Journalism Communication Research Articles

Gendered expectations and the framing of Afghan women in peacebuilding: a critical discourse analysis

ABSTRACT Despite the invaluable role that women play in the peacebuilding process, statistics still show this as a male-dominated field. Since media narratives have the power to frame reality providing the public with preferred lenses to understand it, this study asks, How do media narratives frame the role of Afghan women in conflict resolution? To address this question, we combine Frame Theory (Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58) and Critical Discourse Analysis (van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Critical discourse analysis. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton, & D. Schiffrin (Eds.), The handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 466–485). Wiley Blackwell) to explore media narratives before and after the Taliban came into power in August 2021. The samples include 32 articles published between 2018 and 2022 on different sources ranging from traditional news outlets to magazines, newsrooms, intergovernmental organizations, and think tanks. Findings show that media narratives perpetuate unfair gendered expectations, failing to effectively render the irreplaceable role of women in peacebuilding. Frames confirm the double bind of hegemonic femininity (Schneiker, A. (2021). The UN and women's marginalization in peace negotiations. International Affairs, 97(4), 1165–1182) as women are subject to different expectations – the exception presents them as courageous, yet the norm frames them as being too vulnerable and without a voice.

Still having his say: David Yoder’s legacy in AAC

On February 2 2023, one of the guiding lights in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for more than four decades, David E. Yoder, passed away at the age of 90. A voracious reader and gifted storyteller, David was particularly fond of a quote from George Bernard Shaw’s Back to Methuselah, “You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ but I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’” That vision led him to take on multiple leadership roles and influence the field of AAC in multiple ways. He played a pivotal role in establishing both the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) and the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC). Additionally, he chaired the panel for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)’s inaugural Consensus Validation Conference on AAC, advocated for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to recognize AAC within the profession’s scope of practice, and served as the first editor for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication journal. In this tribute, we describe David’s diverse and unique contributions to improving the lives of people with communication challenges with a focus on some of his central insights and actions.

The KACA Looks Ahead to the Next Century With the Korean Journal of Communication

abstract: The Korean American Communication Association (KACA) celebrates the inauguration of the Korean Journal of Communication ( KJC ). The essay describes the journey undertaken by the KACA leadership to transform the vision of launching this journal into a tangible reality. This essay also reiterates the role the journal plays as a central hub for Korean communication scholarship, for not only the members of the KACA but also a wider audience.

Professional journalistic community of the Republic of Korea: government institutions, associations and organizations

The relevance of this scientific work is expressed in the need to determine the national characteristics of the professional journalism environment of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and to make an analysis. The object of the study was professional journalism in the Republic of Korea. The subject of this study is the activities of journalistic unions and organizations in the Republic of Korea, namely: the Korean Communications Commission, the Korean Broadcasting Advertising Corporation, the Association of Journalists of Korea, the Korean Association of Broadcasters, the Korean Association of Scientific Journalism, the Korean Press Foundation, the Korean Newspaper Association and other local professional associations. The collection of information on the functioning of Korean professional communities in the field of media and organizations controlling journalistic activities was carried out during the period from December 15, 2023 to January 15, 2024. The main research methods were the analysis of regulatory documents, qualitative content analysis, as well as the single-outcome case study method to determine the specifics of the experience of the Republic of Korea. As of 2024, in the Republic of Korea (ROK), control over professional journalistic activities is carried out using a centralized system supported and supervised by government organizations. The article presents an analysis of the activities of professional journalistic communities operating in the Republic of Korea. A general description of the five largest associations and organizations is given. The study showed that the actions of government institutions, organizations and associations of the professional journalistic community of the Republic of Korea are associated with the introduction of a model of integration control of regulatory authorities into the basis of the activities of the associations studied by us. As an illustrative example of the activities of a professional journalistic association, the Association of Journalists of Korea was chosen, whose activities were analyzed in accordance with the following criteria: features of the structure, areas of activity, international integration, interaction with government departments, educational activities, a system of support and material support for journalists.

“Communal News Work” as Sustainable Business Model: Recent Print-Centric News Start-Ups in Regional Queensland

The Covid-19 emergency in Australia precipitated the closure of dozens of print newspapers across Australia but, conversely, the heightened state of anxiety of the early Covid-19 period amplified the need for local information and communality. This was the impetus for a wave of print-centric newspaper start-ups. We previously examined 22 Covid-19 era start-ups in Queensland (see Barnes et al., 2022, p. 21–34) and found that their editors/publishers universally “reassert(ed) and claim(ed) more vigorously the normative values associated with community journalism as ‘social glue.’” These proprietors deployed an “affective rationale” as the foundation of their journalism and their “lean start-up” business models. We called this a “community cohesion model.” Returning to these start-ups 18 months after the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted in Queensland, we find that about 60% of these newspapers have continued operating, still drawing on deep wells of community support. They are transitioning to more conventional “newsonomics,” seeking—like the news organisations they replaced—to expand their advertising and raise other revenue, keep costs low, and expand their digital channels while remaining focussed on their core print offering. Drawing on in-depth interviews and editorial statements by editors/owners of these start-ups, as well as a close examination of advertising in the surviving newspapers, this study argues that adopting affective “hybrid” business models can be a basis for news organisations’ longer-term viability.

A Study of Coping with Intercultural Interaction Obstacles Between Global and Local Students in International Schools

Intercultural communication has become a vital element in the world today due to globalization. Students are increasingly seeking education in foreign institutions and regions with different cultures. This is a qualitative secondary research with the aim of identifying steps that schools can undertake to cultivate positive intercultural communication between global and local students. Thirty-one peer-reviewed articles were selected after purposive sampling from many sources using desk research using online sources, Google Scholar, the Journal of Communication, and the Journal of Applied Communication Research. The research aimed to answer the general question of: what steps can schools undertake to cultivate positive intercultural communication between global and local students. Therefore, data were collected, and content analysis was conducted to acquire results that were interpreted using the grounded theory. Data analysis was conducted by putting the data into groups based on the questions asked. This ensured that the findings generated were significant and sufficient to make viable and reliable conclusions. The results will be significant in guiding schools and individuals on ways to ensure effective intercultural interactions. These results will ultimately improve the experience for both local and global students. The findings indicated that stereotypes and anxiety are the major obstacles hindering intercultural communication between global and local students. However, learning how to initiate interactions, recognizing cultural differences, and giving more meaning to intercultural social interactions were identified as steps that schools can implement to enhance effective coping.

Mapping and visualization of global research progress on deubiquitinases in ovarian cancer: a bibliometric analysis.

Ovarian cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have emerged as critical regulators of protein ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, influencing various cellular processes relevant to cancer pathogenesis. In this study, the research progress between ovarian cancer and DUBs was mapped and visualized using bibliometrics, and the expression patterns and biological roles of DUBs in ovarian cancer were summarized. Studies related to DUBs in ovarian cancer were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. VOSviewer 1.6.20, CiteSpace 6.3.R1, and R4.3.3 were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization. For analysis 243 articles were included in this study. The number of publications on DUBs in ovarian cancer has gradually increased each year. China, the United States, and the United Kingdom are at the center of this field of research. The Johns Hopkins University, Genentech, and Roche Holding are the main research institutions. David Komander, Zhihua Liu, and Richard Roden are the top authors in this field. The top five journals with the largest publication volumes in this field are Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Journal of Biological Chemistry, PLOS One, Nature Communications, and Oncotarget. Keyword burst analysis identified five research areas: "deubiquitinating enzyme," "expression," "activation," "degradation," and "ubiquitin." In addition, we summarized the expression profiles and biological roles of DUBs in ovarian cancer, highlighting their roles in tumor initiation, growth, chemoresistance, and metastasis. An overview of the research progress is provided in this study on DUBs in ovarian cancer over the last three decades. It offers insight into the most cited papers and authors, core journals, and identified new trends.

The Leningrad Rock Club in St Petersburg: From Memory to Cultural Heritage

Over the last 30 years, the popular musical past has become a subject of interest for researchers in many social sciences and the humanities, from cultural geography and cultural sociology to urban studies and public history. Popular music is regarded not only as a significant part of national and regional cultural history, but also as an important element of the urban cultural heritage. The revision of both the content and the very concept of cultural heritage is associated with large-scale changes in the humanities and social sciences that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century and influenced the transformation of historical politics in many cities, regions, and countries. In Russia, a diverse and rich musical past, related to the history of late Soviet popular and rock music, has only recently begun to be studied and represented in the urban space. The article discusses the ways of authorising the musical heritage associated with the history of the Leningrad Rock Club in contemporary St Petersburg. The research is based on field data collected in 2020–2021: in-depth and spontaneous interviews with musicians participating in the Leningrad Rock Club, rock journalists, employees of the Pushkinskaya, 10 Art Centre and the Kamchatka Rock Club-Museum, and field observations during guided tours of rock-related places in St Petersburg and exhibitions dedicated to the history of Leningrad rock. The author proposes to consider the urban musical heritage in St Petersburg self-authorised. The examples studied in the article are initiatives of the predominantly St Petersburg rock community of musicians, journalists, and city activists. Its key forms are excursions, installation of memorial plaques and signs, temporary exhibitions, and opening of a museum dedicated to the history of Leningrad rock music based on the Pushkinskaya, 10 Art Centre. Despite the traditional format of representing the memory of the musical past, the organisers do not seek to designate the musical places of modern St Petersburg in terms of “authorised heritage discourse” but gravitate toward a less formal conversation and representation of this past.

Who navigates the “elite” of communication journals? The participation of BRICS universities in top-ranked publications

Abstract Purpose Despite the increasing volume of research addressing the relevance of de-Westernizing Media Studies, we lack a comparative evaluation of the performance of Global South universities regarding their presence in the most prestigious domains within the field of Communication. Against this background, the article explores if and to what extent the publication of articles authored by BRICS-based scholars in top-ranked journals is restricted to a handful of academic institutions – making them a national “elite” authorized to engage in the mainstream intellectual debate. Design/methodology/approach We pose three questions: RQ1) To what extent is the academic output of BRICS countries in the field of Communication concentrated within a select few “top-level” institutions? RQ2) How are the research articles from the most productive universities distributed across the journal rankings comprising the SJR database? RQ3) What partnerships do institutions from BRICS countries engage in when producing research articles? Using data from the SciVal (Elsevier) and SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) platforms, the empirical study encompasses a set of articles published between 2012 and 2021. Findings Our findings reveal that South Africa, Russia, and Brazil had the highest concentration of academic production within a select few universities. The disparities among the most and least productive universities can be attributed to a lack of ambitious policies in terms of academic innovation. The contrast becomes more evident when we consider China’s performance – which has implemented a range of strategies to foster international partnerships with Western academic communities. Practical implications/social implications We contend that the demand for “de-Westernization” must go beyond a mere plea for increased numerical representation. The exclusion of perspectives or phenomena from developing regions hinders the progress of knowledge production itself. Once Social and Human Sciences traditionally occupy a peripheral position in terms of funding, it is as if Communication researchers based in the Global South were part of a “periphery of the periphery.” Originality/value The paper is relevant for enabling us to discuss Global South universities’ international insertion and the dynamics influencing the academic contributions of semi-peripheral communities. We also consider to what extent the SciVal and SJR metrics reinforce an academic rationale that upholds the mechanisms of neoliberal globalization and the standardization of the scholarly agenda.

A review of internal communication research in South Africa

The aim of this study was to assess the current state and determine the development of internal communication research in South Africa over the past 21 years (from 2002 to 2022), to provide direction for future research with a view to expanding the body of knowledge in the field from a South African perspective. Research articles on internal communication that were written from a corporate communication and public relations perspective that had been published in three peer-reviewed scholarly communication journals in South Africa were systematically reviewed. Authorship information, research topics, theoretical frameworks, methodologies, and suggestions for future research indicated in 28 articles were analysed. It was found that most scholars focused on the implementation of internal communication management and internal strategies or plans in specific contexts or to attain certain outcomes. The most frequently used theories were relationship management theory and reputation management theories, and a qualitative research approach was the predominant methodical approach used, with non-probability (purposive) sampling, even though questionnaires were the prevalent data collection tools. Although internal communication as a research field has grown globally, research in the South African context is lagging behind. Future research opportunities include: (1) more quantitative studies that employ large probability samples to generalise findings, (2) the digitalisation of communication channels, (3) developing and empiricallytesting local theories, frameworks and models, (4) including marginalised and diverse groups as a starting point for knowledge production, and (5) adapting the findings of research conducted prior to the post-COVID-19 setting.

Data Journalism: A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological trends and gaps in data journalism research by conducting a systematic literature review of 102 articles published in English in SSCI-indexed communication journals. The review revealed that the majority of the literature focused on empirical investigations of data journalism practice, with weak conceptual and theoretical foundations and limited methodological diversity. Additionally, the authors and topics examined were predominantly from the Global North, which makes it challenging to generalize the findings to different contexts and scales. However, recent larger-scale studies incorporating the Global South offer hope for deepening the data journalism discussion.

Utilizing Special Language in Street Crime Newsgathering in Indonesia

This article describes the newsgathering process among the crime journalist community in West Java, which involves the use of special symbolic languages. Using the ethnographic method, the study was conducted to collect data related to the practice of using special language, especially how crime journalists interpret it and how it functions for their profession. The results have shown that special language is not only used in the newsgathering process but also in daily interactions with fellow community members and police officers as news sources. As a result, the special language used consists of both abstract and concrete symbols. Abstract symbols encompass verbal and nonverbal forms that are embodied in numeric, phonetic, and cosmic codes. Meanwhile, concrete symbols are related to how they dress and use equipment, and how all these attributes represent them as crime journalists. This is related to the functions of special language, namely as a means of distinguishing themselves from other journalist groups. In addition, this special language also serves as a form of identity manipulation, allowing them to take on the role of the police in information gathering.

Indigenizing journalistic objectivity in an African context: How ‘indigenous’ journalistic practices (re)define professional norms

Through comparative content analysis of online news reports ( N = 420), we examined how indigenous values and source citation practices (re)define journalistic objectivity away from the normative comfort domain of ‘The American standard’. We argue that ‘African’ journalistic practices will more possibly reflect more ‘objective’ narratives with a critical gaze to African values such as ‘ Ubuntu’ and ‘ Afriethics’. By comparing ‘grassroots’ with ‘elite’ source citations as reflected in ‘African’ media reportage, we found that African news narratives that embrace ‘Community Journalism’ reflect more grassroots than elite voices as distinct from ‘Western’ libertarian journalistic practices.

Can social media combat gender inequalities in academia? Measuring the prevalence of the Matilda effect in communication

Abstract This study sought to investigate whether scholarly impact and academic influence differ between men and women in the field of communication and the extent to which the gender gap has persisted on social media platforms, an arena increasingly used for research dissemination. Data were collected from 10,736 articles, published in prominent communication journals between 2012 and 2022, using a combination of three sources: OpenAlex, Altmetric, and Twitter. The gender of 6,827 first authors was identified using ChatGPT, with an accuracy of 0.94. The findings confirmed the presence of the Matilda effect, indicating a bias toward male scholars in terms of research performance, academic mobility, and online popularity. Furthermore, the study revealed uneven gains between male and female scholars in their use of social media for research dissemination. These results have implications for how science communities can effectively promote research on social media.

Analyzing Discourses and the Communication of Sport: A Scoping Review and Suggestions for Future Endeavors

Scholars have been increasingly engaging with discourse analysis as theory and method. At its essence, this approach is centered around communicative acts, and thus is foundational to the study of sport media and communication. However, to our knowledge, no overview of the use of discourse analysis in sport, exercise, and physical education studies exists. Therefore, we conducted a structured scoping review by identifying 1892 papers in 277 journals from 2000 to April 2022, then narrowed the sample to 587 papers that specifically conducted a discourse analysis of sport. We sought to understand which theoretical traditions are commonly utilized, which sub-disciplines embrace discourse analysis with specific attention to communication, and how this approach can enrich and add to the methodological and theoretical development of media and communication studies in sport. Our review illustrated a heavy reliance on Foucauldian discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis across a multitude of sport disciplines, though discourse analysis generally appears less frequently in sport communication journals. To advance our field’s use of discourse analysis, we suggest the need to emphasis a multimodal approach to discourse analysis, the integration of technology within this approach, and directions to theorize beyond dominant approaches to focus on mediated social interactions.

What Do They Say? Authors of Articles in Predatory Journalism and Mass Communication Journals Speak

Journalism and mass communication (J&MC) research examines crucial issues in democratic and undemocratic societies, such as freedom of expression, misinformation and disinformation, government regulation of communications, defamation and invasion of privacy, media technologies and economics, and journalists’ professional practices. Unethical scholarship practices may weaken societal and public policy goals of fair, independent, and accurate reporting and transparent governance. This case study analyses how one predatory J&MC journal recruits authors to submit their work and why some scholars succumb to such invitations. This research contributes to both the growing scholarship about predatory publishing practices and to further understanding of how such journals deceptively exploit authors willing to pay for publication without the traditional peer review and editing. This study uses probability sampling of authors who published 504 articles in the journal between 2011 and 2021 to seek their participation in a survey and interviews. Most authors are from developing countries, but others are from the developed world, including faculty at top-tier research institutions. Surprisingly, some published in this journal despite knowing its predatory nature. In such instances, they might benefit from a lack of policies at their universities discouraging publication in predatory journals and may receive benefits from those institutions. Some authors regretted publishing in the journal, especially if they were unaware of its predatory character, because it deprived them of an opportunity to disseminate that research in legitimate academic venues. There are significant societal and political implications as well.

Introducing Letters to the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking: editorial

The Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Lord, announces that the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking will publish letters.

COVID-19 and the “Golden Era”: Turning the page on rural, weekly newspaper production

The rural weekly newspaper industry rooted in traditional geographically bounded U.S. communities was long thought to have been shielded from industry dilemmas—revenue and circulation—at larger mainstream daily newspapers. However, recent data show a shift in these rural community journalism trends, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Using normative theory and diffusion of innovations, this study examines how rural weekly newspaper publishers perceived, nearly 18 months after the onset of the pandemic, how COVID-19 impacted their newspapers’ advertising, news, technology, and community involvement. Survey results reveal short-term and long-term content and financial challenges plague U.S. rural grassroots information sources with circulation less than 3,000—indicating the end of the “golden era” of weekly newspapers. Despite the constraints, publishers remain optimistic and dedicated to their audiences, albeit reluctant to swift change, as they perceive themselves as the only reliable information source for their rural communities.

Social Media and Sport Studies (2014–2023): A Critical Review

Building on the foundational study conducted by Abeza et al., this work extends the investigation by critically reviewing social media research in sport studies published from June 2014 to June 2023. Methodologically, the review involved an examination of 153 original research articles from five prominent journals in sport communication and sport management, namely the International Journal of Sport Communication, Communication & Sport, Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, and European Sport Management Quarterly. The study identified the research streams, platforms, theories, and research methods that have garnered attention in the social media research community. The findings reveal several key insights that contribute to the ongoing dialogue in the field, stimulating further exploration and advancing knowledge at the intersection of social media and sport.

Understanding Audience Behavior with Digital Traces: Past, Present, and Future

In recent decades, significant transformations in audience characteristics and the media environment have necessitated a reassessment of audience analysis. Communication scholars have increasingly recognized the value of utilizing digital traces as valuable resources to understand audience behaviors. This research presents a comprehensive review of 243 audience analyses that incorporate digital traces, covering the period from 2001 to 2022, as published in 19 prominent communication journals. Our analysis reveals a remarkable expansion in the variety of data sources and a diversification of research contexts within the field. The integration of digital traces has empowered researchers to enhance behavioral concepts and attain deeper insights into audience dynamics. By harnessing the temporal, semantic, and structural information embedded within digital traces, novel audience metrics have been developed. This review identifies noteworthy theoretical and methodological implications for future audience research, emphasizing the necessity to embrace the evolving landscape of digital media. Furthermore, it suggests avenues for further exploration and the refinement of existing methodologies. By capitalizing on the potential of digital traces, communication scholars can continue to advance our understanding of audience characteristics and behaviors in the ever-changing media ecosystem.