Local Media Research Articles

Feminist participatory action research to co-develop localised health promotion in Indonesia

ABSTRACT Women’s expertise and knowledge can help prevent stunting in impoverished areas with limited resources. Through focus group discussions and photovoice methods, feminist participatory action research (FPAR) explored the perspectives of mothers and community health workers (posyandu) in the development of maternal and community health promotion. Six steps of FPAR were applied: the collection of media on stunting health promotion in public health centres; the building of trust and partnerships with posyandu cadres and mothers; the conducting of focus group discussions with posyandu cadres and mothers of young children to develop local language media through participatory visual methods; the co-designing of media content using online design tools; the dissemination of posters and leaflets to the community through mobile health promotion; and the redevelopment of media content for policy makers. We were able to co-develop effective strategies and solutions for the prevention of stunting that were based on women’s lived experiences.

Media engagement during Russia’s war against Ukraine

The contribution explores the contested relationship with media among young Russian-speaking Estonians from migrant family backgrounds since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Our analysis sheds light on how the war context, characterized by the securitization of Russian state-controlled media usage and ideological tensions within the Estonian Russian-speaking community, impacts the media-related perceptions and practices of young Russian-speaking Estonians. We also investigate media professionals’ views on building relationships with their audience. Our investigation reveals an existing gap in connectivity between Estonian local Russian-language media outlets and their young audience. This gap is rooted in the production logic of these media platforms, which has previously hindered effective engagement. The context of Russia’s war against Ukraine exacerbates this disconnect. Improving the currently poor professional practices of audience engagement, particularly production-oriented approaches, would enhance connectivity and the epistemic power of Estonian Russian-language media and motivate young Russian-speaking Estonians to use it as a vehicle for their social agency.

An evaluation of online information acquisition in US news deserts.

A growing concern is that as local newspapers disappear, communities lose trusted gatekeepers and develop information voids, creating openings for misinformation to thrive. Previous work has not evaluated whether residents of news deserts have developed different information acquisition habits. We fill this gap by directly comparing information consumption and referral patterns inside and outside of news deserts in a novel dataset of engagement with online media by millions of users on the Edge browser. We find little evidence that those in news deserts consume more low-quality sites or are more likely to be referred to low-quality sites from search engines or social media. We find some evidence that those in news deserts do consume more national news than locations with local media outlets. These results contribute to our understanding of how the loss of local newspapers has impacted online information acquisition.

“I don’t like guns but having one in Winnipeg right now would feel safer”: Crime, liquor theft, and online fantasies of punishment and control

In 2018–2019, there was a surge of local news media coverage in Winnipeg, Canada about what news media described as “brazen” liquor store theft. Online discussion and social media platforms provided segments of the public with opportunities to assert claims about the causes and consequences of this putative crime wave as well as potential solutions within and outside the penal system. These online fora allowed internet communities to imagine new methods of crime control and vocalize a range of emotions about crime and punishment. Employing a thematic analysis of reader comments across several online and social media platforms, we argue that these online discussions about liquor theft provide an empirical case study of the new digital media logic that facilitates highly volatile and short-lived moral panics or “firestorms.” We draw upon cultural criminology scholarship to highlight the centrality of emotion in online discussions on liquor theft. By making emotion central, online discussions provide a clearer glimpse into the displaced rage that is thought to set moral panics in motion. We argue that online platforms constitute an important medium to understand how people imagine and envision punishment and control, as well as how they construct/conceive of offenders and the purported problems underlying crime.

The Role of Mediation in the Settlement of Family Disputes in Kazakhstan: A Sociological Study

The study aimed to examine the importance and necessity of using mediation in resolving family disputes in Kazakhstan. From February to August 2020, a sociological study was conducted in Kazakhstan to identify the main causes of modern family problems, the functions of mediation and mediators in dispute resolution. The study involved 1,200 respondents. Data collection methods included both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study was based on a survey of respondents in major cities of Kazakhstan. The study showed that factors such as lack of love and understanding, financial difficulties, and interference from relatives contribute to the escalation of family disputes leading to breakups. It also confirmed the important role of mediators in reaching appropriate and effective solutions, emphasizing the need to strengthen mediator training, legislative support for free mediation services for vulnerable groups, guaranteed payment for mediation services, and promotion of mediation through local media and service centers.

Nepal Family Cohort study: a study protocol

IntroductionThe Nepal Family Cohort study uses a life course epidemiological approach to collect comprehensive data on children’s and their parents’ environmental, behavioural and metabolic risk factors. These factors can affect...

Leaving a Legacy: Shifting Media Use and American Democratic Attitudes

AbstractLocal political news is losing consumers over the past decade at a faster rate than other political media, while online news consumption is growing. Previous research shows that local news can slow polarization, encourage political participation, and reduce government and business corruption, but not whether changes over time can affect political attitudes. Is this consequential shift in the media environment associated with changes in Americans’ perceptions of electoral integrity and their system of government? We use a three-wave panel survey from 2012 to 2014 to assess the relationship between changes in self-reported news diets and opinions about American elections and democracy. Switching out of local newspapers is associated with a significant decrease in faith in elections but does not appear to influence support for the broader U.S. system of government. We conclude by discussing the implications of declining local and legacy media news use for Americans’ attitudes toward U.S. elections and democracy in the aftermath of the 2020 elections.

Social Media marketing and restaurants’ brand equity after COVID-19: A revitalizing model

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the establishment of long-term brand equity through social media marketing (SMM) due to the imperative of swiftly adapting to dynamic digital landscapes and heightened competition. This study investigates the impact of SMM on customer-based brand equity (CBBE) for restaurants in the post-COVID-19 era, by reevaluating the SMM model and postulating the effect of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) as a mediating variable rather than an independent one. The study adopts a deductive approach and a descriptive methodologvisualisey where a quantitative survey-based strategy utilizing a five-point Likert scale questionnaire was employed. The validated questionnaire was distributed online to active social media users following local restaurant social media accounts; a convenience sample was utilized. After filtering and screening, 618 responses were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS)-SEM to test the proposed hypotheses. Our findings emphasize that interaction is the most influential factor in shaping restaurants’ CBBE, followed by trendiness and customization. In contrast, entertainment does not significantly affect CBBE. Additionally, e-WOM mediates the relationship between SMM and CBBE. Repositioning e-WOM in the model enhances our comprehension of its impact compared to its previous position, as it cannot be completely controlled by restaurants. In-depth discussions and managerial and theoretical implications are provided.

Publics in local media reporting on harm reduction: Rightfully worried local witnesses or uneducated obstacles to change

BackgroundIn 2018, the planned opening of a second Needle and Syringe Exchange Program (NSP) unit in Stockholm, Sweden, was stopped with reference to protests from the public. Local Stockholm media cited stakeholders who claimed that the initiative was led by politicians with “zero knowledge about what makes citizens upset” and referred to reported public concern over a preschool located near the planned NSP unit. This case highlights the significant role of the public – and the idea of public opinion – in relation to political and medial aspects of alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. Our aim is to scrutinize how “the public” is produced in local print media reports on harm reduction measures such as the NSP, to illuminate how these representations operate and what reality/ies they co-produce. MethodsWe analyzed 171 articles reporting on harm reduction in local Stockholm print media from 2012 to 2023. The themes identified in the analysis emerged from a combination of data-driven empirical observations and a theory-driven approach grounded in the influential literature on publics and counterpublics by Michael Warner and Nancy Fraser. ResultsThe overarching articulation in the material is that of a singular and homogeneous public. Public opinion regarding local experiences of individual drug use and harm reduction is depicted as being driven by fear and worry over living alongside “messy others”, thereby producing a public of worried local community witnesses. This production of the public takes on two different meanings depending on the narrative of the articles: 1) as righteous and entitled, 2) as ignorant and irrational. As a result, the public comes to operate as either a consulted public deserving consideration in the implementation of harm reduction policies or as an uneducated political obstacle to change. Consequently, the public is assigned both a counterpublic and a dominant public identity. ConclusionsWhen the representation of the worried public is repeatedly echoed by the media, it becomes hard to ignore in policy-making processes. The implications of such media representations are significant, as they risk disguising the complex nature of publics as a diverse group of individuals while reproducing taken-for-granted ideas about local communities opposing harm reduction measures. In addition, the appropriation of a counterpublic identity narrows the discursive space for action. Taken together, the repetition of a singular worried public and the appropriation of the counterpublic position make it nearly impossible to imagine alternative public responses to harm reduction. As a consequence, this can limit well-needed policy responses to AOD issues.

To What Extent Were There Attempts to Securitise the Malaysian Chicken Export Ban In Singapore? A Comparative Analysis of Frames Between Government and News Media

This article focuses on exploring the securitisation of the Malaysian chicken export ban that took effect on 1 June 2022. The effects of the chicken export ban seemingly went beyond the economics of food, and expanded into the realm of national identity, as the de facto national dish of Singapore got compromised. As food and national identity is intricately linked to societal security and a key part of securitisation theory, this research paper seeks to explore the extent to which the chicken export ban was securitised. Through the use of a frame analysis, three different categories of news media were analysed: governmental media, local news media and foreign news media. The analysis showed that the foreign news media had attempted securitisation, but the local news media and governmental media refrained from securitisation, and rather engaged in a prognostic framing to reframe the chicken export ban into a proactive management of the situation which desecuritised the ban.

The Basque Impact Weather Catalogue

Abstract. This paper introduces the Basque Country impact weather catalogue, a versatile tool designed, developed, and maintained by the Basque Meteorology Agency (Euskalmet), with the primary objective of systematically recording detailed information regarding adverse weather events that generate some degree of impact in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC). The catalogue serves as a repository where information is gathered for the comprehensive characterisation and evaluation of extreme weather events, focusing on both environmental conditions and their associated impacts. For this purpose, three key aspects are included: context, hazard and risk and impact. In the context section, we include information about the date, duration, spatial extent, measurement statistics data, synoptic/mesoscale aspects, and other metadata. The hazard and risk section includes information about hazard and risk typology according to Euskalmet severe weather criteria and warnings procedure. Regarding the impact, a range of metrics and indicators are defined to characterise critical aspects, encompassing the severity of impact including economic damages, human fatalities, and disruptions to normal life. The creation of the Catalogue involves utilising various data sources and repositories, not only from Euskalmet but also, particularly in terms of impact, from emergency interventions, newspapers, local media websites, social media, and data from the Spanish Insurance Consortium. While the volume of available material from each event description may vary from case to case, a standardised information structure and minimum content are imperative for all registered events. This ensures that qualitative analyses based on extensive reports, and quantitative analyses based on recorded or estimated metrics and indicators, are possible for events included. This paper outlines into the design and structuring of the catalogue, and the fundamental steps undertaken during its implementation.

Construction of Disaster-aware Communities through Local Wisdom and Social Media

The social construction process runs simultaneously. The utilization of local wisdom and social media is the result of the community construction process. Disaster-aware communities can utilize local wisdom and social media to overcome flood disasters. This research aims to analyze the construction of a disaster-aware community in Wonoasri Village, including the use of local wisdom and social media to overcome disasters. This research uses the construction theory of Berger and Luckmann. The research method used was a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. Purpose sampling techniques were used to collect research informants. Data collection through observation, interviews, FGD, and documentation. The validity of the data using triangulation and data analysis using interactive models. The research results show that the social construction process runs simultaneously. The social construction process of the community starts from community experience, which shapes community knowledge about floods, the formation of Destana, and the transfer of knowledge, to the utilization of local wisdom and social media to overcome floods in Wonoasri Village.

From Tourism to Propaganda Tactics: Unveiling the PRC’s Influence on Palau’s Electoral Landscape

This article argues that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is leveraging a combination of economic influence, political coercion, and disinformation tactics to sway the outcome of Palau’s 2024 presidential election. With the currently favored candidate reportedly being tied to Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked individuals and publicly promoting PRC narratives, it is critical to highlight the PRC’s influence tactics—such as propaganda, censorship, international partnerships, and financial pressures—that are being employed to achieve its goals. The article first offers a brief overview of the PRC’s actions and aims in the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting Palau’s significance to the PRC and the United States. Next, the author summarizes the PRC’s multiple forms of economic influence in the region, such as monopolizing tourism, buying land, engaging in bribery, encouraging illegal activities, and exploiting U.S. missteps. Then, after introducing Palau’s presidential candidates, the article delves into PRC information operations and tactics. It also examines key findings of PRC interference in other recent regional elections, such as in Taiwan and the Philippines, and analyzes what tactics were used, if they were effective, and how these tactics could be adapted to be successfully implemented in Palau. The article concludes with predictive analysis of the PRC’s potential actions in Palau, such as information operations, including amplifying local conflicts, using local media as proxies, and creating artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, as well as listing potential countermeasures that could be implemented in Palau to combat PRC information advances, such as education programs for students and journalists, misinformation debunking campaigns, and implementing legislation to counter misinformation campaigns.

YouTube channel as a component of convergent media: role, influence and perspectives

The article aims to analyze the role of local media in shaping the public agenda during large-scale military actions in Ukraine and how to increase audience loyalty and engagement through convergent practices. In particular, the content, growth dynamics, target audience characteristics, and specific features of the YouTube channel Dnipro TV as a convergent media are considered. The city television channel has successfully transformed from a traditional broadcaster into a convergent media through its YouTube channel and other social networks. This has allowed it to expand its audience, maintain influence, and adapt to changes in the media landscape. It is noted that during two years of full-scale aggression, the number of subscribers to the Dnipro TV YouTube channel has nearly tripled. The channel hosts all the content produced by the creative team of Dnipro TV. The videos can be accessed directly from the YouTube page or via the respective section on the website. The chosen research period is characterized by, on the one hand, increased demand for local content from the city's TV channel audience due to the hostilities and security threats to the population. On the other hand, there is the involvement of the global community in events in Ukraine and the interest of displaced persons, with local content on the YouTube channel being accessible from any country. Thus, only 64.7 % of users watch videos on the YouTube channel from within Ukraine, while over 35 % view local content from other countries. The analysis also highlights changes in the audience's gender composition: before the war, women constituted the majority, while in 2023 and 2024, the male audience made up 54 %, compared to 45.9 % female. The convergent local media Dnipro TV attracts its audience with news broadcasts, a series of original programs, and talk shows, all of which can be found on YouTube and watched at a convenient time. We believe that the development of this channel as a convergent media with multiplatform content representation holds great promise.

Empowerment and interprofessional collaboration in health promotion centre Murska Sobota

Abstract Background Health promotion centres (HPCs) were introduced in Slovenian primary health care centres to provide interventions against risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). HPCs integrate a multidisciplinary and community-based primary care approach to the prevention of NCDs and provide free lifestyle intervention programmes. This study aims to explore the perspectives of health care professionals on promoting health of local community members, as well as their perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in HPCs. Methods Two group discussions were conducted with a total of 11 health care professionals at the HPC Murska Sobota. Data collection was accompanied by a dual role interpreter in accordance with the principles of cross-language qualitative research. The data was transcribed, semantically translated and thematically analysed. Results Health care professionals emphasize the importance of health-related empowerment of individuals for the success of health promotion activities and therefore for the improvement of individuals’ quality of life. This is based on shared decision-making, self-management and educational measures in a combination of population- and individual-based approaches. The need for efficient interprofessional communication, characterized by a flat hierarchy, is stressed. Structured cooperation with other health care facilities, as well as close collaboration with communities and local media, are described as crucial for reaching all individuals and promoting health equity. Conclusions Interprofessional collaboration, health-related empowerment of individuals and collaboration with local communities are fundamental for the success of health promotion activities, achieving health equity and preventing NCDs. Understanding how these activities are implemented from the health care professionals’ perspective can help other health facilities developing and improving local health promotion strategies. Key messages • Slovenian health care professionals see interprofessional collaboration as fundamental for the implementation of health-promotion strategies. • Health-related empowerment of individuals and collaboration with local communities play an important role in achieving health equity in health promotion activities.

The Great Powers Competition and Increasing Entropy in the Local Media Across Africa and Asia

Abstract The current United States National Defense Strategy prioritizes strategic competition with Russia and China, whereas for the previous two decades, the priority was counter-terrorism. This research aims to measure the extent to which competition among great powers is intensifying and identify where such intensification is taking place. To achieve this, we utilize a large, open-source dataset called GDELT 2.0, which provides an archive of global news articles. We calculate the entropy for local press coverage of great powers (e.g., the United States, China, Russia, France, and India) across 96 African and Asian nations to measure static competition levels. Additionally, we identify African and Asian nations where competition levels have changed significantly between 2015 and 2020. Our findings show that seven countries are experiencing increased competition among great powers, whereas seven other countries experience increased domination by one great power. When we aggregate the data geographically, we find that Southeast Asia is the only subregion where there is a significant decrease in competition. Our results align with the primary concern of the National Defense Strategy: that American influence is decreasing. Specifically, we have identified increased competition across Africa and increased domination across Asia. These trends are due to a relatively higher reporting of Chinese in-country public and private entities between 2015 and 2020.

Evaluating the Availability and Accessibility of Agricultural Extension Services Under the Single Spine System in Uganda. A Case of Smallholder Crop Farmers in Buhweju District

Purpose: This study evaluated the availability and accessibility of agricultural extension services under the Single Spine System, with a specific focus on smallholder crop farmers in Buhweju District. Methodology: The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, employing both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 393 smallholder crop farmers and key informant interviews with district agricultural officers and extension workers provided in-depth insights into the delivery of services. Findings: The results indicate that education was positively and significantly (P<0.01) associated with knowledge about the availability of extension services. Farmers with more years of schooling had a greater likelihood of being aware of extension providers. Similarly, larger households with more labor resources (median size = 4) had better access to extension services. Moreover, household land size (median = 3 acres) and income (median = UGX 250,000) were significantly correlated with both availability and access to extension services, with wealthier farmers seeking more information to improve agricultural productivity. The study also revealed that proximity to extension service centers was a critical factor; households closer to sub-county offices (median distance = 1.5 km) had higher knowledge of available services. Access to credit and group membership were also major determinants of both awareness and access to extension services. Challenges were also identified, including limited outreach by extension officers, inadequate allowances, and insufficient logistical support for field officers. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study recommends increased sensitization efforts using local leaders, social media, and community networks, alongside greater support for sub-county agricultural officers to ensure effective service delivery.

Just weather and cheese? Analysis of the content of Swiss local media online with different business models

Just weather and cheese? Analysis of the content of Swiss local media online with different business models

Local Newspaper Decline and Political Polarization – Evidence from a Multi-Party Setting

Abstract How does the decline of traditional news outlets affect political polarization? We provide novel evidence on this question by examining the link between local newspaper exits, media consumption, and electoral behaviour in a multiparty setting. Our empirical analysis combines a unique panel of all German local newspapers between 1980 and 2009, electoral returns, and an annual media consumption survey of more than 670,000 respondents. Using a difference-in-differences design, we demonstrate that local newspaper exits increase electoral polarization. Additional analysis points to changes in media consumption as the underlying mechanism driving this result: following local news exits, consumers substitute local news with national tabloid news. Our findings extend prior results in the US context to a multiparty setting and shed new light on the causal chain running from changing local news landscapes to electoral behaviour.

A lokális média kérdőjelei. A székelyföldi nyomtatott sajtóorgánumok néhány jellemzője

In this study, I analyze the connection between local media organizations and the rural areas these local media organizations are operating, assuming that these rural media organizations contribute to the formation of representations about the region in which the respective media organizations operate. Therefore, in the case of Szeklerland, the local Romanian and Hungarian-language media organizations contribute to the development and distribution of different images of Szeklerland. In this article, I present some features of the Romanian and Hungarian media ecosystem in Romania, an ecosystem a part of which are the local, rural media organizations, therefore the media outlets operating in Szeklerland as well. I present some of the characteristics of the media ecosystem – ownership system, demographic characteristics of journalists, professional self-image of journalists, the perception of journalism among journalists and readers, general characteristics of media discourse – based on the Romanian and Hungarian literature published in the last more than three decades in Romania.