Belgian Newspaper Research Articles

Recognition, Ma Non Troppo: how FIFA dribbled the Spanish football schism during the Civil war

ABSTRACT One of the facets of the Spanish Civil War’s sportive dimensions which has received relatively ample attention by scholars is the attitude of FIFA in the battle between de republican and the Francoists football federations for international recognition. The dominant interpretation of the facts is that the Francoists had already won this battle in late November 1937, when FIFA allegedly recognized it, and that this was somehow due to FIFA’s elite conservatism or even Nazi-fascist leanings. We contend that this was not the case. On the basis of a broad examination of Spanish, French and Belgian newspapers of the time, and a thorough search of FIFA archives in Zurich, we conclude that, although ambiguously, a FIFA dominated by a liberal elite remained true to its ‘no politics’ principle, avoiding to take sides, and actually suspending both sides until the end of the war, although tolerating unofficial international activity of both.

Prophets, puppets, and pinheads: Contesting the authority of science in the COVID-19 era.

This article studies resemblances between academic postmodernism and today's popular contestations of the authority of science by means of a qualitative content analysis of 657 critical online comments on a Belgian newspaper article about the COVID-19 crisis that features a prominent Belgian virologist. The comments portray scientists as (1) prophets who pretend their knowledge to be superior to competing understandings of the world; (2) puppets who figure in hidden schemes that cannot stand the light of day; and (3) pinheads who lack the intellectual competence to give solid scientifically informed advice. While the first two critiques do at first sight resemble academic postmodernism, they are in fact informed by the markedly modern understanding that objective and neutral scientific knowledge is as feasible as it is desirable. What we find, then, are not contestations of the authority of science per se, but indeed of practices deemed deviant aberrations of science.

A Study on the Impact of Social Networking Sites on College Student’s Consumption Pattern

Social media are increasingly being used as sources in mainstream news coverage. Yet, while the research so far has focused mainly on the use of social media in particular situations, such as breaking news coverage, during crisis news events or in times of elections, little attention is paid to journalists' routine, day-to-day monitoring of social media platforms. The aim of this study is to examine the use and selection of social media as sources in routine newspaper coverage. First, it presents a quantitative overview of all the articles published between January 2006 and December 2013 in the print editions of two Flemish (north Belgian) quality newspapers, De Standard and De Morgen that explicitly refer to Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Next, a content analysis is conducted of a sample of newspaper articles published in 2013 that explicitly mention Facebook, Twitter or YouTube as sources of information. The goal of this content analysis is to examine the different appearances and functions of social media references in the news. The study thus provides a first insight into Belgian newspaper journalists' regular sourcing routines in relation to social media.

Language Contacts in Belgian Media

Introduction.Language situation in Belgium is considered unique because, despite several state languages, a dozen minority languages, and hundreds of dialects being in constant contact with each other, the Belgian language community is also actively influenced by the English language. The relevance of this research is dictated by the growing importance of the English language in Europe, where the latter is frequently used as a lingua franca, by the developing mutual influence of the French and the Dutch languages in Belgium, and also by the linguists’ interest towards the matter of code-switching. The purpose of this research lies in analyzing the examples of code-switching in Belgian media, and in exploring their functions and the strategies of forming them in the context of the difficult language situation in Belgium. Methodology and sources. The material of this research consists of publications in Belgian newspapers and journals and materials of Belgian informational resources in the social network “Instagram”. The following methods are used in this research: continuous sampling method, synthesis method, descriptive method, classification method, and comparative language analysis. Results and discussion. The research briefly describes the features of sociolinguistic situation in Belgium, particularly in three regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and the BrusselsCapital Region. Analysis of the found in Walloon and Flemish examples of code-switching showed that in Belgian newspapers and journals code-switching in French – Dutch and Dutch – French pairs is very rare, and the absolute majority of examples is in English. Switching to English adds some emotional aspect to a text and is used when addressing to precedent statements, situations, and names that entered the international discourse in English. According to P. Muysken, among the strategies of code-switching the most frequently used are insertion and alternation. Conclusion. Sociocultural, economical and linguistic differences lead to the autonomy and certain independence of Belgian regions. They also provoked the willing to turn to English as a mediatory language during interpersonal communication. Analysis of the written sources allowed to document the cases of mostly motivated switching to English and study their stylistic, functional and linguistic features.

In the Face of Death

AbstractAlthough Belgium has been a pioneer in dynamics related to the legalisation of euthanasia since the early 2000s, the historical work done on the subject is still very limited. Quite some work has, however, been done on the legal and ethical aspects and implications of euthanasia laws. Questions about societal dynamics in end-of-life issues’ acceptance and debate in the twentieth century in Belgium are to this day unanswered. It is clear, however, that before 1970, no advocacy groups on the matter existed. In this paper, we look at the scope, tone and volume of Belgian newspaper coverage in three events linked to euthanasia, which occurred prior to the emergence of advocacy groups on the subject. The three cases covered are the 1936 bill put forward by Lord Arthur Ponsonby on euthanasia in Great Britain, the 1949 trial of Dr. Herman Sander, the American physician who was charged with the murder of a patient suffering from cancer, and the 1950 release of the film “Meurtres” by Richard Pottier in which famed French actor Fernandel played a man mercy-killing his wife, based on the eponymous book written by Belgian novelist Charles Plisnier in 1943. With this paper, we shed light on the portrayal of euthanasia as a subject and the societal attitude that corresponds to it. The highly pillarised nature of 20th century Belgian newspapers makes this source material highly suited to this endeavour.

Differences in journalism culture or is there more to it? Comparing news on the European refugee issue in Western Europe and China

This study explores the country-specific, regional and cultural differences and similarities between China and two European countries in their coverage of the European refugee issue and seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the various political interests, social values, and journalism cultures in the countries under study. It analyzed and compared 2,368 news articles in Belgian, Swedish, and Chinese newspapers from 2015 to 2017. The analysis demonstrated that Chinese newspapers put less emphasis on welcoming the refugees by politicians and citizens, but are more prone to report on Islamic religion in their coverage of the refugees than the Belgian and Swedish newspapers. The empirical evidence suggests that the differences in reporting are not only a representation of different political interests and social engagement of the three countries, but, to a large extent, a result of different journalism cultures across nations.

Becoming the Data-Informed Newsroom? The Promotion of Audience Metrics in the Newsroom and Journalists’ Interactions with Them

In this article, we assess the interactions between user metrics and journalists, as newsrooms shift towards “data-informed” models in which the main online news performance indicator becomes the “time spent” metric, instead of the number of clicks. The paper at hand applies a mixed methods approach combining components of ethnographic participant observation inside the newsroom of a leading Belgian newspaper, and a quantitative analysis of the media company’s overarching internal data platform. This approach allows us to shed light on user data of not one, but four very differentiated newspapers. Our results confirm that (a) journalists tend to remain hesitant at best and fearful at worst in accepting user data as an integral part of their daily work, (b) attempts of increasing the “time spent” in articles only rarely seem to pay off, and (c) the relationship between journalism and metrics cannot be assessed without properly addressing and tackling other existing gaps and differences between (groups of) journalists and titles under the same company.

Belgian newspaper coverage on Brussels as a place to live

L’image extrêmement négative de Bruxelles dans la presse, souvent citée comme un facteur expliquant le manque d’attrait de la ville en tant que lieu de vie, fait rarement l’objet de recherches. Cette étude porte sur la façon dont les journaux belges présentent la vie bruxelloise, ainsi que sur la façon dont ces représentations sont corrélées à des schémas culturels plus généraux qui influent sur les perceptions de la population. Une analyse des correspondances multiples nous a permis de constater que dans l’ensemble, la presse regroupe des concepts pour forger deux représentations diamétralement opposées : la première correspond à une perception « phobique » de Bruxelles, centrée sur les aspects négatifs de la vie citadine, tandis que la seconde traduit une vision « cosmopolite » de la capitale, l’accent étant mis sur son dynamisme et sur d’autres atouts qui lui sont propres. En outre, en matière de description de la vie bruxelloise, les différences entre les journaux tiennent davantage à leur orientation (élitaire ou populaire) qu’à la langue de publication (néerlandais ou français).

The polyphonic critique of trade unions: unpacking the logics of union critical discourse

ABSTRACT Trade unions have been the object of sustained critique coming from across the political spectrum for several decades now. Based on a discourse theoretical analysis of articles in three Dutch-speaking Belgian newspapers, published in two periods of social protest in 2014 and 2016, this article identifies six strands of critique: (1) critiques that label unions as conservative anachronisms that are out of sync with the realities of our times; (2) critiques that psychologize unions as egoistic, irresponsible and child-like actors; (3) critiques that criminalize unions as vandals, hostage takers or terrorists; (4) critiques that oppose unions to a homogenized general interest; (5) metadiscursive critiques of unions’ discursive practices; and (6) metapolitical critiques that problematize unions as polarizing and ‘political’ actors. These six strands of critique get articulated through discursive logics that operate within and across texts, newspapers and voices. Together they constitute a heterogenous but relatively consonant polyphonic discourse that challenges trade unions and their right to strike. This discourse has metapolitical implications for the debate on the mode(s) of politics that can legitimately be practiced by civil society actors.

Media Framing of Integration in Belgian Newspapers

ABSTRACTI deconstruct the distinctive facets of mediated framing of integration through a textual analysis of Flemish newspapers. Using Entman’s framing theory, I identified four primary integration frames: Fortress Europe, Streamlined Labour, Solipsistic Representation, and Competing Integration Frames. Specifically, I describe the ambivalence of media framing, which intertextually borrows from dominant representation of (im)migrants. The papers simultaneously frame integration as an assimilative social contract to be agreed to by (im)migrants and as a responsibility of the host society to integrate (im)migrants. Counter-framing, present in all four media frames, is critical to both dismantling systemic marginalization and ameliorating processes of integration.

Duitse’ middeleeuwse kunst in Brussel in 1949 tentoongesteld. De weerklank in de Belgische pers van een cultureel vredesinitiatief met hulp uit onverwachte hoek

The exhibition The Treasures form the German Middle Ages, held in the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts from 15 April to 26 June 1949 is rather unknown in German art history. The digitization of the Belgian newspapers by the Royal Library of Belgium enables the study of this great exhibition’s reception in the press. The laudatory reviews did not only move the readers to admire the 185 medieval masterpieces, they also give us a glimpse behind the scenes of the exhibition. The artefacts were not, as usual, carried by rail, but by road, safely stored in five moving vans, that brought them from Aachen to Brussels. In Germany museum curators and art historians of impeccable reputation had been returning robbed masterpieces and organizing national and later international exhibitions. The British officers of the Monuments, Fine Art and Archives Section, more widely known as the Monuments Men, facilitated the logistics and the loans. In Belgium the director of exhibitions Robert Giron and the civil servant Émile Langui were saluted as the prime organizers. The newspapers also report the theft of a stola from Xanten on 9 May 1949 that has not yet been elucidated.

The Economic Policy Uncertainty Index for Flanders, Wallonia and Belgium

This research note describes the construction of news-based Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) indices for Flanders, Wallonia and Belgium. The indices are computed from January 2001 until May 2020. Important domestic and more global events coincide with spikes in the indices. The COVID-19 pandemic represents the highest point, reflecting very strong consecutive Belgian newspaper attention to economic policy uncertainty. The monthly values of the EPU indices for Flanders, Wallonia and Belgium are published on www.policyuncertainty.com.

Negotiating risk-group categorization and the co-production of blood safety: the evolution of sociotechnical imaginaries mobilized in the public debate on the deferral of men who have sex with men as blood donors in Belgium

To ensure safe, sufficient supplies of human blood for European medical practice, national blood establishments reconcile the social image of blood donation with technical risk calculations/deferral policies. The sociotechnical controversy concerning the deferral of “men who have sex with men” (MSM) serves as a pre-eminent case of this challenge. Drawing on the framework of sociotechnical imaginaries, we developed an interpretive case study of negotiation on the deferral of MSM in policy discourse and the public debate between the implementation of the first EU Blood Directive (2003) and the relaxation of lifetime deferral to 12 months in Belgium (2017). We analyzed recurrent arguments made by stakeholders through the High Council for Health policy recommendations, public communications of Red Cross Flanders, and the public debate evidenced in Belgian newspapers. Instances in which MSM deferral is negotiated are part of the co-production of blood- and donor safety. This process allowed to adapt the dominant epidemiological imaginary shaping blood supply risk governance practices in four phases: classic epidemiological imaginary, challenging key elements, contentious debate, and re-adjustment. Deferral became recognized as preclusion from this institutional opportunity to demonstrate high moral virtues. This sociotechnical controversy will likely resurface, as sexually active gay men continue to be deferred.

Representation of Women in the News: Balancing between Career and Family Life

An in-depth literature review showed that women, despite their increasingly prominent roles worldwide, continue to be persistently underrepresented and stereotyped in news media. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which the representation of women changed over time in two Dutch-speaking Belgian newspapers <em>De Standaard </em>and <em>Het Laatste Nieuws</em>. An automated quantitative content analysis revealed that there is no increase of the number of women in the newspapers between 2005 and 2015. On the contrary, women are significantly less represented over time in the popular newspaper<em> Het Laatste Nieuws</em>. A qualitative analysis on two cases about women stepping into a leadership position—in 2012 (Catherine De Bolle<em> </em>as head of the Federal police) and in 2014 (Dominique Leroy<em> </em>as CEO of a Belgian telecom company)—showed that the press emphasised their femininity, their being a role model for other women, their being part of a family and having certain looks. Moreover, these women are clearly portrayed as ‘the best candidate’ pointing at the selection procedures and their capabilities to perform professionally. Probably, this strong emphasis is a way of justifying that these women are not selected because of positive discrimination. Further analysis of cases of both men and women stepping into top positions across countries and media platforms is recommended.

Merger Analysis in Two-Sided Markets: The Belgian Newspaper Industry

This paper builds a structural model for both advertising and readers’ demand in the Belgian newspaper industry, taking into account cross network effects that exist between advertisers and newspaper readers We combine our parameter estimates with the publishers’ first-order conditions to simulate the impact of a merger. We find a limited impact of the merger on reader and advertiser welfare. The effect on welfare is easily offset by possible efficiency gains. We compare the simulation outcome with the actual outcomes and find—in line with the predictions—no clear aggregate effect of the merger. The responses of individual newspapers, however, differ from the simulation.

Waiting for a hypothetical asylum: The photographic coverage of the Maximilian Park in Brussels

Abstract This article investigates the photographic coverage of the migration crisis in Belgium. It focuses on an event that captured the attention of the Belgian media in September 2015. At the end of the summer, hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, waiting for a hypothetical asylum in Belgium, suddenly set up a camp in the middle of the Maximilian Park, which is located in the heart of Brussels, near the Immigration Office. Up to 1000 people slept there until the camp was dismantled in early October. These events generated a wave of citizen solidarity and constant political agitation over regularization of the refugees. Technical, thematic and contextual analysis of the photographic coverage of the Maximilian Park in four Belgian newspapers (two ‘popular’ titles and two ‘quality papers’) helps not just to understand how what happened there is to be distinguished from other pictures and stereotypes of refugees, but also how these images express and feed longer crisis narratives at both Belgian and European levels. We observed that the photo coverage of the quality newspapers focused on the refugees and the living conditions in the park (while the tabloid newspapers largely ignored them). Instead of showing the refugees as a threat or as distant foreigners facing a new interlocutor (the volunteers of the park), those pictures chose to get as close as possible to the refugees’ daily life and their difficult living conditions. In doing so, however, the pictures presented to the readers seemed far from the tendency to universalize ‘the refugee’ and do not question photojournalism as a form of humanism.

Designing the news: A practitioner perspective on the production values in newspaper sub-editing

This article zooms in on the daily practices of newspaper production journalists. In three semi-structured interviews with sub-editors employed by a Belgian newspaper, I test the practical application of the ‘production values’ I formulated, that is, guidelines that help them ensure accuracy, readability, appeal and credibility of their newspaper. By not only ‘member checking’ previous findings with sub-editors but also including the layout designers’ input on their collaborative process, I re(de)fine my original set of production values. My data suggest that in this particular newsroom the layout designer’s voice can be heard louder than ever. By ‘designing’ the news, sub-editors and layout designers add all-important journalistic value to their publications.

« Dites-moi quel crime il a commis et je vous dirai d’où il vient »

De nombreuses études montrent que la mention de l’origine ethnique ou nationale des criminels est une pratique répandue dans les médias occidentaux. Pour identifier la valeur que les journalistes attribuent à cette information, nous avons analysé les éditoriaux publiés par six quotidiens belges, relatifs à l’affaire Joe Van Holsbeeck, du nom d’un adolescent tué par des individus qui tentaient de voler son lecteur MP3. L’analyse met en évidence que cette information sort le crime de son contexte immédiat pour l’inscrire dans un système de représentations préexistantes. En ce sens, la mention de l’origine ethnique ou nationale des suspects a une portée davantage référentielle qu’indicielle.

“PLEASE DENY THESE MANIFESTLY FALSE REPORTS”: OTTOMAN DIPLOMATS AND THE PRESS IN BELGIUM (1850–1914)

AbstractSimilar to ruling elites in Western Europe, the Ottomans were preoccupied with foreign “public opinion” regarding their state. Historians have devoted attention to Ottoman state efforts at image building abroad and, to a lesser degree, related attempts to influence the European mass press. Yet, an in-depth study of this subject is lacking. This article turns to one of the prime, though largely neglected, actors in Ottoman foreign policy making: the sultan's diplomats. Through a case study of Ottoman envoys to Belgium, it demonstrates how foreign “press management” evolved and was adapted to shifting domestic and international political circumstances. Increasingly systematic attempts to influence Belgian newspapers can be discerned from the reign of Abdülhamid II onward. Brokers between Istanbul and “liberal” Belgium's thriving newspaper business, Ottoman diplomats proved essential to this development. Ultimately, however, Ottoman efforts to counter Belgian (and European) news coverage of the empire had little impact and occasionally even worked counterproductively, generating the very Orientalist images they aimed to combat in the first place.

The energy question in the Belgian daily press during 2010: the role of region, newspaper type and newspaper section

The literature illustrates how media research on the energy question is characterized by a limited focus on separate energy options, resulting in a lack of research into the diversity of and mutual relations between various energy options. This paper reports on a quantitative content analysis of eight Belgian newspapers (N=1181), focusing on whether certain energy options are systematically more covered in certain regions, types of newspapers and/or types of newspaper sections. The results show that five energy options dominate the debate and that there are minimal differences per region, but remarkable differences between types of newspapers and newspaper sections.