Research note: Examining how various social media platforms have responded to COVID-19 misinformation

We analyzed community guidelines and official news releases and blog posts from 12 leading social media and messaging platforms (SMPs) to examine their responses to COVID-19 misinformation. While the majority of platforms stated that they prohibited COVID-19 misinformation, the responses of many platforms lacked clarity and transparency. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter had largely consistent responses, but other platforms varied with regard to types of content prohibited, criteria guiding responses, and remedies developed to address misinformation. Only Twitter and YouTube described their systems for applying various remedies. These differences highlight the need to establish general standards across platforms to address COVID-19 misinformation more cohesively.

Public Expressions of Empathy and Sympathy by U.S. Criminal Justice Officials After Controversial Police Killings of African-Americans

Police use of force against minorities, particularly African-Americans, has become a prominent national issue in the United States. In a number of controversial instances, such as the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, African-Americans have died under questionable circumstances due to police use of force. These incidents have fueled the growth of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and have often resulted in large-scale protests and riots. In this paper, we examine statements made by four types of criminal justice officials – police executives, police department spokespersons, police union representatives, and prosecutors – in the immediate aftermath of 30 such incidents that occurred in 2020. We examine the language used by these officials in social media postings, news releases, and press conferences, focusing specifically on the extent to which they express empathy or sympathy toward the decedent or his or her loved ones, as well as the community at large. Our analysis reveals that criminal justice officials rarely express empathy or sympathy in the aftermath of these incidents, though there are noteworthy differences between different types of officials. Our findings are helpful for understanding how the language used by these officials, particularly the public expression of empathy and sympathy, fits into broader debates about race and criminal justice in the United States.

RELATION BETWEEN NEGATIVE TONE IN NEWS RELEASES OF WHO AND INDUSTRY RETURNS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

We analyze the relationship between the negative tone in news releases issued by the WHO and industry returns during the Covid-19 pandemic. We construct our news tone measure as the ratio of negative words to the total number of words present in news releases of WHO. The news tone shows to be significantly associated with returns for the majority of industries. Bad news announced by the WHO translates into good news for consumer nondurables, telecommunications, and healthcare sectors. Negative tone in news releases of WHO is on average bad news for consumer durables, manufacturing, energy, and other industries. Our findings suggest that the news tone-return relation varies significantly throughout our Covid-19 sample.

Last hour momentum in the Chinese stock market

PurposeTo capture the last hour momentum over the intraday session, the authors develop a trading strategy for the exchange-traded fund (ETF) that is effective because of the T+0 trading rule. This strategy generates annualized excess return of 9.673%.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors identify a last hour momentum pattern in which the sixth (seventh) half-hour return predicts the next half-hour return by employing high frequency 2012–2017 data from the China Securities Index (CSI) 300 and its ETF.FindingsOverall, both the predictability and the trading strategy are statistically and economically significant. In addition, the strategy performs more strongly on high volatility days, high trading volume days, high order-imbalance days and days without economic news releases than on other days.Originality/valueNoise trading, late-information trading, infrequent rebalancing and disposition effects from retail investors may account for this phenomenon.

Incorporating Ethics in Disaster Communication Strategy: The Case of the U.S. Government in Deepwater Horizon

BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 was a major test of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which the United States federal government mandates for response to all disasters. At the time, this disaster was perhaps the greatest event in scope and duration under NIMS disaster management guidelines since they were revised in 2008 (the third edition was published in 2017). Ten years later, NIMS provides procedures for operating a joint information center (JIC), but still offers no guidelines for ethical communication. This case study examines the ethical implications of 178 news releases distributed by the Deepwater Horizon Incident JIC. Qualitative analysis found that communication was conducted in an open, ethical manner, with few exceptions. Conflicts emerged, however, that may have compromised ethical standards. The authors conclude with recommendations to inform ethical decision making by JIC communicators.

The Essential News Release

The news release is the basic unit of your research communications. There are many types of news releases, each with its own use, and they may target different audiences. These include the hard news release, the feature release, the backgrounder, the personal profile, the Q&A, the news tip, the media alert, the grant/gift announcement, and the award announcement. News releases have many uses beyond attracting media coverage. These include as ammunition for the funding agency, internal communication, an investment for future use, background material, a statement of record, a Web alert for fellow researchers, a record of stewardship of public funds, education for the public, and family news.

Explaining Research

Explaining Research is the most comprehensive guide to research communication. It offers practical tools and techniques to effectively reach professional and lay audiences important to researchers’ success. These audiences include colleagues, potential collaborators, officers in funding agencies and foundations, donors, institutional leaders, corporate partners, students, legislators, family and friends, journalists, and the public. The book also includes strategies to guide research communication, as well as insights from leading science journalists and research communicators. The book shows how to develop a communication “strategy of synergy”; give compelling talks; build a professional website; create quality posters, images, animations, graphs, charts, videos, e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and webinars; write popular articles and books; persuade funding decision makers; produce news releases and other content that attract media coverage; give effective media interviews; serve as a public educator in schools and science centers; and protect against communication traps.

Manage Media Relations at Scientific Meetings

This chapter will help you effectively communicate your meeting’s news to the media. To successfully manage media relations at a scientific meeting, a researcher should first visit press rooms at major scientific society meetings to see how they are run. Some steps to running a newsroom include identifying newsworthy papers and suggesting that scientists contact their public information officers to do news releases, as well as notifying the media of the meeting. The role of a conference press officer also includes organizing the newsroom to include all the facilities journalists will need, setting embargoes on presentations, and planning and conducting news conferences. Arranging interviews and making experts available for background discussion are also important steps.

Plan Your Research Communication Strategy

Researchers should chart a communication strategy to maximize the benefit of their communications to their research and career. They first need to free themselves from the attitude that they should fear communicating to lay audiences because of the inherent imprecision of lay communications. Also, they should overcome the fear of communicating beyond their peers because their peers might judge them harshly. They should have a “do-tell” strategy that they communicate as much as possible about their goals and research advances. Such a strategy ensures that their work will reach audiences that they might not have expected. They should also have a “strategy of synergy,” in which they use such content as news releases to reach multiple audiences beyond the media.