News Service Research Articles

Changing Forms of Ownership in a Democratic Corporatist Media System — How Digitalization Leads to Less Transparency and the Risk of Media Capture

Digitalization has led to a crisis in news media and an upheaval in media ownership. A research concern has been that the motives driving media owners will shift from financial and public service to overtly political and ideological. The term “media capture” has been suggested to describe how various interests may take control over news media outlets. This paper adds to the study of digitalization and media ownership in three ways. First, our analysis is based on new analytical parameters developed as part of the Euromedia Ownership Monitor. Second, we compare types of ownership across legacy news media and digital news media, as each media type runs a different risk regarding capture. Third, we focus on ownership transparency, especially that of beneficial owners. Our case study is Denmark, which is part of the democratic corporatist media system and, based on international ratings, is one of the most democratic and transparent media systems in Europe. We find that private legacy news media is mostly owned by nonprofit foundations, while legacy public service news media is owned by the State or is listed as self-owned. Regarding new digital news media, we find different ownership forms. However, only new digital news media have ownership by a sole proprietor. Regarding transparency, we find the transparency of direct and beneficial owners is more accessible in legacy news media than in new, digital news media. We find no tradition for publishing “natural persons” possible affiliations to either political or other commercial interests. This seems especially relevant, as new digital news media outlets, unlike legacy media, sometimes are owned and funded by private investors, whose main business interests lie outside the news media and whose motives for owning a news media may differ from traditional ownership thus leading to a risk of media capture by ownership.

Oklahoma leaders reject settlement on jail MH services

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and other state leaders have rejected a legal settlement of a federal lawsuit over long delays in providing mental health treatment to jail detainees found not competent to stand trial, the Oklahoma Voice policy news service reported Oct. 8. State Attorney General Gentner Drummond had pushed for the negotiated settlement, which included a remediation plan that would revamp the state's current system for restoring offender competency and increase the state's number of forensic beds devoted to competency restoration (see “Legal settlement would expedite MH treatment for Oklahoma detainees,” MHW, July 1, 2024; https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.34099). But Stitt and the commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Allie Friesen, have characterized the settlement as overly costly and burdensome. Shortly before an Oct. 8 meeting of a review board chaired by Stitt, Friesen announced that she was terminating Drummond as the state's counsel in the case. Friesen indicated with regard to the proposed settlement that she would “resign before signing an agreement like this,” Oklahoma Voice reported. The lawsuit was originally filed in March 2023 in U.S. District Court on behalf of three incarcerated inmates. It alleges that detainees' long waits for needed mental health treatment have caused their conditions to deteriorate, and this violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Journalism as a Service: How Tablet News Service Influences Subscriber Retention and Long-Term Profitability

With the decline of advertising revenue, the newspaper industry faces the challenge of increasing audience-supported revenue. While news organizations must provide quality journalism to their readers, a complementary approach is to create better reading experiences using mobile news delivery. Focusing on the reading experience and building a long-term relationship are tenants of service-dominant logic theory. We study the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which provided its subscribers iPads with training and tech support while discontinuing its print edition. We analyze clickstream and subscription data to examine how participating in the iPad program influences subscriber retention, how the effect of the iPad program varies by region, and whether the customer lifetime value (CLV, discounted expected future profits) of subscribers who enrolled in the iPad program outweighs the cost of the program. The iPad program decreases subscriber churn across regions and subscriber segments. The CLV of subscribers in the iPad program is greater than the cost of iPads, training, and tech support, with newer subscribers showing higher CLV. The results demonstrate the importance of shifting to service-oriented approach in journalism and the potential of mobile devices to increase readership and long-term profitability.

Local news as political institution and the repercussions of ‘news deserts’: A qualitative study of seven UK local areas

A transformation in the political economy of local news provision has led to claims that an increasing number of local areas have become ‘news deserts’ – areas that are poorly served or not served at all by professional and dedicated news services (Abernathy, 2022). Such developments have raised widespread concerns about the future health of local democracy. One aspect of local news’ declining capacity that has received little attention to date is the impact on its role as political institution. This paper first examines the impact of changes on those most closely affected by the reduction or closure of UK local news media outlets – the consumers and sources of local news. Through empirical research in 2021-22, the authors explore Cook’s theory of the news media as political institution (2005), by examining local citizens’ experience of – and attitudes towards – their local news outlets, and the extent to which they believe these continue to perform an institutional role. Second, the paper seeks to explore the extent to which other information services – most notably social media and online communities - substitute for the institutional roles of local news outlets. The paper argues that the diminishing role of local news media as political institution has significant political and democratic implications which are not being addressed by policymakers, who are more concerned with the economic interests of corporate media owners than the broader democratic and societal interests of local communities.

The Making of Informational Efficiency: Information Policy and Theory in Interwar Agricultural Economics

This article offers a historical analysis of American interwar agricultural economists and their interest in information. Believing that the main problem facing farmers was a lack of information, agricultural economists designed an information policy aiming to produce, format, and disseminate information. Using administrative archives, the article analyzes the motivations of these economists and the implementation of this policy. As the article shows, the policy was a prerequisite for theoretical discussions about information, and it established institutional tools that are still used today, such as the USDA market news service.

Perancangan Sistem Informasi Berita Otomotif Berbasis Website Dengan Php Dan Mysql

In today's digital era, information about the automotive world is in great demand by the public. To meet these needs, an information system is needed that is able to present automotive news quickly, accurately, and easily accessible. This research aims to design and develop a website-based automotive news information system using PHP and MySQL. This system is designed to facilitate users in getting the latest information about the automotive world, including news about new vehicles, product reviews, maintenance tips, and the latest technology. The methods used in developing this system include needs analysis, system design, implementation, and testing. The results show that the information system developed is able to provide automotive news services with a user-friendly interface and features that suit user needs. With this system, it is expected to increase the accessibility and dissemination of automotive information among the public.

20 An Evaluation of the Quality and Readability of Online Information Regarding TMJ Dysfunction

Abstract Aim The accessibility and availability of the internet has allowed people to increasingly seek health information online, and therefore it plays an essential role in the decision-making process of the patient. The study aimed to assess the quality and readability of online health information on TMJ dysfunction. Method The search was conducted on Google using keywords: jaw pain, jaw locking, jaw discomfort, jaw clicking, jaw popping, temporomandibular joint, TMJ dysfunction, TMD and temporomandibular disorder. Ensuring Quality Information for Patient (EQIP) tool was used to assess quality of information and the application of readability score reflected through Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level(FKGL), Gunning-Fog Index(GFI) and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook(SMOG). Results 134 websites were eligible for assessment. The overall median EQIP score was 23, with an IQR of 7 and maximum score of 30. The most common source of information was healthcare industry (n=60; 45%), followed by news services (n=19; 14%), with a median EQIP score of 20 and 25 respectively. Statistically significant differences in overall EQIP scores were found between different sources of information (p=0.004). Only 31(23%) websites achieved the recommended 6th grade or below readability level, and only 14 (10%) discussed complication rates with none mentioning mortality rates at all. Conclusions Most online information on TMJ dysfunction is of suboptimal quality and readability. This study identified areas for improvements when producing patient material regarding TMJ dysfunction. To improve patient education and awareness, content creators should strive to be informative, accurate, and patient-centric.

The shadowy realm of news avoidance: Exploring public service news avoidance as negative social action

Abstract Studies on news avoidance rely on a range of theories to explain why news avoidance takes place and its potential consequences, and the debates on different ways of measuring news avoidance have been lively. Despite the numerous approaches and conceptualisations, there is room to theorise what news avoidance entails as a social phenomenon. In this study, we posit that news avoidance can fruitfully be approached as a form of negative social action embedded in a negative social space – a realm of the lifeworld filled with non-doings and non-appearance. We apply this approach, which opens up new questions in the field of news avoidance studies, to a case study of Swedes who opted out of national public service news in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings suggest that avoiders of public service news occupy relatively precarious social positions, and that news avoidance is embedded in a broader negative social space.

Analyzing Media Coverage Trends on Undocumented Migrant Children in South Korea

Objectives: This study examined the impact of media coverage on the public perceptions of undocumented migrant children in South Korea, highlighting their societal exclusion due to their undocumented status. Thise research explores how media shapes the awareness of these vulnerable minors, which is crucial for both their development and societal progress.Methods: We analyzed 302 articles from BIGKinds, a news service of the Korea Press Foundation, published from 1990 to 2023. These articles contained terms related to ‘undocumented migrant children,’ totaling 69,278 keywords. The analysis was conducted using R 4.3.1 with packages such as wordcloud2 and ggplot2 to assess keyword frequency and trends over the decades.Results: From the analysis, 69,240 keywords were identified, with the most common being “children, arrest, parents, foreigner, illegal, resident, rights, protection, birth, offspring, support, school”. Media trends have evolved, with an overall increase in coverage, particularly during significant societal events.Conclusion: Media portrayals have shifted from viewing these children merely as dependents of foreign workers to recognizing them as individuals. Residency remained a persistent theme, highlighting it as an unresolved issue. This study highlights the critical role of the media in informing the public about marginalized individuals and influencing societal engagement and perceptions.

“Can I have it non-personalised?” An Empirical Investigation of Consumer Willingness to Share Data for Personalized Services and Ads

European regulators, courts, and scholars are currently debating the legality of data processing for personalization purposes. Should businesses require separate consent for processing user data for personalized advertising, especially when offering free services reliant on such ads for revenue? Or is general consent for the contract enough, given personalized advertising’s role in fulfilling contractual obligations? This study investigates whether these legal distinctions reflect differences in people’s willingness to share data with businesses for personalization. Are consumers less willing to share their data for personalized advertising than for personalized services that they clearly contracted for? Does that change if the service is offered for free? Drawing from both the privacy calculus and privacy as contextual integrity theory, the hypothesis posits that individuals would be more inclined to share their data when it is used to personalize the services offered by businesses (e.g., music or news recommendations) rather than for personalized advertising, yet this difference will be smaller when services are offered for free. Using three vignette experiments involving music, shopping, and news services (N = 3,436), the study demonstrates that, contrary to predictions, most individuals are hesitant to share their data for personalization, regardless of whether it’s for advertisements or contracted services. This absence of distinction persists across both paid and free services. The findings strongly support the claim that if the law considers people’s reluctance to share personal data, both personalized advertising and personalized contracted services should require separate consent to data processing from consumers.

Millions in BH funding to advance Unity Agenda announced

The Biden‐Harris administration last week announced $46.8 million in behavioral health funding opportunities to advance President Biden's Unity Agenda as part of May Mental Health Awareness Month, according to a U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) news release.

The channels underlying the effect of COVID-19 on trust in physicians

ABSTRACT We use a nationally representative panel to examine the channels through which the COVID-19 pandemic induced higher trust in physicians in China. We find that respondents who closely followed news services, in which the contribution made by medical professionals was extensively praised, were more likely to express higher trust in physicians. These respondents also expressed significantly lower trust in American people, reflecting criticism in the Chinese media of the handling of the pandemic in the United States, lending further support to the public opinion guidance channel. We also find that respondents who had more contact with physicians prior to COVID-19 were less influenced by good news stories about the heroics of doctors in the pandemic.

Journalistic Professionalism in a Time of Paradoxes: Ntv Online and “Alternative Voice” in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT This article explores the specific work mechanisms journalists use to promote the ideology of good and independent journalism at the online news services of Ntv station in Bangladesh. Along with the journalistic scholarships on issues of heightened state surveillance on broadcast and online communications by the hybrid regime and its relation to broader questions of how dissidents and alternative voices struggle to gain visibility in the context of media freedom and democracy in Bangladesh, the theoretical framework of the political economy of communication and concepts of alternative voice are employed in this study. It scrutinizes the implications of state control measures upon journalistic praxis and examines how journalists at Ntv Online – a digital section of this television station, perceive the “alternative voice” to become the place for public deliberation. Built on field-based case study research and in-depth interviews with reporters and editors at Ntv Online, this study reveals that Ntv Online is materializing the concept of “alternative voice” by opening up access to media production. This is empowering those who are involved in news-making processes. At a professional level, this study aimed to contribute to the online news-making process while capturing the experiences of conflict and challenges journalists face.

Are narcissists trolls? A cross-sectional study about aggression, trolling behavior, narcissism, and the moderating role of self-esteem

Whether in social media, in news services, or via instant messaging systems - in places where people communicate online, one can occasionally encounter internet trolls. Trolls are real people, who engage in destructive, aggressive, or disruptive behavior online, usually under the protection of anonymity. In this cross-sectional study the relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, self-esteem, aggression, and trolling behavior was investigated on the basis of four assumptions. To test the hypotheses, data from 149 participants were analyzed. The results indicated that aggression and trolling behavior were positively related. Significant positive correlations of both forms of narcissism with aggression and trolling behavior were obtained. Finally, the extent to which self-esteem exhibits a moderating influence on the association between narcissism and trolling was examined. Specifically, high self-esteem was shown to weaken the correlation between narcissism and trolling behavior. Therefore, high self-esteem neutralized the unfavorable impact of high narcissism on trolling. The findings may serve to better understand the personality structure of trolls and the psychological mechanisms involved in their internet trolling behavior.

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Speech of Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the United Nations General Assembly

The research study entitled “Critical Discourse Analysis of the Speech of Recep Tayyip Erdogan at United Nations General Assembly” aims to analyze and find out the ways used by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in delivering his political speech using the Critical Discourse Analysis theory proposed by Fairclough and the theory of Persuasion postulated by Aristotle. During a political speech, the leader tries to express, declare, commit, emphasize, or motivate the listeners by using one’s ideology and power. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is considered an effective approach to exploring the use of power and hidden ideologies in a text. The method applied in this research is the descriptive qualitative method. The transcript of Erdogan’s speech was taken from the mentioned web page (America Times News Service September 21, 2022) and the video (with subtitles) from YouTube which has 30 30-minute time duration. Both the transcript and video of the speech were used in the investigation of the data. His speech of Erdogan has been analyzed to show how using language, he motivated and persuaded his followers to comply with his cause. Based on the study's findings, it can be concluded that figurative language, modal auxiliaries, and personal pronouns are used very efficiently and widely in the persuasive discourse of Erdogan, and the rhetorical elements that most frequently have been applied are a combination of appealing using ethos and pathos.

NEWS RECOMMENDER SYSTEM USING HYBRID CONTENT-BASED FILTERING AND COLLABORATIVE FILTERING

The development of online news services has offered users numerous choices, resulting in information overload. This makes it challenging for users to locate desired news within a spesific timeframe. to adress this, recommender systems have developed to help users discover and select news article.

User Experiments on the Effect of the Diversity of Consumption on News Services

User Experiments on the Effect of the Diversity of Consumption on News Services

Integration durch Repräsentation? Die Rolle des öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunks für den gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt

In view of a perceived crisis of legitimacy of public service broadcasting (PSB) and societal debates concerning its functional mandate, this article examines the integration mandate of PSB. It examines how the use of PSB is related to perceived representation and the subjective perception of social cohesion. The results indicate that a more intensive use of public service news services is associated with both a higher perception of representation and a more pronounced sense of community as an indicator of social cohesion. The findings thus underline the social importance of independent, diverse broadcasting.

A Study of Mainstream Media Communication and Audience Participatory Culture Based on Multimodal Analysis Approach

Abstract This paper analyzes the network expression and audience participatory discourse system under the mainstream media communication mode, combines the audiovisual multimodal audience cognitive participation and the multimodal features of the mainstream media, and proposes a multimodal deep learning model based on mainstream media communication. Based on the picture vision and human emotion migration methods, the picture vision feature migration module and the text emotion migration module are constructed respectively, and the multimodal feature fusion model is built by applying the gradient enhancement decision tree. Linguistic modality analysis of mainstream media communication discourse is carried out by analyzing the development characteristics of audience participatory cultural communication modes. The influence of different mainstream media communication discourses on the audience’s participatory culture is examined through logistic regression analysis while screening network discourse access. The regression analysis shows that the mainstream media communication modes represented by social software and microblogging have a significant impact on the development of the audience’s participatory culture, with p-values of 0.0452 and 0.0068, respectively, and thus the mainstream media need to strengthen content innovation, focus on specific audience groups, and make full use of new media platforms to provide audiences with richer, more accurate and professional news services.

Research on the International Communication Characteristics of Mainstream Media from the Perspective of Five Abilities of Communication —Taking the Winning Works of China News Service from 2020 to 2023 as an Example

Research on the International Communication Characteristics of Mainstream Media from the Perspective of Five Abilities of Communication —Taking the Winning Works of China News Service from 2020 to 2023 as an Example