scholarly journals Sharks, Lies, and Videotape: A content analysis of 32 years of Shark Week documentaries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa B. Whitenack ◽  
Brady L. Mickley ◽  
Julia Saltzman ◽  
Stephen M. Kajiura ◽  
Catherine C. Macdonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
White Male ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Shark Species ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Past ◽  
Small Set ◽  
Shark Conservation

AbstractDespite evidence of their importance to marine ecosystems, at least 25% of all chondrichthyan species are estimated or assessed as threatened with extinction. In addition to the logistical difficulties of effectively conserving wide-ranging marine species, shark conservation is believed to have been hindered in the past by public perceptions of sharks as dangerous to humans. Shark Week is a high-profile, international programming event that has potentially enormous influence on public perceptions of sharks, shark research, shark researchers, and shark conservation. However, Shark Week has received regular criticism for poor factual accuracy, fearmongering, bias, and inaccurate representations of science and scientists. This research analyzes the content and titles of Shark Week episodes across its entire 32 years of programming to determine if there are trends in species covered, research techniques featured, expert identity, conservation messaging, type of programming, and portrayal of sharks. We analyzed titles from 272 episodes (100%) of Shark Week programming and the content of all available (201; 73.9%) episodes. Our data demonstrate that the majority of episodes are not focused on shark bites, although such shows are common and many Shark Week programs frame sharks around fear, risk, and adrenaline. While anecdotal descriptions of disproportionate attention to particular charismatic species (e.g. great whites, bull sharks, and tiger sharks) are accurate and supported by data, 79 shark species have been featured briefly at least once. Shark Week’s depictions of research and of scientists are biased towards a small set of (typically visual and expensive) research methodologies and (mostly white, mostly male) scientists, including presentation of many white male non-scientists as experts. While sharks are more often portrayed negatively than positively, limited conservation messaging does appear in 53% of episodes analyzed. Results suggest that as a whole, while Shark Week is likely contributing to the collective perception of sharks as monsters, even relatively small alterations to programming decisions could substantially improve the presentation of sharks and shark science and conservation issues.

News on the 700 Club: The Cycle of Religious Activism

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 887-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Abelman
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Religious Right ◽  
Presidential Campaign ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Past ◽  
News Program ◽  
The Media ◽  
Religious Activism

This content analysis evaluates political topics and themes of televangelist Pat Robertson's high-profile news program The 700 Club during the early months of the 1992 presidential campaign. Considered the media arm of the Religious Right, this program was found to go against the trend of increasingly political and less religious content observed in earlier analyses of equivalent episodes during the 1983, 1986, and 1989 seasons. In addition, political topics were addressed more neutrally than in the past. The study discusses the possible impact of an increasingly competitive telecommunication environment on religious broadcasters.

Buddhism in Crisis? Institutional Decline in Modern Japan

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Reader
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Japanese Population ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
Death Rituals ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
The Past ◽  
Modern Cities ◽  
Modern Japan ◽  
Institutional Decline

Concerns that established temple Buddhism in Japan is in a state of crisis have been voiced by priests in various sectarian organizations in recent years. This article shows that there is a very real crisis facing Buddhism in modern Japan, with temples closing because of a lack of support and of priests to run them, and with a general turn away from Buddhism among the Japanese population. In rural areas falling populations have led to many temple closures, while in the modern cities people are increasingly turning away from the prime area in which Japanese people have traditionally engaged with Buddhist temples — the processes of death and their aftermath. Partly this is due to competition from new secular funeral industries, but partly also it is because public perceptions of Buddhism — which has become over-reliant on death rituals in Japan — have become highly negative in modern times. Even practices which have often been seen as areas in which Buddhist temples have been able to attract people — such as pilgrimages — are proving less successful than in the past, contributing further to a sense of crisis that threatens to undermine Buddhism’s roots in Japan.

Quirky Neighbors or the Cult Next-Door?

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-211
Author(s):  
Bernard Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Political Involvement ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Media Transformation

Beginning in 2005 the tiny Christian sect then known as the Exclusive Brethren suddenly underwent a media transformation from a virtually unknown or ignored group of quirky and old-fashioned Protestant sectarians to being touted as “Australia’s biggest cult” by tabloid television programs. This explosion of controversy came on the heels of media revelations about the involvement of Brethren members in providing financial donations to conservative political causes across the globe and a snowballing effect in response which brought forth a number of ex-members eager to expose their former group. This article looks at how this media transformation has been received by the wider Australian public. By studying the hitherto little utilized data contained in readers’ letters to Australia’s three mainstream broadsheet newspapers this article identifies which events or undertakings had the most impact on public perceptions of the Exclusive Brethren and which specific articles and issues struck the most responsive chord with readers. This content analysis found that Australian public opinion toward the Exclusive Brethren, while on the whole negative, was more indicative of their political involvement than their beliefs. The study also found that prior to what I call “The Brethren Controversy” the Exclusive Brethren had maintained a high degree of “sectarian tension” in Australia for almost four decades with little public outcry or media vilification.

What are dental professionals posting on Facebook? A cross-sectional content analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 146531252110333
Author(s):  
Keelin Fox ◽  
Parmjit Singh
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
Plain Text ◽  
The Past ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Group Characteristics ◽  
Product Promotion

Objective: To profile the posts on open orthodontic Facebook groups and identify which communication strategies and media modalities generate the most engagement from users. Design: A cross-sectional content analysis. Setting: Facebook Internet-based search. Methods: Post data were collected over a one-month period from the 10 largest public orthodontic Facebook groups. Evaluation of group characteristics included membership levels, number of administrators, time each group had been in existence and growth rate of each group. The number of posts, the numbers and types of engagement (likes, emojis, comments, shares) and engagement rate were calculated. The communication strategies (e.g. case presentation, course promotion, etc.) and media modalities (e.g. plain text, photograph, etc.) were recorded. Results: The study identified 190,268 Facebook members from the 10 largest orthodontic Facebook groups (median 17,811; interquartile range [IQR] 11,977). The median time the groups had existed was six years (median 2175 days; IQR 2311 days) and the median number of new group members in the past month was 1257 (IQR 2773). The median number of new group members in the past month was 1257 (IQR 2773). There were 227 postings during the study period with 2546 engagements. The overall median number of engagements was 196 (IQR 445) and the engagement rate of posts was 1.3% overall. Posts relating to course promotion (n = 63, 28%) followed by product promotion (n = 42, 19%) were the most common. Case presentation style posts accounted for 15% (n = 35). The level of engagement was greater for posts that had a clinical component compared to posts that did not ( P < 0.001). For media modality, posts that included a photograph had greater engagement ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: There are frequent posts on course and product promotion in orthodontic Facebook groups; however, these are associated with low levels of engagement. Posts that are clinically orientated and include photographs have higher levels of engagement.

Sport Reporting in an Era of Activism: Examining the Intersection of Sport Media and Social Activism

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans C. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sport Media ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

While there is a longstanding connection between sports and politics, this past year has seen a surge of social activism in the world of sport, and numerous high-profile athletes have used their positions of prominence to raise awareness of social or political issues. Sport media, in turn, have faced questions regarding how best to cover such activism. Given the popularity of sport media, such decisions can have real implications on the views held by the public. This scholarly commentary discusses how sport media cover the social activism of athletes and presents the results of a content analysis of popular news and sports television programs, newspapers, and magazines. Overall, results indicate that sport media are giving significant and respectful coverage to athletes who advocate for social or political issues.

scholarly journals Trust in the European Union: Effects of the information environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Brosius ◽  
Erika J van Elsas ◽  
Claes H de Vreese
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
News Media ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Media

Over the past decade, the European Union has lost the trust of many citizens. This article investigates whether and how media information, in particular visibility and tonality, impact trust in the European Union among citizens. Combining content analysis and Eurobarometer survey data from 10 countries between 2004 and 2015, we study both direct and moderating media effects. Media tone and visibility have limited direct effects on trust in the European Union, but they moderate the relation between trust in national institutions and trust in the European Union. This relation is amplified when the European Union is more visible in the media and when media tone is more positive towards the European Union, whereas it is dampened when media tone is more negative. The findings highlight the role of news media in the crisis of trust in the European Union.

Sex Roles in Advertising: A Comparison of Television Advertisements in Australia, Mexico, and the United States

1988 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary C. Gilly
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Sex Roles ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
Past Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Influence ◽  
The Past ◽  
Television Advertisements

In the past, research has found that the portrayal of sex roles in advertising has not reflected equality or reality. Further, studies typically have examined only U.S. advertising, leaving open the question of cultural influence on advertising's sex role portrayals. The author offers a new analysis of sex roles in advertising and compares content analysis findings for U.S., Australian, and Mexican television advertisements. Results reveal differences in the portrayal of the sexes in U.S. advertisements. Australian advertisements show somewhat fewer sex role differences and Mexican advertisements show slightly more sex role differences than U.S. advertisements. Stereotypes are found in the advertising of all three countries, but are manifested in different ways.

scholarly journals Decoupled taxonomic and ecological recoveries from the Permo-Triassic extinction

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. eaat5091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijun Song ◽  
Paul B. Wignall ◽  
Alexander M. Dunhill
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Structure Building

The Permian-Triassic mass extinction was the worst crisis faced by life; it killed >90% of marine species in less than 0.1 million years (Ma). However, knowledge of its macroecological impact over prolonged time scales is limited. We show that marine ecosystems dominated by non-motile animals shifted to ones dominated by nektonic groups after the extinction. In Triassic oceans, animals at high trophic levels recovered faster than those at lower levels. The top-down rebuilding of marine ecosystems was still underway in the latest Triassic, ~50 Ma after the extinction, and contrasts with the ~5-Ma recovery required for taxonomic diversity. The decoupling between taxonomic and ecological recoveries suggests that a process of vacant niche filling before reaching the maximum environmental carrying capacity is independent of ecosystem structure building.

scholarly journals Holistic Health: Does It Really Include Mental Health?

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2092-2099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly K. McClanahan ◽  
Marlene B. Huff ◽  
Hatim A. Omar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Holistic Health ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
The U.S

Holistic health, incorporating mind and body as equally important and unified components of health, is a concept utilized in some health care arenas in the United States (U.S.) over the past 30 years. However, in the U.S., mental health is not seen as conceptually integral to physical health and, thus, holistic health cannot be realized until the historical concept of mind-body dualism, continuing stigma regarding mental illness, lack of mental health parity in insurance, and inaccurate public perceptions regarding mental illness are adequately addressed and resolved. Until then, mental and physical health will continue to be viewed as disparate entities rather than parts of a unified whole. We conclude that the U.S. currently does not generally incorporate the tenets of holistic health in its view of the mental and physical health of its citizens, and provide some suggestions for changing that viewpoint.

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