Media Narratives Research Articles

Feathers, folklore, and eco-literacy: Stories ascribe cultural keystone status to avian scavengers in South Asian cities

Abstract We examined the cultural significance of commensal avian scavenger species—vultures, kites, and crows—and their exploitation of anthropogenic resources and sentiments within Delhi’s urban landscapes. For this, we investigated the intrinsic values attributed to these birds by people, which are indicative of complex, rapidly urbanizing social-ecological systems. Semi-structured interviews revealed folk perceptions intertwined with socio-cultural narratives and traditions, shaped by observations of avian morphology, ecology, and behavior. Birds’ nesting habits, habitats, home ranges, and foraging behaviors affected people’s perceptions, while ecosystem services inspired zoomorphism and anthropomorphism via vernacular-nomenclature (e.g., chidiya collectively for songbirds, giddha for scavenging raptors). Culturally rooted perceptions, which informed ritual feeding practices and shaped prevalent attitudes towards commensal species, fostered mutual tolerance, and brought people into closer contact with urban biodiversity. Such physical and cultural proximity is a defining characteristic distinguishing tropical urban ecosystems from their Western counterparts. We also uncovered the web of social-technological influences on animal-related folk stories. The urbanization of perceptions in vulture extinction zones revealed shifts in social-ecological relationships with wildlife. It adds cultural dimensions to the currently appreciated keystone status of vultures, vital for their erstwhile coexistence at extremely high densities in South Asia. Urban transformations, technological advancements, and media exposure potentially reshaped human–animal interface, with media misinformation affecting personalized ecologies. Conflicts and health concerns arose from media narratives on garbage-consuming animals. Our findings offer insights to prevent severing of people and nature connections due to urbanization (e.g., technological applications can integrate scientific knowledge with biocultural narratives and folklore), promoting a new-age eco-literacy.

"News has various shades": Quantifying and Analyzing Media Bias at Aspect-level Granularity

This research presents a novel approach to dissecting media narratives, with a specific focus on aspect-level granularity and variance in addressing multifaceted news topics. Unlike previous studies, which often concentrate solely on ideological or political biases, our methodology delves deeper, exploring how diverse media outlets navigate the complexities of various news aspects. Through a detailed case study on Indian government policies, we uncover distinctive biases and variations in reporting between Indian and international media. Crucially, our methodology leverages Natural Language Inference (NLI) to identify news aspects and ascertain aspect-level sentiment from news text, enabling scalable and precise quantification of bias across diverse media narratives. Our findings illuminate the multifaceted layers of media coverage, revealing nuanced stances on different aspects of the same topic and the dynamic nature of biases over time. Importantly, our comprehensive framework quantifies media bias through data-driven quantitative evaluation, capturing both selection bias based on news aspect coverage and statement bias based on sentiment polarity. It is relevant to note that in our context, bias is not inherently favourable or unfavourable but rather serves as a quantitative metric to measure divergence in news presentation from the overall average. Thus, our contributions not only enhance understanding of media bias but also introduce a methodology distinguished for its comprehensive and scalable approach to analyzing media narratives, with substantial implications for future research and discussions in this domain.

Media Narratives on China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Nepal: Impact on Nepal-China Relations

China and Nepal have signed a number of bilateral agreements aimed at expanding mutual cooperation in infrastructure, trade, investment, and cultural exchange. With Nepal currently involved in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, China's BRI has provided a foundation for future economic collaboration in the region. This paper utilizes framing theory and qualitative content analysis to explore the media narratives on China's BRI projects in Nepal by three prominent Nepalese newspapers: My Republica, The Himalayan Times, and The Kathmandu Post. Analyzing news articles, the study examines how these newspapers frame BRI projects in Nepal across economic, geopolitical, and sociocultural dimensions. The analysis contributes to a comprehensive understanding of Nepal's participation in the BRI framework by highlighting the complexities and considerations across economic, geopolitical, and sociocultural domains using framing theory and qualitative content analysis methodology. The study reflects various media narratives on Chinese BRI projects in Nepal and its impacts on public opinions in understanding about BRI.

Digital Media to Support Healing from Trauma: A Conceptual Framework Based on Mindfulness.

Digital media which involve narrative storytelling are increasingly used in nursing and health research, including clinical applications such as cinematherapy. A pilot study was conducted on how digital media self-accessed by marginalized individuals may be beneficial toward mindfulness and healing from trauma. Qualitative interviews were conducted with individuals (n = 8) who self-reported marginalizations via: race; gender; rural geography; socioeconomic status; indigenous or colonial experience; survivor of abuse; experiences of homelessness; or disability. Results indicated that trauma-narratives often organically emerge through discussions on digital media, with notable intersections with mindfulness-based practices and interventions. First, digital media can create a mindfulness of trauma as valid to discuss and disseminate. Mindfulness of authentic resolution also emerged as critical, as trauma may be employed in media narratives for attention or sympathy with no intent to support healing. Participant responses illustrate value in being mindful of individuals with severe trauma, who may be less likely to benefit from digital media. Digital media can foster sense-of-belonging and community-building amidst isolation; additionally, parasocial relationships may help foster supportive identities and ideologies on vulnerability. Findings are outlined in a preliminary conceptual framework, toward supporting future digital media with intent to create mindfulness or heal trauma.

Have we Reached a “Tipping Point” in Climate Change Reporting? How Mainstream Newspapers Cover Heatwaves

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the evolution of media coverage on heatwaves from 2010 to 2022 focusing on six countries (UK, USA, India, Australia, Canada, and China) through analysis of 27,964 newspaper reports. By employing content analysis and named entity recognition, we examine the volume of heatwave-related reports, their connection to climate change, and the incorporation of environmental science within media narratives. We explain our findings with reference to the concept of a dynamic or mobile public sphere. We identify three types of diffusion in the reporting of climate change in public spheres, which we term temporal diffusion, geographical diffusion, and political diffusion. These concepts illustrate the spread of ideas across time, space, and ideology. These shifts are characterised by an escalating media focus on heatwaves over time and the increasing association between heatwaves and anthropogenic climate change, a diffusion from countries in the Global North to the Global South, and a broadening attention from predominantly left-wing media across a wider ideological spectrum. This study contributes to our understanding of how journalistic practice, accumulated media attention, and environmental science can lead to significant shifts in transnationally linked public spheres, encouraging broader societal recognition of and engagement with climate change issues.

Public Communication Strategy in the Protest of Garbage Collector Workers

Background: Public perception is vital for government trust and communication. Specific Background: Protests by waste collectors in Sidoarjo impacted the government's image due to controversial waste management fees. Knowledge Gap: Few studies explore the role of government communication in shaping public perception during local policy protests. Aims: This study analyzes the Sidoarjo Communication Office's efforts to maintain a positive image post-protests. Results: The office's inadequate response, especially its failure to engage protestors, worsened negative media coverage. Novelty: The study underscores the importance of transparent crisis communication. Implications: Local governments must strengthen communication strategies to manage public sentiment and maintain credibility during crises. Highlights : Transparent communication prevents negative public sentiment. Lack of engagement worsens media narratives. Robust strategies are needed to maintain government credibility. Keywords: public perception, crisis communication, waste management, local government, Sidoarjo protests

Media Narrative of School Shooting in Russia

School shootings, defined as acts of mass armed violence perpetrated within educational institutions, elicit significant media attention. This extensive coverage, however, raises concerns regarding its potential contribution to the “copycat effect”, where subsequent crimes are inspired by media portrayals of previous incidents. Furthermore, media narratives can significantly influence public perceptions of both the victims and the perpetrators involved. This study aims to analyze the narrative of school shooting within four key categories: victim portrayal, perpetrator description, perceived motives, and the act itself. The results reveals a dominant narrative structure that closely follows the chronological sequence of the perpetrator’s actions. This mirroring effect, likely driven by the inherent demands of streaming media formats, results in a construction of victim narratives “through the lens” of the perpetrator. Consequently, information regarding the perpetrators and their actions tends to dominate the media landscape, potentially overshadowing the experiences and perspectives of the victims. These findings carry significant implications for the development of ethical guidelines within journalism and professional standards for reporting on mass gun violence in schools. Moreover, the identified patterns in media narratives could serve as valuable input for developing mathematical models that explore the potential link between media representations of school shootings and the occurrence of copycat crimes.

Balenciaga's Statement on the Ads Campaign Controversy: Critical Discourse Analysis

This study aims to explore and analyze Balenciaga brand statements that are sought to assist in responding after controversy suspected regarding Balenciaga for their choice for adoption of pornography and child exploitation principles. This study applies the qualitative descriptive approach using the theory of critical discourse analysis by Teun A. van Dijk (1993) comprising the dimension of text, social cognition and social context accompanied by Balenciaga’s defensive strategies that emerged from Hood (2011) blame theory. Data were gathered from the social media narrative of Balenciaga official Instagram account. From the results, there were four strategies that Balenciaga employed in using blame-avoiding strategy of image repair which are accepting, downplaying, shifting, and denying.

Media Coverage of Smog in Punjab: A Comparative Study of Urdu and English Dailies

This research explores the media coverage of smog in Punjab, with a specific focus on Faisalabad city, employing a qualitative research methodology guided by the social learning theory. Smog, a pervasive environmental concern, poses significant challenges to public health and the ecosystem. Understanding how media, in both Urdu and English languages, frames and disseminates information about smog is essential in addressing this pressing environmental issue. The study's central objective is to investigate how language and cultural context influence media portrayals of smog in Urdu and English dailies within the Faisalabad region. This research endeavors to uncover the factors contributing to media narratives surrounding smog. Employing qualitative research techniques, the study seeks to discern the underlying dynamics that influence the framing of smog-related issues in the media, ultimately contributing to more informed environmental discourse and policy initiatives in Punjab.

The geopolitics of vaccine media representation in Orbán’s Hungary—an AI-supported sentiment analysis

Extant studies on the European media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic generally posit a linear relationship between the severity of the public health emergency and the volume of media reports. However, domestic politics and geopolitics may also impact the saliency, distribution, and sentiment of coverage in different outlets. Under Viktor Orbán’s illiberal leadership, Hungary sought deals for ventilators and vaccines from China and Russia—a deviation from joint European procurements. In this article, we conduct a content analysis of pro-government and Orbán-critical media to examine differences in their treatment of Eastern and Western vaccines. We relied on state-of-the-art deep learning analysis (a branch of articifial intelligence) to investigate all COVID-19-related articles (N = 72,339) published on three major Hungarian news portals between March 2020 and March 2022. We used a new fine-tuned BERT model for emotion analysis, the categories of which have been aggregated into three sentiment labels (positive, negative, and neutral). Our sentiment analysis results show a positive correlation between the number of sentences mentioning at least one of the vaccines and the (first) shots administered for only one outlet out of three. The pro-government portal in the sample showed more positivity towards Western vaccines than a hard-right, anti-government one. This latter also produced more positive reports concerning the Russian vaccine. These results shed light on the complex geopolitics of vaccine narratives in Hungarian media. Our research contributes not only to our understanding of illiberal media systems but also by sharing a new public dataset and a fine-tuned large language model that is applicable to alternative research questions and designs.

NO MEIO DA GUERRA E DO RACISMO: O PAPEL DA MÍDIA NA CONSTRUÇÃO DE NARRATIVAS DA RÚSSIA X UCRÂNIA E SUAS IMPLICAÇÕES SOCIAIS

The article analyzes how the international media demonstrates structural and institutional racism in its coverage of global conflicts, focusing especially on the unequal attention given to wars in developed countries compared to crises in peripheral regions. Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, the research examined news and advertisements from recent wars, revealing that the media tends to prioritize tragedies involving white Europeans, while marginalizing conflicts in impoverished countries. The results show that this unequal coverage perpetuates a selective commotion, highlighting racial and social prejudice in the media narrative. The conclusion is that in order to promote fairer coverage, it is essential for the media to value all lives equally and re-evaluate its practices, combating the institutional and structural racism present in its operations.

Content Discrepancies on Social Media Pages: Addressing the Awareness of Doom-scrolling in the Context of News and the Increasing Need for Media Literacy to Emerge in Private and Public Spheres

Adolescence is a stage of life that affects not only shapes our perception of the world, but also our mental and physiological well-being, which makes it incredibly important that the kind of social media we are exposed to is regulated, unbiased, and ultimately- free from inconsistencies and discrepancies. This study reviews recent findings by the methods of Survey Research and Statistical Analysis, on how conflicting media narratives contribute to increased anxiety, confusion, and skewed perceptions among adolescents. It also addresses the role of media literacy in alleviating these issues, noting that many young individuals struggle with evaluating information credibility and identifying biases. The hypothesis- that discrepancies in media coverage have psychological effects on adolescents, is ultimately proven in the study. However, awareness of these psychological effects is not enough. It reports that while adolescents are aware of frequent disturbances in their mental and physiological reactions, and while the majority of respondents agree on the need for media literacy, there still exists a tendency to ignore and sideline this need. They continue to recognise yet disregard media discrepancies.

Family Concept Representation in English and Chinese Media: A Cognitive Matrix Modelling Approach

This article examines the representation of the FAMILY concept in English and Chinese newspapers. The research material was gathered from ten information sources and included 200 news articles, selected through continuous sampling using the keyword FAMILY / 家庭. The articles were analyzed to identify relevant issues and categorized based on their thematic content. In each article, key content elements—words and phrases that carry significant semantic meaning—were identified and used for cognitive matrix modeling. The findings reveal cognitive asymmetry in how the FAMILY concept is portrayed in English and Chinese media. In English-language media, the concept is centered on fundamental semantic components that form the cognitive core of the FAMILY concept, such as family members and their relationships. The representation also extends to areas like family activities, children, finances, employment, family pets, and legal issues. In contrast, Chinese media emphasizes the government’s role in educating the younger generation on family behavior, fostering a new generation of families that adhere to the country’s ethical norms, traditional cultural values, and moral standards. The central aspect of the FAMILY concept in Chinese media is the significant governmental support and societal focus on family needs and moral education, with family being viewed within the broader context of societal relations. The observed asymmetry is attributed to cultural, economic, social, and political differences. In capital-oriented social systems, the family is seen as an independent unit capable of self-sufficiency without substantial government intervention. This study is particularly relevant for understanding the role of professional discourse in shaping public perceptions of family across different cultures, highlighting how media narratives reflect and influence broader societal values and professional communication practices.

Family Concept Representation in English and Chinese Media: A Cognitive Matrix Modelling Approach

This article examines the representation of the FAMILY concept in English and Chinese newspapers. The research material was gathered from ten information sources and included 200 news articles, selected through continuous sampling using the keyword FAMILY / 家庭. The articles were analyzed to identify relevant issues and categorized based on their thematic content. In each article, key content elements—words and phrases that carry significant semantic meaning—were identified and used for cognitive matrix modeling. The findings reveal cognitive asymmetry in how the FAMILY concept is portrayed in English and Chinese media. In English-language media, the concept is centered on fundamental semantic components that form the cognitive core of the FAMILY concept, such as family members and their relationships. The representation also extends to areas like family activities, children, finances, employment, family pets, and legal issues. In contrast, Chinese media emphasizes the government’s role in educating the younger generation on family behavior, fostering a new generation of families that adhere to the country’s ethical norms, traditional cultural values, and moral standards. The central aspect of the FAMILY concept in Chinese media is the significant governmental support and societal focus on family needs and moral education, with family being viewed within the broader context of societal relations. The observed asymmetry is attributed to cultural, economic, social, and political differences. In capital-oriented social systems, the family is seen as an independent unit capable of self-sufficiency without substantial government intervention. This study is particularly relevant for understanding the role of professional discourse in shaping public perceptions of family across different cultures, highlighting how media narratives reflect and influence broader societal values and professional communication practices.

The Role of Networked Narratives in Amplifying or Mitigating Intergroup Prejudice: A YouTube Case Study

This purpose of this research is to understand the role of networked narratives in social media in modulating viewer prejudice toward ethnic neighborhoods. We designed experimental videos on YouTube based on intergroup contact theory and narrative frameworks aimed at (1) gaining knowledge, (2) reducing anxiety, and (3) fostering empathy. Despite consistent storytelling across the videos, we observed significant variations in viewer emotions, especially in replies to comments. We hypothesized that these discrepancies could be explained by the influence of the surrounding digital network on the narrative’s reception. Two-stage research was conducted to understand this phenomenon. First, automated emotion analysis on user comments was conducted to identify the varying emotions. Then, we explored contextual factors surrounding each video on YouTube, focusing on algorithmic curation inferred from traffic sources, region, and search keywords. Findings revealed that negative algorithmic curation and user interactivity result in overall negative viewer emotion, largely driven by video placement and recommendations. However, videos with higher traffic originating from viewers who had watched the storyteller’s other videos result in more positive sentiments and longer visits. This suggests that consistent exposure within the channel can foster more positive acceptance of cultural outgroups by building trust and reducing anxiety. There is the need, then, for storytellers to curate discussions to mitigate prejudice in digital contexts.

ADHD as entrepreneurial neurodivergence: re-evaluating ‘ADHD superpowers’, revealing its connections with capitalism

In this article, I critique media narratives about ‘ADHD superpowers’ that have become particularly prominent in recent times as awareness-raising activities have gained traction in social as well as new media platforms surrounding ADHD, in particular, and neurodivergence, in general. Narratives centring ‘ADHD superpowers’ widely circulating on the internet overlook ADHDers’ need for quotidian and consistent supports—as they place disproportionate emphasis on ‘strengths’ that are uniquely attributed to ADHD—while turning ADHD into a veritable brand that represents, what I call, ‘entrepreneurial neurodivergence’. These narratives do not take into account the fact that ADHDers are not a homogenous group and cannot exercise supposed ‘superpowers’ evenly or at all. Therefore, claims about ‘ADHD superpowers’ could further lead to the exploitation and marginalization of historically oppressed ADHDers—especially those who cannot conform to superhuman expectations placed on them by hyperbolic and irresponsible ‘superpower’ narratives that encourage maldistribution, inequity, and injustice.

Navigating the Currents: Land Use Challenges Amidst Water and Food Security Debates and Social Media Misperceptions

This research aims to understand the complexities of energy deployment requiring nexus governance solutions. Nexus governance involves coordinating decision-making across policy areas and sectors, seeking compromise among stakeholders with varying positions. The challenge lies in coordinating diverse sectors and stakeholders amidst potentially conflicting priorities and interests. Moreover, social media significantly influence stakeholders’ perceptions and actions, serving as a platform for idea exchange and mobilization but also contributing to echo chambers and polarization. This study examines the impact of social media on perceptions of the oil shale project in Al Attarat, Jordan, focusing on the intersections of social, economic, and environmental concerns. The findings highlight that social media significantly influences public discourse, often skewing perceptions with misperceptions about land use, water, and food security. Analyzing key social media narratives reveals that food security is a primary concern, with energy and water security also gaining attention, though less prominently. Furthermore, misinformation has exacerbated tensions among stakeholders, leading to polarized views and resistance to proposed governance solutions. This research underscores the need for effective strategies to counter misinformation and promote informed dialogue.

Tweeting “in the language they understand”: a peace journalism conception of political contexts and media narratives on Nigeria's Twitter ban

Tweeting “in the language they understand”: a peace journalism conception of political contexts and media narratives on Nigeria's Twitter ban

Sports Narratives and Historical Nationalism: Re-Visiting the Context and Use of Field Hockey in Chak De! India

Indian cinema is known for its dramatic narratives that celebrate emotionally elevated visual spectacles through which people from different sociocultural backgrounds come across popular domains of cultural practices, social norms and historical realities that unify them. Field hockey belongs to the popular realm of sports in India which is part of the country’s national identity. India’s participation and success in field hockey at the Olympic Games make it one of the country’s most successful international sports. Indian film narratives about field hockey help to create public discourse about how the sport has historically played a role in shaping national pride and identity in India. Hockey evokes nationalism by symbolizing historical achievements, unity, and cultural identity, inspiring pride and patriotism through the portrayal of heroes, national symbols, and emotional narratives in media and public discourse. The film Chak De! India portrays Indian hockey as a patriotic unifying national narrative and as an empowering discourse that can upend traditional gender stereotypes. It delineates that hockey not only acts as a sports game for entertainment but is an indicator of nationalistic significance and cultural identity that elevates the emotional realm of Indians through the notion of patriotism.

Social Media Narratives across Platforms in Conflict: Evidence from Syria

Social Media Narratives across Platforms in Conflict: Evidence from Syria