Editorial Line Research Articles

“Are Journalists Traitors of the State, Really?”—Self-Censorship Development during the Russian–Ukrainian War: The Case of Latvian PSM

Media self-censorship related to war and military conflict is usually analysed by evaluating the journalistic practices of the countries involved in the war. The objective of this study is to explore how the self-censorship of Latvian public service media (Latvian Radio and Latvian Television) employees developed in response to changes in the internal socio-political discourse after Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine, because of which the Latvian PSM found themselves in the crossfire of long-term criticism and attacks by politicians and audience representatives. Employing semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis, this study analyses the perception of self-censorship at all levels (journalists, producers, programme hosts, editors) (15 informants), factors that influence the development of self-censorship, informants’ coping strategies, and the impact of self-censorship on PSM content (78 items of content on various channels and platforms). The conceptual framework of this study is based on Bourdieu’s field theory and Spiral of Silence Theory, exploring how self-censorship affects journalists’ professional habitus, social capital, and agency. The results of this study show that, although Latvia is not involved in the nearby war, politician- and audience member-driven self-censorship affects PSM platforms’ daily agenda, source selection, and editorial line, reducing the diversity and pluralism of PSM content.

Editorial

The Latin American Journal of European Studies (ISSN 2763-8685) is a publication of the Latin American Center of European Studies, currently supported by the Jean Monnet Network Policy Debate “BRIDGE Watch” project with funding from the Erasmus + Programme of the European Commission. With a focus on the editorial lines on European Union Law and Policies and International Relations of the European Union with third countries and Latin America, the seventh edition of the Journal also has a thematic dossier on “Rule of Law in Latin America and Europe” organized by Aline Beltrame de Moura of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil). The seventh edition of the Journal is open for submissions until May 1st, 2024.

Scaling up Archival Text Analysis with the Blockmodeling of N-gram Networks: A Case Study of Bulgaria’s Representation in the “Osservatore Romanoˮ (January – May 1877)

This paper seeks to bridge the gap between archival text analysis and network analysis by applying network clustering methods to analyze the coverage of Bulgaria in 123 issues of the newspaper Osservatore Romano published between January and May 1877. Utilizing optical character recognition and generalized homogeneity blockmodeling, the study constructs networks of relevant keywords. Those including the sets Bulgaria and Russia are rather isomorphic and they largely overlap with those for Germany, Britain, and War. In structural terms, the blockmodel of the two networks exhibits a clear core-semiperiphery-periphery structure that reflects relations between concepts in the newpaper’s coverage. The newspaper’s lexical choices effectively delegitimised the Bulgarian national revival, highlighting the influence of the Holy See on the newspaper’s editorial line.

Media capture, captured: a new computational methodology to measure deteriorating media freedom

ABSTRACT The media are under increasing pressure by states to adopt a regime-friendly editorial line in many countries globally, raising the importance of understanding the conditions of successful and failed media capture. Unfortunately, the standard measurement of media capture – annual expert surveys – neither distinguishes between outlets nor offers the needed resolution to assess, e.g., the immediate impact of a new gag law. To remedy these shortcomings, we develop a computational measurement of media capture based on a comparison of nominally independent outlets and regime-owned outlets regarding media agenda and tone when referring to the regime. By relying on two unsupervised measurement methods – topic modelling and sentiment classification – the new method can assess the loss of editorial independence at the level of individual outlets on a monthly or even weekly basis. The methodology is validated by applying it to recent data from Nicaragua. There the two-pronged approach shows how outlets respond differently to regime pressure. While there still are limitations to consider, if further editorial aspects of media capture such as issue framing are added to the methodology, it has the potential of transforming the future study of media capture.

Public fear or public sphere? A content analysis of user comments on Egyptian newspaper Facebook pages

This content analysis examined posts and user comments on four of the most followed Egyptian newspaper Facebook pages: Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al-Youm Al-Saba’, Al-Shorouk and Al-Ahram. The purpose of the analysis was to assess the extent to which Egyptians are able to navigate ongoing government authoritarianism to self-express online. Contrary to expectations, the results indicate that Facebook page size appears to be a much more important factor in dictating the conditions of Egyptian news spheres than editorial policies and ownership structures. Overall, this suggests that current authoritarian conditions in Egypt have rendered editorial lines relatively unimportant.

The Middle East is watching: Iranian and Saudi Arabian newspaper framing of the 2020 US presidential elections

Despite its importance, there has been little research into how Middle Eastern news outlets cover American politics. This content analysis uses framing theory to explore coverage of the 2020 US presidential election in two Middle East dailies, Iranian Hamshahri and Saudi Arabian Al-Watan. Because Iran and Saudi Arabia are rivals and take different approaches to American politics, hypotheses predicted meaningful framing differences. While some findings were consistent with researcher expectations, most findings were not. As predicted, Al-Watan was less likely to frame Trump negatively. However, contrary to expectations, the examined newspapers did not differ in terms of how they framed Biden, the 6 January breach of the Capitol or allegations of voter fraud. The newspapers also did not differ in terms of how likely they were to use pro-Trump and pro-Biden sources. The unexpected findings suggest a cautious approach by Al-Watan, which may not have wanted to show strong support for a US president, Trump, who was likely outgoing. More generally, and as the ‘Discussion’ section explains, Al-Watan’s approach likely reflected the Saudi government’s perceptions about ongoing developments on the US political scene. In one sense, then, Al-Watan’s editorial line was an extension of Saudi foreign policy towards the United States. The ‘Discussion’ section also attempts to make sense of Hamshahri’s framing patterns, which seemed to reflect larger Iranian distrust in the American political system.

Attacks and politics: Assassination of General Schneider, and its impact on the Spanish press

This paper aims to identify the reactions that the assassination of General René Schneider, which took place in Chile in 1970, provoked in the Spanish press of the time. Based on a historiographic analysis of newspaper sources, periodicals were reviewed, considering their circulation criteria, national projection and relationship with a political tendency. In this descriptive review of sources, it was possible to identify that the way of approaching this evento was influenced by their editorial lines.

A Green Wave in Media: A Change of Tack in Stock Markets*

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of environmental news coverage in US newspapers on stock markets. Using textual analysis with a dictionary‐based approach, we obtain several measures of attention, tonality and uncertainty in the coverage of environmental news in major US newspapers. We consider different weighting schemes to account for the visibility and relevance of the text sources, and several sets of newspapers to measure the possible impact of their editorial line. Our results show that greater attention to environmental news in the US media reduced the excess returns of carbon‐intensive stocks and increased their volatility over the last decade, especially when the coverage was uncertain. The opposite result holds for the most virtuous green assets. Restricting the corpus of texts to conservative newspapers mitigates the impact of coverage. Overall, our results illustrate how rising environmental concerns lead investors to change their asset allocation.

„BIBLIOTECA DE POPULARIZARE PENTRU LITERATURĂ, ȘTIINȚĂ, ARTĂ” APĂRUTĂ LA INSTITUTUL DE EDITURĂ RALIAN ȘI IGNAT SAMITCA, DIN CRAIOVA (1885-1899)

In response to the complex efforts for the modernization of the state at the end of the 19th century and following the legislative measures undertaken: the law of public instruction (1864) and the law for aiding the national industry (1887), in terms of cultural development the publishing of the collection for the Popularization of Science and Art has represented one of the most effective measures. In Craiova, in the period between 1895 and 1899, the Ralian and Ignat Samitca Institute for Publishing published the “The Library for the Popularization of Literature, Science and Art” aiming at promoting (at an affordable price) scientific, literary and art criticism papers along with translations of famous novels appearing abroad but not to the detriment of local writers. The initiative of the collection was attributed to Demetru Baraș, the role of artistic director being assigned to Iosif Husar who also translated 20 of the 43 issues in the series. The collection enjoyed intense publicity in the local and national press as well as in Transilvania, together with a series of specific means such as a Reference Bulletin...,since 1897 and a large distribution. The publishing policy of the Samitca Publishing House (1835/1847-1921) has permanently been alligned with the news in Romania and abroad. The development of the business plan was achieved by the opening of diverse editorial lines, from printing daily newspapers,school textbooks, dictionaries, degree papers and PhD theses, legislative papers, political discourses to literary collections. Through professionalism, perseverence and vision, the Samitca representatives have turned a publishing business, as a large part of the country’s industry,into a cultural institution with a positive impact on the life of the community and of the country.

Editorial

The Latin American Journal of European Studies (ISSN 2763-8685) is a publication of the Latin American Center of European Studies, created from the BRIDGE Project of Jean Monnet Network with funding from the Erasmus + Program of the European Commission. With a focus on the editorial lines on European Union Law and Policies and International Relations of the European Union with third countries and Latin America, the sixth edition of the Journal also has a thematic dossier on “Regional Data Protection Policy and Artificial Intelligence”, organized by Naiara Posenato of the Università degli Studi di Milano, (Italy). The sixth edition of the Journal is open for submissions until November 1st, 2023.

Increasing political polarization with disinformation: A comparative analysis of the European quality press

Political polarization and information disorders are not new phenomena on the media agenda, but they have acquired considerable prominence in the wake of international events such as the election of Donald Trump. The present article seeks to help in understanding the interrelation of these concepts –disinformation and polarization– in the European quality press in recent years. Six newspapers (El Mundo, El País, Le Figaro, Le Monde, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian) from three countries were selected on the basis of their quality, audience and representative character of their editorial lines between 2017 and late 2022, and a qualitative and quantitative frame analysis (n = 286) was carried out. Having observed all the definitions of polarization in the press, it was seen that party political alignment has the greatest presence in the international scenario, coming before the division of public opinion. In the sample, Spain has a prominent position, claiming to be a polarized pluralist country, as opposed to United Kingdom, which closely observes what happens in the United States, or France, where these phenomena have achieved less penetration. The conclusion is that political polarization is presented as a chronic problem caused by political actors who are not going to cease doing so, as opposed to information disorders, which are produced by certain specific international actors, such as Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Jair Bolsonaro, who take advantage of communication flows on social media and the latter’s lack of regulation. This article suggests that the way to resolve or at least alleviate the problem is by defending quality information and public media, emphasizing citizen responsibility in the face of social media.

Framing China: The Belt and Road Initiative in Argentine national media outlets

This article studies how Argentine national media outlets reported on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between 2013 and February 2022 (this covers the period from the launch of the BRI to Argentina’s official accession to the initiative). Based on a framing analysis of 272 articles, this study argues that national media outlets tend to reproduce two frames about the BRI: they either present it as an opportunity or as a threat. The balance between them matters when attempting to understand how media organisations shape citizens’ perceptions of China and the BRI. In the case of Argentina, even though its political and economic relations with China have become closer, reports on the BRI were quite polarised. Indeed, national media outlets’ portrayal of the BRI as an opportunity has been slightly more prevalent than negative portrayal (41% vs. 35%). However, national media firms covered the BRI in different ways. Some organisations conveyed largely positive frames, some chiefly presented negative ones, and others were more balanced. The specific editorial lines of the newspapers and their affinities to national political alliances explain these different patterns. Furthermore, although articles citing Western sources were indeed more negative about the BRI, many of the op-eds and reports criticising the BRI were produced by Argentine journalists and other local actors. Thus, Chinese academics exaggerate Western media sources’ influence on Argentina’s national media critical coverage of China while overlooking reasonable concerns about the impacts of Chinese projects.

Shark attack risk on Reunion Island: Emphasis on local media construction

Since 2011, a series of fatal shark attacks have occurred at Reunion Island, a French overseas territory, and led to an institutional and social crisis related to political risk management. To assist political decision-making, political authorities funded an ecology research program from 2011 to 2015. As shark attacks continued, the program was strongly contested by sea users at risk. The local media coverage of shark risk management strategy in Reunion Island was intense and raised issues related to media representation of stakeholders. The place of scientific experts’ discourses in the media construction of shark risk meaning can be particularly questioned. The current study explores from a sociological and communicational perspective, how the interactions between journalists and stakeholders participate in the media construction of shark attack risk. Semi-directional interviews were conducted with local journalists, scientists, sea users and environmental activists, concerned by the shark risk management. Interviews were led on open-ended thematic questions about their perceptions of journalistic and scientific work, stakeholders’ interests and expectations. The study concludes that to enhance communication and mutual understanding between stakeholders, the objectives and limits of scientific research programs in shark risk management should be discussed by a plurality of stakeholders, including a few local journalists as consultants from media with different editorial lines. In order to include all the parties in shark attack risk management strategy, a democratic debate on the operationalization of the values carried by stakeholders related to the management of living beings should be established by political authorities.

Macierzyństwo jako temat publikacji i element wizerunków medialnych kobiet świata polityki w wybranych polskich tygodnikach opinii

Celem prowadzonych analiz jest pokazanie, jak ukazywano macierzyństwo w czterech polskich tygodnikach opinii: Gazecie Polskiej, Newsweeku Polsce, Polityce i Wprost, w wyselekcjonowanych okresach, na przestrzeni lat 2000–2019, oraz jak rola matki rzutowała na wizerunki medialne kobiet świata polityki. Przyjęto wstępne założenia, że macierzyństwo jest w badanych publikacjach upolitycznione, a linia redakcyjna analizowanych tygodników wpływa na sposób pisania o nim. Ponadto starano się sprawdzić słuszność twierdzenia, że częściej w roli matki ukazywano żony polityków niż polityczki, a rolę matki mocniej eksponowano w obrazie polityczki polskiej niż zagranicznej. Wykorzystaną metodą badawczą była analiza zawartości wybranych publikacji pochodzących z tygodników opinii, którą przeprowadzono autorskim kluczem kategoryzacyjnym i przy wsparciu programu IBM SPSS. W toku prowadzonych analiz osiągnięto cele badawcze i potwierdzono przyjęte hipotezy. Motherhood as a Topic of Publication and an Element of Media Images of Women of the Political World in Selected Polish Opinion Weeklies: The aim of the analysis conducted is to show how motherhood was portrayed in four Polish weekly opinion magazines Gazeta Polska, Newsweek Polska, Polityka and Wprost, during selected periods, over the years 2000-2019, and how the role of the mother projected media images of women in the world of politics. Preliminary assumptions were made that motherhood is politicised in the publications and that the editorial line of the surveyed weeklies influences the way they write about it. In addition, an attempt was made to test the validity of the claim that wives of politicians were more often portrayed in the role of the mother than female politicians, and the role of the mother was more strongly exposed in the portrayal of Polish female politicians than foreign ones. The research method used was a content analysis of selected publications, sourced from weekly opinion magazines, which was carried out based on the author’s categorisation key and with the support of the IBM SPSS program. In the course of the conducted analyses, the research objectives were achieved and the adopted research hypotheses were confirmed.

Journalism in Flux: The Changing News Industry in Latin America, 2013–2021

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, countries throughout Latin America have faced significant shifts at the social institutional and systems levels that warrant an examination of how the region’s journalism has changed during this tumultuous period. Using a hierarchy of influences approach, this study employs repeated, cross-sectional surveys with Latin American journalists from 20 countries in 2013 (n = 572), 2017 (n = 159), and 2021 (n = 1720) to analyze micro-institutional changes during times of macro-level changes. We identify macro-institutional influences on the shrinking of Latin American newsrooms, consolidation of social media use, and increase of investigative and collaborative reporting. We suggest journalists responded to changes via innovation, shifting editorial lines, transnationalization, and changes in newsroom organization.

Editorial

The Latin American Journal of European Studies (ISSN 2763-8685) is a publication of the Latin American Center of European Studies, created from the BRIDGE Project of Jean Monnet Network with funding from the Erasmus + Program of the European Commission. With a focus on the editorial lines on European Union Law and Policies and International Relations of the European Union with third countries and Latin America, the fifth edition of the Journal also has a thematic dossier on Private International Law in relations between the European Union and Latin America, organized by Beatriz Campuzano Díaz of the University of Seville, (Spain). The fifth edition of the Journal is open for submissions until May 1st, 2023.

Assigning Responsibility for Depression and Diabetes: Frame Building Factors in Health Coverage

ABSTRACT Although frame building is a crucial part of framing in health communication, it is much less understood than media frames or their effects on audiences (i.e. frame setting). To address this research gap, we analyzed the individual, organizational, and external factors of influence contributing to the media’s portrayal of responsibility for two major health issues: depression and diabetes. To identify relevant factors, we conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with German journalists who regularly report on these health issues. Our findings indicate that the way in which media coverage portrays responsibilities in depression and diabetes is affected by a variety of factors. These include individual (journalist role perception, journalistic routines, academic background and personal experiences with depression, diabetes-related knowledge, and personal values and beliefs), organizational (editorial lines, space limits, time limitations and payment, and newsroom structures), and external (health news sources, audience interest, newsworthiness, and social norms) factors. Notably, there are differences between depression and diabetes coverage – especially regarding individual factors – confirming that frame building, similar to framing in general, should be examined with regard to specific issues. Nevertheless, some factors that seem important across different topics could be identified.

Mi experiencia como Editor Jefe de Insights into Imaging

Scientific and professional journals must clearly define their editorial line and their guidelines for action regarding the process of review and acceptance of the manuscripts they receive. The role of the Editor-in-Chief is very important in these aspects. This paper will review the actions taken in this regard in the journal Insights into Imaging that placed the journal in the first quartile by impact factor of journals in the area of imaging and radiology. This narrative emphasizes the importance of critical thinking focused on improving editorial processes, guaranteeing the veracity and authorship of the works, equity, plagiarism control, time adjustment from the receipt to the final decision, simplification of the editorial process, and commitment to foster disruptive articles maintaining a structure focused on the best available evidence. All these measures aim to promote the perceived quality of the journal and the immediate impact of publications.

The European Union representation in Spanish media

Introduction: Spain's gradual integration into the European Union through the development of institutions and economic and structural changes is intrinsic to the construction of a pro-European public opinion in which the media have actively participated. Objectives: This research aims to analyse the topics disseminated by the leading Spanish media to detect how the EU is represented in these themes, determine the main, adjacent and counter-discourses and find out the degree of North/South polarisation. Methodology: By content analysis and critical discourse analysis, this paper studies 543 units from the Spanish media El País, El Confidencial, ABC, El Diario.es, RTVE and Antena 3 from July 2021 to March 2022. Discussion and conclusion: Following the methodological application, the results obtained allow us to conclude that the construction of Europeanisation in the Spanish media is constructed about specific issues, and after an in-depth analysis of the energy issue, we can affirm that media coverage is neutral in general terms. Europeanisation is presented from a role with the greater weight of Spain in the common project than in previous historical stages presented in the introduction to this paper. Likewise, there is a certain unanimity in the Spanish media, both in the thematic selection and in the actors who are given a voice in the information, as well as in the pre-European construction of public opinion, regardless of their editorial line.

La Fiera: Mujer, identidad y nación.

The character of Catalina from the TV soap La Fiera initiates a new way of representing Chilean women on open television. This research will analyze the relationship of the protagonist with the change of the idea of national identity about women. For this, the study of the editorial line of the public channel TVN in the return to democracy and the direction of Vicente Sabatini and his team in the development of the soap operas of the time that manage to unify the concepts of the social and identity will be taken into account, taking into account the national context, in addition to television and feminist studies to analyze and establish a relationship between women, identity and nation.