Online Press Research Articles

When the Far Right Makes the News: Protest Characteristics and Media Coverage of Far-Right Mobilization in Europe

When do the media cover far-right protests? News coverage matters for the entrenchment of the far right in contemporary democracies, but little comparative research has looked at what drives news attention to far-right mobilization. We apply a classic input–output process model of news selection bias to test the hypothesis that the visibility of far-right protests events depends on the characteristics of protest initiators, type of action, and reactions. We appraise this via logistic regressions on an original dataset of 5972 protest events retrieved from online press releases by far-right groups (input) and national quality newspapers (output) in 11 European countries (2008–2018). The analysis confirms that news media are particularly responsive to contentious action, protest around migration issues, and action–reaction chains between political opponents. Our findings shed light on the role of news organizations in the success of the far-right and on the pathways by which these movements shape public agendas.

Producing leadership legitimacy in civil society – A study of online presentations of leaders in Sweden

ABSTRACT This article investigates how Swedish civil society organizations (CSOs) legitimize their leaders through online press releases presenting newly elected or recruited leaders, and which leadership ideals that are reproduced. The aim is to analyze how leaders are socially legitimized through leadership ideals in a time of increased demands on CSOs. The study moves away from the dominant perspective on leaders as actors contributing to the organizations, in favour of studying leaders as organizational assets whose image needs to be handled by the organizations. The article is based on a qualitative analysis of 54 online statements from Swedish peak CSOs, focusing on how the leaders are presented concerning personal characteristics, qualifications and missions. The results of the study indicate that Swedish CSO leaders are mainly legitimized with reference to traditional popular movement leadership ideals. Such ideals seem to serve as legitimators regardless of the type of organization. However, there are also legitimacy claims linked to managerial and administrative skills in line with third sector leadership ideals, suggesting potentially conflicting expectations on CSO leaders. These findings can be related to trends such as New Public Management, which push civil society actors to develop new skills and networks and to become more business-like.

Facing climate change and improving emergency responses in Southern America by analysing urban cyclonic wind events

Climate change is modifying the spatiotemporal patterns of global precipitation events, temperatures, and winds, therefore, after extreme events, improving emergency responses in urban areas is key to saving its inhabitants. In Southern America, the number of extreme events is increasing. This is the case of Soledad, the municipality in Colombia where most of the catastrophic wind phenomena take place. To date, no studies have been conducted to quantify the impacts and effects of the urban cyclonic wind phenomena on society and the urban built environment. This lack of information and dissemination means that the population is not informed of the magnitude of the problem. This research aims to generate a risk map of atmospheric wind phenomena to evaluate their impacts and establish spatial-temporal correlations based on meteorological data from the last 20 years. Moreover, the online press has been used to identify the location of these phenomena and their negative impacts over time. For each event, the following indicators have been studied: (1) location of the atmospheric wind events; (2) occurrence rate; (3) impact of the events discriminated by fatalities, injuries, and affected houses. The results show that in 20 years, a total of 34 urban cyclonic wind events were reported. Those occurrences have impacted 60 neighbourhoods, leaving 7 deaths, 14,552 injured, and 5180 affected homes. These findings show the magnitude of the problem and the need to inform the population to improve emergency responses. We conclude that effective consideration of the resulting map will be crucial in the processes of decision-making related to territorial planning in Soledad, but also in other Southern American cities.

The role of scientific knowledge in Extinction Rebellion's communication of climate futures

IntroductionExtinction Rebellion (XR) is one of the central players in climate movements in the United Kingdom. Considering the historical relationship that environmentalists have had with science and scientific knowledge, we examine the current treatment of science in the narrative put forward by XR United Kingdom.MethodsUsing mixed qualitative methods, the group's online press releases for the year 2019 were analysed, alongside fieldwork from 2 weeks spent at the United Nations' climate conference in Glasgow in 2021. The fieldwork data consists of participant observation combined with semi-structured interviews.ResultsThe movement's demand to “tell the truth” utilises a narrative established on a fact-based enlightenment. This is complemented by notions of a fixed temporal deadline and predicted societal collapse. We highlight prominent perspectives that came to light and identify three main positions that the activists held with respect to science.DiscussionThe findings show the positioning of science and scientific knowledge as a supreme authority, which acts to depoliticize the discourse and induces reductionism in imagining climate futures. This positioning, combined with the centrality of apocalyptic imagery, hampers the construction of alternative futures and fails to engage meaningfully with climate justice.

Keyword Research-based stock market oil price forecast validity test with neural network

Stock market and global economic processes are often based on speculation, and in certain oligopoly markets, decisions are preceded by the prediction of the expected decisions of other players, i.e. we can also speak of speculative operation. In today's fast-paced world, the online press has a great influence on opinion formation through expert articles and analyses. In this article, we examine the extent to which Wall Street Journal articles influence or can influence investor inclination. In other words, the future price change can be predicted from the analysis of the articles, or more precisely, how effectively it can be predicted.

Internet Affordances and Multimedia Journalism Practices in the Romanian Online Press

Internet Affordances and Multimedia Journalism Practices in the Romanian Online Press

Content Particularities in the Local Online Press: The Title - Between Information and Clickbait

Content Particularities in the Local Online Press: The Title - Between Information and Clickbait

“SPATRIATO”, UN NEOLOGISMO SEMANTICO D’AUTORE

The paper analyses the Italian term spatriato, an author’s semantic neologism coined by Mario Desiati in Spatriati (Einaudi, Turin, 2021), the laureate of the latest Strega Awards, the most prestigious literary prize in Italy. The new meanings come from the corresponding term in the dialect of Puglia, which is where the author comes from. The journalistic documentation of the connotations of the term follows the writer’s interviews in online press.

Communication During Crisis: Negotiation Strategies

The study aims o find out the steps the Samsung organization took to resolve the exploding Galaxy Note 7 issue and to identify the negotiation strategies adopted in the discussion. The study employed a qualitative method to analyse the content. The organisation recorded the step taken by Samsung in detail. The researchers extracted data from past studies and written online press release resources. The results showed that the Samsung organization took a fast and decisive response regarding their crisis. Moreover, integrative bargaining was used to negotiate between both parties. The customers are familiar with Samsung products as a brand and are therefore not seen as a predictor for post-crisis reputational damage. It has been concluded that Samsung organization employed well-planned crisis management strategies that proved its capability to deal with the crisis and restore its customer’s trust in its product. The study concludes with the negotiation process and the actions taken concerning a crisis to provide healthy organizational crisis communication. Organizations can use this to implement a more effective strategy of crisis communication.

Review of Mergers & Acquisition Cases in Sri Lanka

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) are strategic growth tools used by organizations aiming for market dominance and sustainable growth in shareholder wealth. While M&A sound impressive they involve many complexities, conundrums and risks (Angwin, 2001; Algama, 2020) requiring a great deal of thinking, effort and resources to get right. Despite the commonality of M&A in developed as well as emerging markets a good majority of them fail (Hitt, 2012) and there doesn’t seem to be a thorough understanding of why they fail (Cartwright and Schoenberg, 2006). This article is a brief review of several noteworthy M&A executed in Sri Lanka in the recent history between Dialog Axiata & Wow.lk, Dialog Axiata & H-One, Mobitel & E-Channeling, Hutch Lanka & Etisalat Sri Lanka, ACL Cables & Kelani Cables, Gamma Pizzakraft & Keells Restaurants (Pizza Hut operation in Sri Lanka), Softlogic Holdings & Odel/Cotton Collection, SS Equity Holdings & RIL Property PLC (BreadTalk operation in Sri Lanka). The article attempts to understand the likely business objectives behind these strategic moves and if the expected results have materialized. Empirical evidence suggests that a vast majority of M&A fail to deliver the expected results. It is important that business managers evaluate the pros and cons of the M&A route carefully, formulate well defined goals & strong integration plans should they wish to proceed. The analysis was carried out based on already published data using company press releases, information from their websites, other online press articles, existing literature on mergers & acquisitions and authors experience/involvement in two of the cases being discussed and insights from industry insiders.

The role of inclusion of people with disabilities reflected in the online press

The role of inclusion of people with disabilities reflected in the online press

Television, Brands, and the Pandemic: How Spanish TV Channels Treated the Brands Most Valued for Their CSR During the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, the Spanish Government announced a total lockdown of the population and the interruption of all nonessential economic activity. From this point, televisions adapted their programming schedules by reducing their usual informative content, such as sport or economic segments. In this context, it would be reasonable to assume that the overall television coverage devoted to the main Spanish brands would decrease, but what about those considered to be most active in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR)? In this work, we analyze the presence of the Spanish brands that are most valued for their CSR on the four main television channels with the highest audience over the two months of total lockdown, and also in the online press. The study confirms that the television coverage of these brands was not only reduced but was also mostly positive during the pandemic, so it reveals the CSR importance in crisis periods.

Семантический рефрейминг как один из способов образования неологизмов в молодежной англоязычной онлайн-прессе

The purpose of the research is to identify and systematise internal and external semantic reframes in young people’s lexical innovations. The work is novel in that it is the first to consider lexical innovations in the youth English-language online press taking into account the productivity of their formation methods, involving a comprehensive statistical analysis of the material under study. In addition, the paper presents new empirical material obtained in the course of the research. As a result, it has been proved that semantic reframing is the most effective way of coining new words among the younger generation, as evidenced by the analysis of the youth English-language online press of 1995-2021.

The Interaction of the Authority Bodies with Target Groups: the transformation of communication technologies in the era of digitalization (regional aspect)

The research is devoted to the analysis of the transformation of the technologies of authority bodies’ interaction with different target groups under the conditions of digitalization and mediatization of all life spheres of the society. In modern conditions the complex problem of optimizing authority’s interaction with the population is very acute. Scientists are laying emphasis on to the issues connected with the technologies of public opinion control as well as with the peculiarities of authority bodies’ communication with the population in the sphere of public services and providing feedback, and with anti-crisis communications in the sphere of authority bodies’ activities and others. Digitalization emphasizes the need for the transformation of communication technologies. In this situation the study of the principles of work with the latest channels of public authorities interaction (sites, internet media, online press centres, social network accounts) is becoming urgent. It arises the necessity of developing a conceptual model of modern communication of different level authorities with target groups.The task of this research is (a) to determine the principles underlying the authority bodies’ interaction with the audience under the conditions of digitalizing and mediatizing of all life spheres of the society, and (b) to develop the conceptual model of effective communication of different level authorities with target groups. The solving of this task is supposed to enable, first, to work out the principles of public opinion control by means of effective communication practices, PR-technologies; second, to develop methodological principles of authority bodies’ interaction with target groups under the conditions of population free access to the information flows of different directivity as well as practical guidelines on implementing effective practices into the spheres of digital transformation of public administration. The authors provide the basis to model of authority bodies’ interaction with target groups; systematize effective communication practices of interaction between authority bodies and target groups; provide the reasoning for methodological approaches to the development of the principles of interaction between authority bodies and different target audiences by using the latest communication technologies.

Création et créativité néologique dans le discours médiatique

This current study aims to explore some neologisms in Romanian in the context of the 2020-2022 health crisis under the influence of the English and French languages. The main focus of this article is on the phenomenon of neologism to explore the creation of new words and the potential creativity languages have to produce lexical innovations to designate new realities. More specifically, it deals with an analysis of online press discourse on Covid-19 through a descriptive and qualitative analysis of some new lexical units formed from the acronym COVID-19. The data were collected from media websites and retrieved from February 2020 to April 2022 in order to identify possible evolutions of neologisms that appeared in the first months of the outbreak of the virus.

Confronting potential food industry \u2018front groups\u2019: case study of the international food information Council\u2019s nutrition communications using the UCSF food industry documents archive

BackgroundThere are growing concerns that the public’s trust in science is eroding, including concerns that vested interests are corrupting what we know about our food. We know the food industry funds third-party ‘front groups’ to advance its positions and profits. Here we ask whether this is the case with International Food Information Council (IFIC) and its associated Foundation, exploring its motivations and the potential for industry influence on communications around nutritional science.MethodWe systematically searched the University of California San Francisco’s Food Industry Documents Archive, for all documents pertaining to IFIC, which were then thematically evaluated against a science-communication influence model.ResultsWe identified 75 documents which evidence that prominent individuals with long careers in the food industry view IFIC as designed to: 1) advance industry public relations goals; 2) amplify the messages of industry-funded research organizations; and 3) place industry approved experts before the press and media, in ways that conceal industry input. We observed that there were in some cases efforts made to conceal and dilute industry links associated with IFIC from the public’s view.DiscussionInstances suggesting IFIC communicates content produced by industry, and other industry-funded organisations like ILSI, give rise to concerns about vested interests going undetected in its outputs. IFIC’s deployment to take on so-called “hard-hitting issues” for industry, summating evidence, while countering evidence that industry opposes, give rise to concerns about IFIC’s purported neutrality. IFIC’s role in coordinating and placing industry allies in online and traditional press outlets, to overcome industry’s global scientific, legislative, regulatory and public relations challenges, leads also to concerns about it thwarting effective public health and safety measures.ConclusionsIFIC’s promotion of evidence for the food industry should be interpreted as marketing strategy for those funders. Effective science communication may be obfuscated by undeclared conflicts of interests.

Media Representation of Coronavirus in Romanian Online Press. National, European, and International Themes

Media Representation of Coronavirus in Romanian Online Press. National, European, and International Themes

AN ANALYSIS ON HOW THE ROMANIAN MEDIA PERCEIVES FOOD WASTE

Objectives. Food waste is a process that takes place along the food supply chain and is the result of the following actors: institutions, members of the supply chain, and consumers. However, in developed countries, the main contributor to food waste appears to be the consumer (Buzby & Hyman, 2012). Material and methods. The analysis was conducted on two samples of articles published in the Romanian press, out of which, the first included 23 electronic editions of the “Scinteia” newspaper during 1980-1986, and the second consisted of 30 articles published in the Romanian national online press, during 2010-2020. Out of the total amount of electronic editions of the newspaper, 16 articles have been selected for analysis. The process of collecting both samples took place between February and March 2021. Results. The articles published between 1980 and 1989 placed a particular emphasis on the “collective effort” to eliminate waste. However, in articles published between 2010 and 2020, journalists used a triple approach, by emphasizing the particular role of each reader in the fight against food waste, using data gathered from the European and/or global statistics, in order to raise awareness regarding the food waste. Before 1989, the topic was understood and covered as a sequence of “daily acts”, describing real characters and situations, while after 1989, the information is delivered as an imperative. Conclusions. The analysis of the Romanian press coverage of food waste during the two mentioned periods of time reveals an important difference regarding the actors involved in this process. Keywords: food waste, media, Romania, persuasion.

The phenomenon of media culture in the modern world

The purpose of the Article. The urgency of the work is due to the fact that atypical digital phenomena are increasingly integrated into people's lives digital phenomena (in particular, from the Internet), which require compliance with certain standards of behavior. First of all, they are determined by the rules of the information environment and media culture. Given the fact that most of the news, information, data we receive from Internet sources, the issue of research of media culture from various aspects, is undoubtedly relevant. The aim of this paper research functions, tasks, and complex analysis of components of media culture, specifics of their functioning. The methodology involves the use of general and special techniques, in particular, analysis, synthesis, abstraction, specification, descriptive method, partial forecasting. The result of this work is to reveal the development of scientific thought about the place and role of media culture is considered. Approaches to the definition of this concept in the scientific literature are analyzed. The main issues to be solved by a media culture in the future are revealed. The ratio of general, communicative, information and media culture is demonstrated and substantiated. It is established that its architecture includes multifunctional channels, and systematicity and integrity are considered as their basic properties. Particular attention is paid to the functional purpose of media culture and the characteristics of the respective positions. Cautions have been formulated regarding the probable consequences of the digitalization of a certain part of cultural heritage. The topicality is due to the introduction of the author's proposals for the disclosure of the basic concept and components of media culture, as well as outlines a number of global issues that are designed to solve media culture. Scientific Novelty. The practical significance of the study is justified by the possibility of applying its results in lectures and seminars on journalism, philosophy, sociology, cybersecurity, and other educational areas. Conclusions. Based on the results of our work, let us summarize that contemporary media culture represents a new form of intellectual response. Each next stage of cultural development will be less bookish, tactile than the previous one. This is justified, on the one hand, by the rapid digitalization of all cultural institutions, and, on the other hand, by the desire of the very recipients to simplify data processing in such an array of information. It is established that a unified approach to the interpretation of “media culture” has the maximum to reflect the main characteristics of culture as a generalized concept. Thus, under the media culture is proposed to understand the part of the general culture, the main type of culture of the information society, on the one hand - reflects its general level of development, and on the other - forms the overall effect and intellectual influence, usually from the new media (television, online press, social networks, radio, film) on public opinion, preferences, and values. Prospects for further research we see in analyzing ways of introducing media literacy into the modern educational system.
 Keywords: digitalization, media culture, bricolage media sphere, latest media, convergent media, infographics.

Las Salas de Prensa Virtual como herramientas de Relaciones Públicas para la comunicación con los medios en Cuba. Un estado de la cuestión / Virtual Press Room as Public Relations tool for communication with media in Cuba. A state of affairs

Public Relations have found in digital platforms an ideal device to build contact and interactivity with corporation's audiences. Within the field, new possibilities emerge to address the issue of generating interactivity with communication media, which has always been a core activity of Public Relations offices. Over the last decade, the Cuban institutional and communicative scenario has witnessed an upsurge of Press Cabinets and Communication Offices, which are expanding their traditional functions mainly due to digitization and hypermedia convergence. Thus, new resources like Virtual Press Rooms aim to assist corporations in their quest to build interactive channels for contact with media and citizenship, to manage information flows with journalists and to promote the dialogue with the stakeholders. These tools are considered a natural evolvement of the traditional routines of communication offices to enhance interactive channels and nurtured relationships with press officers. Many researchers have pointed out the relevant role of Virtual Press Rooms as substitutes for common PR strategies like press kit and mailing. This research analyzes the integration of Virtual Press Rooms within the main organism of Cuban state’s central administration. This research has been carried out using a quantitative content analysis, based on a categorical system validated by the Bitartez Group of the Basque University System for developing similar researches in the field. The study assesses the common features of Virtual Press Rooms in Cuban corporations and its adaptation to Cuban journalistic and communicative landscape. The results of the study show that Cuban Online Press Rooms perform as a container for files and corporate content, while exalting a documentary function. In many cases, the informative role is prioritized, while the contents designed for media are relegated to less visible spaces within the website. Even though they improve the access to relevant and quality information that facilitates journalistic practices, they still lack of a better approach to nurture the interactions between journalists and corporate sources. The whole analysis shows that Cuban corporations do not take full advantage of digital capabilities to nurture the information flows and the interactions between the organization and their stakeholders. Whether it is suitable to assess that Cuban communication`s practices are, indeed, in a process of transition to the digital landscape, it is still relevant to find out if the limitations exposed in the previous paragraphs obey to some strategical and political-ideological conditioning factors.