International Broadcasting Research Articles

Dealing with a resurgent Russia: Engagement and deterrence in US international broadcasting, 2013–2019

Among the numerous discussions of US international broadcasting, the regional dimension in terms of American projects in Russia and its neighboring states are rarely given explicit consideration. The paper reviews the strategies, projects, and their results in connection with US international broadcasting towards Russia and, more broadly, towards Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space. The first section reviews the shifts in US international broadcasting during the period of 2013–2016, when the administration of Barack Obama introduced new strategies and projects to engage the Russian audience through US international media. The second section demonstrates how the sanctions imposed against Moscow and investigations about the possible Russian impact on elections in both United States and Europe have modified international broadcasting in terms of introducing a new deterrence policy during the period of 2017–2019. The paper concludes that the United States has gained some success in reaching the Russian-speaking populations through international broadcasting and, moreover, its datadriven digital diplomacy has brought some results in containing Russia’s informational activities in Eastern Europe, Balkan region, and post-Soviet countries. While the administration of Barack Obama conducted the policy of engagement towards the Russian-speaking world, the first administration of Donald Trump is pursing the policy of deterrence.

Entrevista com Mark Fellowes: "We must learn to reduce our demands on the ecosphere, but I'm not sure that we're smart enough to do that" 26-29

Dr. Mark Fellowes studied Zoology at Imperial College London (1995) and moved to Imperial’s Silwood Park campus to complete a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology (1998), followed by a brief post-doctoral position at the NERC Centre for Population Biology. He joined the University of Reading as a lecturer in Zoology (2000). Dr. Fellowes’ group work on human-wildlife interactions (People and Wildlife Research Group), asking how the choices people make have unforeseen consequences for species. Current projects include work on red kites, urban greening, cats and conservation, leopard ecology and urban butterfly population dynamics, and how the presence of mutualists affects plant-herbivore-enemy interactions in an urban context. The work of Dr. Fellowes’ research group has featured widely in national and international print and broadcast media, won a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show, and he has published two science books aimed at the general public

Broadcasting Applications of Local Wisdom Character on Coastal Environment in Communication Media

This study aims to determine the effect of television shows on people's verbal behavior. Natnography used as a research method, to find out the types of television programs that are seen by many people of all ages. Cultural studies methods also used to determine the negative impact of television broadcast content. How the influence of television shows on the style of public communication in forming the character of millennial society. In-depth interview techniques with KPID and representatives of national television stations. Based on research in the field, television shows are present for 24 hours in the family room. Culture that accepted in society that television has not become a spectacle but has become a demand. Broadcasting institutions control the formation of mental, social, and cultural. The results of this study include many Impoliteness television shows. The reality in broadcasting shows that FTV content, talk shows, and advertisements have the most verbal abuse (VA) frequencies. Form (VA) is dominated by abuse, swear, invective, and (nonVA). 60% of the broadcasting composition in the media must be educative with local wisdom, 20% national or international public broadcasting, 20% broadcast advertising content. Forms of impertinence are influenced by frequency, television cognition, and broadcast regulation.

The role of British newspapers in framing the public perception and experience of European radio 1930 to 1939

This article analyses how British newspapers in the 1930s created a particular frame or view of radio as an international medium. This frame was created around the idea of a duality, of radio being defined by both national and foreign broadcasts. By analysing coverage provided by the main national newspapers at this time, in relation to their specific radio coverage, such as programme listing and highlights, this paper delineates the form the frame took, what was included and was absent. Such a frame provides an understanding of how the newspapers viewed and valued radio in a period when international broadcasts were seen as an important part of what radio could offer.

Russia Today’s strategy and effectiveness on YouTube

ABSTRACTMany countries now operate state-funded international broadcasters, communicating directly with foreign publics to promote a variety of foreign policy goals. RT (formerly known as Russia Today) is currently one of the most prominent broadcasters in a crowded field. What is RT’s strategy, the size of its audience, and the effectiveness of its broadcasts in implementing its strategy? To answer these questions, we explore a case study of RT’s YouTube programming utilizing a new dataset of 70,220 video titles spanning the 2 years from February 2015 through January 2017. RT’s three-prong strategy focuses attention on strategic groups outside the West, including Arabic, Russian, and Spanish speakers, circumvents local media in target countries to promote Kremlin aims, and spreads a positive image of Russian accomplishments, particularly in Syria, which it considers a foreign policy success. The data presented here show that RT’s strategy is only partially successful since it underperforms among Arabic speakers, its main target, while doing relatively better among Russian, global English, and Spanish audiences.

Quote counts as a success metric: quantifying a criticism of Voice of America

ABSTRACTA leading criticism of American international broadcasting is that the flagship US external service Voice of America (VOA) does not consistently include quotes from US officials, or descriptions of US policy, in its foreign affairs reporting. That claim, however, has never been tested. In this study, a sample of VOA news reports filed during three recent periods of international conflict was analysed to determine the quantity that included quotes from American officials or descriptions of official US policy. Similar analyses were also run on Germany’s Deutsche Welle and Russia’s RT to determine the quantity of stories originating from those outlets which included official quotes and policy descriptions of the German and Russian governments, respectively. The study found that VOA did not include official quotes or policy descriptions in the majority of its news reports. However, when compared to Deutsche Welle and RT, VOA was found to have included official quotes and policy descriptions at a level consistent with those of these two peer brands. The results of this study may call into question the utility of using quote counts as a success metric in assessing the value of US government sponsored international broadcasting.

International radio broadcasting – a case of Radio Poland – an external service of Polish public radio.

Since its beginning radio has also been used as an instrument of international communication. Broadcast stations sending messages abroad began to appear shortly after the first wireless transmissions were successfully performed with the use of the Morse code. The discovery of radio waves enabled sending information on long distances without wire. This invention gave the new possibilities to communicate between continents, from ships to shores and back, or between military troupes during wartime. International broadcasting was also used to communicate with allies and with enemies during military conflicts. At that time an ability to transmit voice using radio waves had already been developed, then radio transmissions entered the dimension of entertainment as well as political communication with citizens and foreigners. The international voice broadcasting service has been developed from 1927 with the purpose of keeping the citizens in touch with the mother countries and also of helping the governments to disseminate its culture throughout the world. In this context the article is an analysis of the legal basis, purposes, directions and technical aspects of broadcasting, and organisational structure of the Radio Poland (former Polish Radio External Service). Key words: international broadcasting, radio broadcasting, Radio Poland, Polish Radio External Service, short waves

Localisation between Negotiating Forces: A Case Study of a Chinese Radio Station in the United States

During the past decade, Chinese state-owned media have accelerated their pace of overseas development to establish their international presence. In their worldwide expansion in the service of the government’s political and diplomatic initiatives, these media outlets attempt to connect with and rise in the global media market by borrowing experiences from their Western competitors. This article revisits the Western model of media localisation and examines how the strategic components in Western media’s localisation practices are absent in Chinese media’s applications, where tensions and incongruities exist between the headquarters and the local production team. By looking closely at the operations of a US-based studio jointly run by the Chinese international broadcaster China Radio International and its local partner, the article further analyses the negotiation between propaganda-oriented logic and market-driven logic as two major driving forces behind Chinese media’s worldwide expansion, and how the contradiction and disjuncture between the two affects the media outlets’ localisation practices and outcomes.

International Media Framing of China’s Domestic Politics: An Analysis of Aljazeera English and BBC News

This study is a comparative content analysis of news content of Aljazeera English (AJE) and BBC News on China's national political affairs in their online news editions from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 after the assumption of power by Chinese president Xi Jinping. The study compares the patterns of news coverage by two international broadcasters in the context of Framing Theory as well as political and economic events of the times. The study followed the structural pattern of media content analysis-mass media structure their content as an interpretation of reality for audiences, and the media content is created by a variety of factors that result in different versions of reality, such as political and economic factors. Two frames were identified in the news coverage by both the channels. AJE used cooperation frame to present news related to China's trade and investment deals, while confrontation frame was applied by BBC to show conflicts and disputes of China to global audience.

Nation branding in the post-broadcast era: The case of RT

The article examines Russia’s international multinational broadcaster RT (formerly Russia Today), which was launched in 2005 with the direct support of the Russian government. RT promotes a distinct ‘counter-hegemonic’ brand of broadcasting. This article goes beyond RT’s branding to explore the broadcaster’s nation branding of Russia. It considers the range of strategies used by RT, placing these within RT’s change of mission – from ‘informing others about events and life in Russia’ to comprising those ‘who question more’. By analysing RT’s coverage of the Republic of Crimea in 2016, and using a framing approach, the article explores RT’s branding of Russia and the online audience’s engagement with this within the contemporary transnational, convergent media environment. This article forms part of the Theorizing Media in Nation Branding special issue.

War and Politics: Clausewitz and Schmitt in the Light of Girard’s Mimetic Theory

Research Article| May 01 2017 War and Politics: Clausewitz and Schmitt in the Light of Girard’s Mimetic Theory Wolfgang Palaver; Wolfgang Palaver Universität Innsbruck WOLFGANG PALAVER is professor of Catholic social thought at the School of Catholic Theology of the University of Innsbruck, Austria (where he was also dean from 2013 until 2017). From 2007 to 2011, he was president of the “Colloquium on Violence and Religion.” He has published books and articles on religion and violence, Thomas Hobbes, Carl Schmitt, Simone Weil, and René Girard. His most recent book is René Girard’s Mimetic Theory (Michigan State University Press, 2013). Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Gabriel Borrud Gabriel Borrud Translator GABRIEL BORRUD works as a radio and online journalist for the English service of Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster. He has translated Wolfgang Palaver’s comprehensive study René Girard’s Mimetic Theory (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2013) and Palaver’s essay “Violence and Religion: Walter Burkert and René Girard in Comparison,” which appeared in volume 17 of Contagion. He has been fascinated by Girard since high school. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Contagion: Journal of Violence Mimesis and Culture (2017) 24: 101–118. https://doi.org/10.14321/contagion.24.1.0101 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Wolfgang Palaver, Gabriel Borrud; War and Politics: Clausewitz and Schmitt in the Light of Girard’s Mimetic Theory. Contagion: Journal of Violence Mimesis and Culture 1 May 2017; 24 101–118. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/contagion.24.1.0101 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressContagion: Journal of Violence Mimesis and Culture Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2017 Michigan State University Press2017 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Mobile phones and the news: How UK mainstream news broadcasting is stalling the video revolution

From the mid-2000s, a sudden surge in the use of mobile phone footage by national and international broadcasters was widely anticipated as the precursor to a revolutionary change in the generation and dissemination of news. In the wake of events such as the London bombings of 2005, user-generated content bureaux and hubs were established by major media organizations from the British Broadcasting Corporation and CNN to Al Jazeera while new software and hardware was developed. The potential for covering virtually any news development from at least one of the world’s seven billion mobile phones suggested a whole new phase of broadcast journalism was imminent. This study of news bulletins by three United Kingdom-based broadcasters – Channel 4, the BBC and ITV – establishes a new methodology for the identification of mobile phone content in broadcasting. It also finds that a decade later, mobile phone footage has not lived up to its early potential.

The Internet and International Broadcasting: Towards a Global Public Sphere

This paper interrogates the nexus between the internet, international broadcasting and the quest for a sustainable global sphere, especially as it pertains to Nigeria. It examines the importance of shifting from a public to a global public sphere in international broadcasting. ‘Sphere’ in international broadcasting is being constantly re-defined and reviewed on account of the introduction of the internet and new media forms into broadcasting, and which have consequently globalised hitherto ‘localized’ public discussions of issues. The introduction of new communication technologies have considerably expanded the public space for discussions and debates. This paper therefore recommends that Nigeria broadcasting stations that offer international broadcasting services should make more and effective use of new media platforms for their broadcasts as well as properly utilize new communication technologies to package programme contents in order to be more relevant and involved in international broadcasting. Keywords : International broadcasting, Internet, Global sphere, Public sphere, New media, Nigeria

Mega-Sporting Events and Human Rights—A Time for More Teamwork?

AbstractMega-Sporting Events (MSEs) like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup inspire humanity and have the potential to promote human rights, including through job creation and urban regeneration. Yet for over a decade MSEs have been linked to a pattern of human rights abuses that reads like a panoply of Business and Human Rights themes. The very legitimacy and social license of MSEs is increasingly on the line. Yet we may have reached a tipping point. In the past year the Commonwealth Games Federation, FIFA, and the International Olympic Committee have begun to instigate human rights reforms. A new multi-stakeholder coalition, chaired by Mary Robinson and facilitated by IHRB, meanwhile is pursuing innovative collaborate solutions to the human rights issues at stake. Supported by international agencies, governments, sports bodies, sponsors and broadcasters, and civil society, this coalition seeks to promote learning and accountability in a sector for whom business and human rights is new territory.

Radio New Zealand International: Reporting the Pacific in tight times

New Zealand International (RNZI) broadcasts from New Zealand into the South Pacific and is relayed to South Pacific listeners by their various national news services. In 2006, American academic Andrew M. Clark characterised the role of RNZI as ‘providing a service for the people of the South Pacific’ that also provided ‘an important public diplomacy tool for the New Zealand government’ (Clark, 2006). A decade on, this article evaluates the ongoing use and utility of RNZI as a taxpayer-funded voice of and from New Zealand, as a service for the diverse peoples of the South Pacific and as a tool of New Zealand’s transnational diplomatic efforts. RNZI is still a key source of local and regional information and connection for the distinct cultures and nations of the vast South Pacific area, whose peoples have strong links to New Zealand through historical ties and contemporary diasporas living in the country. But, RNZI now faces mounting financial pressure, a government swinging between indifferent and hostile to public broadcasting and questions of legitimacy and reach in the ‘digital age’. With RNZI under pressure in 2016, key questions arise about its present and future. What is RNZI doing well and not so well? What role should New Zealand’s domestic and international politics play in the organisation and its outputs? And how might its importance and impact be measured and understood in such a culturally and geographically diverse region as the South Pacific? Using a variety of sources, including documents released to the author under the New Zealand Official Information Act, this article explores the role of RNZI in the contemporary New Zealand and South Pacific media environments.

The Roles of International Broadcasting in Revamping Nigeria's Public Image : Implications for Nationalism among Nigerian Youths

The Roles of International Broadcasting in Revamping Nigeria's Public Image : Implications for Nationalism among Nigerian Youths

Terrorism discourse on French international broadcasting:France 24and the case ofCharlie Hebdoattacks in Paris

This article offers an inquiry into the discursive construction of ‘terrorism’ by France 24, the French international broadcaster, in the aftermath of the attacks on Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January 2015. The article argues that the broadcaster seems to employ a relatively narrow definition of terrorism linking it to Islam and Muslims. France 24 portrays the attacks as an external phenomenon coming to France from outside. The blame is assigned to non-French factors, mainly to foreign extremist organisations, Islamist ideologues and overseas training. No reasons for violence are sought inside the country. Internal developments, such as discrimination, youth marginalisation, lack of educational and work opportunities, relations between law enforcement and the Muslim community that could potentially contribute to the acts, are not explored by the broadcaster’s investigative journalism. This narrow interpretation of ‘terrorism’ that assigns responsibility to Muslims, Islamic indoctrination and overseas training may further alienate Muslim communities in France’s already divided society. It points to narrow policy responses that focus mainly on stricter monitoring of Muslim minorities, on limiting combat and cross-border movement. This type of discourse excludes long-term policy solutions that address broader socio-politico-economic conditions in which ‘terrorism’ might flourish.

Looking After Ibrahim

This paper considers how journalistic practices have evolved as news producers learn the importance of ensuring trusted individuals gathering content on the ground are kept safe. This research, in particular, focuses on the relationship between BBC journalists and those producing content and information in Syria to whom there is a duty of care. Drawing on interviews with BBC news journalists, this study finds that relationships with citizen journalists and social media literate activists have become more networked and complex over the past five years. Contributors have become trusted sources of content and intelligence, and journalists have at times encouraged eyewitnesses to participate in the newsgathering process. For an international broadcaster this poses challenges, both ethical and physical. Journalists must navigate the path between ensuring high-value information and content can be accessed while maintaining a rapport with people operating in a conflict zone. Journalists must fulfil their duty of care to these individuals, ensuring their safety in a country which is one of the most dangerous in the world to report from. Findings indicate a change in approach by news producers in terms of engagement with citizen journalists covering Syria. These changes in working practices are based on experience gained over 10 years where journalists have interacted with citizen journalists and eyewitnesses in breaking news situations across the globe. From the perspective of the journalist, a critical apparatus has also been developed to ensure links with citizen journalists can continue and flourish while minimising risks and challenges to both parties.

European international broadcasting and Islamist terrorism in Africa: The case of Boko Haram onFrance 24andDeutsche Welle

This article examines the relationship between European (international) broadcasting and Islamist terrorism in Africa and positions media portrayal of Boko Haram within the larger picture of Europe’s relations with Africa. Two international broadcasters provide the basis for the analysis: France 24 and Deutsche Welle. The article compares and contrasts their discourse on terrorism to advance several arguments: 1) that through their respective portrayal of Boko Haram and Nigeria both France 24 and Deutsche Welle’s reporting is in line with their respective countries’ foreign policies towards Africa, 2) that discourse on both F24 and DW perpetuates the unequal relationship between African countries and Western powers, 3) that portraying terrorism in terms of ‘clash of civilisations’, as in the case of France 24, may unintentionally contribute to the strengthening of the extremist cause. This is due to the transformation of violent extremism into ‘new wars’. The concept, elaborated in the article, differently explains the logic of extremist behaviour and its relationship with media.

A region speaks: Nordic public diplomacy in historical context

This article provides an over-view of Nordic contributions to the field of public diplomacy, examining the historical appearance of such constituent practices as listening, advocacy, cultural diplomacy, exchange, international broadcasting and an awareness of soft power. The Nordic approach is contrasted with that of the United States. The piece ends with a consideration of the Nordic experience of the so-called New Public Diplomacy approaches including use of on-line media and memes.