The pace with which digital news media and social media started proliferating has intensified the rate of misinformation, bringing significant problems with the reliability of information and the credibility of the people. Traditional fake news detection systems rely on the traditional way of machine learning systems, which are fed by predefined data sets, which restricts its flexibility to new events and real-time changes. Also, stand-alone large language models (LLMs) are likely to be susceptible to failing to base their responses on the existing evidence, which in turn leads to a high risk of hallucination and contextual bias. The aim of the paper is to suggest a real-time AI-based News Verification System that will be built by incorporating Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with a Large Language Model (Gemini 2.0 Flash) to achieve context-sensitive and explainable news content verification. It is founded on a modular architecture of a rest-based architecture written in FastAPI as a backend and Next.js as a frontend, MongoDB as a persistence layer and JWT as an authentication. The Tavily Search API retrieves real-time contextual evidence and then uses it together with the logic of LLM to ensure they become more credible and less groundless. The framework generates ordered output in terms of classification label (Real/Fake), credibility score (0-100%), summary of explanation and identification of suspicious phrases. Performance assessment identifies a mean of 2.8 seconds response latency time when the system is stable with simultaneous API requests. The suggested architecture offers an architecture which offers scalability, modularity, and production readiness to detect misinformation in real-time in dynamic digital environments.

Over 48 000 people were killed by firearms in the US in 2022. Evidence suggests minimal prehospital intervention and rapid transport to definitive care reduce mortality. Police vehicles typically arrive before ambulances and could enable immediate transport. Since police face firearm injuries as an occupational hazard, their transport practices may inform civilian care, yet these practices remain unstudied. We identified law enforcement personnel wounded by firearms using the Gun Violence Archive. We then conducted a case-by-case analysis of news reports, investigation documents, and media and body camera video footage to determine how each officer was transported from the scene. We focused on cities with at least 10 injured officers between April 2018 and April 2024, totalling 574 officers in 27 cities. Our final sample included 18 cities where we confirmed transport mode for at least 70% of cases, yielding 335 cases. Among 335 wounded officers, 35 were transported by means other than police or ambulance. Of the remaining 300, 44% were transported by police vehicle versus 56% by ambulance, with substantial variation across cities. In contrast, police rarely transport civilian gunshot victims, despite written procedures in several cities allowing this practice. Police transport practices reveal differences in prehospital care for police versus civilians. Reforming prehospital policies may be a significant opportunity to save lives after gun violence. Evidence-based changes can be implemented now; new, rigorous research is urgently needed to evaluate police transport as a life-saving option for both police and civilians.

In 2010, Qatar became the first Middle Eastern nation to be awarded a FIFA World Cup (FWC). In the years leading up to the 2022 FWC, Media outlets frequently portrayed Qatar as an inhumane and barbaric nation. As such, the objective of this article is to explore and interrogate these tensions by analysing portrayals of Qatar as the host of the 2022 FWC. We pose two research questions: (1) How was Qatar represented in the news media as the 2022 FIFA World Cup host? And (2) How and to what extent do these representations reproduce or contest Orientalist framings of Muslim nations? We addressed these questions by conducting a reflexive thematic analysis of news media articles published by The Guardian , which focused on Qatar before, during, and immediately after the completion of the FWC, and interpreted them through Edward Said's postcolonial framework of Orientalism. Our analysis identified two contested themes in The Guardian coverage of Qatar: (a) migrant worker exploitation and (b) LGBTQ+ and women's rights violations. Within these themes, representations tended to frame Qatar as an unfit World Cup host, casting doubt not just on the nation's preparedness but also on its cultural legitimacy. These depictions contributed to a broader media discourse that marginalized Qatari voices, downplayed national reform efforts, and recycled longstanding Orientalist tropes regarding Islam and the Middle East. We also identified counternarratives that questioned whether such scrutiny would be targeted towards host nations in Western nations. Based on these findings, we argue that the Guardian 's depictions of Qatar reveal a contested framing of the nation where Orientalist discourses are both reproduced and resisted within the news media corpus.

ABSTRACT GLP-1 agonists (e.g. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) have been framed as breakthrough drugs for weight loss, often promoted by pharmaceutical companies under the guise of tackling weight stigma. This study examines public discourse surrounding GLP-1 agonists in Spanish digital news media, focusing on how these drugs are discussed in relation to fatness, moralization, medicalization, and pharmaceuticalization. Drawing on a reflexive thematic analysis of 648 user comments posted between 2022 and 2024 in three Spanish media outlets, we identify key narrative patterns shaping public debate. Our findings reveal three interrelated themes. First, discussions of GLP-1s are deeply embedded in fatphobic moralization. Pharmacological weight loss is frequently portrayed as a form of “cheating,” contrasted with supposedly “legitimate” weight loss achieved through effort, reproducing hierarchies that distinguish between “deserving” and “undeserving” fat bodies. Second, these hierarchies extend into debates about public healthcare funding. While users articulated four stances from full public funding to outright refusal, all remained anchored in logics of blame and deservingness, framing fatness as an individual or social burden rather than as a legitimate form of embodiment. Third, although commenters expressed strong skepticism toward pharmaceutical companies and media outlets, often criticizing profit-making and medicalization, this critique did not align with fat-acceptance perspectives and ultimately reinforced the weight-centered health paradigm by leaving intact the assumption that body weight is the primary marker of health and the central object of intervention. Overall, public discourse on GLP-1 agonists in Spain reproduces and reorganizes anti-fat frameworks through processes of pharmaceuticalization.

ABSTRACT Guided by the Uses and Gratifications theory, this study examines whether Ghanaian traditional news media facilitate a discursive space for environmental issues on social media. Using a qualitative content analysis of posts and comments from the Instagram accounts of six prominent Ghanaian traditional news outlets between 2021 and 2023, the study analyzes the environmental issues communicated, the extent of public engagement they generated, and the nature of said engagement. Findings reveal that the most prominent issues are local in scope, particularly illegal mining (galamsey), water and land pollution, and waste management. While users engaged with environmental content primarily through passive actions such as “likes,” a significant portion also expressed strong opinions in the comment sections, indicating public concern, politicization, and a sense of government responsibility. However, this engagement rarely reflected knowledge-seeking behavior. The study supports findings on the potential of traditional media to amplify environmental discourse, while revealing limitations in engagement and deliberative depth.

Media ownership significantly shapes organisational practices and journalistic content. While prior research has established ownership as a key influence on media output, less is known about the prevalence and systemic patterns of different ownership forms across European Union (EU) countries. This study addresses this gap by investigating how EU Member States cluster based on prevailing media ownership types in their news media spheres and how these groupings correspond with broader social, political, economic, and media system characteristics. Five ownership-based clusters emerge, each differing not only in ownership structure but also in contextual indicators such as media literacy, corruption perceptions, and the rule of law. The countries with high public and civil society ownership score high on these indicators, while media literacy is low, the rule of law weak, and corruption high where private individual ownership dominates. The findings contribute to on-going research on media ownership forms and comparative media studies.

Book Review: <i>American Otherness in Journalism: News Media Representations of Identity and Belonging</i> , by Angie Chuang American Otherness in Journalism: News Media Representations of Identity and Belonging.AngieChuang. New York: Routledge, 2025. 203 pp.

Purpose of the research. The rapid digital transformation of higher medical education is leading to a rethinking of traditional pedagogical approaches, necessitating a search for more flexible and accessible teaching tools. In this context, FOAMed (Free Open Access Medical Education), an international movement promoting free and open medical education, has gained popularity. This literature review aims to analyze existing modalities used within FOAMed, including podcasts, video content, social media, and blogs. Furthermore, an analysis of their educational potential was conducted. Materials and methods. For the information search, we used PubMed, the largest international database of scientific publications. Articles were searched using the keywords “FOAMed”, “Medical Education”, “Digital pedagogy”, “Podcast”, “Vodcast”, “Social media”, and “Free Open Access Medical Education”. The search was focused on publications dedicated to the education of medical students, interns, practicing physicians, and mid-level medical professionals. 864 scientific publications from the past 10 years were identified, 32 of which were used in this literature review because they were available in full text and met the objectives of this review. Results. The review shows that FOAMed encompasses a variety of educational modalities – podcasts, video content, social media, and blogs – each with its own pedagogical advantages and potential limitations. These formats not only complement traditional education but also create a new educational environment where activity, motivation, and knowledge accessibility play a key role. FOAMed is particularly significant in the context of the media activity of the Faculty of higher medical education. This opens up opportunities for expanding educational influence, shaping professional image, developing pedagogical innovations, and creating global networking. The lecturer becomes not just knowledge holder but also an active participant in the digital educational field, capable of creating, disseminating, and interpreting knowledge within the modern media paradigm. Conclusion. FOAMed has the potential to become an important component of the teaching activities and educational strategy of the medical university, especially in the context of hybrid and distance learning. Potential for incorporating FOAMed into official educational programs and areas for further research were also identified.

ABSTRACT That news media coverage is an important aspect of terrorism has long been recognised. Yet quantitative research on the phenomenon has been limited by partial and selective data. This article introduces a new comprehensive dataset to address this shortcoming: All the Terrorism Fit to Print. The dataset features information about 1551 militant groups found in the Global Terrorism Database and reports their annual coverage rates from 1970 to 2019 in the New York Times, the Times of London, and the Associated Press. Key trends of media coverage are explored by time and space, organisational activity, key tactics, and group ideology. Regression analyses of the determinants of this English-language news coverage find that annual media coverage is affected primarily by the number of victims, the number of attacks, and whether an organisation targeted Americans.

We examine what types of news media trust can be identified among adolescents based on their trust levels and the degree of elaboration about media. Moreover, we investigate the role of socialization contexts (family, peers, and schools) in the development of adolescents’ media trust and ability to elaborate. Through qualitative interviews with 50 German adolescents aged 14 to 19, we find 5 types, with only a minority of adolescents showing highly elaborated media trust. With minor differences between the types, parents appear to be the most influential socialization agents in shaping how young people use, perceive, and trust news media.

People with disabilities, as a vulnerable group in society, have consistently been the subject of public concern. With the media’s pivotal role in shaping public consciousness and societal norms, its portrayal of specific groups can contribute to the creation and reinforcement of stigma, particularly concerning illness and disability. Guided by framing theory, this study examines how people with intellectual disabilities are constructed in the Chinese official (People’s Daily) and commercial (Southern Metropolitan Daily) news media over three years from 2021 to 2023. A content analysis of 220 news articles revealed that coverage of people with intellectual disabilities was predominantly presented as hard news and significantly more prevalent in the People’s Daily than in the Southern Metropolitan Daily. Employing Clogston’s (1990) and Haller’s (1995) disability frames, the analysis revealed a predominant portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities as vulnerable and in need of assistance, highlighting a stigmatizing representation within the media coverage.

News media play a crucial role in shaping the public's understanding of sexual violence (SV), yet media outlets continue to offer inadequate definitions/representations of SV. The present study demonstrates how Canadian media informs the public about SV perpetrated by male athletes. A total of 273 news articles from six major English and French newspapers were analyzed. Data was collected from two periods: before the #MeToo movement (2014-2016) and after (2018-2019). The findings reveal that media coverage prioritizes establishing a positive public image for the accused athlete by (re)showcasing their sporting achievements, rather than focusing on survivors. Media discourse also emphasizes the impact of SV accusations on athletes and their teams, while rarely addressing the impacts of SV on survivors or society.

Conventional Computer systems helped digitalize the business, but they did not address all business bottlenecks. AI-powered systems offered better automated business services than traditional computer systems, saving time and cost. While the huge shift in business processes was beneficial, it also led to misunderstandings, such as rumors of a threat to jobs and humanity. Such information was flooding blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and news media, creating confusion among regular technology users. In this backdrop, this study aims to explore whether AI-driven systems have really assisted in transforming modern business, or whether it is a subject of misconceptions and rumors due to its magical capabilities. This study adopts PRISMA guidelines to review 120 articles from 2020 to 2026. This research addresses the question: How do AI-powered systems help transform modern business processes? Themes were generated from 16 business domains. The study identified four themes from reviews :(1) Operational Automation, (2) Data-Driven Decision Making, (3) Customer Experience and Personalization, and (4) Innovation in Product and Service Delivery. This study revealed that AI-driven tools have greatly improved business processes. The misconceptions and rumors arose from exaggerated statements in various new media and grey literature. By highlighting the AI’s contribution to transforming business practices, this research sought to clarify whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Climate change is a long-lasting environmental issue in Southeast Asian countries, specifically Pakistan. This study investigates how Pakistani media has framed the Lahore Smog crisis in recent years (2024-25). In addition, the study aims to understand the ecological relationship framed by the Pakistani media, and how has the framing itself evolved over the last two years. Two major Pakistani News outlets, including Dawn and The News International, were selected for data collection. 200 articles were purposively collected for the corpus 2024, while 160 articles accounted for the 2025 corpus. Moreover, the study proposed a novel and replicable Eco-LDA framework for data analysis, which blended Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Frame Semantics, and Stibbe’s (2015) Ecolinguistic framework. The Eco-LDA framework was specifically designed to identify latent frames in the corpora and assess the ecological visibility in media discourse. Results reflect a shift in media framing in the recent years. In 2024, media framed the Lahore smog as anthropocentric and episodic issue; it highlighted immediate health risks and civic disruptions while backgrounding the root-causes of the ecological crisis. In 2025 media framing, on the other hand, industrial emissions, crops burning, climate change, and policy interventions were foregrounded. The findings reveal an increasing ecological literacy in the news media discourse in Pakistan over 2024 and 2025. The research provides latest insights into the evolving media framing of the Lahore smog. It may assist environmental communication, climate polices, governance, and public ecological understanding. Moreover, methodologically, this research contributes to computational ecolinguistic inquiry by introducing a replicable Eco-LDA framework.

News media have reported that the average height of British children is falling, but these reports have been contested. Child Measurement Programmes (CMPs) operate in schools in England, Scotland and Wales, but their height data have been inaccessible, allowing conflicting claims about trends in child height to remain unresolved. Here, we aim to describe and explain trends and socioeconomic inequalities in child height using the best available evidence. Freedom of information requests were submitted to relevant authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, requesting annual CMP height and obesity data, stratified by sex, ethnicity and deprivation to 2023/2024. Mean height and obesity prevalence were plotted against time by age group, sex and deprivation group. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted school closures in Britain, disrupting CMP data collection. This period was associated with sharp but transient increases in obesity prevalence and mean height. Before COVID-19, mean height increased, particularly among children in deprived areas. Children in deprived areas also showed the greatest increases in obesity and overweight prevalence. Narrowing socioeconomic inequalities in child height in Britain have been associated with widening inequalities in obesity. This work complements research describing a causal link from child obesity to increased height during childhood and implies mean height may be an unreliable indicator of child health when obesity is prevalent and rising. In Britain, increases in overall mean child height and narrowing socioeconomic inequalities in child height during the 21st century may reflect widening inequalities in obesity and worsening health among deprived children.

Early warning for known infectious disease threats use methods that focus on detection of outbreaks, often at large geographical scales. However, earlier warning, specifically at the onset of disease emergence (i.e., first case(s)) and at finer spatial scales could significantly improve timeliness and targeting of prevention and control efforts. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate that a early classification time-series approach can predict COVID-19 emergence at a local jurisdictional level with a 10-day lead time. To predict emergence with a 10-day lead time in Canadian health regions (HRs) during January to November 2020, we developed three classification models. Predictor variables were restricted to information about COVID-19 and included daily metrics at the HR level for social media and traditional EBS data (i.e., news media), and at the provincial/territorial (P/T) level for search engine data. Predictor contributions from neighbouring areas additionally included reported case data (with the other predictors) from the nearest region, or weighted by distance and/or population size of all adjacent regions. Using the highest performing model, Deep Gated Recurrent Unit, the classification balanced accuracy was higher for distance- and population-based spatial weighting (0.78), than for nearest neighbour data only (0.64). It was also higher when open-access information was included with traditional EBS information (0.78), compared to excluding open-access information (0.63). In a Canadian context for COVID-19, using a retrospective approach, study results demonstrate classification models can predict emergence with a 10-day lead time at the finest spatial scale of health governance (i.e., HRs) used by P/Ts. Furthermore, prediction accuracy improves with information from neighbouring regions and open-access data (social media, search engine). Implications for operationalizing our method in event-based surveillance systems are discussed.

Impact of implicit information in news media on equity risk premium and uncertainty: Based on the Chinese financial market

Abstract Graphs are essential representations in the professions and education concerning the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Beyond their academic relevance, graphs find extensive utility in everyday scenarios, ranging from news media to educational materials. The ability to understand graphs is connected to the ability to create graphs. In school education, particularly in STEM subjects, not only the understanding but also the skill of constructing graphs from numerical data is emphasized. Although constructing graphs is a skill that most people do not require in their everyday lives and professions, it is a well-established student activity that has been empirically studied several times. To provide an overview of the empirical literature on this important topic, our systematic review identifies how the construction of convention-based graphical representations of numerical data, referred to as graphing, has been studied in previous research, how effective graphing is, and which types of difficulties are encountered by students. Based on these aspects, we defined inclusion criteria that led to 54 peer-reviewed empirical studies on graphing in K–12 STEM education found in SCOPUS, ERIC, and PsychInfo. Graphing instruction seemed to be beneficial for student learning, not only improving graph construction but also graph interpretation skills. However, the students experienced various difficulties during graphing, both during graph construction and the interpretation and usage of data. The review’s results indicate that students could benefit from an in-depth analysis of authentic data during graphing.

An inevitable future? The debate over mining for critical raw materials on Indigenous Sámi lands—A critical discourse analysis of Swedish news media

In late 2023, the end of indefinite detention in Australia marked a significant shift in immigration policy towards a rights-based treatment of people seeking asylum. Whilst the High Court's ruling was welcomed internationally, the domestic response was divisive; debated within the political and media spheres. Given the role media coverage of refugees and asylum seekers plays in informing the public, this research explores how asylum seekers were portrayed in Australian news media following the court's decision. Employing thematic analysis, this study examined 183 articles, published between 8 November 2023 and 29 February 2024. The dominant Australian media narrative was one characterising asylum seekers as criminals deserving of punishment, which was largely aligned with media publication ownership. This research demonstrates how Australia's highly concentrated media landscape reinforces negative portrayals of refugees and asylums seekers and how news media can misinform the public and undermine the rights of asylum seekers.