Media Construction Research Articles

A Star is Born: An analysis of the media construction of Linda Caicedo’s sporting star status in Colombia

The teenage Colombian woman footballer Linda Caicedo has had a meteoric rise to prominence following her performances in several international tournaments in 2022 and 2023. Her star status is important to analyse from an intersectional perspective given her identity as a Black woman from humble Colombian origins. There has been insufficient analysis of the meanings and representations of Black women footballers, let al.one sportswomen from Latin America regarding their star construction. Therefore, this article investigates media narratives around Linda Caicedo, by analysing three Colombian publications, El Espectador, El Tiempo and Semana around the time of the 2022 Women’s Copa América, the 2022 Under 20 Women’s World Cup, the 2022 Under 17 Women’s World Cup, and the Women’s World Cup in 2023. We argue that media narratives present a rupture with traditional discourse around women’s football in Colombia, by constructing her star status around her exceptional playing attributes, her values and capacity to overcome obstacles.

Negative media representations of young people during COVID related national lockdown increases young people's perceived stress

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus is a destructive respiratory disease that has affected the lives of billions of people around the world. Researchers argue that a group‐based approach drawing on our membership of specific social groups, rather than appealing to our individual self‐interest, is necessary to combat the disease. Social groups who are perceived to be not adhering to national mitigation measures aimed at reducing the spread of the virus, are often portrayed negatively by the media. The current study examines the impact of negative media constructions of young peoples’ behavior during the COVID‐19 pandemic, specifically focusing on when these constructions have been contested by young people involved. A total of 789 young people were randomly assigned to read either a positive or negative description of young people's behavior during COVID‐19 restrictions. Results indicate that the type of article had no impact on behavioral outcomes or perceived stress. However, an interaction effect was noted where reading a negative article and disagreeing with the content increased individuals’ levels of perceived stress. Findings indicate that negative group‐based media constructions of behavior do not increase behavioral conformity but does undermine the mental health of those involved.

Media construction of pseudo-events: Lula da Silva at the Portugal’s parliament during a historic annual celebration

The Carnation Revolution (25th April 1974) has changed the course of Portugal, leading it to transition from an autocratic to a democratic Government. Every year, celebrations are conducted at the national Parliament. In 2023, it counted with another guest: Lula da Silva, Brazil’s ongoing president. Considering the notion of cultural memory and media construction of social reality through media events, this article notes Lula da Silva’s presence and exceptional address was portrayed on newspaper front pages of several journalistic media outlets. Therefore, it aims at understanding meaning and discourse production with Lula da Silva’s visit to Portugal on the 25th April 2023 through media coverage and first page highlight. Lula da Silva is noticed by the front pages under analysis as a controversial, entertaining, and eventful celebrity linked to specific positioned actors that is invited to the Parliament and prompts indirectly and directly discontentment and, at the same time, support. Also, it discusses how such spotlight over Lula da Silva turned that visit and Parliament’s address it into a pseudo-event. Adopting a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis approach, this research work intends to offer a multimodal eye upon those front pages and critically reflect on populism, coloniality, cultural memory, and journalism.

The Dilemma of Cannabis Prohibition in the Frame of Kompas TV (Analysis by Robert N Entman of the Talk Show Episode of Ganja: Myths and Facts on February 6, 2020)

This study discusses the dilemma of internal cannabis prohibition in the frame of Kompas TV. This dilemma was raised in Rosi’s talk show about Cannabis Topics: Myths and Facts on February 6, 2020. The aim of this study is to know how the media construction of Kompas TV was about the issue of utilizing cannabis as a medical requirement. In studying this, the researcher used method analysis based on framing the analysis of Robert Entman. This study follows a paradigm of subjective interpretive with a qualitative approach to the presented text in Rosi’s talk show. Analysis was done with the use of four substances based on framing the analysis of Robert Entman, namely, define problems (problem identification), diagnose causes (problem causes), make moral judgments (decision moral), and recommend treatment (settlement emphasize). Data collection techniques were used from video documentation of Rosi’s talk show. Research results reveal that Kompas TV, through Rosi’s talk show, shows a tendency to stick to the views that cannabis production is in the class of psychotropic group 1. This study showed the construction of Kompas TV, which is influenced by media ideology. Keywords: marijuana, framing, media construction, ideology

Dirty lives, wild birds, clean places, and exceptional health: a critical discourse analysis of Danish and Norwegian news coverage of avian influenza risk

Avian influenza outbreaks are recurring worldwide. In Norwegian and Danish media, fluctuating attention has been paid to these outbreaks and the coverage that exists largely portrays the situation as a distant problem, limited to so-called non-Western countries. In the present article, we have analysed news articles from two Norwegian and two Danish newspapers published in 2006/2008, 2017 and 2021 using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). By analysing linguistic articulations of risk and blame for avian influenza in Norwegian and Danish media, we explore how this portrayal creates discursive distinctions between risk and blame ‘here’ in Europe and ‘there’ in Asian and African countries. We discuss these discursive contrasts in light of Bergamo’s theory of ideology of health progress and Douglas’ understanding of hygiene as cultural ideas. Our analysis reveals that dominant portrayals of avian influenza in the news media construct particular discourses of blame, risk, and responsibility for disease emergence and spread that are ideologically underpinned by an understanding of disease management, meat production, and animal health in Norway and Denmark as exceptional. We argue that this may have implications for perceptions of places at risk of emergence and spread of viruses and the nature of responses for pandemic preparedness and disease eradication.

The "Imperfect Victim" in the Media Construction: The Relationship between Public Opinion and the Image of the Victim Media Coverage Research

The "Imperfect Victim" in the Media Construction: The Relationship between Public Opinion and the Image of the Victim Media Coverage Research

Unveiling Discursive Strategies and Ideologies: A Critical Analysis of Migration Discourse in Turkish Newspapers

The portrayal of migrants in the media is frequently shaped by a variety of discursive strategies aimed at influencing public perception. This study examines the discursive strategies employed by two prominent Turkish newspapers, Daily Sabah and Duvar, and the underlying ideologies that drive the selection and utilization of such strategies. The theoretical framework guiding this study draws upon Reisigl’s (2017) model, providing a structured approach to data analysis. The findings reveal that Daily Sabah strategically employs a spectrum of discursive strategies, including nomination, perspectivization, argumentation, intensification, predication, and mitigation. Conversely, Duvar predominantly utilizes prediction, mitigation, intensification, and argumentation in their portrayal of migrants. The analysis highlights instances where both newspapers employ multiple discursive strategies within the same news discourse, underscoring the nuanced nature of media construction of discourses on migration. Crucially, the study discerns that the discursive strategies employed by the two newspapers serve distinct purposes and are underpinned by different ideologies. This nuanced exploration sheds light on the intricate relationship between media representation, discursive strategies, and ideological frameworks in shaping public perceptions of migration.

O lugar da crítica na teoria dos meios de comunicação de massa de Niklas Luhmann

Although Niklas Luhmann did not produce a work with a critical objective, his sociological theory holds unexplored potential that can be used to advance critical analyzes of various social dimensions (economics, law, politics, etc.). We chose, here, to use these potentials to observe thepossibilities of making a critique regarding the dimension of the mass media system. We argue that, in it, criticism reveals itself (1) in the observation of the arbitrariness of the social values that the media construct and (2) in the ignorance of the communicative plurality of modernity, which in turn (3) allows us to see the theory of Luhmann as one that reveals absurdities.

Critical Discourse Analysis of Television News Coverage on the Relocation of Indonesia’s Capital City

The new phase of the State Capital Relocation (IKN) began in 2019, after President Joko Widodo inaugurated that Indonesia's capital would move to East Kalimantan. The relocation has been ongoing since then and has entered the infrastructure development stage. However, beyond the grandeur of the IKN construction, many aspects have been affected. This research aims to understand how the examined media construct discourse on capital relocation. This research employs a qualitative method, utilizing Norman Fairclough's critical discourse analysis model. Discourse analysis is conducted through three stages: text analysis, discourse practice analysis, and sociocultural analysis. Data collection methods were carried out using observation techniques, documentation studies through television media reporting, and in-depth interviews with informants representing Trans TV, Kompas TV, SCTV and NET. The research results in the text dimension indicate that the majority of the reporting is not in favour of the government's decision to relocate the capital because it is considered rushed in planning and has various negative impacts. In the discourse practice dimension, the reporting is heavily influenced by the media's socio-economic status (SES) in shaping the discourse. In the sociocultural dimension, it is shown that the capital relocation is one of the political strategies, and there is disagreement among various parties regarding the relocation. Therefore, the researcher suggests that the examined media should present balanced reporting and provide a balanced perspective in their coverage. Furthermore, caution is needed from the media to avoid being influenced by external media domination, ensuring that the information reported is accountable and prioritizes the public interest.

Digital Media Audiences and Generations – Theories, Trends and Challenges

The digital age has brought several changes in the understanding of the former mass media and the way of distributing different media contents, but also in the ways of media audience involvement in mass communication processes. Due to the large amount of information and the channels through which it is disseminated and the increasingly fragmented media audiences, the influence of the media on contemporary democratic societies has changed significantly compared to the influence of the mass media in the 20th century. Differences in media representations of social reality, the dispersion of their authors, the number of publications and their reach, as well as the conditioned interpretations of media audiences, have led to the so-called post-truth media constructions of reality, also one of the key features of the 21st century. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of theories about media audiences and generations that have been developed within the communication sciences. They specifically focus on the contemporary trends that have affected the disappearance of the mass audience due to its intense fragmentation as a result of the technology change, and at the end of the paper, they highlight the social changes that arise as a result of the aforementioned processes.

“I've lost my children to vaping”: A frame analysis of the Australian media's construction of the “Youth vaping crisis”

BackgroundYouth vaping has become an issue of extreme concern in the Australian public and political discourse, recently culminating in the announcement of further restrictions on the sale and use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) by the Federal Government. We examine how youth vaping has been framed in the Australian news media in the six months leading up to the announcement of these new measures in May 2023. MethodsDrawing a sample from the Factiva database, we conducted a frame analysis on articles published during this six month period, identifying media framings that included the necessary components of a distinct Problem Definition, Causal Attribution, Moral Evaluation, and Treatment Recommendation. ResultsWe identified 123 relevant articles, and four dominant framings being applied. Most common was that of A Failure of Control, followed by A Poisonous Epidemic, A Health Behaviour Needing Regulation, and A Moral Failure. ConclusionThese findings are discussed in the context of moral panic theory and how framings are constructed by the media in collaboration with policy actors to support particular policy measures.

KONSTRUKSI BERITA PERNIKAHAN SIRI DI MEDIA ONLINE:

The phenomenon of unregistered marriage raises pros and cons in a multicultural society. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach with framing analysis by Zhongdang Pan and Gerald M. Kosicki. Identifying through the four structures of syntax, script, thematic, and rhetorical. The final step is examined from the perspective of Islamic journalism. This research aims to determine the construction of news in the online media Kompas.com and Republika.co.id. Next, it is analyzed using an Islamic journalism perspective. The object of the research is 6 news stories about serial marriages in the period March-November 2022. This is to see the differences in media construction in framing news. The results of this research are as follows: first, in the construction aspect Kompas.com and Republika.co.id as a whole both convey information about unregistered marriages which should be avoided by the public. Second, differences in media construction are influenced by respective ideologies. Kompas.com, which has nationalist characteristics, has widely reported on the negative impacts of unregistered marriages. Republika.co.id, which has an Islamic ideology, raised the news with a religious approach. On aspects of Islamic journalism, Kompas.com has not fully implemented the values ​​of the concept of Islamic journalism. Meanwhile, Republika.co.id as a whole has prioritized Islamic concepts over news construction.

Layered Environmental Discourses: Media Representations of Transnational Extractivism in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT The increase in Chinese extractive activities in Zimbabwe has created antagonism between issues related to development and the environment. The antagonism has generated conflicting perspectives in the local media. This study aims to investigate how the Zimbabwean mainstream media construct environmental discourses surrounding Chinese transnational extractive operations and represent the social impacts of extractivism at local and national levels. Critical discourse analysis was conducted to analyse news articles published within one year from two state media and two private media organisations. The findings suggest while the Promethean discourse holds a hegemonic position in state media, the discourses of limits and environmental justice coexist and compete with the Promethean discourse in private media. The state media constructs Chinese extractive activities as being socially and environmentally responsible and in harmony with Zimbabwean national developmental visions. The private media, in contrast, transforms the complex systems of transnational extractivism into a human character who collaborates with the domestic ruling class to conduct an “organised crime” in the local communities. Environmental journalism operates as a biased tool to serve the interests of dominant groups, extending media polarisation beyond the political realm and perpetuating an oversimplified dichotomy that has been cautioned against in Africa–China studies.

DEVELOPMENT OF POP-UP BOOK MEDIA FOR INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF ISLAMIC PHILANTHROPY TO CHILDREN AGED 5 TO 6 YEARS

This research aims to develop an interactive pop-up storybook to introduce the concept of Islamic philanthropy to children aged 5 to 6 in Kudus District. The research sample consisted of 49 children from two Raudlatul Athfal (RA) schools, selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique. The research method employed the ADDIE development model. Phase I analysis involved a literature review, institutional assessment, and media needs analysis. Phase II focused on conceptual media design. Phase III involved media construction and validation by experts. Phase IV included media implementation, and Phase V was the evaluation stage. Data analysis techniques encompassed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Expert validation results regarding children’s ability to understand Islamic philanthropy concepts indicated that all components were valid for measuring children’s comprehension according to early childhood development stages (ages 5 to 6). Paired sample t-test calculations yielded a t-value of 3.501, with a Sig (2-tailed) value of 0.001, indicating significance (p < 0.05). Data analysis concluded that the interactive pop-up storybook effectively introduces Islamic philanthropy concepts to children.

Unmasking Media Bias and Religious Zionism’s Impeding Political Influence on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israeli media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often accused of bias that skews public discourse in ways favoring hardline Zionist policy goals. This study analyzes news articles from the Times of Israel, Israel Hayom, and Jerusalem Post covering October 2023 violence to understand how language and framing shape understandings and political dynamics. A critical discourse analysis of 34 selected news articles published between October 7-30, 2023 was conducted using the CDA framework to uncover underlying ideological elements and their potential effects. The findings illuminated how certain outlets strategically frame information to reinforce unilateral policy preferences over collaborative solutions. By normalizing disproportionate responses to acts of resistance and denying the humanity of those contesting Zionist territorial ambitions. The Times of Israel and Israel Hayom frame narratives to consolidate unilateral Zionist control and normalize militarized policies. Jerusalem Post aims to build a pro-Israel narrative through political language and ‘us vs. them’ framing. Strategic omissions deny Palestinian grievances and legitimacy, while emotive reporting justifies disproportionate force. The studied media construct narrow nationalist discourses that delegitimize Palestinian perspectives and fuel intractability. Reforms are needed to diversify sourcing and fact-check distortions to curb biases exacerbating political polarization rather than reconciliation.

Media Authenticity, Construction of Perpetrators' Motives, and Integration of Forensic Communication: The Investigation Process of Sexual Violence Cases in Online Media

This study explores the integration of forensic communication with media analysis to understand and address sexual violence. Media authenticity is examined as a crucial factor influencing public perception and judicial processes. Through a detailed examination of how media constructs motives and the application of forensic communication techniques, the research demonstrates the potential of mass media to serve as forensic evidence. The study employs an interpretive paradigm and Ricoeur's Hermeneutics of Suspicion to analyze media texts and police examination minutes. Findings indicate that the construction of motives in media significantly impacts the evidentiary process in sexual harassment cases. This research underscores the importance of accurate media representation and calls for the media to adhere to accuracy, integrity, and social responsibility principles. Further research is suggested to explore the broader social dynamics and collective motives in criminal cases, particularly sexual violence.

Modeling the audience’s perception of security in media discourse

Combining the concepts of securitization with a discourse analytic approach, the study presents an attempt to investigate how the audience’s perception toward an unconventional security issue has been shaped in media context. As a case study, this paper delves into the portrayal of the Confucius Institute in the U.S. media discourse. By analyzing the coverage of the Confucius Institute in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal from 2004 to 2022, it aims to unpack the narratives and representations surrounding this institution. With a particular focus on how the use of language shapes the audience’s perception and subsequently influences their cognition in the context of the securitization of Confucius Institutes, a select sample of texts from the corpus was collected for coded qualitative analysis to allow for a deeper understanding of how the media constructs and disseminates information about the Confucius Institute. The findings turn out that American media actors deliver a bottom-up securitizing move by interacting with socio-political value positions on Confucius Institutes in the United States, grounding a cognitive construction of security threat into shaping public emotive perceptual experience with dialogically patterned linguistic configurations.

Analysis of Media-Shaped Role Models from the Perspective of Transitivity: A Case Study of Rongzhi Lao Criminal Cases

News reporting is the carrier of ideology and culture. Although the media claims to be impartial, objective and neutral, they necessarily reflect a certain stance. The media usually constructs characters directly or indirectly in news reports so as to change the audience’s perception of the events. Taking the news headlines related to Rongzhi Lao from thepaper as the data, this paper analyzed the role models of Rongzhi Lao shaped by the media from the perspective of transitivity by using the UAM corpus tool and Python. The result shows that (1) in the news headlines related to Rongzhi Lao from thepaper as the data, the material process accounts for the largest proportion, followed by the relational process, mental process, verbal process, and existential process; (2) through the five processes, Rongzhi Lao is constructed as a guilty person who is good at evading his responsibilities and disguising but does not regret committing felonies on his initiative. This paper gives us insight to clarify the purpose of media news reporting by understanding how the media constructs characters.

Researching Emotional Experiences as Discursive Elements – A Suggested Qualitative Method

As scholars in the fields of political science, media research, and social psychology endeavor to understand crucial aspects of emotionality in the media, there is a growing need to methodologically address the communicative and discursive aspects of affective constructions in media texts. This article argues that by breaking down mediated emotional experiences represented through language in a set of identifiable elements, such as subject, emotion type, valence, intensity, proposed action, and object, those experiences could be used as workable and potent units of analysis when studying discursive and ideological media constructs of emotionality. By connecting insights from emotion science, the sociology of emotions, and media sociology, the qualitative method outlined, Emotional Experience Profiling (EEP), provides a flexible research tool conducive to an understanding of how emotional experiences represented through language in media texts are constructed and how they shape political discourse, identity, and emotional cultures. To demonstrate and illustrate the application of the method, the article provides examples from a pilot study which explores the research question: How do emotional experiences featured in Swedish far-right alternative news media construct and articulate political discourse?

Study on the Image Construction of Shenzhen in Foreign Media

As China's special economic zone and technological innovation center, Shenzhen enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad. This study aims to observe overseas media reports on Shenzhen in recent years and explore its image construction through the method of combining corpus and critical discourse analysis. Based on the NOW corpus created by Brigham Young University in the United States, we find that the discourse construction of overseas media around Shenzhen stems from the image of its special economic zone and technological innovation. As a microcosm of China's reform and opening up, Shenzhen is portrayed as a modern, innovative and dynamic city. By analyzing the reports in the corpus, we find that overseas media mainly focus on Shenzhen's technology industry, innovation and entrepreneurship environment, and economic development mode. Shenzhen's status as China's technological innovation hub and its importance in global value chains are frequently mentioned in the reports. In addition, overseas media have also paid attention to Shenzhen's urban planning, environmental protection and international cooperation. Overall, overseas media coverage of Shenzhen presents a positive, modern image, emphasizing its importance and influence on the global stage. As a successful model of China's reform and opening up, Shenzhen is gradually becoming the focus of international attention, showing its charm and vitality as a modern city.