and political life. These differential interpretations of privacy inform the contentious politics that emerge around how privacy is regulated and negotiated within the greater regulatory and normative framework of digital citizenship in Russia. Thus, the article offers critical insights into the contestation of citizenship and, consequently, the distribution of power in more and less democratic systems.
Keywords: data; digital rights; power; privacy; Russia
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:314-322

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Polish Privacy Media Discourse: Privacy as Imposed Policies
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2850
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2850
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 302-313
Author-Name: Łukasz Wojtkowski
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Media and Journalism, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland
Author-Name: Barbara Brodzińska-Mirowska
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Media and Journalism, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland
Author-Name: Aleksandra Seklecka
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Media and Journalism, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland
Abstract: In this article we look at the Polish media discourse on privacy. In the analysis, we draw on theoretical approaches that understand privacy as having four dimensions: Relational, participatory, contextual, and technological. Moreover, we seek whether a specific norm of data-related privacy could be defined/redefined within the discourse. Considering the post-communist past that shapes a specific approach to surveillance and the general polarisation of polish media discourse, one would expect the key role of privacy issues in the public sphere. Thus, applying a critical discourse studies analysis, the aim was to capture the character of the so far under-researched privacy in Polish media discourse. We study what types of institutional agents are mentioned as creating privacy policies and what dimensions of privacy they tackle. Moreover, we also try to capture whether the institutional position offers a specific normative understanding of privacy and whether this norm is citizen/user-oriented. The results of the study indicate that: both the media discourse and the normative content of privacy policies are dominated by legal aspects concerned with the issues resulting from EU regulations (i.e., General Data Protection Regulation); privacy policies are institutionally dispersed and monopolised by journalists and experts instead of state officials or politicians; and there is only limited evidence of a discursive frame of a citizen-oriented norm of how to protect data-related privacy.
Keywords: critical discourse studies; General Data Protection Regulation; media discourse; Poland; privacy; privacy-invasive politics
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:302-313

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Shorter the Better? Effects of Privacy Policy Length on Online Privacy Decision-Making
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2846
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2846
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 291-301
Author-Name: Yannic Meier
Author-Workplace-Name: Social Psychology: Media and Communication, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Author-Name: Johanna Schäwel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media Psychology, University of Hohenheim, Germany
Author-Name: Nicole C. Krämer
Author-Workplace-Name: Social Psychology: Media and Communication, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Abstract: Privacy policies provide Internet users with the possibility to inform themselves about websites’ usage of their disclosed personal data. Strikingly, however, most people tend not to read privacy policies because they are long and cumbersome, indicating that people do not wish to expend much (cognitive) effort on reading such policies. The present study aimed to examine whether shorter privacy policies can be beneficial in informing users about a social networking site’s (SNS) privacy practices, and to investigate associations between variables relevant for privacy decision-making using one theory-based integrative model. In an online experiment, participants (<em>N</em> = 305) were asked to create a personal account on an SNS after being given the option to read the privacy policy. Privacy policy length and the SNS’s level of privacy were varied, creating a 2 (policy length) x 2 (level of privacy) between-subjects design. The results revealed that participants who saw short policies spent less time on reading but gained higher knowledge about the SNS’s privacy practices—due to the fact that they spent more reading time per word. Factual privacy policy knowledge was found to be an indicator for participants’ subjective privacy perception. The perception and evaluation of the specific SNS´s privacy level influenced the assessment of privacy costs and benefits. Particularly when benefits were perceived as high, self-disclosure was increased.
Keywords: online privacy; privacy calculus; privacy policy; self-disclosure; social networking site
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:291-301

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Reflections upon the Privacy in the Converged Commercial Radio: A Case Study of Royal Prank
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2807
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2807
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 280-290
Author-Name: Grażyna Stachyra
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Communication and Media Studies, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Poland
Abstract: This article focuses on the problematic consequences of shifting boundaries of converged radio practices for individual privacies. Holding that privacy is constructed through the interrelated information practices of both individuals and their mediated surroundings, it addresses radio as a previously intimate and privacy friendly medium. The case of the <em>Royal Prank </em>call by the Australian 2DayFM radio station demonstrates how contemporary converged radio practices affect the privacies of unintended participants in their shows. In December 2012, Jacintha Saldanha, nurse of London’s Royal King Edward VII Hospital committed suicide after two Australian radio presenters had made a prank phone call pretending to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles concerned about the state of Duchess Kate’s health, who was expecting her first child. The case identifies three conditions, each with implications on privacy. First, digitization renders radio content archivable and repeatable. There is a second life of radio programs keeping available information about any people involved. Secondly, the division of radio related labour leads to a lack of journalistic responsibility for respecting privacy standards. Broadcasters feel no need to be sensitive regarding the consequences of disseminated material, as commercial and legal staff decide on that. Finally, legal frameworks continue to apply legacy radio privacy measures and do not correspond to these new working conditions, as the reactions of the Australian supervisory authority show. In consequence, the case of the <em>Royal Prank </em>call demonstrates the impossibility to fight individual privacy when one is unintentionally involved in radio shows.
Keywords: commercial radio; convergence; media supervision; privacy; radio station; radio show; Royal Prank
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:280-290

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Staying at the Edge of Privacy: Edge Computing and Impersonal Extraction
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2761
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2761
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 270-279
Author-Name: Luke Munn
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, Australia
Abstract: From self-driving cars to smart city sensors, billions of devices will be connected to networks in the next few years. These devices will collect vast amounts of data which needs to be processed in real-time, overwhelming centralized cloud architectures. To address this need, the industry seeks to process data closer to the source, driving a major shift from the cloud to the ‘edge.’ This article critically investigates the privacy implications of edge computing. It outlines the abilities introduced by the edge by drawing on two recently published scenarios, an automated license plate reader and an ethnic facial detection model. Based on these affordances, three key questions arise: what kind of data will be collected, how will this data be processed at the edge, and how will this data be ‘completed’ in the cloud? As a site of intermediation between user and cloud, the edge allows data to be extracted from individuals, acted on in real-time, and then abstracted or sterilized, removing identifying information before being stored in conventional data centers. The article thus argues that edge affordances establish a fundamental new ‘privacy condition’ while sidestepping the safeguards associated with the ‘privacy proper’ of personal data use. Responding effectively to these challenges will mean rethinking person-based approaches to privacy at both regulatory and citizen-led levels.
Keywords: artificial intelligence; cloud; edge computing; personal data; privacy; smart city; surveillance
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:270-279

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: How Online Privacy Literacy Supports Self-Data Protection and Self-Determination in the Age of Information
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2855
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2855
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 258-269
Author-Name: Philipp K. Masur
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Abstract: Current debates on online privacy are rooted in liberal theory. Accordingly, privacy is often regarded as a form of freedom from social, economic, and institutional influences. Such a negative perspective on privacy, however, focuses too much on how individuals can be protected or can protect themselves, instead of challenging the necessity of protection itself. In this article, I argue that increasing online privacy literacy not only empowers individuals to achieve (a necessarily limited) form of negative privacy, but has the potential to facilitate a privacy deliberation process in which individuals become agents of social change that could lead to conditions of positive privacy and informational self-determination. To this end, I propose a four-dimensional model of online privacy literacy that encompasses factual privacy knowledge, privacy-related reflection abilities, privacy and data protection skills, and critical privacy literacy. I then outline how this combination of knowledge, abilities, and skills 1) enables to individuals to protect themselves against some horizontal and vertical privacy intrusions and 2) motivates individuals to critically challenge the social structures and power relations that necessitate the need for protection in the first place. Understanding these processes, as well as critically engaging with the normative premises and implications of the predominant negative concepts of privacy, offers a more nuanced direction for future research on online privacy literacy and privacy in general.
Keywords: data protection; digital literacy; information society; informational self-determination; new media; online privacy
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:258-269

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Beyond Moral Coupling: Analysing Politics of Privacy in the Era of Surveillance
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2875
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2875
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 248-257
Author-Name: Heikki Heikkilä
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Information, Technology and Communication, Tampere University, Finland
Abstract: The article calls into question the prevailing discursive construction in contemporary debate on privacy and surveillance. At the core of this discourse is a moral coupling wherein surveillance is perceived as enemy and privacy as friend. Even if this binary approach renders arguments for democratising data more persuasive, a political cost accompanies it. As this discourse situates political struggle at the level of digital infrastructure and political structures, the moral coupling largely overlooks the ambiguities of how people in their various activities in a digital environment experience surveillance and privacy. Such a framing may discourage users at large from engagement with politics of privacy. Edward Snowden’s autobiography is taken as a prominent example of the prevailing discourse. While analysing Snowden’s descriptions of privacy and surveillance critically, the author points out the specific value of life stories in describing what privacy means and why it matters. While we cannot assume all people to be equally capable of considering how their own life intersects with the history of their society, we can presume that varying life stories should contribute to the public knowledge of privacy. To provide the framework necessary for appropriately contextualising empirical evidence, the author presents a model wherein privacy is composed of five dimensions: solitude, anonymity, secrecy, intimacy, and dignity.
Keywords: digital infrastructure; life-story research; online security; privacy; Snowden; surveillance
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:248-257

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Localizing the Politics of Privacy in Communication and Media Research
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2869
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2869
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 237-247
Author-Name: Johanna E. Möller
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Author-Name: Leyla Dogruel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Abstract: While previous communication and media research has largely focused on either studying privacy as personal boundary management or made efforts to investigate the structural (legal or economic) condition of privacy, we observe an emergent body of research on the political underpinnings of privacy linking both aspects. A pronounced understanding of the politics of privacy is however lacking. In this contribution, we set out to push this forward by mapping four communication and media perspectives on the political implications of privacy. In order to do so, we recur on Barry’s (2002) distinction of the political and the politics and outline linkages between individual and structural dimensions of privacy. Finally, we argue that the media practice perspective is well suited to offer an analytical tool for the study of the multiple aspects of privacy in a political context.
Keywords: media research; politics; privacy; technology
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:237-247

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Politics of Privacy—A Useful Tautology
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3373
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3373
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 232-236
Author-Name: Johanna E. Möller
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Author-Name: Jakub Nowak
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Social Communication and Media Studies, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Poland
Author-Name: Sigrid Kannengießer
Author-Workplace-Name: Center for Media, Communication and Information Research, University of Bremen, Germany
Author-Name: Judith E. Möller
Author-Workplace-Name: Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract: While communication and media studies tend to define privacy with reference to data security, current processes of datafication and commodification substantially transform ways of how people act in increasingly dense communicative networks. This begs for advancing research on the flow of individual and organizational information considering its relational, contextual and, in consequence, political dimensions. Privacy, understood as the control over the flow of individual or group information in relation to communicative actions of others, frames the articles assembled in this thematic issue. These contributions focus on theoretical challenges of contemporary communication and media privacy research as well as on structural privacy conditions and people’s mundane communicative practices underlining inherent political aspect. They highlight how particular acts of doing privacy are grounded in citizen agency realized in datafied environments. Overall, this collection of articles unfolds the concept of ‘Politics of Privacy’ in diverse ways, contributing to an emerging body of communication and media research.
Keywords: agency; datafication; data security; media practices; politics; privacy
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:232-236

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Digital Participation and Risk Contexts in Journalism Education
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2783
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2783
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 219-231
Author-Name: Mark Dzula
Author-Workplace-Name: Fawcett Library, The Webb Schools, USA
Author-Name: Sydney Wuu
Author-Workplace-Name: Fawcett Library, The Webb Schools, USA
Author-Name: Janitza Luna
Author-Workplace-Name: Fawcett Library, The Webb Schools, USA
Author-Name: Amelie Cook
Author-Workplace-Name: Fawcett Library, The Webb Schools, USA
Author-Name: Summer Chen
Author-Workplace-Name: Fawcett Library, The Webb Schools, USA
Abstract: High school journalism programs nurture student voice, information literacy, and collaboration. Journalism programs do not merely produce commodities; they help students constitute a public within a school community. When publishing online, student journalists navigate relationships behind the scenes with stakeholders, including peers, adults, and the institution. Publishing can be fraught with hesitation and fear of consequences for speaking out. Because of this implication, journalism programs can serve as “potentially valuable yet imperfect” settings for the amplification of student voice and civic development, but can also unduly limit students’ self-expression, especially for girls (Bobkowski &amp; Belmas, 2017). What might be the affordances and constraints of digital participation in a high school journalism program? How might youth journalists and other participants navigate exigencies of publishing online in this context? We, the head editors and adviser, use grounded theory to examine processes and develop pragmatic knowledge (Glaser &amp; Strauss, 2017). Through a mix of prompts, group interviews, and participant observation, we develop a case study that demonstrates implications for ‘risk context,’ or the total situation of an actor’s vulnerability brought on by digital participation in publishing online. We describe what digital participation is good for, and for whom, thus further theorizing relationships between agency and co-production.
Keywords: digital participation; digital writing; high school; journalism; journalistic collaboration; risk
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:219-231

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: “School Strike 4 Climate”: Social Media and the International Youth Protest on Climate Change
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2768
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2768
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 208-218
Author-Name: Shelley Boulianne
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sociology, MacEwan University, Canada
Author-Name: Mireille Lalancette
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada
Author-Name: David Ilkiw
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sociology, MacEwan University, Canada
Abstract: Beginning in 2018, youth across the globe participated in protest activities aimed at encouraging government action on climate change. This activism was initiated and led by Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg. Like other contemporary movements, the School Strike 4 Climate used social media. For this article, we use Twitter trace data to examine the global dynamics of the student strike on March 15, 2019. We offer a nuanced analysis of 993 tweets, employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Like other movements, the primary function of these tweets was to share information, but we highlight a unique type of information shared in these tweets—documentation of local events across the globe. We also examine opinions shared about youth, the tactic (protest/strike), and climate change, as well as the assignment of blame on government and other institutions for their inaction and compliance in the climate crisis. This global climate strike reflects a trend in international protest events, which are connected through social media and other digital media tools. More broadly, it allows us to rethink how social media platforms are transforming political engagement by offering actors—especially the younger generation—agency through the ability to voice their concerns to a global audience.
Keywords: climate change; environment; march; protest; social media; strike; Twitter; youth
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:208-218

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Following Politicians on Social Media: Effects for Political Information, Peer Communication, and Youth Engagement
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2764
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2764
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 197-207
Author-Name: Franziska Marquart
Author-Workplace-Name: Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Author-Name: Jakob Ohme
Author-Workplace-Name: Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Author-Name: Judith Möller
Author-Workplace-Name: Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract: Young citizens increasingly turn to social media platforms for political information. These platforms enable direct communication between politicians and citizens, circumventing the influence of traditional news outlets. We still know little about the consequences of direct contact with politicians on such platforms for citizens’ political participation. Here, we argue that the interplay of different actors in the political news diet of citizens should be investigated from a networked communication perspective. Relying on a cross-sectional survey of young Danes (15–25 years old, <em>n</em> = 567), we investigate the relationship between following politicians on social media and: (a) the composition of young citizens’ political media diet; and (b) their civic messaging and campaign participation. Following political actors on social media relates to increased campaign engagement and can be a catalyst for young people’s exposure to campaign news, but their friends and followers function as the main node of their political online networks. We document a process of the de-mediation of politics on social media: Established news media lose influence as primary information sources for young citizens. We discuss these results in the context of users’ active curation and passive selection of their political social media diet.
Keywords: campaign engagement; Denmark; networked communication; political actors; social media use; youth participation
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:197-207

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Generation Z and Organizational Listening on Social Media
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2772
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2772
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 185-196
Author-Name: Hanna Reinikainen
Author-Workplace-Name: Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, Finland
Author-Name: Jaana T. Kari
Author-Workplace-Name: Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, Finland
Author-Name: Vilma Luoma-aho
Author-Workplace-Name: Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, Finland
Abstract: Young people are avid users of social media and have appeared as a powerful force for social change, as shown by the ranks of those who have joined Greta Thunberg in the global climate movement. In addition to challenging political institutions and governments, young people today are also holding the corporate world accountable. To respond to young people’s expectations, brands, and organizations have turned to social media to interact and build relationships with them. However, critics have lamented that these attempts often fail and that young people’s trust in institutions, brands, and organizations continues to decline. This article asks how young people perceive organizational listening on social media and whether their perceptions are related to their trust in the information shared by brands and other organizations on social media. Data for the study were gathered through an online survey in Finland and the UK. The respondents (N = 1,534), aged 15–24, represent the age cohort known as Generation Z. The results show that organizational listening is connected to higher levels of perceived benefits from social media as well as higher levels of trust in the information that brands, public authorities, and non-governmental organizations share on social media. The results highlight the role of competent listening on social media, bolstering the previous literature connecting both organizational listening and trust with higher levels of participation and engagement online.
Keywords: brands; organizational listening; generation Z; social media; trust
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:185-196

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Protecting Youths’ Wellbeing Online: Studying the Associations between Opportunities, Risks, and Resilience
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2774
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2774
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 175-184
Author-Name: Joyce Vissenberg
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium
Author-Name: Leen d'Haenens
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Media Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium
Abstract: <p>As youths engage in different activities on the Internet, it is inevitable that they are exposed to risky online contents that might bother or upset them. Previous research has shown that online resilience, or the ability to effectively cope with online risks and to deal with their negative consequences, protects youths against these feelings of harm that sometimes emerge after a risk experience. However, knowledge about the role of resilience in protecting youths’ overall wellbeing seems rather limited. The current study analyzes new EU Kids Online data using structural equation modeling to fill this gap. The findings corroborate earlier findings that the more opportunities youths take up online, the more they are exposed to risky content. These risk encounters are negatively associated with wellbeing. Online resilience moderates this association and protects youths’ overall wellbeing from being harmed by online risk exposure. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.</p>
Keywords: EU Kids Online; online opportunities; online resilience; online risks; wellbeing; youth
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:175-184

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Youth Digital Participation: Now More than Ever
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3180
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3180
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 171-174
Author-Name: Neta Kligler-Vilenchik
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Journalism, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Author-Name: Ioana Literat
Author-Workplace-Name: Teachers College, Columbia University, USA
Abstract: One of the far-reaching implications of the current global COVID-19 pandemic has been the sudden boost in use of digital media due to social distancing and stay-at-home orders. In times of routine, youth are often the first to adopt new technologies and platforms, to experiment with modes of production and practices of sharing, and often spend significant time and energy socializing online. Now such digital practices have become common among much wider demographics. Moreover, the move to online learning in schools and the spurt of innovative digital experiences offered has abruptly shifted the rhetoric of concern often associated with youth’s so-called “screen time.” The articles in this thematic issue—though written long before the COVID-19 pandemic—address many of the questions that now are significantly brought to the forefront. What are the potentials and opportunities offered by youth digital participation for learning, for self-expression, for identity formation, and for social connection? How does digital participation shape civic and political life? And finally, especially when digital participation is so ever-present, what are barriers to youth participation online, and what are the challenges and risks it poses?
Keywords: covid-19; digital opportunities; digital participation; digital risks; online learning; screen time; youth; youth political participation
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:171-174

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Emergence of Native Podcasts in Journalism: Editorial Strategies and Business Opportunities in Latin America
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2699
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2699
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 159-170
Author-Name: José Luis Rojas-Torrijos
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism II, University of Seville, Spain
Author-Name: Francisco Javier Caro-González
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Business Administration and Marketing, University of Seville, Spain
Author-Name: José Antonio González-Alba
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Cádiz, Spain
Abstract: This article analyses the state of the art of podcasting in the new digital landscape as well as the structures, editorial strategies, and business models of native podcasts launched in Latin America over the last few years. To this end, a multiple case study has been made to examine the way new digital outlets are using audio content. This qualitative research is made up of a variety of approaches, such as interviews, online surveys of podcasters, as well as the collection and analysis of secondary data. A specific aim of this comparative study was to include a sample of podcasts produced by thirteen emerging media platforms from eight countries registered in the directory of digital natives conducted by SembraMedia (https://www.sembramedia.org). This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the diversity and quality of Spanish language content by helping digital media entrepreneurs become more sustainable and successful. Results of this exploratory study reveal that native podcasting in Spanish is still expanding and that where the new media are small in scale, they are more oriented to the full exploitation of the narrative and innovative possibilities of this audio format and do not have responding to their target audiences’ needs as their main priority. These new media are finding different ways to become monetised (mainly content production for clients, sponsored content, sponsorship, consulting services, and advertising) and to make a profit.
Keywords: business models; digital native news media; entrepreneurial journalism; online journalism; podcasting
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:159-170

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Native Media and Business Models: Comparative Study of 14 Successful Experiences in Latin America
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2712
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2712
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 146-158
Author-Name: Santiago Tejedor
Author-Workplace-Name: Journalism Department, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Author-Name: Augusto Ventín
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Communication, Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia
Author-Name: Laura Cervi
Author-Workplace-Name: Journalism Department, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Author-Name: Cristina Pulido
Author-Workplace-Name: Journalism Department, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Author-Name: Fernanda Tusa
Author-Workplace-Name: Social Sciences Faculty, Technical University of Machala, Ecuador
Abstract: From its onset on the 1990s, both digital native (with sister headings on the analog platform) as digital native news media have experienced a constant transformation process. The accelerated technological evolution linked to the changing information consumption habits of the users demanded a constant reinvention capability. Furthermore, the need for profit and the drop in advertisement sales have pushed the media to redefine their structure, content and social media presence. The Ibero-American scene has experienced a sprout of a mixture of digital native news media. They are journalistic projects, conceived from and on the Internet, which have reached considerable renown and becoming reference media on the information level. Internet prompted a reduction of the costs related to the creation of media outlets. However, the establishment of a sustainable business model is one of the main challenges. The research presented looks at the business models of Ibero-American digital native news media based on a comparative analysis of 14 case studies, alongside interviews with their founders. The findings include, among other things, a tendency for business models based on diverse and hyper-specialized content targeted at micro-audiences. This research found an interest in horizontality, participation and user engagement, and noticed the need for these media to diversify their income sources.
Keywords: business model; digital native; journalism; native digital media; news media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:146-158

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Information Quality in Latin American Digital Native Media: Analysis Based on Structured Dimensions and Indicators
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2657
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2657
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 135-145
Author-Name: Claudia Rodríguez-Hidalgo
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador
Author-Name: Diana Rivera-Rogel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador
Author-Name: Luis M. Romero-Rodríguez
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Sciences and Sociology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain / ESAI Business School, Espiritu Santo University, Ecuador
Abstract: The current communicative ecosystem has profoundly transformed journalistic work and the media, generating with great eagerness the emergence of digital native media that do not follow the logic of their conventional peers. Although the advent of these media is not entirely negative, as they create multiple voices that contribute to pluralism, their quality has undoubtedly been questioned on several academic fronts. This work analyzes the most important Latin American digital native media by number of accesses (traffic), using a taxonomy of evaluation of dimensions of the informative quality, in which aspects such as informative sources, uses of international news agencies, correction of contents and factuality levels, ideological plurality in their opinion contents, among others, are taken into consideration. Of the emerging results, the ‘use of statistical indicators’ was the least rated (32.5%), mainly due to a lack of data journalism in the media studied. It is also worth noting that the indicator ‘comments and monitoring’ obtained the second-lowest rating, indicating an absence of conversation between the media and its audience through the comments section of each content.
Keywords: digital media; fake news; information quality; journalism; Latin America
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:135-145

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Managing Social Networks in Online-Native Newsrooms:  When Less Means More
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2717
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2717
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 124-134
Author-Name: Antonio Mendez
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, University of Malaga, Spain
Author-Name: Bella Palomo
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, University of Malaga, Spain
Author-Name: Agustin Rivera
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, University of Malaga, Spain
Abstract: During the last few years online-only media have been explored as an alternative to mainstream media. The development of this new media model coincides in time with an increase in dependence on social networks. Online media editors estimate that one third of their visits proceed from Facebook, a figure that obliges them to create specific strategies to ensure their company’s reputation and growth in the 2.0 field. The aim of this article is to assess what motivates Spanish digital-native newspapers to act on social networks, analyse their internal view of these channels, and describe their strategies for managing their relationship with audiences. Based on a qualitative and longitudinal approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with the social media editors of the most relevant digital-native newspapers in Spain—<em>El Confidencial</em>, <em>Eldiario.es</em>, <em>El Español</em> and <em>El HuffPost</em>—during 2017 and 2019, in order to trace the evolution of their professional routines. These social media editors consider that although digital-native newsrooms are smaller than traditional ones, they are more agile in reacting to metrics. Our results also confirm that Instagram is generating great expectations, and the new paywall system is affecting the way audiences are understood.
Keywords: audience; media business; new media; newspaper; online-native newsroom; social media; social networks
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:124-134

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Between Self-Regulation and Participatory Monitoring: Comparing Digital News Media Accountability Practices in Spain
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2721
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2721
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 112-123
Author-Name: Pedro-Luis Pérez-Díaz
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, Catholic University of Murcia, Spain
Author-Name: Rocío Zamora Medina
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, University of Murcia, Spain
Author-Name: Enrique Arroyas Langa
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, Catholic University of Murcia, Spain
Abstract: In recent years, the accountability practices of digital journalism have gone from constituting an intimate and self-regulatory system of journalistic culture to a complex process that is increasingly external and open to the public (Fengler, Eberwein, Mazzoleni, Porlezza, &amp; Russ-Mohl, 2014; Suárez-Villegas, Rodríguez-Martínez, Mauri-Ríos, &amp; López-Meri, 2017). In this context, values and goals may remain diverse, arguably linked to idiosyncratic elements which often open a gap between traditional and more contemporary newsroom models. Following a qualitative approach, this study examines online media accountability instruments from a functional perspective, dividing its influence in three temporal phases of news production (Heikkilä et al., 2012). In this way, instruments that hold journalists responsible for their work are explored in four leading online news media from Spain: two digital native outlets (<em>Eldiario.es</em> and <em>ElConfidencial.com</em>) and two legacy outlets (<em>ElPais.com</em> and <em>ElMundo.es</em>). In addition to this observation, in-depth interviews are conducted with staff members in charge of audience management to explore the inner routines and protocols that determine the efficacy of such aspirations.<strong> </strong>Our work reveals the preponderant role of instruments focused on the actor and production transparency that the studied media implement to fulfill their responsibility, especially when compared with the weakened self-regulation instruments. The answers of the interviewees stress the difficulties they face in managing participatory forms of accountability and disclose tensions between different strategies, as well as other structural factors that are discussed as essential for the consolidation of these deontological initiatives.
Keywords: citizen participation; deontology; digital journalism; journalism ethics; journalistic culture; media accountability; self-regulation; transparency
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:112-123

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Media Roles in the Online News Domain: Authorities and Emergent Audience Brokers
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2741
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2741
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 98-111
Author-Name: Sílvia Majó-Vázquez
Author-Workplace-Name: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, UK
Author-Name: Ana S. Cardenal
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Politics, Open University of Catalonia, Spain
Author-Name: Oleguer Segarra
Author-Workplace-Name: Dribia Data Research S. L., Spain
Author-Name: Pol Colomer de Simón
Author-Workplace-Name: Dribia Data Research S. L., Spain
Abstract: This article empirically tests the role of legacy and digital-born news media, mapping the patterns of audience navigation across news sources and the relationship between news providers. We borrow tools from network science to bring evidence that suggest legacy news media retain control of the most central positions in the online news domain. Great progress has been made in discussing theoretically the impact of the Internet on the news media ecology. Less research attention, however, has been given to empirically testing changes in the role of legacy media and the rising prominence of digital-born outlets. To fill this gap, in this study we use the hyperlink-induced topic search algorithm, which identifies authorities by means of a hyperlink network, to show that legacy media are still the most authoritative sources in the media ecology. To further substantiate their dominant role, we also examine the structural position of news providers in the audience network. We gather navigation data from a panel of 30,000 people and use it to reproduce the network of patterns of news consumption. While legacy news media retain control of the brokerage positions for the general population, our analysis—focused on patterns of young news consumers—reveals that new digital outlets also occupy relevant positions to control the audience flow. The results of this study have substantive implications for our understanding of news organizations’ roles and how they attain authority in the digital age.
Keywords: digital audience; digital-born media; hyperlinks; legacy media; network analysis; news; online news
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:98-111

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Behind the Comments Section: The Ethics of Digital Native News Discussions
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2724
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2724
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 86-97
Author-Name: Orge Castellano Parra
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism II, University of the Basque Country, Spain
Author-Name: Koldobika Meso Ayerdi
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism II, University of the Basque Country, Spain
Author-Name: Simón Peña Fernández
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism II, University of the Basque Country, Spain
Abstract: Initially offered as a digital public sphere forum, comments sections became the preferred democratic arena for gatekeepers to encourage their readers to engage in constructive dialogue about relevant issues. However, news sites require commenters to remain civil in their interactions, which led users to seek alternative ways of commenting on the news. This article explores in-depth the contents of a sample of 98,426 user-comments collected between February–March 2019 from three major Spanish digital native newspapers: <em>ElDiario.es</em>, <em>ElEspañol.com</em>, and <em>ElConfidencial.com</em>. The main goals were to analyze whether comments in news outlets are deliberative, to assess the quality of the debate that takes place in them, and to describe their specific features. Discourse ethics were explored to determine the discussions’ impact, the language used, the acceptance of arguments, and the recognition and civility of participants. Findings reveal that comments sections in news outlets do not have a dialogic nature and that the debates have a low-quality profile. Nonetheless, the degree of mutual respect in interaction is acceptable, with slightly observed levels of incivility. Finally, the data suggest that the focused comments are higher on social media and that memes and emojis represent a new form of digital discourse.
Keywords: discourse ethics; native digital media; new media; newspapers; social media; user-generated content
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:86-97

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Journalism Expands in Spite of the Crisis: Digital-Native News Media in Spain
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2738
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2738
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 73-85
Author-Name: Samuel Negredo
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism Projects, University of Navarra, Spain
Author-Name: María-Pilar Martínez-Costa
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism Projects, University of Navarra, Spain
Author-Name: James Breiner
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Marketing and Media Management, University of Navarra, Spain
Author-Name: Ramón Salaverría
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism Projects, University of Navarra, Spain
Abstract: Digital-native news organizations have grown steadily in Spain since the mid-1990s and they have become established as a major force in the media market. Paradoxically, their biggest expansion coincided with the Great Recession (2008–2014). In fact, their numbers increased most during 2012–2013, when traditional media were cutting staff in response to the economic crisis, and unemployment rates in the media sector as a whole hit their peak. However, these digital-native news startups have yet to prove their sustainability and stability. This study uses our own database of 3,862 native and non-native digital news outlets in Spain and the Reuters Institute Digital News Report to analyze a number of characteristics of these media, such as the percentage that have gone inactive, the relative popularity of legacy brands vs. digital natives, multi-platform synergies, content subject matter, geographical location, ownership, and funding sources. Based on these quantitative parameters, this study reviews the structural strengths and weaknesses of digital-native media in the Spanish news market. Taking into account these findings, we conclude that the surge in digital-native news media observed in Spain during the Great Recession followed the pattern of creative destruction described by several economists.
Keywords: digital journalism; digital-native media; media economics; online news; Spain
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:73-85

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Data Journalism as a Service: Digital Native Data Journalism Expertise and Product Development
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2757
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2757
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 62-72
Author-Name: Ester Appelgren
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism, Södertörn University, Sweden
Author-Name: Carl-Gustav Lindén
Author-Workplace-Name: Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki, Finland
Abstract: The combined set of skills needed for producing data journalism (e.g., investigative journalism methods, programming, knowledge in statistics, data management, statistical reporting, and design) challenges the understanding of what competences a journalist needs and the boundaries for the tasks journalists perform. Scholars denote external actors with these types of knowledge as interlopers or actors at the periphery of journalism. In this study, we follow two Swedish digital native data journalism start-ups operating in the Nordics from when they were founded in 2012 to 2019. Although the start-ups have been successful in news journalism over the years and acted as drivers for change in Nordic news innovation, they also have a presence in sectors other than journalism. This qualitative case study, which is based on interviews over time with the start-up founders and a qualitative analysis of blog posts written by the employees at the two start-ups, tells a story of journalists working at the periphery of legacy media, at least temporarily forced to leave journalism behind yet successfully using journalistic thinking outside of journalistic contexts.
Keywords: boundary work; data journalism; digital native; Finland; journalism; peripheral actors; Sweden
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:62-72

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Why Do Digital Native News Media Fail? An Investigation of Failure in the Early Start-Up Phase
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2677
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2677
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 51-61
Author-Name: Christopher Buschow
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media Management, Faculty of Media, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany
Abstract: Digital native news media have great potential for improving journalism. Theoretically, they can be the sites where new products, novel revenue streams and alternative ways of organizing digital journalism are discovered, tested, and advanced. In practice, however, the situation appears to be more complicated. Besides the normal pressures facing new businesses, entrepreneurs in digital news are faced with specific challenges. Against the background of general and journalism specific entrepreneurship literature, and in light of a practice–theoretical approach, this qualitative case study research on 15 German digital native news media outlets empirically investigates what barriers curb their innovative capacity in the early start-up phase. In the new media organizations under study here, there are—among other problems—a high degree of homogeneity within founding teams, tensions between journalistic and economic practices, insufficient user orientation, as well as a tendency for organizations to be underfinanced. The patterns of failure investigated in this study can raise awareness, help news start-ups avoid common mistakes before actually entering the market, and help industry experts and investors to realistically estimate the potential of new ventures within the digital news industry.
Keywords: digital-born news media; digital native news media; entrepreneurial journalism; news start-ups; practice theories
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:51-61

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Enduring Popularity of Legacy Journalism: An Analysis of Online Audience Data
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2736
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2736
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 40-50
Author-Name: Jacob L. Nelson
Author-Workplace-Name: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, USA
Abstract: As news publishers continue to lose subscribers and advertising revenue, journalism practitioners and researchers have looked to newcomers to the field for ideas of how to adapt and succeed in a much more saturated and unstable media environment. Many have specifically looked to digital native news organizations to understand the ways that journalism is attempting to reinvent itself for a media landscape that is very different from the previous one. Yet what often gets lost in this focus on the newest news organizations is the resilience of many of journalism’s older ones. In this study, I analyze a year’s worth of U.S.-based<strong> </strong>online news consumption data to show that, even in a media environment increasingly saturated with digital native news outlets, legacy news brands continue to comprise a majority of the most popular news sites. Drawing on audience studies literature, I argue that these findings likely reflect audience preferences for familiar, established brands, as well as structural advantages these brands maintain due to their size and capital. I conclude that the fate of digital news organizations is not just a question of their innovativeness or nimbleness. It is also a question of their ability to combat a combination of powerful, stubborn forces: the habits of the people they hope to reach, and the deep pockets of their competitors.
Keywords: audience studies; digital native news; journalism; legacy news; news consumption; news publishers
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:40-50

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Business Model Innovation in News Media: Fostering New Relationships to Stimulate Support from Readers
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2709
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2709
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 28-39
Author-Name: Giuliander Carpes da Silva
Author-Workplace-Name: Laboratory of Studies in Applied Social Sciences (LERASS), University Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
Author-Name: Gabriela Gruszynski Sanseverino
Author-Workplace-Name: Laboratory of Studies in Applied Social Sciences (LERASS), University Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
Abstract: Customer relationships are an important pillar of a business model (Osterwalder &amp; Pigneur, 2010). For years, though, news media has not invested much effort into nurturing rich connections with their consumers and, consequently, neglected the promotion of a participatory culture that could bring benefits for all involved (Neuberger &amp; Nuernbergk, 2010; Rosen, 2006). Vanishing advertising revenue and changing habits of news consumption on the Internet create a situation for changing that situation—especially when considering journalism as a service (Jarvis, 2014). Therefore, this article employs multiple case-study research to analyze and compare how four digital news natives from different countries (<em>The Correspondent</em> from the Netherlands, <em>eldiario.es</em> from Spain, <em>Mediapart</em> from France, and the Brazilian branch of <em>The Intercept</em>) are creating more meaningful connections with their audiences in order to sustain their businesses. We found out that all cases resort in varying degrees to the ideology of journalism, personification, transparency, impactful content, and community as motivations to attract members, while at the same time refraining from advertising becomes a guarantee of independence. Social media is losing ground, as companies use their own platforms and channels, such as emails, to develop routines that take member participation into account in different levels—from intermediate to maximal—though customization is still limited. The challenge for online-born news companies is to manage so many variables while taking into consideration feedback from their sustainable base of members.
Keywords: business models; customer relationships; digital journalism; entrepreneurial journalism; innovation; news media; revenue sources
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:28-39

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Cross-National Similarities and Differences between Legacy and Digital-Born News Media Audiences
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2733
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2733
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 16-27
Author-Name: Alfonso Vara-Miguel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Marketing and Media Management, School of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain
Abstract: The decline of the news business model for print newspapers in many Western countries and the digital disruption caused by the Internet have influenced the rise of digital-born news media. These new media are different from legacy brands in terms of business models, distribution strategies, corporate organisation, and editorial priorities. It would be expected that the different nature of both legacy and digital-born news media has driven to two types of significantly different audiences. This article aims to analyse whether there are significant differences between the users of these two types of media, by comparing the online audiences of five European countries’ (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy) legacy and digital-born media brands in 2015 and 2019. The article will focus on four aspects: demographic and socioeconomics profiles (sex, age, income and level of education); interest in news; payment for online news; and media trust.
Keywords: digital-born media; legacy brands; media brands; media trust; paywalls
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:16-27

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Journalism in Digital Native Media: Beyond Technological Determinism
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2702
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.2702
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 5-15
Author-Name: Berta García-Orosa
Author-Workplace-Name: Communication Sciences, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Author-Name: Xosé López-García
Author-Workplace-Name: Communication Sciences, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Author-Name: Jorge Vázquez-Herrero
Author-Workplace-Name: Communication Sciences, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Abstract: This article reflects on the conceptualisation and practise of journalism in European digital native media. The way news is produced and consumed in the digital era knocks down the boundaries that once divided professionals, citizens, and activists. At the same time, significant changes highlighted in recent studies call for a new theoretical and practical approach that goes beyond the dominant perspective of technological determinism. In relation with previous research, we have selected innovative digital media platforms (<em>De Correspondent</em>,<em> Heidi.news</em>, <em>Eldiario.es</em>, <em>IlPost</em>, <em>Mediapart</em>,<em> </em>and <em>Observador</em>), and we have analysed the types of journalism they set out to produce, as gleaned from their public-facing communications and interviews with the platforms’ founders and editors, comparing their stated goals with the journalism they produce and, lastly, we commented on changes in journalism. Digital native media explore renewed fields for journalism. The present analysis allows identifying the emergence of a series of trends in digital native media, which show a coexistence of traditional and new principles. Beyond the technological impact, the new media respond to the needs of society by incorporating the citizen as a reason for its purpose and as a collaborator in production processes. On the other hand, new players and an updated role of journalists come into play with innovative proposals designed for the current multiplatform and mobile scenario.
Keywords: digital journalism; digital native media; innovation; journalism; social media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:5-15

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Exploring Digital Native News Media
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3044
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i2.3044
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 2
Pages: 1-4
Author-Name: Ramón Salaverría
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain
Abstract: Digital native news media are becoming a blooming phenomenon, expanding globally. Up until now, however, the scholar community has paid little attention to online-born media, compared to the high interest devoted to the legacy media brands. Drawing upon the extant literature on this emerging topic, this editorial summarizes the empirical and theoretical contributions of the thematic issue entitled “Digital Native News Media: Trends and Challenges.” The author highlights that the studies selected for this thematic issue not only explore the innovative characteristics and opportunities of digital native media in thirty countries, but also provide a cautionary tale about their structural problems and limitations.
Keywords: digital journalism; digital native media; legacy media; media; newswork; online-born media
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:1-4

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: What Remains in Mind? Effectiveness and Efficiency of Explainers at Conveying Information
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2507
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2507
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 218-231
Author-Name: Pascal Schneiders
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany
Abstract: Whether and to what extent mass media contribute to the acquisition of knowledge depends fundamentally on the senses addressed by a particular medium. However, there is a lack of current research investigating the effectiveness and efficiency of (new) media, like scrollytelling and explainer videos, at conveying information, compared to established formats like text and audio. To fill this research gap, I conducted an experimental online survey (N = 381) with medium as the independent variable (explainer text vs. audio vs. video vs. scrollytelling) and the recall of information as the dependent variable. The subjects were presented with a popular scientific presentation on the environmental consequences of meat consumption in order to examine a socially relevant, controversial topic and to explore the possible consequences of dissonance on recalling information. As the present study demonstrates, the traditionally lower reputation of moving images in regard to the effectiveness of information transfer is not always justified. Rather, the results show that scrollytelling and video lead to a significantly more extensive recall than audio and in part text media. However, when considering exposure time, text turns out to be the most efficient medium. The dissonance perceived by the participants did not have any significant influence on their recall of information.
Keywords: dissonance; emotions; experiment; explainer video; intermedia comparison; recalling information; science communication; scrollytelling
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:218-231

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: ‘Fake News’ in Science Communication: Emotions and Strategies of Coping with Dissonance Online
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2495
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2495
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 206-217
Author-Name: Monika Taddicken
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Author-Name: Laura Wolff
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Abstract: In view of events such as the public denial of climate change research by well-known politicians, the effects of postfactual disinformation and emotionalisation are discussed for science. Here, so-called ‘fake news’ are of focus. These are considered problematic, particularly in a high-choice media environment as users tend to show selective behaviour. Much research has demonstrated this selective exposure approach, which has roots in the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger, 1957). However, research on the processes of coping with dissonance is still considered sparse. In particular, communication scholars have overlooked emotional states and negotiations. This article analyses the affects that are aroused when users are confronted with opinion-challenging disinformation and how they (emotionally) cope by using different strategies for online information. For this, we used the context of climate change that is widely accepted in Germany. The innovative research design included pre- and post-survey research, stimulus exposure (denying ‘fake news’), observations, and retrospective interviews (n = 50). Through this, we find that perceptions and coping strategies vary individually and that overt behaviour, such as searching for counter-arguments, should be seen against the background of individual ideas and motivations, such as believing in an easy rejection of arguments. Confirming neuroscientific findings, participants felt relieved and satisfied once they were able to dissolve their dissonant state and negative arousal. Dissatisfaction and frustration were expressed if this had not been accomplished.
Keywords: cognitive dissonance; emotions; fake news; online disinformation; science communication; selective exposure
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:206-217

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Why Are Scientific Experts Perceived as Trustworthy? Emotional Assessment within TV and YouTube Videos
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2536
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2536
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 191-205
Author-Name: Anne Reif
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Author-Name: Tim Kneisel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Author-Name: Markus Schäfer
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Author-Name: Monika Taddicken
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Abstract: Due to the rise of the Internet, the effects of different science communication formats in which experts appear cannot be neglected in communication research. Through their emotional and more comprehensible communication ‘sciencetubers’—who frequently differ from the stereotypical image of scientists as white, old men—may have a considerable effect on the public’s perceived trustworthiness of scientists as well as their trust in science. Thus, this study aims to extend trust and trustworthiness research to consider the role of emotion in science communication in the context of emerging online video content. Therefore, perceived trustworthiness was examined in an experimental online survey of 155 people aged 18–80. We considered different potential influencing variables for trustworthiness (expertise, integrity, benevolence) and used six different video stimuli about physics featuring scientific experts. The video stimuli varied according to format (TV interviews vs. YouTube videos), gender (male vs. female), and age of the experts depicted (old vs. young). The results suggest that: (1) Scientific experts appearing in TV interviews are perceived as more competent but not higher in integrity or benevolence than sciencetubers—while scientists interviewed on TV are regarded as typical scientists, sciencetubers stand out for their highly professional communication abilities (being entertaining and comprehensible); (2) these emotional assessments of scientists are important predictors of perceived trustworthiness; and (3) significantly mediate the effect of the stimulus (TV interview vs. YouTube video) on all dimensions of perceived trustworthiness of scientific experts.
Keywords: entertainment; public trust; science communication; science video; stereotype; television; trustworthiness; YouTube
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:191-205

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Science Slams as Edutainment: A Reception Study
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2459
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2459
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 177-190
Author-Name: Philipp Niemann
Author-Workplace-Name: National Institute for Science Communication gGmbH, Germany
Author-Name: Laura Bittner
Author-Workplace-Name: Department for Science Communication, Institute of Technology Futures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Author-Name: Philipp Schrögel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department for Science Communication, Institute of Technology Futures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Author-Name: Christiane Hauser
Author-Workplace-Name: Department for Science Communication, Institute of Technology Futures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Abstract: Science slams are a prominent form of science communication especially in Germany that seeks to entertain. While some view science slams as an excellent vehicle for disseminating knowledge, others argue that the imperative to entertain undermines the scientific value of this form of presentation. Drawing on empirical data from three science slam events, this explorative study examines how audiences and presenters perceive the science slam, particularly as it relates to entertainment and the communication of scientific knowledge. Our multi-method analysis includes audience surveys (n = 469), an eye-tracking study, and interviews with science slammers (n = 18). Our results show that the main reason audiences attend a science slam is for entertainment, yet they also have a strong interest in scientific content. Assessing the slammers’ aspirations concerning the audience, we find entertainment to be an important part, but the motivation to impart scientific knowledge is key for most. When asked to evaluate individual presentations (n = 20), spectators tended to rate both the entertainment and scientific value of the presentations as high. However, in terms of visual attention within individual presentations, spectators spent more time considering scientific content than entertainment content. Overall, we do not find evidence for the common claim that the focus on entertainment undermines the scientific value of science slam presentations—rather, entertainment and scientific content are combined to produce “edutainment” in a positive sense.
Keywords: entertainment; eye-tracking; presentation forms; science communication; science slam
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:177-190

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Feeling Left Out: Underserved Audiences in Science Communication
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2480
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2480
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 164-176
Author-Name: Christian Humm
Author-Workplace-Name: Department for Science Communication, Institute of Technology Futures, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Germany
Author-Name: Philipp Schrögel
Author-Workplace-Name: Department for Science Communication, Institute of Technology Futures, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Germany
Author-Name: Annette Leßmöllmann
Author-Workplace-Name: Department for Science Communication, Institute of Technology Futures, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Germany
Abstract: Science communication only reaches certain segments of society. Various underserved audiences are detached from it and feel left out, which is a challenge for democratic societies that build on informed participation in deliberative processes. While only recently researchers and practitioners have addressed the question on the detailed composition of the not reached groups, even less is known about the emotional impact on underserved audiences: feelings and emotions can play an important role in how science communication is received, and “feeling left out” can be an important aspect of exclusion. In this exploratory study, we provide insights from interviews and focus groups with three different underserved audiences in Germany. We found that on the one hand, material exclusion factors such as available infrastructure or financial means as well as specifically attributable factors such as language skills, are influencing the audience composition of science communication. On the other hand, emotional exclusion factors such as fear, habitual distance, and self- as well as outside-perception also play an important role. Therefore, simply addressing material aspects can only be part of establishing more inclusive science communication practices. Rather, being aware of emotions and feelings can serve as a point of leverage for science communication in reaching out to underserved audiences.
Keywords: emotion; exclusion; feelings; focus groups; inclusion; marginalisation; science communication; underserved audiences
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:164-176

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Emotional Effects of Science Narratives: A Theoretical Framework
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2602
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2602
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 151-163
Author-Name: Helena Bilandzic
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media, Knowledge, and Communication, University of Augsburg, Germany
Author-Name: Susanne Kinnebrock
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media, Knowledge, and Communication, University of Augsburg, Germany
Author-Name: Magdalena Klingler
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media, Knowledge, and Communication, University of Augsburg, Germany
Abstract: Stories have long been discussed as a tool to make science accessible to the public. The potential of stories to stimulate emotions in their audiences makes them an emotional communication strategy <em>par excellence</em>. While studies exist that test the effects of stories in science communication on the one hand and the effects of emotions on the other hand, there is no systematic elaboration of the mechanisms through which stories in science communication evoke emotions and how these emotions influence outcomes such as knowledge gain and attitude change. In this article, we develop a theoretical framework of the “Emotional Effects of Science Narratives” (EESN-Model), which includes a typology of emotions likely to arise from reading science communication as well as mechanisms for each of the emotions to evoke the (desired) outcomes. The model serves as a heuristic to delineate the emotional effects of narratives in science coverage and will help guide research in this domain to provide a deeper understanding of the role of emotion in science news.
Keywords: EESN-Model; emotional response; emotion; narrative; narrative effects; science communication
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:151-163

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Emotionalization in the Media Coverage of Honey Bee Colony Losses
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2498
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2498
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 141-150
Author-Name: Brigitte Huber
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Austria
Author-Name: Ingrid Aichberger
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication Studies, University of Salzburg, Austria
Abstract: Emotionalization is increasingly used in the daily news. However, communication scholars have only just begun to explore how journalists use emotionalization in coverage of scientific and environmental topics. This study contributes to filling this research gap by investigating emotionalization in reporting on honey bee colony losses. The aim of the study is to analyze the amount of emotionalization that took place, as well as to observe changes over time. Emotionalization is assessed in two ways; by analyzing to what extent journalists (1) <em>explicitly mentioned</em> discrete emotions in news stories (joy, hope, fear, anger, etc.) and/or (2) used <em>rhetorical devices</em> to evoke emotions (affective vocabulary, metaphors, colloquial language, superlatives, etc.). Results from a quantitative content analysis of four Austrian newspapers in 2010/2011, 2013/2014, and 2017/2018 show that the coverage is highly emotionalized across all three time periods studied. Emotionalization occurs far more often by using rhetorical devices than by explicitly mentioning positive or negative emotions. Interestingly, the incorporation of emotional elements and scientific expertise in the news items do not exclude one another. Hence, there seems to be no strict dichotomy between rational/objective and emotional reporting.
Keywords: content analysis; emotionalization; emotions; environmental communication; quality newspapers; science communication; tabloid newspapers
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:141-150

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Investigating Ethos and Pathos in Scientific Truth Claims in Public Discourse
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2444
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2444
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 129-140
Author-Name: Niklas Simon
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of History and Social Sciences, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
Abstract: The article seeks to explore the role played by the rhetorical modes of ethos and pathos when scientific knowledge is constructed in public discourse. A case study is presented on the public debate in Germany on possible risks to bees from neonicotinoid pesticides, focusing especially on a detailed analysis of scientific knowledge claims found in texts produced by two lobbying groups involved. The findings indicate distinctive rhetorical patterns in the context of scientific truth claims realising, for example, appeals to concern and the display of scientific competence and integrity.
Keywords: ethos; linguistics; pathos; public discourse; rhetoric; scientific knowledge; truth claims
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:129-140

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Cold Science Meets Hot Weather: Environmental Threats, Emotional Messages and Scientific Storytelling
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2432
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2432
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 118-128
Author-Name: Rolf Lidskog
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Humanities, Educational and Social Sciences, Örebro University, Sweden
Author-Name: Monika Berg
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Humanities, Educational and Social Sciences, Örebro University, Sweden
Author-Name: Karin M. Gustafsson
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Humanities, Educational and Social Sciences, Örebro University, Sweden
Author-Name: Erik Löfmarck
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Humanities, Educational and Social Sciences, Örebro University, Sweden
Abstract: Science is frequently called upon to provide guidance in the work towards sustainable development. However, for science to promote action, it is not sufficient that scientific advice is seen as competent and trustworthy. Such advice must also be perceived as meaningful and important, showing the need and urgency of taking action. This article discusses how science tries to facilitate action. It claims that the use of scientific storytelling—coherent stories told by scientists about environmental trajectories—are central in this; these stories provide meaning and motivate and guide action. To do this, the storylines need to include both a normative orientation and emotional appeals. Two different cases of scientific storytelling are analyzed: one is a dystopic story about a world rushing towards ecological catastrophe, and the other is an optimistic story about a world making dramatic progress. These macrosocial stories offer science-based ways to see the world and aim to foster and guide action. The article concludes by stating that using storylines in scientific storytelling can elicit fear, inspire hope, and guide action. The storylines connect cold and distant scientific findings to passionate imperatives about the need for social transformation. However, this attachment to emotions and values needs to be done reflexively, not only in order to create engagement with an issue but also to counteract a post-truth society where passionate imperatives go against scientific knowledge.
Keywords: Anthropocene; emotions; Factfulness; narratives; science communication; scientific storytelling; The Great Acceleration
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:118-128

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: What Do You Expect? Linguistic Reflections on Empathy in Science Communication
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2481
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2481
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 107-117
Author-Name: Nina Janich
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
Abstract: This linguistics article, which draws additionally on interdisciplinary insights, discusses whether and to what extent more empathy could facilitate and promote the exchange of knowledge between science and society. The existence of the Internet as a knowledge resource has made it necessary, especially in online communication, to renegotiate (scientific) expertise and roles such as ‘expert’ and ‘layperson.’ A discourse linguistics case study of a science blog shows that these negotiations quickly take on the character of an emotionally charged relationship between writer and respondent and are by no means limited to the level of fact or disinterested scholarly debate. The reason for this—so this article argues—is that reciprocal expectations and expectations of expectations play an essential role in science communication, as in any social communication. This hypothesis is supported by an analysis of interviews with scientists about their expectations of the public’s understanding of science. Against this background, empathy seems to be a suitable means to better meet the expectations of one’s interlocuter (or at least to avoid disappointed expectations) and to move from a more emotional level back to a more rational one. Empathy and its role in science communication should therefore be investigated more closely—on an interdisciplinary basis.
Keywords: discourse linguistics; emotionality; empathy; expectations of expectations; science communication
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:107-117

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Between Evidence and Emotions: Emotional Appeals in Science Communication
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2934
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2934
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 101-106
Author-Name: Monika Taddicken
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Author-Name: Anne Reif
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Communication and Media Sciences, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
Abstract: In the field of science communication, there is currently a great deal of discussion on how individuals can be reached, not only through fact-oriented communication, but also through emotional appeals and ‘edutainment’ approaches. This discussion has been further intensified by the changing conditions of new media environments. From an academic viewpoint, the discussion is often met with scepticism. However, categorical statements about a supposed dichotomy of emotion and rationality are misleading. What is needed are differentiated arguments and analyses. Nevertheless, emotions in science communication are an often overseen research field. With this thematic issue, we seek to enrich the scientific discourse by providing research from authors coming from different perspectives using different concepts, methods, and cases. In this editorial, we summarise the contribution of ten different articles on three levels: (1) emotions of science communicators, (2) emotional(ised) content, and (3) emotions of science communication audiences.
Keywords: audiences; communicators; content; emotions; entertainment; rationality; science communication
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:101-106

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Strengthening the Monitoring of Violations against Journalists through an Events-Based Methodology
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2543
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2543
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 89-100
Author-Name: Jackie Harrison
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism Studies, Sheffield University, UK
Author-Name: Diana Maynard
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism Studies, Sheffield University, UK
Author-Name: Sara Torsner
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism Studies, Sheffield University, UK
Abstract: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 16.10.1 proposes an important monitoring agenda for the global recording of a range of violations against journalists as a means to prevent attacks on the communicative functions of journalism. However, the need for extensive collection of data on violations against journalists raises a number of methodological challenges. Our research shows the following issues must be addressed: the lack of conceptual consistency; the lack of methodological transparency; the need for sophisticated data categorisation and disaggregation to enable data to be merged from different sources; the need to establish links to understand causal and temporal relations between people and events; and the need to explore and utilize previously untapped data sources. If we are to strengthen the monitoring of SDG 16.10.1, we propose to develop a robust and reliable events-based methodology and a set of tools which can facilitate the monitoring of the full range of proposed 16.10.1 categories of violations, reconcile data from multiple sources in order to adhere to the established 16.10.1 category definitions, and to further disaggregate the proposed 16.10.1 categories to provide more in-depth information on each instance of a violations. This, we argue, will ultimately contribute towards better understanding of the contextual circumstances and processes producing aggressions against journalists.
Keywords: events-based methodology; monitoring; safety of journalists; Sustainable Development Goal
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:89-100

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: New Opportunities in Monitoring Safety of Journalists through the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2660
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2660
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 78-88
Author-Name: Guy Berger
Author-Workplace-Name: Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO, France
Abstract: This article highlights the potential for increased and more standardised monitoring of a range of aspects of the safety of journalists. This is in the light of a specific indicator that has been agreed by the UN as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The indicator concerned treats the safety of journalists as a benchmark for tracking progress on SDG target 16.10, which specifies “public access to information and fundamental freedoms” (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.) as a development aspiration. Inclusion of this indicator in the SDGs provides a universally legitimated framework with strong catalytic potential. All this holds a promise of improved, more comparative, and increased research output, as compared to the previous situation. The results of new research stimulated by this development, particularly at country level, could have real impact on the safety of journalists.
Keywords: journalism; monitoring; safety of journalists; Sustainable Development Goals; UNESCO; United Nations
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:78-88

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Reconsidering Journalist Safety Training
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2525
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2525
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 68-77
Author-Name: Marte Høiby
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
Author-Name: Mariateresa Garrido V.
Author-Workplace-Name: International Law Department, University for Peace, Costa Rica
Abstract: Safety training courses and manuals are designed to provide journalists with guidance to assess and mitigate risk. In this article, we ask whether content of such training and guidance is informed by actual threats and risks relevant to journalists working in the field. Departing from our own previous research about threats and dangers faced by journalists working in conflict zones or covering dangerous beats, and a review of the literature addressing the issue of safety manuals for journalists, we evaluate the content of five safety-training documents. Of these, two are descriptions of internationally-focused safety courses, two are safety manuals produced for a national audience, and one is a handbook focusing specifically on safety for women reporters in the Arab region. The purpose is to identify various aspects of safety addressed in training and manuals offered to locally and internationally-deployed journalists—and illuminate how they may differ in focus and approach. Through a comparison of the content of the selected manuals and course descriptions, we conclude that these trainings and manuals to some extent address specific variations in context, but that detailed attention towards gender differences in risk and other personal characteristics are not given equivalent weight. The international training focuses excessively on physical environment issues (such as those of a ‘hostile environment’), while the manuals with national or regional focus are practice-oriented and largely take a journalistic point of departure. We argue that training and manuals can benefit from considering both these aspects for risk assessment, but recommend that addressing journalistic practice and personal resources is fundamental to all journalist safety training since it is at the personal, practical, and media organisational levels that the mitigation encouraged by these trainings can happen.
Keywords: conflict reporting; hostile environment training; journalist safety; safety training; war journalism
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:68-77

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: #MeToo, Sexual Harassment and Coping Strategies in Norwegian Newsrooms
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2529
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2529
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 57-67
Author-Name: Trond Idås
Author-Workplace-Name: Norwegian Union of Journalists, Norway
Author-Name: Kristin Skare Orgeret
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
Author-Name: Klas Backholm
Author-Workplace-Name: Political Science with Mass Communication, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Abstract: This article, through conducting a study of the sexual harassment (SH) of media workers, investigates the extent and types of SH experienced by the editorial staff of Norwegian newsrooms at the time the #MeToo campaign arrived in Norway, and what effects such experiences have on journalists’ professional lives. We are also interested in what Norwegian media houses are doing to address these challenges. The leading research question consists of three interrelated parts: To what extent are journalists exposed to SH? What coping strategies do they use? How can newsrooms be better prepared to fight SH, from the perspective of the safety of journalists? A mixed methods approach, which combines findings from a quantitative questionnaire with qualitative in-depth interviews, was used to answer these questions. The findings show that female, young, and temporary media workers are significantly more frequently targeted than others and that those who had experienced SH handled the situation using avoiding strategies to a significantly greater extent than those who had only been exposed to unwanted attention experiences. The findings feed into a discussion of what strategies media houses can use to be better prepared in the fight against SH.
Keywords: coping strategies; female journalists; journalism; newsrooms; safety; sexual harassment
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:57-67

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Female Journalists’ Experience of Online Harassment: A Case Study of Nepal
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2541
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2541
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 47-56
Author-Name: Samiksha Koirala
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Media and Communication Studies, Nepal Open University, Nepal
Abstract: This study examines the experiences of female journalists in Nepal in the context of rapidly growing expansion of broadband Internet. By examining the findings of the qualitative in-depth interview of 48 female journalists, it argues that online platforms are threatening press freedom in Nepal, mainly by silencing female journalists. The study also indicates that the problem is particularly severe in such a patriarchal society as a significant number of incidents of abuse go unreported, largely due to a culture of shame as well as ineffective legislation. Over the course of this article, I have attempted to show how social issues raised by second-wave feminism and online feminism are similar. The findings show that some of the female journalists experiencing harassment tolerate it by being ‘strong like a man,’ while many of them avoid social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to keep free of such abuse. The study also suggests that individual efforts to tackle the vicious issue of misogyny might not be enough and collective effort from legislation, media organisations, and feminists is required to address the issue.
Keywords: female journalists; gender; harassment; journalism; Nepal; online harassment; online participation
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:47-56

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Reporting in Conflict Zones in Pakistan: Risks and Challenges for Fixers
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2514
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2514
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 37-46
Author-Name: Kiyya Baloch
Author-Workplace-Name: NLA University College, Norway
Author-Name: Kenneth Andresen
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Media and Nordic Studies, University of Agder, Norway
Abstract: As a backbone of reporting in war and conflicts, fixers offer essential assistance to the foreign correspondent in conflict zones, also in Pakistan. With valuable local knowledge and contacts, fixers can arrange travel to secure entry of foreign correspondents into conflict zones in addition to securing interviews with otherwise unattainable figures, while offering reliable translation services. Pakistani media, despite being one of the largest and most developed in South Asia, remains under the strict control of powerful military establishment and government, while seeming to mirror the overarching government sentiment with a distinct lack of research-based news. Challenging this state of affairs, local journalist fixers seek to conduct research and investigative journalism, making them an attractive asset for western correspondents travelling to Pakistan. Based on data from interviews with local fixers and journalists in Pakistan, this article reveals the many security problems for local fixers in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions in Pakistan. It also shows that the fixers’ rights and interests are not protected by media organizations or the governments. Additionally, fixers face increasing censorship from security agencies and death threats from militants. This study discusses the harsh realities fixers face in the conflict zones of Pakistan where international press lack access due to increasing restrictions imposed by the government, and the violence perpetrated against media workers by the Islamic State and other radical groups, like Taliban and Baloch separatists.
Keywords: conflict zones; fixers; journalism; Pakistan; security
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:37-46

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Re-Conceptualizing Safety of Journalists in Bangladesh
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2494
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2494
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 27-36
Author-Name: Mubashar Hasan
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, Norway
Author-Name: Mushfique Wadud
Author-Workplace-Name: Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, USA
Abstract: Journalists are currently facing a multitude of threats. Commonly, these are considered in terms of harassment and bodily harms such as incarceration and murder of journalists. In the Bangladeshi case we argue that the parameters for evaluating what constitutes safety for journalists go beyond conventional wisdom. On the basis of in-depth interviews of 23 Bangladeshi journalists, we argue that the concept of journalists’ safety has three intertwined dimensions. First, journalists’ safety incorporates avoiding bodily harm (imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and so forth), and harassment, as well as economic and career threats. Second, in order to remain safe, journalists undertake various tactics including compromising the objectivity of news in a regime where security apparatus and pro-government journalists work in tandem to surveil and intimidate non-partisan journalists. Third, the tactics used by journalists decrease public faith in the media and the media can no longer play a watchdog role. We argue that one needs to reconceptualize the safety of journalists within these three intertwined dimensions.
Keywords: authoritarianism; Bangladesh; democracy; hybrid regime; journalism; journalists’ safety
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:27-36

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Constructing Silence: Processes of Journalistic (Self-)Censorship during Memoranda in Greece, Cyprus, and Spain
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2634
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2634
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 15-26
Author-Name: Sofia Iordanidou
Author-Workplace-Name: Open University of Cyprus, Cyprus
Author-Name: Emmanouil Takas
Author-Workplace-Name: Advanced Media Institute, Greece
Author-Name: Leonidas Vatikiotis
Author-Workplace-Name: Advanced Media Institute, Greece
Author-Name: Pedro García
Author-Workplace-Name: International University of La Rioja, Spain
Abstract: What are to be considered as threats against journalism? Whereas the literature on safety of journalists mainly discusses threats as part of armed conflicts, this article studies how other kinds of conflicts such as economic strangulation and the viability threat represent threats against journalists’ work and safety. It argues that acts of intimidation directed against journalists represent an attack on democracy itself as they have the effect of limiting the freedom of expression. The aim of this study is to explore how journalists operate in such a conflict and under such uncertainty, as an implication of (political) pressure caused by the politics of Memoranda in Greece, Cyprus, and Spain. The comparative analysis focuses on possible changes in the processes of message construction and in the journalistic practices of the participants, exploring if, how, and to what extent these changes were imposed to journalists directly or indirectly.
Keywords: European South; journalists; memorandum; safety; self-censorship; silence
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:15-26

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Democracy at Stake: Self-Censorship as a Self-Defence Strategy for Journalists
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2512
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2512
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 5-14
Author-Name: Gerald Walulya
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism & Communication, Makerere University, Uganda
Author-Name: Goretti L. Nassanga
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism & Communication, Makerere University, Uganda
Abstract: The media play an essential role of informing and mobilising voters as well as facilitating a two-way communication process between citizens and those vying for electoral offices during elections. This allows citizens to get information on various issues from the contenders, which largely informs their electoral decisions. In most less democratic societies however, this media function is increasingly becoming difficult to fulfil due to challenges journalists encounter during electoral processes. Using Uganda’s last general elections in 2016 as a case study, this article discusses the safety of journalists during elections basing on findings from a bigger study on the media coverage of the 2016 elections, supplemented by in-depth interviews with 10 journalists who covered the elections. In addition, the analysis makes reference to the 2016 Uganda Press Freedom Index. Findings of this research show that journalists face more safety and security risks during elections particularly perpetuated by state security agencies. Compared to previous elections, the 2016 elections also recorded the highest number of victims who were female journalists. This article highlights key challenges journalists face during elections, which include: state harassment and intimidation, arrest of those considered critical to the state, and denial of access to important information. Due to concerns of their own safety, journalists have responded to the insecure work environment by engaging in self-censorship, thereby giving biased or limited information to the public. The article identifies gaps that media development agencies can help to close if the media are to play their rightful role in a democratic society, especially during the electoral process.
Keywords: democracy; election reporting; journalists; press freedom; safety; self-censorship; violence
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:5-14

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Introduction: Rethinking Safety of Journalists
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2873
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v8i1.2873
Journal: Media and Communication
Volume: 8
Year: 2020
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-4
Author-Name: Kristin Skare Orgeret
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
Author-Name: William Tayeebwa
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Journalism and Communication, Makerere University, Uganda
Abstract: The introductory chapter to the thematic issue, entitled “Rethinking Safety of Journalists,” shows how promoting the safety of journalists is closely related to press freedom. It presents the articles of the thematic issue and highlights how the safety of journalists is no longer a concern of individuals or individual nation states only, but is now also a global concern, whereby the international community is obliged to come to the defense of journalists’ safety.
Keywords: gender; journalism; press freedom; safety of journalists; threats
Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v8:y:2020:i:1:p:1-4