Mediating terror

ObjectiveTo introduce MoH+, HealthMap’s (HM) real-time feed of official government sources, and demonstrate its utility in comparing the timeliness of outbreak reporting between official and unofficial sources.IntroductionPrevious studies have documented significant lags in official reporting of outbreaks compared to unofficial reporting (1,2). MoH+ provides an additional tool to analyze this issue, with the unique advantage of actively gathering a wide range of streamlined official communication, including formal publications, online press releases, and social media updates.MethodsOutbreaks reported by official sources were identified through MoH+ (healthmap.org/mohplus), which collects surveillance data published globally by ministries of health (MoH), other related ministries, government portals, government-affiliated organizations, and international governing bodies (Fig. 1). Reporting of these outbreaks was also identified in unofficial sources using various HM feeds including Google News, ProMED, and participatory surveillance feeds.Of the 109 outbreaks identified since May 2012, 65 were excluded as they started before data collection, 7 were excluded as they were not reported by unofficial sources, and 1 was excluded as it was a non-natural outbreak. For the remaining 36 outbreaks, the median difference in first date of report between official and unofficial sources was analyzed using a Wilcoxon sign rank test.ResultsOutbreak reporting in official sources lagged by a statistically significant median of 2 days (p=0.003). Among unofficial sources, online news most often (75%) was the fastest to report an outbreak, followed by ProMED (22%) and participatory surveillance (3%). Among official sources, national government affiliated institutes were most often (41%) the fastest, and repeatedly providing prompt outbreak reports were the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Agency of Canada, Finnish Food Safety Authority, Health Protection Scotland, UK Health Protection Agency, and French Institute of Public Health Surveillance (FIPHS). Following such institutes were the European CDC (ECDC) with 22% of first reports of outbreaks; MoH’s (17%); and WHO (10%). There were 4 instances in which official sources reported before unofficial sources—3 by the ECDC and 1 by FIPHS.ConclusionsCompared to the Chan study reporting a 16 day lag between first public communication and WHO Outbreak News (1) and the Mondor study reporting a 10 day lag between non-government and government sources (2), the present study shows a much condensed lag of 2 days between unofficial and official sources. Because the two earlier studies cover a much broader historical time frame, one explanation for the reduced lag time is increased adoption of online communication by official government agencies. However, despite such improvements in communication, the lag persists, pointing to the importance of using informal sources for outbreak surveillance.The present study was limited by small sample size, as the study is in its early stages. We will continue to gather data and all numbers will be updated in time for the presentation to reflect the larger database. Future directions of this study include characterization of official and unofficial reporting by region, language, disease, and source.

The effects of episodic and thematic framing on the attribution of responsibility for societal problems have previously been investigated with experimental methods and mostly tested general effects on the public. The current work, instead, investigates episodic framing’s effect by linking a large-scale content analysis to data of a panel survey ( n = 3,270) and assesses the conditionality upon citizens’ individual political ideology. It does so with a focus on perceptions of responsibility for the 2009–2015 economic crisis and within the context of the Netherlands. Results demonstrate that exposure to episodically framed crisis news caused a decline in the attribution of responsibility to individual citizens, whereas thematic framing did not affect this. Framing effects on the attribution of political responsibility, instead, were conditional on political ideology: Episodic framing decreased the attribution of political responsibility, whereas thematic framing increased the attribution of responsibility to political actors, but both effects occurred primarily among citizens with a right-wing political-economic ideology. Accordingly, we add an explanation for the inconsistency of effect directions in previously published research on the effects that episodic and thematic framing may have on responsibility attributions.

Those seeking to frame political issues to their advantage recognize the power of emotional appeals. Yet the study of framing has focused mainly on the cognitive effects of framing rather than on its emotional effects. This study presents the results of two experiments designed to explore the effect of episodic and thematic framing on emotional response and policy opinion. Participants were randomly assigned to read a column arguing against mandatory minimum sentencing that employed either a thematic or one of two episodic frames featuring a woman who received a harsh sentence under the policy. Episodic framing was more emotionally engaging. Furthermore, the specific emotions elicited by the episodic frame—sympathy and pity for the woman featured in the column—were associated with increased opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing. Yet the thematic frame was actually more persuasive once this indirect effect of frame on emotional response was taken into account. The results are consistent with the conclusion that framing effects on policy opinion operate through both affective and cognitive channels. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Many people today watch news videos to get informed. However, news videos can frame information differently and be prone to bias that might lead to miscommunication. Bias is ubiquitous andinherent in interactions between news consumers’ groups, but framing can introduce additional bias in news communications. Citizens that interpret the news have different political orientations and, thus, understand them differently. Experts can be more capable of detecting biased or differently framed information. However, the ever-increasing amount of news videos also make it difficult for experts alone to analyze. While automated methods exist for identifying different types of bias, frame detection approaches, namely episodic and thematic framing, are scarce and focused on texts. In this work, we address the issue of scalable thematic and episodic frame detection in news videos through crowdsourcing and machine learning techniques. We design a crowdsourcing task for annotating thematic and episodic framing in videos with the help of domain experts in political and social sciences. We then use the annotations gathered from experts and crowds to investigate whether machine learning methods can scale up the annotation process by automatically labelling videos on episodic and thematic framing. Our results indicate that framing analysis is a challenging task, both for humans and machines, with high disagreement amongst experts and crowd annotators. Nevertheless, our results suggest that machine learning has potential by combining crowd and expert annotations and building upon them a classifier.

Stigma toward drug addicts and alcoholics can act as a barrier to treatment and, ultimately, result in more lives lost. Over previous decades, journalists have largely framed addicts as problematic to society which contributes to public stigma. Prior research in social medicine has found that non-news portrayals of treated addicts can improve public attitudes. Similarly, studies in mass communication have found that different ways of framing news stories can elicit different attitudes from news consumers. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of thematic framing, episodic framing, problem framing, and solution framing on readers’ attitudes when journalists apply those frames to news stories about addicts and addiction. A survey-embedded experiment was conducted in which participants read one of four framing treatments and answered questions regarding their attitude toward addicts and addiction. Respondents that read a story using a solution frame reported significantly more positive attitudes than respondents that read a story using a problem frame, and respondents who read a thematically framed story generally reported more positive attitudes than those who read an episodically framed story. There was no significant interaction between thematic / episodic frames and solution / problem frames; however, the combination of thematic and solution frames generally resulted in more positive attitudes. Findings suggest that journalists who wish to reduce stigma surrounding addicts and addiction should use solution and thematic frames when reporting on stories involving addicts.

Soft news/tabloidization (Journalistic Reporting Styles)

On Monday April 16, 2007, a gunman opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech and killed 32 students before killing himself. According to Broadcasting & Cable, viewers turned to the web for information on the shootings at Virginia Tech as never before.1 Perhaps one of the most memorable images of the tragedy was a cell phone video, sent to CNN by Virginia Tech graduate student Jamal Albarghouti, which showed armed police surrounding a campus building as gunfire sounded in the background.This study examined how technology impacted source diversity by analyzing media coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. The study also seeks to extend research on the use of official sources in news coverage and introduces a new concept-that of new technology sources.Literature ReviewThe framers of the Constitution believed that democracy is enhanced by open and robust discussion of ideas. Graber2 wrote that a free press provides a forum for discussion of conflicting ideas by reflecting the diversity of opinions.3 Journalistic principles require that information come from numerous sources, including average citizens as well as public officials, representing differing viewpoints and opinions. The public journalism approach has echoed the same principles.4Early source diversity studies found that government-affiliated or official sources dominate daily news content.5 Martin6 found the proximity of a news organization affects the number of stories published about more distant geographical areas. Also, when a news organization is farther from a news event, more high-level or official sources are quoted. Soloski7 found that most local stories came from government sources. However, an exception was Salwen's8 study, which investigated newspaper coverage of Hurricane Andrew and discovered that media did not rely heavily on official sources. In fact, Salwen discovered that individuals, or non-official sources, were quoted far more often than were government officials.Waxman9 was one of the first to recognize the media's use of technology as sources. In his study of the crisis coverage, Waxman found that nearly all information was conveyed in the form of unedited home video, considered a new technology in the 1970s, and phone calls from bystanders.Over the past two years, broadcast and cable networks have launched online ventures encouraging viewers to share their stories, videos and pictures with the world. A cell phone captured the first images of the shootings at Virginia Tech, and these images were used on CNN's broadcasts and Web site.Within two days of the shootings, CNN received well more than 100 videos and photos through I-Report. I-Report content accounted for more than two million of the 11.4 million video views posted on the Web site the day of the shooting.10Research QuestionsIn an effort to investigate source diversity the following research questions were developed:RQ1:Was there a significant difference between the number of official and unofficial sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage?RQ2:Was there a significant difference between the number of new technology sources and non-new technology sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage?RQ3:Was there a significant difference between the number of official and unofficial sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage during the first stage of the crisis?RQ4:Was there a significant difference between the number of new technology and non-new technology sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage during the first stage of the crisis?RQ5:Was there a significant difference in the number of new technology sources used by newspapers and those used by the Web sites of cable and broadcast news networks?RQ6:Was there a significant difference in the number of official sources used by newspapers and those used by Web sites of cable and broadcast news networks? …

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of business news coverage of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within a comparative international context by investigating two business newspapers, The Wall Street Journal from the United States and The Financial Times from the United Kingdom. Drawing on the news framing research and the implicit and explicit CSR framework of Matten and Moon, this content analysis shows that business news coverage of CSR in the United States and in the United Kingdom differs in terms of news framing (thematic vs. episodic), motive attributions of CSR as a concept, motive attributions of referenced companies in relation to CSR, general tone toward the concept of CSR, and the general tone toward referenced companies in relation to CSR. Most significantly, findings suggest that business news plays different roles in constructing and legitimizing CSR in the two countries. In the United States, CSR’s legitimacy and its conceptual positivity may be more implied through the coverage of singular events or actors (episodic framing), whereas in the United Kingdom, CSR’s illegitimacy and its conceptual negativity may be more exposed for further discussion through the coverage of larger societal contexts (thematic framing). Other theoretical as well as practical implications are also discussed.

In health pandemic situations characterized by urgency, uncertainty and information scarcity, news media are highly reliant on information subsidies from public health agencies. This study, based on a content analysis, examines the relationships between the framing characteristics of news releases and subsequent publication to identify the predictors of news release selection for news coverage in the 2009 H1N1 A Influenza pandemic in Singapore. Through the news releases issued by the Singapore Ministry of Health and the resulting news stories in a Singapore newspaper, The Straits Times, this study found that six framing variables significantly predict a news release’s selection for news coverage: theme, episodic vs. thematic framing, emotion appeal, tone, gain vs. loss, and outbreak vs. nonoutbreak situation. News releases are more likely to be selected for news coverage when they focus on a preventive frame, rely on thematic framing, use emotion appeal, have a positive tone, are framed as gain, and are issued during an outbreak situation.

The present study used framing theory to analyze reports and articles from 1998 through 2016 offered by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and various newspapers to analyze the relationship between social-control agents and how they speak to specific audiences (e.g., public and NCAA members) about instances of misconduct by Division I members. The concept of conflict framing (i.e., frame alignment, counterframing, and reframing) is featured. The research demonstrated that episodic framing is more widespread than thematic framing, but it is used differently for specific audiences. The study also found that thematic framing is highly correlated with the normative approach and confirms that media outlets used assorted conflict-framing strategies (e.g., frame alignment, counterframing, and debunking) to emphasize that information on cases was false, incomplete, correct, or filtered. Different uses regarding precedent are also acknowledged, along with coverage concerning the type of institution and location of newspaper (i.e., local or national).

This article examines the frames used by Pakistani news media while covering a political protest in 2019 on Twitter. The study deploys quantitative content analysis based on thematic framing, episodic framing, genre, types and subject matter of tweets. In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the use of Twitter in political and protest communication. Twitter is a platform with the potential to manage and coordinate protest activities and movements effectively. The current study is carried out to demonstrate the importance of one of the aspects of political protest communication. Tweets (N = 498) posted between 20 October and 20 November 2019 by three mainstream Pakistani media organizations ( Dawn, The News, Express Tribune) were collected and analysed. Results show that straight news was used more in episodic frames by the media organizations on Twitter. Results of the study add to the increasing body of studies showing that media outlets have also embraced modern media to use frames while covering political issues.

Despite the growing body of evidence addressing the reasons behind vaccine hesitancy, the positive role of media as a key environmental factor influencing vaccination, as well as its function in publicizing and encouraging vaccination, has been less thoroughly explored. This study focuses on the context of the current Monkeypox epidemic, examining the influence of media release channels and message framing on the public’s willingness to receive the Monkeypox vaccine. The findings are empirically validated through a survey experiment conducted in China. The study reveals that both media channels—traditional TV media, official online media, and user-generated media—and media content framings, specifically thematic and episodic, significantly impact the public’s willingness to be vaccinated against Monkeypox. Notably, in the context of this public health event, individuals were more inclined to trust the episodic framing of traditional TV media and the thematic framing of official online media. Compared to thematic framing, episodic framing generally enhances respondents’ willingness to vaccinate. Furthermore, user-generated media exhibited a more negative effect on vaccination intentions during the Monkeypox epidemic, particularly when combined with episodic framing. Heterogeneity analysis indicated a significant difference in the effectiveness of official online media based on audience identity (student vs. non-student), with the student group showing a preference for official online media channels. The findings underscore the importance of public health communication in carefully selecting media release types and message framings. Additionally, it is crucial to consider audience heterogeneity and to employ differentiated communication methods to enhance the effectiveness of vaccine promotion.

Despite several transient spikes in response to the deadliest mass shootings, the U.S. population continues to perceive gun violence as less important than other issues, and public opinion remains divided along partisan lines. Drawing upon literature of compelling arguments and partisan media, this study investigates what kind of news framing—episodic framing that focuses on individual stories or thematic framing that emphasizes broader context—makes gun violence a more or less prominent issue. Specifically, this study uses the state-of-the-art machine-learning model BERT to examine 25 news media outlets’ coverage of gun violence, and then pairs the results with a two-wave panel survey conducted during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Results demonstrate that episodic framing of gun violence in the elite, mainstream media increased the issue salience among conservatives. However, exposure to episodically framed coverage of gun violence in like-minded partisan media made conservatives believe the issue was less important.

Media framing and trust: A randomized survey experiment on attitudes towards the unvaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic

This dissertation examines media coverage of two social protests set more than three decades apart – “The March on the Pentagon” in October 1967, part of the anti-Vietnam war movement and “The Battle for Seattle” in November-December 1999, part of the movement for democratic globalization. Through two separate studies – a content analysis of print media coverage and qualitative in-depth interviews with journalists – this dissertation looks for patterns of sourcing and framing between the coverage of these two protests. It also examines any possible influence on these patterns caused by journalists’ access to diverse sources and research through the Internet. This examination is prompted by the current celebration as well as debate over the capacity of the Internet, as a tool of political organization, to empower social movement protests, boost political participation, enhance media coverage and develop the public sphere. This research uses the lenses of sourcing and framing to examine journalists’ reliance on official and authoritative sources in government and trade, the circumstances under which they cite sources of dissent, their preferences and practices in their use of the Internet, their use of the episodic versus thematic frame and the valence in their stories. The dissertation found that journalists who covered the anti-globalization protests used more official and authoritative sources in government and trade than did their predecessors who covered the anti-Vietnam war protests 30 years ago. No significant difference was found, however, in journalists’ sourcing from among protesters or the frames and valence in the coverage of both protests. Moreover, the coverage did not show any discernible impact of the Internet in either increasing the diversity of journalists’ sources or causing a shift from episodic to thematic frames; journalists exhibited skepticism over protest Web sites and showed a preference for official and authoritative sources even over the Internet. This dissertation, therefore, points to the endurance of age-old news values and norms despite journalists’ enhanced access through new tools and technologies. It also calls for a continued examination of the Internet’s ability to cause any shift in social movement-media relations, given the impact of these relations on participation and public opinion.