Local Media Sources Research Articles

Exploring Heteronormativity and the Illusion of the “Real Man”: A Case Study of Sivuyile (Siv) Ngesi

ABSTRACT In this paper, we aim to explore public reactions to non-normative expressions of masculinity within South African society. We argue that although society has become more accepting of such expressions, there still exists public criticism and heteronormative labelling of sexuality and gender. The case study of a local entertainment celebrity, Sivuyile Ngesi, is used to interrogate the illusion of the “real man” and the construction of heteronormative masculinities in the South African context. Ngesi’s personal portrayal of his masculine identity is unconventional and provides an example of an atypical expression of a Black African heterosexual identity. In the paper we draw on a range of local media sources, as well as an in-depth interview with Ngesi himself, to discuss an idiosyncratic vision of an alternative Black African masculine identity and the realities and implications around it.

News from Home: How Local Media Shapes Climate Change Attitudes

Abstract Highlighting the local impacts of climate change has the potential to increase the public’s awareness of and engagement with climate change. However, information about local impacts is only effective when delivered by trusted sources such as copartisan political leaders. Is information about climate change conveyed by local media sources similarly beneficial? We argue that local media are well positioned to communicate the local implications of climate change, thereby enhancing the public’s risk perceptions of climate change and willingness to take climate action. We further hypothesize that climate coverage by local media, the media type that is more trusted across party lines, will have a significant influence on Republicans’ climate attitudes. Using the case of Louisiana, we first demonstrate that local and national newspapers cover climate change in substantially different ways, with local media more consistently focused on local impacts. Our survey experiment of Louisiana residents reveals that Republicans viewed the coverage of a hurricane in the region more positively when it came from a local newspaper rather than a national newspaper. Furthermore, local newspapers’ climate coverage increased Republicans’ willingness to take action to mitigate climate change. These results provide insights into the effective communication of climate change to the public and the role of local media in mitigating partisan polarization.

Beef Handling Practices Among Consumers in the U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) imports more than 95% of its food. Transportation limitations throughout the territory’s supply chain can make temperature control of protein foods challenging for consumers. This study aimed to characterize the beef handling practices used by consumers in USVI to determine any educational needs. Printed and online surveys (n = 620 total) were disseminated in USVI through extension agents and local media sources. Three hundred and thirty-four consumers completed a 30-question food handling questionnaire on consumption patterns and food handling from purchasing to their kitchen. Frequencies and Pearson chi-square tests of independence were performed. Beef ranked second among the different meat types consumed, 92% of consumers bought beef from grocery stores, and 55% removed beef from shelves immediately after entering the store. When shopping, 59.1% of respondents always checked the use-by/freeze-by dates of beef, 46.3% always separated beef from other foods, but only 27.5% always used insulated bags. Eighty-three percent of consumers returned home within 1 h of shopping, 92% took less than 30 min to store groceries in either a freezer or refrigerator (98%) and during power outages, 45.1% maintained cold temperatures of beef. Seventy-two percent of consumers washed their hands for more than 10 s, but 33% of those from households with a vulnerable person did not use soap to wash their hands and dried them with reusable towels. When cooking, 44.6% of consumers thawed beef within the temperature danger zone, 80.1% did not check the temperature of beef for doneness, and 34 respondents cooked hamburgers below 160°F. Future consumer food safety education initiatives in the USVI should address hand hygiene among food preparers in homes with vulnerable persons, temperature control practices by promoting the use of insulated bags, safe meat thawing techniques, and the use of thermometers during cooking.

Economic Impact of a Hospital Cyberattack in a National Health System: Descriptive Case Study.

Over the last decade, the frequency and size of cyberattacks in the health care industry have increased, ranging from breaches of processes or networks to encryption of files that restrict access to data. These attacks may have multiple consequences for patient safety, as they can, for example, target electronic health records, access to critical information, and support for critical systems, thereby causing delays in hospital activities. The effects of cybersecurity breaches are not only a threat to patients' lives but also have financial consequences due to causing inactivity in health care systems. However, publicly available information on these incidents quantifying their impact is scarce. We aim, while using public domain data from Portugal, to (1) identify data breaches in the public national health system since 2017 and (2) measure the economic impact using a hypothesized scenario as a case study. We retrieved data from multiple national and local media sources on cybersecurity from 2017 until 2022 and built a timeline of attacks. In the absence of public information on cyberattacks, reported drops in activity were estimated using a hypothesized scenario for affected resources and percentages and duration of inactivity. Only direct costs were considered for estimates. Data for estimates were produced based on planned activity through the hospital contract program. We use sensitivity analysis to illustrate how a midlevel ransomware attack might impact health institutions' daily costs (inferring a potential range of values based on assumptions). Given the heterogeneity of our included parameters, we also provide a tool for users to distinguish such impacts of different attacks on institutions according to different contract programs, served population size, and proportion of inactivity. From 2017 to 2022, we were able to identify 6 incidents in Portuguese public hospitals using public domain data (there was 1 incident each year and 2 in 2018). Financial impacts were obtained from a cost point of view, where estimated values have a minimum-to-maximum range of €115,882.96 to €2,317,659.11 (a currency exchange rate of €1=US $1.0233 is applicable). Costs of this range and magnitude were inferred assuming different percentages of affected resources and with different numbers of working days while considering the costs of external consultation, hospitalization, and use of in- and outpatient clinics and emergency rooms, for a maximum of 5 working days. To enhance cybersecurity capabilities at hospitals, it is important to provide robust information to support decision-making. Our study provides valuable information and preliminary insights that can help health care organizations better understand the costs and risks associated with cyber threats and improve their cybersecurity strategies. Additionally, it demonstrates the importance of adopting effective preventive and reactive strategies, such as contingency plans, as well as enhanced investment in improving cybersecurity capabilities in this critical area while aiming to achieve cyber-resilience.

Unfolding of COVID-19 Crisis in a Study-Abroad Program: Voices of Stakeholders Involved in the Evacuation

This qualitative case study documented the unfolding of the COVID-19 crisis that impacted a study-abroad program in Paris between December 2019 and May 2020, culminating in the urgent evacuation of U.S.-affiliated students from France. Framed by Complex Dynamic Systems Theory, chaos theory, and research on study abroad and crisis management, rich data from extensive interviews conducted with nine undergraduate students in the program and the four educational staff members responsible for them were triangulated with external correspondence (e.g., official university emails), local media sources, and governmental documents (e.g., White House statements). This merging allowed reconstructing the context necessary to capture the singular voices of these stakeholders, as they experienced threat, uncertainty, and urgency, filtered by the use of a foreign language and varying intercultural skills during the different phases of the crisis. Recommendations for the management of crises abroad and the future of study abroad are discussed.

Tourism-Dependent Local Music Ecosystems under COVID-19

This article aims to examine the changing atmosphere of Lisbon’s fado live music scene during the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, it focuses on the effects of the lockdown measures and other public health restrictions on the casas de fado, a distinctive type of local institution where music, tourism and the quest for experiences of authenticity intersect. Drawing on in-person and remote interviews with venue owners, local association representatives, musicians and patrons, as well as on content analysis of local media sources and participant observation, this article argues that the pandemic has revealed the fragility of a local music ecosystem overly dependent on foreign tourism and institutional support for its survival. Moreover, it discusses how the changes brought about by the pandemic has impacted fado practice itself.

“Our Country Is a Freedom-Loving Country”: The Spreading Virus as Metaphor for “People on the Move”

ABSTRACT Although Covid-19 has been framed using all manner of metaphors, an as-yet under-examined question is how the spreading virus might itself serve as a metaphor and what purpose this might serve. The article redresses this deficit by identifying shared experiences of the mobile virus as the basis for a metaphorical framework for evaluating and judging human behavior, including alleged rule-breaking, during the pandemic. The article traces the appearance of the metaphor spreading across a broad spectrum of sources that includes political speech, the reporting of crime in prosecutorial and local media sources, judicial opinion and poetry. We observe in some limited contexts a straightforward metaphoric transfer or substitution between mobile people and the mobile virus. In a greater number and variety contexts, we find instead more subtle signs of the metaphor: the censuring of bad behavior and the justifying of coercive treatment using the metonymic elements of viral spread: its characteristic unpredictability, speed, agility, irrepressibility, and relentlessness.

Male Sexual Jealousy Homicides in Fiji: Victims, Offenders, and Incident Characteristics

AbstractNumerous studies find that sexual jealousy is a motivating factor in many intimate partner femicides. Given the paucity of scholarship in non-Western societies, the current article sought to extend empirical knowledge on the subject by focusing on sexual jealousy homicides in Fiji. A total of 30 male sexual jealousy homicides and attempted homicides in that society during 2010–2020 were identified through a thorough search of official court documents and local media sources. An in-depth criminological analysis of each case focused on victim and perpetrator attributes and offense features. The article finds that each homicide became a high-profile case, judging by the amount of media coverage afforded the incident and the degree of public interest demonstrated in the case. In 24 out of the 25 homicide cases, an aggrieved husband slew a supposed adulterous wife; the assailant killed his wife’s new consort in the remaining case. The mean age differential between perpetrators and victims was 7.9 years, and the mean length of the marital relationship was more than five years. Stabbing with kitchen knives, slashing with machetes, and manual asphyxiation were the dominant modes of offense perpetration. Nearly all cases evinced the following triple features of male sexual jealousy homicides: jealous rage, premeditation, and excessive violence. Summaries of all 30 cases are proffered in the article to reveal their essential features.

The 2019 Getty Fire and healthcare visits among vulnerable older adults in Southern California

Introduction: Prior wildfire studies have relied on hospital claims data to evaluate associations between wildfire-related particulate matter (PM2.5) and acute cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes, but have not assessed dementia-related visits. Here, we focus on the 2019 Getty Fire in Southern California and evaluate both wildfire-related PM2.5 and evacuation-related exposures and acute and chronic healthcare visits among Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) members who rely on at-home electricity-dependent medical equipment (DME) or that had a prior dementia diagnosis. Methods: We estimated PM2.5 exposures in a two-stage approach: we first estimated total PM2.5 levels and we subsequently used NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System to identify ZIP codes exposed to wildfire smoke plumes. We use the smoke plume information combined with multiple imputation to estimate daily wildfire PM2.5 and non-wildfire PM2.5 levels. Areas required to evacuate or under evacuation watch were identified from local media sources and linked to patient address. We used case-crossover and difference-in-differences designs to estimate associations between wildfire exposures and acute healthcare utilization among two vulnerable KPSC populations.Results: The Getty Fire ignited on October 28, 2019, burned until November 5, 2019, resulted in daily-average PM2.5 levels >25g/m3, and caused 25,000 people to evacuate. While overall KPSC visits decreased during the Getty Fire (-9%), dementia patients living in ZIP codes 20-km from the Getty boundary had a 20% increase in overall, as well as in dementia-related visits, compared to ZIP codes located >20-km away during the same period. Among patients with a prior dementia diagnosis, we found outpatient and ED visits declined by 10% among those living in ZIP codes with mandatory evacuation compared to ZIP codes located >20-km away.Discussion: These findings highlight the need to consider longer relevant time periods and evacuation exposures, which may limit access to healthcare altogether.

Recent Changes of Floods and Related Impacts in Niger Based on the ANADIA Niger Flood Database

During the last two decades, the sub-Saharan region has experienced unusual floods that have differentially impacted the region. No official and precise data regarding flood damage and impacts on the population are available, and the magnitude of events are not easily evaluated. Most previous studies have investigated this new threat using data derived from local media sources or world disaster databases. The aim of this study was to provide the scientific community and policy makers with an updated and reliable referenced data source concerning floods in Niger between 1998 and 2015, at national, regional and sub-regional scales. Reliable information regarding floods was derived from the national official flood damage database (ANADIA DB) showing their impact on the country. During the investigated period, considerable numbers regarding flood impacts were found (about 4000 settlements and 1.7 million people were affected by floods). The analysis also indicates a sudden increase in flood impacts since 2010. Regions in the south-west (Tillabery, Dosso and Niamey district) are the most affected; however, this kind of risk involves the whole country, and some particularly vulnerable areas have been identified. A data modeling comprehensive framework based on remotely sensed rainfall (climate hazards group infrared precipitation with stations (CHIRPS)) and vegetation index (moderate resolution imagery spectroradiometer normalized difference vegetation index (MODIS NDVI)) datasets data along with census data were used to investigate which variables are most able to explain the recent and sudden Niger flood vulnerability detected at the departmental scale. Only a few statistically significant flood damage models were found (61 out of 297), due essentially to the non-linearity of the increase in damage time series compared to environmental and climatic trends. The population increase is the most significant variable at national level; however, at regional and sub-regional scales, different patterns provided evidence to identify local triggers for vulnerability.

Selling Pre-K: Media, Politics, and Policy in the Case of Universal Prekindergarten in New York City

Background/Context Educational policy is informed by multiple stakeholders and actors. Research has focused on understanding how policy decisions are informed and made, as well as how teachers and school leaders take up these policies in their practice. However, few researchers have examined how educational policy is framed for the larger public and voting electorate through media coverage and how the use of rhetorical devices can shape the public's understandings of policies, practices, and promised outcomes. Publicly funded prekindergarten is an emerging movement in many states. Purpose/Objective This research examined how local and national media framed the scale-up of publicly funded, Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) in the largest school district in the country: New York City. Across two years, including a mayoral primary, mayoral election, and high-profile state budget negotiations, we examine how six media outlets used rhetoric to create specific narratives about the goals, outcomes, and possibilities of UPK that resonated with voters. Research Design Qualitative methods were used to examine the content of six national and local media sources. Over 640 sources were analyzed to address the questions central to this study. Utilizing our theoretical framework of rhetorical policy analysis, as well as emergent coding, we cross-analyzed multiple themes, working to identify consistent and dominant narratives across the media coverage. Findings Findings reveal that four main narratives dominated the media coverage of the scale-up of pre-K in New York City. These narratives used emotional rhetoric to frame UPK in ways that detracted from meaningful, research-informed information about how to successfully support the care and learning of young children. Conclusions/Recommendations The role of media in framing educational policy and practice for the public is growing. Researchers and policy makers must be mindful of how the rhetorical approaches utilized by the media can and will inform the public's understanding of public education policy.

Online media reporting of suicides: analysis of adherence to existing guidelines.

Aims and method To assess the compliance of contemporary online media output with guidelines for the responsible reporting of suicidal acts. A search engine was used to identify online media reports of suicide from UK sources over the course of 1 month. Each article was assessed against guidelines for the responsible reporting of suicide produced by the Samaritans, a UK mental health charity.Results We identified 229 articles, of which 199 failed to comply with at least one of the Samaritans' guidelines. Failure to mention support sources, excessive detail about the method used and undue speculation about the trigger for suicide were the most commonly breached guidelines. Significant differences were found between the quality of local and national media sources, with local media sources being broadly more compliant with guidelines.Clinical implications This study highlights the urgent need for the implementation of responsible reporting guidelines in online media articles as a component of suicide prevention efforts.

Factors influencing health care and service providers' and their respective "at risk" populations' adoption of the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI): a qualitative study.

BackgroundThe Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) provides air quality and health information such that the public can implement health protective behaviours (reducing and/or rescheduling outdoor activity) and decrease exposure to outdoor air pollution. The AQHI’s health messages account for increased risk associated with “at risk” populations (i.e. young children, elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory and/or cardiovascular conditions) who rely on health care and service providers for guidance. Using Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory, our objective with respect to health care and service providers and their respective “at risk” populations was to explore: 1) level of AQHI knowledge; 2) factors influencing AQHI adoption and; 3) strategies that may increase uptake of AQHI, according to city divisions and socioeconomic status (SES).MethodsSemi-structured face-to-face interviews with health care (Registered Nurses and Certified Respiratory Educators) and service providers (Registered Early Childhood Educators) and focus groups with their respective “at risk” populations explored barriers and facilitators to AQHI adoption. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Each transcript was analyzed using an Interpretive Description approach to identify themes. Analyses were informed by Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory.ResultsFifty participants (6 health care and service providers, 16 parents, 13 elderly, 15 people with existing respiratory conditions) contributed to this study. AQHI knowledge, AQHI characteristics and perceptions of air quality and health influenced AQHI adoption. AQHI knowledge centred on numerical reliance and health protective intent but varied with SES. More emphasis on AQHI relevance with respect to health benefits was required to stress relative advantage over other indices and reduce index confusion. AQHI reporting at a neighbourhood scale was recognized as addressing geographic variability and uncertainty in perceived versus measured air quality impacting health. Participants predominantly expressed that they relied on sensory cues (i.e. feel, sight, taste) to determine when to implement health protective behaviours. Time constraints were identified as barriers; whereas local media reporting and wearable devices were identified as facilitators to AQHI adoption.ConclusionIncreasing knowledge, emphasizing relevance, and reporting AQHI information at a neighbourhood scale via local media sources and wearable devices may facilitate AQHI adoption while accounting for SES differences.

Avoiding genetically modified foods in GMO Ground Zero: A reflective self-narrative.

I engage in a reflective self-narrative of my experience attempting to maintain a diet free of genetically modified organisms. Social tension over the genetically modified organism industry in Hawai'i, United States, has led to public debates over jobs and social identities. Drawing on local media sources, grassroots organizations, and blog posts, I describe the way this tension has shaped my experience with food, eating, and being with others as a genetically modified organism avoider. I utilize discursive positioning to make sense of my experiences by locating them within the ongoing public conversations that give structure to the daily lives of Hawai'i's residents.

Information Acquisition, Perception, Preference, and Convergence by Gulf Coast Residents in the Aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina Crisis

This study identifies the arguments and information sources perceived as most credible by coastal Mississippi residents recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Twenty-five interviews were conducted with residents who remained in Mississippi during the most devastating storm in the state's history. The interviews provided a description of how residents both perceived and responded to the crisis. Results indicate residents were most influenced by information received through local media sources. Local sources provided data that contributed directly to the residents' potential for self-protection and recovery. In contrast, the national media presented data as part of a larger dramatic narrative and, by residents' standards, that data did not always reflect the local experience. The larger narrative was perceived as inaccurate and even offensive by many interviewees.

The Iraq effect: the Middle East after the Iraq War

Regardless of its outcome, the Iraq War has had a transformative effect on the Middle East. To equip U.S. policymakers to better manage the war's long-term consequences, the authors analyzed its effects on the regional balance of power, local perceptions of U.S. credibility, the domestic stability of neighboring states, and trends in terrorism after conducting extensive interviews in the region and drawing from an array of local media sources.

Using Census Data in the Classroom to Increase Quantitative Literacy and Promote Critical Sociological Thinking

One useful, but underutilized, strategy to increase quantitative literacy and promote critical sociological thinking is to have students investigate demographic trends in their local community. In this article, the authors describe a project in which students compare and contrast the demographic characteristics of two counties in their state using the 2000 Census Bureau data, formulate specific research questions using the data they have collected, and draw conclusions about the social influences on local demographic patterns using local media sources and sociological thinking. The authors present results from a quasi-experiment assessing the assignment’s effectiveness in improving quantitative literacy. They also present findings from a general evaluation survey administered to students. Despite the limitations of this study, results suggest that the described assignment increased quantitative literacy as well as encouraged critical sociological thinking.

Media warfare content analysis of the conservative and alternative media during the Bukit Selambau Malaysian by-election

This paper discuss on the role of the media in the context of warfare that was brought by the conservative mass media as well as the alternatives during the N 25 DUN Bukit Selambau, Malaysia by-election timeframe. The main idea of this study is to analyze the role of conservative and alternative media during Malaysia’s 2009 by-election. It should be noted that the types of media that were selected in this paperwork were not biased upon any parties and this was determined on the rationale that these media were the main choice of the local population. Among the local media sources that were chosen for this analysis were Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, Nanban, Tamil Nesan, whereas malaysiakini.com and tvantara.com were for the alternatives,. The discussions in this paperwork were more focused on the issues that were discussed by the media in terms of their main topic, news focus, themes, role of pictures and videos and the delivery of news. In order to deliver a more effective writing piece, the researcher had used two main communicative theories which were the theory of agenda setting as well as the framing theory in analyzing the impacts of media in this by-election. Keywords: Agenda setting, framing theory, media warfare, Bukit Selambau

Nationalism, Social Movement Theory and the Grass Roots Movement of Kosovo Serbs, 1985-1988

Ethnic grievances, memories of earlier conflicts and national identities account for the intensity of feelings and support for nationalist collective action, but fail to explain its timing and trajectories. Like other social movements, nationalist movements emerge in response to changes in political context and their development and outcomes largely depend on their protest strategies and location in broader waves of mobilization, in which they are usually embedded. The evidence from local media sources and interviews with participants suggests that the grass roots mobilization of Kosovo Serbs pre-dated the rise of Milosevic (Milosevic). Despite interaction, even co-operation with the authorities and dissident intellectuals, the movement remained an autonomous political factor and had a disproportionate impact on political developments in Yugoslavia between 1985 and 1988 - Nebojsa Vladisavljevic

The Construction of “Harmful” Environments for Juveniles Using the Rhetoric of Social Problems and Geographical Scale

The purpose of this paper is to explain how rhetorical terms helped to construct social problems concerning the regulation of telephone dating services, which were seen as a new “harmful” environment for juveniles by neighborhood residents in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, during 1993-1998. With the focus on the social constructionism that has recently become prominent in the social sciences, this paper emphasizes how this harmful environment for juveniles was constructed through the rhetoric of social problems in various arenas and simultaneously was made out to be greater than it actually was. As the number of telephone dating services increased, the corresponding number of cases of sexually deviant behavior also increased according to official police statistics during 1993-1994. In addition, the idea that girls participating in telephone dating services were helpless victims who had been irreparably harmed by men who used their services was firmly implanted in the minds of the general public through local media sources. Many forms of rhetorical discourse were employed in various public arenas, but the most influential was the “rhetoric of loss, ” which in this case was signified the loss of juveniles' sexual innocence. This representation is difficult to refute in Japanese society. The police, a concerned group of parent neighbors, and local newspapers together attempted to uphold the good image of juveniles in Toyama Prefecture. The local community at large was very receptive to this representation, and therefore it was firmly believed that the space (both geographic and virtual) surrounding telephone dating services was harmful to children's general well-being. It was particularly significant that this representation was accompanied by the simultaneous representation of sexual deviancy in the community. This may be connected to the idea that the social and moral “pollution” associated with girls who participated in telephone dating services could spread to otherwise innocent girls. This notion was largely based upon the fear that they could “infect” other girls with their deviancy, thus eliminating the innocence of an entire age group. This depended upon a dual image of juvenile girls as both innocent and criminal. One side of the dichotomy represented girls as sexual victims, and the other as nymph seductresses. Therefore the treatment of their sexual partners could account for the way in which a local community enforces moral boundaries, social order, and contradictory representations of the young. The contradictory representation of the same group of juvenile girls in the local community intensified the policing of men's behavior toward them as well as the policing of the behavior of the girls themselves. It is significant that the activities that distinguished between categories of innocence and impurity, while excluding discussion of the deviancy itself, helped to reinforce the identity of the local community as a place composed only of appropriate spaces and subjects. In this context, the representation of the loss of juvenile sexual innocence could be a powerful rhetorical tool for maintaining local collectivity.