Risks of communication: discourses on climate change in science, politics, and the mass media

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Weingart ◽  
Anita Engels ◽  
Petra Pansegrau
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Theoretical Assumptions ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Selection Of

This paper summarizes the results of a research project analyzing communication about global warming among those in the fields of science, politics, and the media in Germany between 1975 and 1995. The methodology of discourse analysis has been applied to investigate the changing perceptions of climate change over time and the ways in which it became an important issue on Germany's political agenda. The first part of the paper will briefly introduce the underlying theoretical assumptions and explain the multiple steps by which data covering a period of two decades have been collected and analyzed. In the second part, the paper will provide the reader with the main research results, indicating the usefulness of distinguishing among the separate discourses on climate change in science, politics, and the mass media. The results suggest that there are specific discourse dynamics common to each of the three spheres, as well as some important disparities among them. These findings will be illustrated by a selection of examples typical of the samples analyzed. Finally, the third part of the paper will discuss the broader theoretical and practical implications of these results, which suggest that modern societies must cope not only with environmental risks but also with the risks inherent in communication.

Political Agenda Setting and the Mass Media

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefaan Walgrave ◽  
Peter Van Aelst
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Individual

Recently, the number of studies examining whether media coverage has an effect on the political agenda has been growing strongly. Most studies found that preceding media coverage does exert an effect on the subsequent attention for issues by political actors. These effects are contingent, though, they depend on the type of issue and the type of political actor one is dealing with. Most extant work has drawn on aggregate time-series designs, and the field is as good as fully non-comparative. To further develop our knowledge about how and why the mass media exert influence on the political agenda, three ways forward are suggested. First, we need better theory about why political actors would adopt media issues and start devoting attention to them. The core of such a theory should be the notion of the applicability of information encapsulated in the media coverage to the goals and the task at hand of the political actors. Media information has a number of features that make it very attractive for political actors to use—it is often negative, for instance. Second, we plead for a disaggregation of the level of analysis from the institutional level (e.g., parliament) or the collective actor level (e.g., party) to the individual level (e.g., members of parliament). Since individuals process media information, and since the goals and tasks of individuals that trigger the applicability mechanism are diverse, the best way to move forward is to tackle the agenda setting puzzle at the individual level. This implies surveying individual elites or, even better, implementing experimental designs to individual elite actors. Third, the field is in dire need of comparative work comparing how political actors respond to media coverage across countries or political systems.

scholarly journals Violence Against Women: Analysis Of Some Works Related To Media

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Abida Parveen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
The Media ◽  
Entire Society ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Violent Assault

The mass media have important role in modern society as the main channel of communication. The population relies on the media as the main source of information and the basis on which they form their opinions. Any selection of messages in the mass media will therefore have a profound effect on the entire society. A society cannot progress unless if women are given due recognition and respect. Mass media can play a significant role in reflecting social realities and in profiting the positive role of women, as envisaged in Islam. This article has examined the prevalence of violent assault against women in Pakistani society. Some works related to media and women have been stressed.

AUTISM IN THE DISCOURSE OF THE RUSSIAN MASS MEDIA: CONSTRUCTING OF THE IMAGE OF A HUMAN WITH ASD

2020 ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
Saveleva Zh.V.
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
The Media ◽  
Inner World ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Mass Media

The prevalence of autism is growing, the problems of stigmatization and discrimination of people with autism spectrum disorders in society are exacerbating. The mass media play an important role in enlightening and reducing stigmatizing effects, in connection with which the goal was formulated to study the construction of images of a person with ASD in the mass media by the method of qualitative and discourse analysis of video clips from the federal channel. According to the results of the study, it can be argued that the range of characteristics used to describe people with autism in media discourse is diverse, but in retrospect, dominant interpretation models can be identified. At an early stage, the prevailing image of a person with ASD was deprived of the quality’s characteristic of normotypical people who do not want to leave their world. People diagnosed with autism were referred to as the intolerant category of "autistic". Since 2013, there has been a discursive turn, within which the category “autist” is replaced by tolerant speech patterns, adults with autism get into the lens of the media, the topic of uncommunicability as a property of a person with autism is replaced by the intention of the lack of opportunities to communicate, one of the reasons for which is social exclusion. In television stories of recent years, the mass media are actively constructing the image of a person with autism spectrum disorder through his inner world, through the advantages that a person with ASD can have due to his characteristics. However, it cannot be said that there has been a complete change of the image: the old cliches, as a rule, manifest themselves at a more latent level of grammatical constructions and semiotic meanings.

scholarly journals The Big Brother Naija TV Reality Show as Coordinate of Media Functions and Dysfunctions

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Bolu John Folayan ◽  
Olubunmi Ajibade ◽  
Olubunmi Dipo Adedoyin ◽  
Toyin Segun Onayinka ◽  
Toluwani Titilola Folayan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Big Brother ◽  
Reality Show ◽  
South West ◽  
The Media ◽  
Basic Functions ◽  
The Mass Media

The mass media play at least five basic functions which include news dissemination, surveillance of the environment, correlation of the components of the society, entertainment and transmission of social heritage.  Sometimes, disruptions and impairments do occur in the performance of these roles and some of these basic functions become dysfunctions, which turn the media into purveyor of negative values. The present study investigates how popular the Nigerian TV reality show, Big Brother Naija (BBN), is perceived by its viewers. Three hundred heavy viewers of the programme were surveyed from Lagos and Ede, South-West Nigeria, and their opinions and attitudes were sought regarding; why they like or dislike the programme; the gratifications that those who like the programme derive and whether the BBN, as media content, is generally functional or dysfunctional to the society. Sixty-six per cent 66 (33.7%) of respondents like the programme because it entertains. Half of the respondents, 99(50.5%) dislike ‘immoral aspects’ of the programme. The viewers affirm that the eviction part of the programme was their highest form of gratification.  Most respondents, despite public outcry against the programme, consider the programme to be “functional”. Findings reinforce the postulation that TV viewers are not passive consumers of media contents.

scholarly journals Catholic Church and the Italian public television. An enduring relation with an interlude: the Council

2015 ◽  
pp. 179-199
Author(s):  
Federico Ruozzi
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Public Television ◽  
Second Vatican Council ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
Vatican Council ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The article presents the entanglement of the Catholic Church and the media by focusing on the case of the Second Vatican Council and the television broadcast of its events. The mass media attention of the council stimulated, according to the author, a double level: the media conveyed more information about the church event than it had ever done before, but at the same time, the mass media influenced the discussion of the council fathers. The article also analyzes, through the lens of the Council, the recent relationship between the Catholic Church and the Italian television.  

scholarly journals MEDIA AND PUBLIC TRUST TOWARDS COVID-19 INFORMATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-176
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yunus Patawari
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
The People ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Media Channels ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Mass media is one of the leading sectors in handling COVID-19. Amidst current health emergency, public trusttowards the information conveyed by the mass media is the key to successful mitigation. Various types of newsregarding massive COVID-19 reports in several media channels have the potential to cause information bias whichends in pros and cons. Insubstantial debates in varied media are counter-productive to the efforts of various partiesin educating the society to avoid misinformation. Based on this, it is important to know the media that are referencesand that gain public trust in seeking information. This study examines the level of public trust in information aboutCOVID-19 in the mass media, both old and new media, using an online questionnaire methodology on May 3, 2020,which was given to 60 respondents. The results show that the respondents’ level of faith in television is higher, but itsconsumption by viewers is much lower than that of online media (news sites and social media). The results showedthat viewers still deemed television a reliable reference for information. From these data it was found out why themedia are rarely used by the people but are able to gain high trust in the eyes of the public. The results of this studyare expected to provide an overview of the attitudes and behavior of the community in understanding COVID-19information so that relevant parties can make appropriate policies in the perspectives of media and communication.

scholarly journals Factors that Influence Freedom of Speech and Self-censorship in Mass Media in Contemporary Russia

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 110-120
Author(s):  
Oksana Olshevskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Freedom Of Speech ◽  
Media Freedom ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
In The Beginning

An attempt to define the degree of media freedom in contemporary Russia leads to contradiction between the declaration of the mass media freedom provided by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Soviet Union heritage of unequivocal control of the press by the government, described by Siebert et al. (1984) as the Soviet-Communist Press Theory. The reason for this ambiguity could be explained by the great deal of different factors that exert an influence on the journalism, such as features of mass media legislation, governmental control of the media, the diversity of media ownership, sources of media incomes, and traditions of censorship in Russia.  The current development of the media legislation in Russia shows no improvement regarding the freedom of speech. In the beginning of the third presidential term in 2012, Vladimir Putin has signed several laws that reduced the freedom of speech through the limitation of public assembly, criminalization of defamation in the mass media, and intensification of governmental censorship on the internet. On the other hand, the contemporary press freedom that appeared in conditions of the new market economy in the beginning of the 1990s has brought discredit as to the conception of an exclusively positive impact of unconditional freedom on the mass media since the newspapers, television and radio channels were controlled by several powerful oligarchs who used the owned mass media to spread and support their political influence. However, after the authorities’ reference in the 2000s the balance was not regained. As a result, the majority of the media outlets in Russia became co-owned or fully controlled by the government. Another crucial aspect of the mass media freedom as the cultural phenomenon should be kept in mind: seven decades of severe censorship could not be erased from the journalism professional community’s memory in several years. The negative experience of predecessors transforms censorship into self-censorship in modern Russia.

scholarly journals NARASI LIRIS FOTOGRAFI JURNALISTIK PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19: STUDI KASUS PROYEK FOTOGRAFI “STILL LIVES” OLEH THE NEW YORK TIMES

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-124
Author(s):  
Aji Susanto Anom Purnomo ◽  
Novan Jemmi Andrea ◽  
Monica Revias Purwa Kusuma
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
New York Times ◽  
Roland Barthes ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The New York Times ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Journalistic Practice

2020 is the year when the world is faced with a health crisis, namely the Covid-19 pandemic or also known as the Corona Virus. All aspects of life are affected by this crisis, the joints of humanity are faced with limitations. The mass media are intensively reporting various incidents regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. The stories are often accompanied by journalistic photos. One of the functions of photojournalism is to strengthen the story of what the media wants to convey. Journalistic photos during this pandemic usually feature scenes from medical activities, government policies and large narratives that are cold on empathetic human relations. However, different from most photojournalism in most mass media, The New York Times publishes "Still Lives" photography projects that are done by its photographers. The project presents a different narrative from this time of the pandemic. The “Still Lives” photography project is important because it presents journalistic photos that tell a domestic narrative that is close to the sides of universal humanity, namely the stories of the photographers' homes and families. This study aims to describe and interpret the “Still Lives” photography project as an alternative in creating a different narrative from photojournalism during the pandemic. This study used a descriptive qualitative research method based on phenomenology with Roland Barthes' main theory of semiotics and supported by journalistic photography theory and representation theory. The research results obtained a complete explanation and meaning of the “Still Lives” Project from The New York Times. The project according to the theory of photo journalistic is photo story based on personal experiences. From the analysis through the theory of semiotics from Roland Barthes and representation theory successfully obtained a result that basically projects “Still Lives” can be understood as a representation of the universal experience and feeling by mankind. Project “Still Lives” provides the representation of covid-19 pandemic through the mass media journalistic that show an alternative offer to journalistic practice to use lyrical narratives and personal experience in the story and more empathy in the mass publication of pandemic covid-19.

scholarly journals Unique information offers as a means of modern communication strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (25) ◽  
pp. 31-40
Author(s):  
Kirill V. Aksenov ◽  
◽  
Diana A. Bagdasaryan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
External Resources ◽  
The Public ◽  
Unique Information ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media ◽  
Article Study ◽  
Wide Potential

The article is devoted to the issue of communication strategy in the mass media and PR-departments in organizations of various orientations. The authors draw attention to the existing practice of similar, repetitive messages that fill the information space. This complicates the perception of information by the public and makes this process boring and uninteresting. As one way of solving the problem, it is proposed to focus on unique information offers in communications. The authors believe that a wide potential audience is not aware of truly unique information offers of the mass media or PR departments of companies and organizations. A unique information offer is lost in the conditions of the growing tradition to consume news information from the social media feed, subscribing to a large number of public pages, unless these offers are made by popular and well-known companies. For instance, the authors of the article study unique information offers made by the media service of a football club in March-June 2020 in the context of the coronavirus crisis and the absence of matches. This is one of the most popular Russian clubs, well-known even to those Russians who are not football fans. Moreover, the authors also examine the unique information offers of a beauty company, with some of them not directly related to their products. As a result, theauthors suggest that it is worth advertising not only products on external resources, but also unique information offers directly.

scholarly journals DICTION as a Tool for Studying the Mass Media

2014 ◽  
pp. 462-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lance Holbert
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Systematic Assessment ◽  
Message Tailoring ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mass Media

This chapter offers a systematic assessment of DICTION’s ability to address a wide range of media content. Each of the media-related works in this volume reflects a unique mix of communication inputs, and DICTION proves itself able to generate valid and reliable insights on a diverse range of material. In addition, the chapter focuses on a series of challenges (e.g., Message Tailoring, Hypertext, Interactivity) and opportunities (e.g., big data) for DICTION in relation to the study of media content. The program and the researchers who utilize it need to continue to evolve with the changing media landscape in order to generate practical knowledge that is relevant to improving communication.

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