News Media Research Articles

Gabinetes y medios de comunicación: una lucha desigual que empobrece la información

This article aims to analyse the transformation of relationships between press offices and media professionals, especially concerning the strategies of institutional communication departments to convey their messages while bypassing journalistic quality filters. The study explores how this occurs and the challenges in preventing it within media newsrooms. To achieve this, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with industry professionals who have held or currently occupy key positions in institutional communication offices and have prior experience in the news media or have even returned to media roles. The results highlight the demanding immediacy and precarious working conditions faced by many journalistic newsrooms. These conditions contribute to a greater ease for institutional messages to be initially published without any filter or in-depth analysis by journalists. This paves the way for communication offices to effectively place their messages in the public domain and achieve the desired impact.

It’s Not Just “8 Dead”: Examining News and Twitter’s Social Construction of the Atlanta Spa Shootings Through the Lens of Networked Gatekeeping and Affective Publics

Drawing from the theories of networked gatekeeping and affective publics, this study compares how news media and social media users shaped the discourse surrounding the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings. We investigate both the substantive (topics) and affective (emotions) dimensions of news articles and tweets, showcasing how institutional media and the public engage in the social construction of mass shootings involving people of underserved communities. To do so, we built two datasets: 964 news articles and 265,951 tweets. The findings from the computer-assisted content analysis reveal that Twitter users focused more on humanizing the victims and contextualizing the Atlanta spa shootings within the broader framework of anti-Asian racism, in contrast to the news outlets. Twitter users expressed significantly greater anger and fear than what is reflected in the news articles. This study also demonstrates that the news stories failed to acknowledge the intersecting identities of the victims. The findings contribute to our understanding of how journalists and individuals shape agendas and convey their affective reactions through news and social media. We suggest actions that can be taken to create a more inclusive and culturally responsive media environment.

Political Myths in the Armenian Media Environment

Key words: political myths, media, new reality, manipulation, social media, social-psychological environment, influence, public opinion Nowadays, modern mass media have changed their functions, turning into a unique socio-psychological environment of myth-making, wherein a new reality is constructed or reinterpreted. This article is an attempt to study new possibilities of mass media. Our goal is to reveal the connection between the media and myths, highlighting how they shape public opinion. The goal of the research is to identify the features of mythmaking in mass media and their potential ramifications for how the public forms opinions based on the modern real-world examples. Methods of combining scientific materials, historiography, and comparison were used in the paper. The conducted research shows and proves the fact that mass media, using manipulative rhetoric, technologies of influence on consciousness, construct a special virtual reality, that often does not correspond to objective social reality. From this perspective mass media use myths as tools. Having a complex and multi-layered structure, mythologizing, creates new challenges and forces media representatives to develop a new strategy, as a result of which sufficient skills for the effective use of myths along with the new methods and mechanisms of resistance will be developed. This is the reason why the structure, content and function of modern socio-political and cultural myths become the object of study by researchers. This fact highlights the article’s relevance to the current events.

Peningkatan Kemampuan Peserta Didik Kelas XI MA Al-Bairuny Jombang pada Materi Akidah Akhlak Berbantuan Media Sosial TikTok

Increasing students' abilities through Tiktok learning media in material on moral beliefs. The application of TikTok learning media has not been very effective because many irresponsible users display negative content which is likely to be watched by children. Therefore, children's use of social media requires supervision from teachers and parents in learning activities so that technological advances can be used optimally. The purpose of this research is to analyze students' abilities in moral belief material through the Tiktok application, analyze students' needs for Tiktok social media, what material is explained in the Tiktok video content, validator assessment of moral belief content, analyze the increase in students' ability to understand moral belief material. morals through Tiktok social media, and analyzing how much student satisfaction there is with moral aqidah material through Tiktok social media among 11th grade IPS 1 students and 24 11th grade IPS 2 students at MA AL-Bairuny Sambong Dukuh Jombang. The method used in this research is a quantitative method. Meanwhile, data collection used questionnaires and tests with the help of questionnaire instruments and interview techniques which were carried out for approximately six days. The results of the research state that the use of modern learning media is considered effective in learning moral beliefs. Students feel that explaining material using social media Tiktok is easier to understand because it uses videos and animated images that support the learning process which is in line with improving student learning outcomes. Creating creative and innovative moral creed content is a good thing to implement. Making videos through the Tiktok application is considered effective in improving students' abilities.

A (non) agenda setting study: News coverage of electric vehicles and their popularity in Aotearoa New Zealand

This article explores the news media framing of electric vehicles (EVs) in New Zealand and theorises the role it may have played in the uptake of EVs in the country. The results were unexpected; the positive valence of EVs, battery life, carbon emissions, the environment, range, public or personal costs, positive public opinion, positive evaluative language, and battery reusage were not emphasised at all in coverage. Despite the lacklustre media coverage of EVs in New Zealand, the sales of EVs went up. This disconnect between previous research detailing the importance of positive media framing and subsequent behaviour has implications for further research examining media effects.

Media plurality, independence and Talanoa: An alternative Pacific journalism education model

The shrinking mainstream media plurality in Aotearoa New Zealand provides a context for examining publication of campus-based media where student and faculty editorial staff have successfully established an independent Asia-Pacific digital and print press over the past two decades. New Zealand’s largest city Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) has the largest urban population of Pacific Islanders globally—more than 300,000 people in a total of 1.7 million (Pasifika New Zealand, n.d.), earning the moniker ‘Polynesian capital of the world’. The presenter has had a pioneering role with four university-based journalism publications in the Pacific region as key adviser/publisher in Papua New Guinea (Uni Tavur, 1993-1998); Fiji (Wansolwara, 1998-2002); and Aotearoa/New Zealand (Pacific Scoop, 2009-2015; Asia Pacific Report, 2016 onwards), and also with two journalism school-based publications in Australia (Reportage, 1996, and The Junction, 2018-2020) (Robie, 2018). In early 2021, he was co-founder of the Asia Pacific Media Network | Te Koakoa Incorporated which has emerged as a collective umbrella for academics, student journalists and independent reporters producing innovative publications, including the research journal Pacific Journalism Review and a strengthened Asia Pacific Report, which draw on a cross-disciplinary range of media contributors and scholars in other professions. These contributors are mindful of the challenges of reportage about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article explores an independent journalism model drawing on professional outlets for Asia-Pacific students and how an investigative and storytelling model like ‘Talanoa Journalism’ can be an effective bridge to alternative media careers and addressing ‘blind spots’ in legacy news media.

Can COVID-19 Be a Turning Point for More Sustainable Trends? Exploring Changes in Recycling Discourse Pre- and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

Since the onset of COVID-19, concerns have risen regarding the environmental impact of increased waste generation. Of particular concern is the surge in plastic usage, prompting a call for enhanced recycling practices. This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recycling discourse in South Korea by analyzing news media coverage on recycling and reuse based on framing theory. Employing Python and R, a total of 24,928 news articles containing keywords (i.e., recycling and reuse) both pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic were collected and analyzed. The results of computational analyses, such as topic modeling, semantic network analysis, and framing analysis, show that while an initial spike in COVID-19 cases correlated with heightened recycling-related coverage, this trend gradually waned as the pandemic persisted. The results also revealed shifts in keywords, frames, and framing functions over time. Notably, major frames expanded during the pandemic to incorporate COVID-19-related topics and concrete recycling efforts. Throughout, the primary framing function remained prognostic. This research provides valuable insights into the evolving environmental discourse amidst a global pandemic.

The morals that shape the news: A study of Aotearoa New Zealand’s newsrooms

This article explores the personal interpretation of the moral world Aotearoa New Zealand newsroom leaders are guided by when shaping the news, or, in other words, it poses the question: Do personal moral values play a role in Aotearoa New Zealand newsroom? In this study, we examine whether newsroom leaders view morals as a driver in news-shaping, or whether the news values of objectivity, accuracy and fairness prevail over personal morals when it comes to informing the news. The research was conducted by interviewing six newsroom leaders from different media companies in Aotearoa New Zealand and the interview data were analysed within the theoretical and philosophical framework adopted from Lakoff (2002). The research suggests that working professionals in the media industry were not able to discern where their morals ended and where the professional news values started. Furthermore, the interviewees affiliated with public service media responded that upholding moral values would not have a financial impact on the news media organisation, whereas those affiliated with private media responded that it would.

The morals that shape the news: A study of Aotearoa New Zealand’s newsrooms

This article explores the personal interpretation of the moral world Aotearoa New Zealand newsroom leaders are guided by when shaping the news, or, in other words, it poses the question: Do personal moral values play a role in Aotearoa New Zealand newsroom? In this study, we examine whether newsroom leaders view morals as a driver in news-shaping, or whether the news values of objectivity, accuracy and fairness prevail over personal morals when it comes to informing the news. The research was conducted by interviewing six newsroom leaders from different media companies in Aotearoa New Zealand and the interview data were analysed within the theoretical and philosophical framework adopted from Lakoff (2002). The research suggests that working professionals in the media industry were not able to discern where their morals ended and where the professional news values started. Furthermore, the interviewees affiliated with public service media responded that upholding moral values would not have a financial impact on the news media organisation, whereas those affiliated with private media responded that it would.

A (non) agenda setting study: News coverage of electric vehicles and their popularity in Aotearoa New Zealand

This article explores the news media framing of electric vehicles (EVs) in New Zealand and theorises the role it may have played in the uptake of EVs in the country. The results were unexpected; the positive valence of EVs, battery life, carbon emissions, the environment, range, public or personal costs, positive public opinion, positive evaluative language, and battery reusage were not emphasised at all in coverage. Despite the lacklustre media coverage of EVs in New Zealand, the sales of EVs went up. This disconnect between previous research detailing the importance of positive media framing and subsequent behaviour has implications for further research examining media effects.

Russian regional television: formation and development of the national TV channel “Sakha”

RELEVANCE. The study examined the processes of formation and development of the national television channel “Sakha” (broadcasting territory – the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)). Based on materials from regulatory documents and publications in periodicals, the author systematizes the creation and functioning of a national regional television channel. The chronological scope of the study (from 2002 to 2012) is determined by the following factors: 2002 – the opening of the republican television broadcasting channel in the region, 2012 – the beginning of the formation of a new infrastructure of Russian television in connection with the transition to digital broadcasting. Purpose of the study: to analyze and record the stages of formation of the national television channel in Yakutia in the period from creation to the transition to digital broadcasting.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The empirical base of the study consists of periodicals stored in the National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) named after A.S. Pushkin, which reflect the events of the period under study, as well as materials from regulatory documents. The study used comparative historical analysis and a systematic method.RESULT AND DISCUSSION. The analysis made it possible to reveal that the state policy of the region actively contributed to the development of regional television of the period under study by updating and expanding its material and technical base, which led to an improvement in indicators at various levels - an increase in broadcasting volumes, an increase in the number of television programs in the Yakut language, as well as the creation of a fundamentally different from the post-Soviet model of the TV channel concept.CONCLUSION. The results of the study may be useful for further study of the history of television in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the context of the overall development of the modern media system of the region and the country as a whole.

Linguistic and cultural specifics of the sports media narrative (based on the example of sports commentaries in Canada and Russia)

This study is devoted to the comparative study of the specifics of the sports media narrative. The aim of the study is to compare the sports media narrative in the linguistic and cultural paradigm (based on the material of sports commentaries from Canada and Russia). The object of the study is the sports media narrative in the Canadian and Russian linguistic cultures. The subject of the study is the linguistic and cultural aspect of the sports media narrative of Russia and Canada. The relevance of this article lies in the fact that events in the field of sports reflect the problems of globalization and forecasting the future, which determines the importance of both a comprehensive and aspect-based study of communication in this field and, in particular, the sports media narrative. In addition, comparative studies that identify the linguistic and cultural features of the modern media text, its expressive capabilities as a means of organizing narration, correspond to the methodology of modern language science. The main methods used in this work are comparative discourse analysis and the linguistic narrative method. In addition, quantitative data processing methods were used. The novelty of this work is due to the fact that for the first time a comparative analysis of the sports media narrative in English and Russian (based on the material of sports commentary) is carried out. Conclusions: oral texts produced within the framework of both discourses are characterized by internal dynamics, polycode (the commentator's speech is accompanied by a video sequence) and are arranged in accordance with the canonical narrative sequence. When describing the image of an event, commentators, speakers of different linguistic cultures, use an extra-egitic strategy (an omniscient observer-narrator), sometimes using an introdiegetic strategy (the desire to indirectly become a participant in the narrated events). Linguistic and cultural differences are most clearly seen at the level of speech types. Russian commentators are characterized by the use of informative narration, while Canadian commentators use descriptive narration. The second most significant type of speech in the Russian media discourse is reasoning. For Canadian commentators, the description is more typical. The Russian sports media narrative follows a dramatic (plot) way of showing events, while the Canadian one follows a chronotopic one, i.e. it is determined by reference to time and place. The revealed differences may indicate that when narrating an event, commentators create a "second reality" based on their axiological attitudes due to cultural differences between the two countries.

THE ATTACK OF AL-SYIFA HOSPITAL IN THE REPORT OF ONLINE MEDIA REPUBLIKA, ALJAZEERA, AND BBC NEWS

This article aims to reveal the exclusion and inclusion strategies and the differences in the use of reporting strategies onthe news of the Al-Syifa Hospital attack on Republika, Aljazeera, and BBC News online media using Van Luwen's critical discourse analysis theory. The type of research used is a qualitative method. Data sources are taken from Republika online news media entitled Pasukan Israel Kepung 3 Rumah Sakit di Gaza dan Mengebom kembali RS Al-Shifa, Aljazeera net entitled Al-Jazirah Nit Tarshadu Awdhaa'uhu, Hakadza Yabdu al-Mustasyfa al-Indunisiya bi Gazzah tahta al-Qashfi, and BBC News entitled “Israeli Militarry Looking into Reports of Gaza Hospital Blast”. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis techniques, namely data presentation, data analysis, and conclusion drawing. The results showed that the news strategy used on Republika online media is an exclusion strategy with passivization and nominalization, and an inclusion strategy with differentiation, abstraction, nomination categorization, and nomination identification. Aljazeera uses exclusion strategies with passivization and nominalization techniques, as well as inclusion strategies with abstraction, nomination categorization and dissociation techniques. BBC News only uses exclusionary strategies with, passivization nominalization, and clause replacement techniques. The use of news strategies on Republika and Aljazeera media contrasts sharply with the use of strategies in the BBC News media, which only uses exclusion strategy. The use of these strategies shows that Republika and Aljazeera online media support Palestine, while BBC News online media support Israel.

Negative News about the Catholic Church as A Challenge for a More Active and Critical Reading of the News

Media content is not the facts that happened, but the media's representation of these facts. The media report and narrate reality in a way that is as interesting as possible for the audience. Because media content contains exaggeration, drama and speculation and frames facts in different contexts, consumers of media content rightly feel that the media distort the truth. We find that there is a very large discrepancy between the life of the Catholic Church (and Catholics) and the news we find in the media, and that the line between fake news and convincing news is very thin. In order to ascertain the facts in media news (and to distinguish between facts, exaggerations and representations), it is necessary to critically evaluate media content. This requires a high level of personal engagement and knowledge of the topic, but also professional expertise in media content. As a result, most users do not analyse media content, but interpret it intuitively or take it literally. Our 2019 survey shows that the media in Slovenia most often associate the Catholic Church with sexual abuse, money and politics. In an analysis of 3 735 articles, we examined these topics in detail and found that the connotations of these articles are polarised: half are positive, half negative. Furthermore, in these articles we find no reports on serious socio-political problems and the positive solutions offered by the Catholic Church.

Go Green: Strategi Santri Menjaga Lingkungan Dalam Perspektif Maqashid Syariah

Go green activities must be carried out by all parties, including students. Students who have been equipped with religious knowledge must implement it in protecting and caring for the environment. This research aims to determine and analyze the role of santri in protecting the environment, as well as analyzing the concept of protecting the environment from a maqashid sharia perspective. This research was conducted using library research methods, using a qualitative approach. The data source used is a secondary data source. namely collecting, understanding, and analyzing previous articles, news and books on relevant topics, be it journal articles, news in online media, and books that discuss environmental issues. The data collection techniques used in this research are literature and documentation. The data analysis technique used in this research is the descriptive method. The research results explain that in environmental conservation, students who have been equipped with religious knowledge in Islamic boarding schools, majlis or other places, must have full awareness of the balance of nature. These go green activities or activities are very much in line with the principles of maqashid sharia, which aim to achieve the benefit of humans and other living creatures. Keywords: Santri, Environment, Maqashid Syariah.

Media Coverage of Mediation: Before and During the Russian–Ukrainian War

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This study’s objective is to examine how mediation is presented in the news media stories before and during the outbreak of war. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research problem is an attempt to answer the question if in stories, whereas their headlines introduce the word “mediation” or “mediator,” respond to the concepts of mediation, peace, or war journalism. This documentary research analyzes 100 news published in Spanish, where we examine how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is presented to the readers. In addition, three experts in culture of peace (from Spain, Mexico, and Colombia) were interviewed regarding the media portrayals of war and mediation. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: This investigation begins with a recapitulation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine; before and after the outbreak of the war, different personalities offered intervention as a possible mediation. Despite the intentions to mediate, the war broke out, and the international community continued to search for a mediator. Thus, the influence of the media using specific words like “mediation” deserves to be explored. RESEARCH RESULTS: The study’s findings reveal that 85% of the analyzed media used a vocabulary whose style responds to war journalism and contradicts the idea of mediation in the bodies of the news stories. As a result, four categories emerge: self-proposed mediators, requested/expected mediators, mediating countries, and mediation experts. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: This research demonstrates that the sense of mediation in media does not provide clarity but rather confusion. Even if the intention of mediation is covered, mostly, it is accompanied by a binary perspective of the conflict, which is the opposite of what mediation implies. The findings indicate a need to create spaces for training on culture and peace-building in the newsrooms to improve journalistic practices about armed conflicts.

A Study on the Role of Constructive Journalism During Covid-19 Pandemic

An expansive proliferation of misinformation and fake news followed with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, a devastating event with lasting scars that changed the world forever. While social media may have originally helped in connecting people and sharing information, it may have also triggered a heightened accessibility in spreading misinformation and fake reports during the pandemic. The Covid-19 outbreak cannot be held as the sole reason for the mounting scepticism among people over the mainstream news reporting or the rising news avoidance observed in recent years. The role of news media organisations during pandemic situations towards disseminating scientific and verified information is indispensable. However, a shift from the normative role of mass media as a mere informant and mute spectator to one that reflexively gathers and presents socially useful news for its audience could have quelled the misinformation-induced hysteria to a certain extent during the peak of the pandemic—a constructive approach. This study critically analyses the various discourses surrounding constructive journalism and its role during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was found that most discourses vouched for the inclusion of constructive approaches in news sharing during crises and in future. However, regional, geopolitical and socioeconomic differences may allude to different understandings and contextual applications of constructive journalism that would require greater academic research.

Religious Moderation in the Presiden Joko Widodo Administration: Tools for Religious Harmony or Politics?

Religious moderation has always been promoted and socialized by the government to all elements of society, especially by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia since 2016. However, repression continues against a certain religion and group. This article discusses whether religious moderation is successful or not as an effective tool for strengthening interreligious tolerance and confusion in order to create a just and peaceful state in the era of the Joko Widodo administration. The research used content analysis methods from eleven online news media outlets with a historical case study approach. The results showed that the religious moderation under President Joko Widodo is contrary to the spirit of tolerance and anti-violence, which is the main principle of moderation. There is a considerable amount of persecution, violence, and disobedience directed towards individuals or groups that associate with Islamists or apply Islamic rules to themselves or their groups due to the top-down approach of implementation design, lack of human resources, and lack of monitoring of religious moderation indicators. Furthermore, there is a call for religious moderation to be exercised in a more balanced and impartial manner towards certain groups while at the same time being more restrictive towards certain other groups.

Now Everybody is a Friend; How Native Advertising Influences Indonesian Journalistic Field

Native advertising is increasingly the primary practice of online news media to gain economic benefits. The nature of native advertising resembling news content is considered effective in influencing the public. The media study in Indonesia focused heavily on media democratization following the authoritarian media system for more than three decades. However, Indonesian media's economic competition is becoming more challenging, and media personnel are looking for new ways to earn money from native advertising. This study investigates the contemporary development of Indonesian journalism concerning the increased native advertising practice. It utilizes the field theory of Pierre Bourdieu's journalistic and journalism social responsibility approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews of fifteen personnel from three Indonesian online news media. The study showed that Indonesian online news media highly practice native advertising to earn revenue. The increasing practice of native advertising in Indonesia urges journalists to be involved in advertising content production and dissemination. There is resistance from media personnel in native advertising practice. However, native advertising has become irresistible because most media are in an economic crisis. Native advertising drives media to make friends with every prospective client, including the Government. The media has become less independent and less concerned about their social responsibility as a watchdog because the Government and state apparatus are their clients. The media develop new norms and traditions to accommodate native advertising. Keywords: Indonesian journalism, journalistic field, media social responsibility, native advertising, online news media.

Influence of News Media Contents on Policy Makers

The research explores the influence of news media content on policymakers, using Indexing Theory and the Cascade Model to provide an empirical basis. Policymakers were interviewed, and the resulting data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The study found that media content has a significant, multifaceted impact on policy-making, particularly during the agenda-setting phase. Policymakers noted an increasing trend of media interactions affecting their decisions. While media attention can shape policy priorities, there is also a concern about the sensationalism prevalent in Pakistani media. Policymakers believe that if this sensationalism can be regulated and brought under control, the media could become a more credible and valuable source of information. This would enhance its role in contributing to sustainable governance. The study highlights the dual role of media as both an influencer and a potential partner in governance. Further research is recommended to delve deeper into these dynamics and to develop strategies for leveraging media influence constructively. The findings underscore the importance of understanding media's impact on policy-making and the need for a balanced approach to media consumption and regulation to support informed and effective governance.