Neutral Stance Research Articles

ULUSAL HABER WEB SİTELERİNDE KİŞİLİK BOZUKLUKLARININ DAMGALAMA AÇISINDAN İNCELENMESİ

Societies consider the media as an important source of information on psychological disorders. Evaluated from this perspective, the content of news in the media may contribute to an increase in stigmatization. This study aims to examine the news related to personality disorders on the most traffic-receiving news websites in Turkey in terms of stigmatization. The content analysis method was employed in this research. Relevant news between January 1, 2019, and January 1, 2023, were included and evaluated. The news was segregated by researchers into four main themes: informative, crime-related, culture/art/events, and entertainment) based on similarities in content. In terms of stigmatization, the news content was assessed under headings such as murder, violence, threat/harassment, and others (deception, fraud, self-harm). The news content scanned in four media outlets between 2019 and 2023 was classified as negative or neutral. 54.26% of the news was negative, while 45.74% was neutral. According to the data, 54.26% of the news was negative, while 45.74% was neutral. The utilization of murder was observed in 20.00% of news articles with negative content, while violence was present in 25.71% of such articles. Among the negatively toned news, 20.00% was associated with murder, 25.71% with violence, 18.57% with threat/harassment, and 35.72% with other forms of stigmatization (deception, fraud, self-harm). In 60.00% of the news, the person’s photograph was included, while 54.29% included the person's name. These statistics suggest that these topics were employed to stigmatize certain individuals or groups. Photographic representations of individuals were employed in 60.00% of the news articles, while the mention of individuals’ names was seen in 54.29% of the news articles. Considering the scope of the issue and the stigmatizing content in the media, these results support the need for strong national and international alliances against stigma to coordinate the linguistic content in the news.

EUPHEMISTIC REPLACEMENT AS COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY IN THE NEWS MEDIA

In the modern era of mass media, news reports spread at an unprecedented speed, enabling people worldwide to get informed about current events. Despite the positive results of keeping media audience updated, in some complicated political situations, the ease at which news stories are formulated and made public may aggravate tension, harming the processes of political regulation or negotiation. In view of this, the use of unbiased and inoffensive language of news reporting is of paramount importance. Hence, the aim of the present research is to study the communicative strategy of mitigating meaning via euphemistic replacement in the news media. It is assumed that by replacing the informative units that nominate or describe dramatic and disastrous events with their euphemistic substitutes, the negative effect of the content can be minimised. The research is carried out on the material of articles distributed online by the media company Politico. The topic of the articles covers the dramatic humanitarian crisis in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabah region). The contextual analysis of the practical material is carried out from pragma-stylistic perspective. Euphemism is viewed not only as a figure of speech which serves a social regulatory function in the news media, but also as a tactical tool which pursues the communicative strategy of mitigating sensitive information and creating implied contextual meaning. The communicative-pragmatic study of the language data enables to conclude that euphemistic substitution is an effective communicative strategy aimed at maintaining a neutral stance on the conflict news stories and imparting implicit meaning.

Why China’s Foreign Policy Remains Neutral (?) in Regard to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine? A Grand Strategy Analysis through an Offensive Realist Prism

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the problem of China’s ambiguous neutral stance towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For around a two-month period (i.e., between February and April) since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th 2022, there has been no clear diplomatic message from Beijing concerning its final choice of position between Ukraine and its quasi-ally Russia. Parallel to this obscurity in China’s foreign policy, there are numerous arguments (this paper lists eight of them) that attempt to speculate Beijing’s next move based on their respective rationales that might prompt China to aid Russia’s military venture or abandon support for its quasi-ally. In this paper, the researcher tries to study China’s neutrality through an offensive realist prism and frame these arguments into two major underlying raison d’état: 1) to immediately rebalance the power equilibrium in the system by aiding Russia and soliciting it into China’s coalition—namely, to change the configuration of the units in the system; 2) to sustain the positive relat`ive gains in long-term until China surpasses the USA by abandoning Russia, thereby buying time as a diplomatic détente with United States—namely, to change the systemic capability distribution among its units. By comparing the weight of the two raison d’états through an examination of the eight major arguments respectively, the researcher concludes that the inextricable uncertainty of gains/losses between the two antinomic grand strategy approaches is exactly the reason that causes Beijing’s obscure attitude of neutrality between the two belligerents.

Governance of religious diversity in Central Europe: A religious nationalism inspired illiberal turn in Hungary and Slovakia?

Central European countries with a historically dominant Roman Catholic heritage belong to a particular cluster in respect to the governance of religion. This paper focuses on Hungary and Slovakia and addresses the effect of religious nationalism on the regimes of governance of religion in the two countries. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, there was a brief period of neutral stance towards religion, which was characterized by liberal values. With the introduction of the bilateral Concordat agreements with the Holy See, both countries started to treat traditional Christian Churches preferentially. By the 2010s legislation in both countries created restrictive entry barriers for “new” religions. This created two or multi-tiered systems for “old” and “new” religions, in which the former enjoyed closer relationship with the state. As a result, the separation of church and state has become blurred. Preferentially treated churches reappeared in the public space as providers of certain educational and social services. Preferentially treated churches and the state developed asymmetrically interdependent relationships, the state having the upper hand. Meanwhile, increasingly populist and nationalist parties instrumentalized religion by involving Christianity in their nationalistic political discourse. This helped create a normative space, in which the state is able to give further preferential treatment to certain religious groups over others. The emphasis on Christian national identity underpinned these governments’ narratives that conflates migration with security and Islam, which pushed those religious groups on the margins, which do not fit in the religious nationalist narrative of the increasingly right- and populism-leaning governing elite.

How Chinese Short Video News Cover Russia-Ukraine Conflict: A Case Study of Pengpais Douyin Account

Since February 2022, the situation in Russia and Ukraine has changed dramatically, with the outbreak of an armed conflict on a scale that has attracted widespread international attention. As a representative of Chinas mainstream media biased towards internationalization, Pengpai is naturally extremely concerned about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. To capture attention on the development of Chinese mainstream media and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the author adopted a content analysis approach to analyze how Chinese mainstream media, Pengpai, published news about the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Douyin and summarize some of the Pengpai reports (N=64). Overall, the research finds that by referencing more Chinese citation sources, particularly the news media, Pengpai demonstrates its professionalism. At the same time, the analysis reveals that Pengpais tendency to report on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is in line with the Chinese governments attitude, with a neutral stance and calls for peace as well as putting people first.

How do patients with high cardiovascular risk evaluate online health information? A qualitative study

BackgroundPeople are exposed to variable health information from the Internet, potentially influencing their health decision-making and behaviour. It remains a challenge for people to discern between good- and poor-quality online health information (OHI). This study explored how patients evaluate and determine trust in statin-related OHI in patients with high cardiovascular risk.MethodsThis qualitative study used vignettes and think-aloud methods. We recruited patients from a primary care clinic who were at least 18 years old, had high cardiovascular risk and had previously sought OHI. Participants were given two statin-related vignettes: Vignette 1 (low-quality information) and Vignette 2 (high-quality information). Participants voiced their thoughts aloud when reading the vignettes and determined the trust level for each vignette using a 5-point Likert scale. This was followed by a semi-structured interview which was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were coded and analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 20 participants were recruited, with age ranging from 38–74 years. Among all the high cardiovascular-risk participants, eight had pre-existing cardiovascular diseases. For Vignette 1 (low-quality information), five participants trusted it while nine participants were unsure of their trust. 17 participants (85%) trusted Vignette 2 (high-quality information). Five themes emerged from the analysis of how patients evaluated OHI: (1) logical content, (2) neutral stance and tone of OHI content, (3) credibility of the information source, (4) consistent with prior knowledge and experience, and (5) corroboration with information from other sources.ConclusionPatients with high cardiovascular risks focused on the content, source credibility and information consistency when evaluating and determining their trust in statin-related OHI. Doctors should adopt a more personalised approach when discussing statin-related online misinformation with patients by considering their prior knowledge, beliefs and experience of statin use.

Lost in Broadcasting: League of Nations, International Broadcasting and Swiss Neutrality

The article delves into the historical context of cross-border radio broadcasting during the 1930s by the League of Nations (LN) and the significant impact of Switzerland's neutrality as the host country on this international organization. Drawing from the recently digitized and accessible LN archive in Geneva, this narrative unveils a minor conflict of interest that evolved into a notable political crisis, marking an international legal precedent by showcasing the influence wielded by a smaller host nation upon a global organization. The architects of the League of Nations envisioned Geneva as an ideal hub for the organization's activities, complete with modern communication technologies for global outreach. However, Switzerland's neutral stance posed an obstacle to the establishment of the League's radio broadcasting infrastructure. Recognizing the absence of robust emergency communications, transport links, and the absence of a dedicated radio station in Geneva during the mid-1920s, the LN sought an agreement with the Radio-Swiss station. Consequently, the LN's own radio station, Radio-Nations, commenced broadcasting on February 2, 1932, coinciding with the start of the Conference on the Reduction and Limitation of Arms. By May 1938, amidst mounting tensions in Europe, Switzerland chose to assert complete neutrality within the League. Discussions within the Federal Council revolved around the possibility of suspending the agreement made on May 21, 1930, along with the support for Radio-Nations. Unexpectedly, on November 3, 1938, the LN leadership in Geneva expressed a desire to re-evaluate the 1930 convention. The outbreak of World War II drastically reshaped the relationship between the LN and Radio-Nations. Switzerland decided against entering into a new agreement with the LN, leading to the closure of Radio-Nations on February 2, 1942. Maintaining the nation's neutrality, the Swiss government vigilantly observed the unfolding events during the war. During the peak of Nazi Germany's advances, Bern adopted stringent measures against the LN, upholding a resolute diplomatic stance. However, the Swiss stance toward the LN and the division of Radio-Nations’ ownership gradually shifted from 1943, culminating in the resolution of several financial matters. Ultimately, in 1947, the LN's liquidation commission transferred the remaining assets of Radio-Nations and its radio waves to the United Nations.

EFL Students' Attitude Towards English Lessons Through Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of students towards English lessons within the context of the Merdeka curriculum. Specifically, the study aimed to investigate the impact of the Merdeka curriculum on students' attitudes towards English lessons, as well as identify the factors that contribute to students' positive attitudes towards the Merdeka curriculum at SMA Swasta Katolik Tri Sakti Medan. The analysis of qualitative data revealed that students exhibited favorable attitudes towards English lessons within the Merdeka curriculum. Specifically, in the cognitive component, the findings indicated that 62% of students held positive attitudes, 18% held negative attitudes, and 20% remained neutral. In the affective component, 53% of students displayed positive attitudes, while 22% exhibited negative attitudes and 25% maintained a neutral stance. Lastly, the conative component demonstrated that 59% of students showcased positive attitudes, 14% displayed negative attitudes, and 27% remained neutral. The present study employed qualitative data collection methods. The findings indicated that a majority of the student population, specifically 146 out of 197 students, expressed contentment in their English language learning endeavors. It was observed that certain factors contributed to the cultivation of positive attitudes among students towards English lessons. Firstly, students exhibited a preference for English lessons. Additionally, the presence of an engaging, knowledgeable, and perceptive subject teacher played a crucial role in creating an enjoyable learning environment. The impact of pupils' positive attitudes on their learning achievements is significant.

Socioeconomic and Environmental Effects of Gold Mining in Paring Lahung, Montallat District, North Barito Regency

This study aims to assess the impact of gold mining operations on the socioeconomic well-being of the Paring Lahung Village community in the Montallat District of North Barito Regency. The research utilizes both secondary and primary data sources. Secondary data is collected from many sources, such as the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), sub-district offices, villages/districts, and private entities. On the other hand, primary data is directly received from respondents residing in Paring Lahung Village, Montallat District, North Barito Regency. For a sample size of 30 participants. The research findings indicate that there is a discernible public impression regarding the presence of unauthorized gold mining operations in Paring Lahung Village. The findings indicate that the residents of Paring Lahung Village have a predominantly neutral stance towards gold mining operations. Out of the total number of respondents, 14 individuals (46%) expressed a positive attitude towards gold mining activities in the vicinity of the Paring Lahung Village forest area. Additionally, 9 respondents (30%) had a neutral view, while 7 respondents (24%) exhibited a negative attitude towards such activities. The present study examines the social, economic, and environmental conditions associated with the presence of gold mining activities in Paring Lahung Village. The analysis of social situations reveals that individuals distribute their wealth towards several sectors, including education, health, and housing. The economic conditions demonstrate a tendency towards above-average performance and have exhibited growth subsequent to the implementation of gold mining operations. This can be attributed to the augmentation of respondents' primary income, as well as the acquisition of supplementary sources of revenue. In Paring Lahung Village, the prevailing environmental conditions indicate the utilization of a method to separate combined gold and sand, alongside a minority engaging in conventional processing techniques. As per the accounts of certain inhabitants, the procedure of gold extraction involves the utilization of quicksilver, often known as mercury. Mercury is categorized as a heavy metal with the capacity to be designated as B3 trash

The Political Economy of Media in Reporting the Individual Candidate Bagyo Wahyono-FX Suparjo in the 2020 Surakarta City Election

The 2020 Surakarta City Regional Head Election was in the spotlight of Indonesian newspapers Solopos and Radar Solo ashe attraction of election is the presence of independent candidates, Bagyo Wahyono-FX Suparjo, who are competitors to the Gibran Rakabuming Raka-Teguh Prakosa pairing who were promoted to become a political party. With the difference in political caste between the two candidates, this study aims to dissect the practice of messages presented by two local newspapers in Surakarta, Solopos and Radar Solo towards the independent candidates. This study deployed Norman Fairclough's critical analysis method with approaches and paradigms of Vincent Mosco's political economy media theory. The results concluded Radar Solo tended to favor Gibran Rakabuming Raka in terms of choices and sentences presented to the audience. Meanwhile, Solopos chose a more neutral stance for both candidates. Messages presented by Solopos and Radar Solo need to provide a balanced space for the Bagyo Wahyono-FX Suparjo pairing. Various factors, such as the lack of optimal use of the Bagyo Wahyono-FX Suparjo pairing of media as a means of campaigning and the lack of a personal campaign agenda, influence this balance. Another significant finding is that there is a design and a more significant political interest behind one's appearance, which makes the dynamics of the Surakarta City Election run in vain. Keywords: Election, political communication, newspapers, candidate, discourse analysis.

Turkey’s Policy towards the Balkans during the Cold War

This research examines the foreign policy of the Republic of Turkey towards the Balkan region during the Cold War. The article aims to elucidate the fundamental principles underpinning Turkey’s approach to the region within the context of the bipolar international system. With the onset of the Cold War, the Balkan Peninsula found itself bifurcated into two blocs, reflecting the reconfigured international order. Consequently, segments of the Balkan states fell under Soviet sway. While Turkey had previously maintained a stance of active neutrality during the Second World War, there was a swift shift in its foreign policy. Driven by security imperatives and apprehensions regarding the Soviet threat to its territorial integrity, Turkey aligned itself with the Western bloc. This article seeks to address the nature of Turkey’s policy towards the Balkan nations that were part of the opposing political and military bloc and the factors influencing its relations with these countries.

Being an expert in pandemic times: negotiating epistemic authority in a media interaction

Since the so-called phase one of the Coronavirus pandemic, media professionals have shown great attention to communication about the epidemic, so much so that a “glottology of COVID-19” has even been advocated to reflect on war metaphors referring to the disease. Despite media solicitations, however, reflection on communication at the time of COVID was not immediately the subject of linguistic analysis, at least in the Italian context. However, the issue of the relationship between language and culture, society, and thought has recently been explored in the face of the limitation of only formal analyses on language at the time of COVID. In the first stage, it quickly became apparent that the people in charge of institutional communication were used to talking mostly with experts on public health problems or research results, without the necessary training to modulate their language according to the degree of specialization of the audience. Instead, it is currently possible to detect an improvement in communication skills, and to observe the emergence of opposing factions with respect to the new resources of both preventive and therapeutic medicine, respectively the pro-vax and no-vax movements. These issues have been the focus of many Italian TV talk shows, such as the program “Non è l'Arena.” In the episode of 9/25/21, which is the subject of this article, the positions expressed in favor of one argument or the other would seem to adopt different mechanisms for managing the epistemic mode of certainty/uncertainty, such as semantic-syntactic and rhetorical-pragmatic devices, as well as conversational moves. This paper is aimed at describing the management of certainty/uncertainty in a media context through the qualitative fine-grained analysis of the interactional exchanges between host and representatives of opposite views in the dual theoretical framework of classical rhetoric and conversational analysis (CA), which, although starting from different scientific paths, share the vision of the centrality of speech in human action. The CA analysis indicated that, whilst the interviewer maintained a neutral stance in conducting the interview, he showed a position of affiliation toward the doctor who recommended therapies not in line with the Italian medical guidelines. This was evident through the space provided to him to explain his expertise, as well as through the repetition and emphasis of the evaluative elements expressed. The rhetorical analysis, focusing on the participants' ethos, reveals that the interviewer deliberately intervened in the construction of the epistemic authority of the representatives of the two positions. The rhetorical analysis, focusing on the ethos of the three participants in the interaction, shed light on selected strategies and argumentative chains used to gain credibility and to prevail in the discussion. The linguistic-rhetorical mechanisms used do not pertain to the field of dialectical discussion and aim at a direct attack on the opponent's thesis. Nevertheless, the clash remained balanced without any epistemic authority overpowering the other: both the rhetorical and conversation analyses demonstrate a polarized dialogue, wherein the two sides are portrayed as representatives of two distinct and incompatible perspectives.

Deconstructing Radical Otherness through Education

The Moroccan educational system has inherited the 19th century axiological spirituality. A synthesis of Islam oriented morals together with the permanent call for resistance against different colonizers along the last two centuries and the influence of such historical and cultural Genesis is still shaping the strategic choices of values and orientations within the current learnings' modernization. Some paramount cases have become quite classic, namely when learners are called to react ethically to the historical events concerning the Jews destruction during the Second World War. Students are led to express less moral interest neither in learning nor in sympathizing with the victims or the survivors. Thus, moral education practice and orientation are challenged by the students' inability to develop a neutral stance of moral humanitarian arguments of a universal value.
 This study exposes the historical Genesis of the Moroccan cultural spiritualism to put across how otherness was structured through the traditional institutional moral learning. The lack of authentic humanitarian ethics is due to the hegemony of an institutionalized moral spiritualism at the detriment of empowering moral psychology of multicultural ethics. A pattern of moral imagination is therefore suggested to re-open the humanitarian ethics through genocide reconstruction and ethics.

Perspectives on Russia, the USA, and the EU's Power Struggle in the Ukraine Crisis and Vietnam's Neutrality

Europe's worst political disaster since the Cold War was Ukraine's crisis from 2013 to Russia's full‐scale war on 24 February 2022. War? The choice of a national development model, cultural conflicts, and regional identities in Ukraine are internal causes. At the same time, competition for influence between great powers such as Russia, the USA, and the EU in Ukraine are external. Vietnam is similar to Ukraine, but it has taken a neutral stance in this crisis and called for peace talks. Why does Vietnam not choose a party but rather remain neutral with significant actors? This analysis answers those questions using qualitative methods, content analysis, and quantitative comparison. Balancing superpower strategic competition is a small lesson for an average country like Vietnam living next to a great power. However, this strategic balance is necessary to preserve national sovereignty and interests.

Media Framing of Identity Politics through Prejudice and Stereotype Towards the 2024 Election

This research discusses identity politics through prejudice and stereotype toward the 2024 presidential election. Identity politics refers to the way politics works in determining and classifying identities. In its development, especially in the last few elections, identity politics is full of harmful content that divides various elements of society. This study aims to analyze the media framing raised in three perspectives of online media, namely, Mediaindonesia.com, Detik.com, and Kompas.com. This study used a qualitative method using Pan & Kosicki’s framing theory. The study results show that Mediaindonesia.com's news content aims to provide normative justification while safeguarding the integrity of the NasDem party as a "movement for change." It is achieved by countering any negative and intolerant stigmas associated with identity politics issues related to the party's endorsed presidential candidate. In contrast, Detik.com is more direct in identifying social polarization categories about identity politics, highlighting the disparities between opposing views through carefully selected source quotes and rhetorical devices. Meanwhile, Kompas.com tends to take a more neutral stance, prioritizing the electability of candidates and navigating the balance between tolerance and intolerance. Framing analysis allows readers to maintain a critical perspective and comprehend how the media presents an issue in order to accomplish specific goals.

Green finance and commodities: Cross-market connectedness during different COVID-19 episodes

With the global financial markets having experienced three different market states following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the higher integration among financial markets, it is crucial to unravel the implications of the nexus between green finance and commodities on the move towards a green economy. Thus, we examine the response of seven green assets to three energy (jet fuel, crude oil, and natural gas) and two metallic (gold and silver) commodities for the bearish (early COVID-19 period), normal (mid-COVID-19 period), and bullish (higher economic recovery period) market states using the quantiles-on-quantiles technique. The results reveal that green finance serves as a complement to the commodities during the bearish market state, but as the market gradually recovers, the relationship is only sustained for the commonly demanded commodities (i.e. jet fuel, crude oil, and gold) and neutral for others. During the bullish market condition, green finance becomes negatively affected by crude oil, making them substitutes, while it still maintains a complementary and neutral stance with gold and other commodities, respectively. As highlighted in the conclusion, these established findings have crucial policy and investment implications for the green agenda.

Scientists say: Patterns of attribution in popular and professional science writing

The research article (RA) has held unparalleled importance in several fields of applied linguistics but is only one genre among many that researchers produce and readers consume. This study compares RAs with a related genre called ‘popular science.’ More linguistic-oriented research of popular science genres is needed to account for the growing body of contemporary popular science discourse. This study collected 400 matching professional and popular science articles published online to compare their use of three lexicogrammatical patterns that often function to perform attribution. Results showed that the popular science texts were denser with attribution, often named human authors within instances of attribution, and utilized reporting verbs with a neutral or positive evaluative stance. This study argues that, while the function of attribution in RAs is to build ethos and build an argument through identifying a gap in previous literature, attribution in science news articles functions to portray study authors as the main actors in research stories and portray popular science writers as objective, though at times supportive, reporters of recent news, highlighting the journalistic function of this variety of popular science.

Breast Cancer Survivors' Attitudes toward eMental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Breast cancer survivors' (BCS) attitudes toward eMental Health (eMH) are largely unknown, and adoption predictors and their interrelationships remain unclear. This study aimed to explore BCS' attitudes toward eMH and investigate associated variables. A cross-sectional study involving 336 Portuguese BCS was conducted. Attitudes toward eMH, depression and anxiety symptoms, health-related quality of life, and sociodemographic, clinical, and internet-related variables were assessed using validated questionnaires. Spearman-ranked correlations, χ2, and multiple regression analyses were computed to explore associations between attitudes and collected variables. BCS held a neutral stance toward eMH. In models adjusted for age and education, positive attitudes were statistically significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms and worse emotional, cognitive, and body image functioning. Social network use, online health information and mental healthcare seeking, higher self-reported knowledge of eMH, and previous use of remote healthcare were positively associated with better attitudes toward eMH. eMH programs targeting BCS seem to be a promising strategy for providing supportive psychosocial care to BCS. However, increasing awareness about eMH efficacy and security may be necessary to improve its acceptance and use among BCS. Additional research is necessary to understand how BCS' unmet care needs, and specifically their psychological distress severity, may impact BCS' acceptance and use of eMH.

Peace or War? Framing Analysis of Taiwan Media’s Military News Reports on the Conflict in the Taiwan Strait

<p>本研究以2020 年8 月中國人民解放軍對臺軍事演習為案例，借徑國際衝突常見的戰爭／和平新聞學及愛國主義框架等理論，從四家主流媒體的消息來源、關鍵詞、描繪形象等面向，探究報導內容分歧，及對臺海衝突議題的態度與立場傾向。量化研究發現，臺灣四家媒體對國際衝突中母國與敵國的好惡表達，及認定臺、美能否阻止中共武力犯臺，報導立場與使用框架皆有顯著差異，而消息來源使用和報導數量則相反。《中國時報》使用和平新聞學，《自由時報》、《蘋果日報》傾向戰爭新聞學、愛國主義等框架、表達對中共政府的負面情緒，認定中共無法成功犯臺；《聯合報》在各種框架呈現上則較持平。本文也以質性分析闡釋、討論，並在末尾提出探討限制及對未來研究的建議。</p> <p> </p><p>This study examined the news coverage of the August 2020 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military exercise against Taiwan in order to investigate the content discrepancies, attitudes, and political leanings of the four mainstream media outlets in Taiwan regarding cross-strait conflict issues. Using the theories of war/peace journalism framework and patriotism framework, the study analyzed and compared the choices of news sources, the uses of keywords, and the portrayals of events among different media. Quantitative findings reveal that there were significant differences in the coverage of four different media in Taiwan in terms of the expressions of favorability towards the home country or the adversary in international conflicts, the positions adopted in reporting on whether Taiwan and the United States can deter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military aggression against Taiwan, and the uses of reporting frameworks. No significant differences were found in terms of choices of news sources and the number of news items. The findings indicate that the China Times tended to use peace journalism frameworks. The Liberty Times and the Apple Daily leaned towards war journalism frameworks and patriotism framework, tended to express negative sentiments towards the Chinese government, and believed that China cannot successfully invade Taiwan by force. The United Daily News, in comparison, maintained a relatively neutral stance. Qualitative analysis and discussion were included to interpret the findings at the end of the study, as well as the limitations of the study and suggestions for future study.</p> <p> </p>

German Preservice Teachers’ Stances on Criteria for Discussing Controversial Issues in the Classroom

In times of increasing political polarization, the question of how teachers deal with controversial issues in their classrooms becomes more important than ever. Rejection, avoidance, or an overtly neutral stance on different positions on these issues can be detrimental to democratic education. In this study, we examine preservice teachers’ stances on different criteria for discussing controversial issues in their prospective classrooms and propose a specification of the approach of balancing different views on controversial issues that we call “committed balancing”: a form of balancing that avoids according equal weight or importance to fundamentally unequal positions. To examine different stances that preservice teachers hold on controversy, we used a convenience sample of 162 German preservice teachers to develop the foundation for a standardized instrument that can be used to detect different ideas about the limits to controversial classroom discussions. We analyzed interviews with a subset of respondents to further examine their ideas about controversial issues in their future classroom practice. We found evidence of different strategies of (not) dealing with controversial issues as well as an emerging strategy of committed balancing. Our findings have practical implications for teachers and teacher educators in addressing controversial topics in the classroom. We suggest that “committed balancing” should be considered as a guide for how to approach these issues.