Response of the Earth’s Lower Ionosphere to Solar Flares and Lightning-Induced Electron Precipitation Events by Analysis of VLF Signals: Similarities and Differences

The lower ionosphere influences the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves, satellite and also terrestrial (anthropic) signals at the time of intense perturbations and disturbances. Therefore, data and modelling of the perturbed lower ionosphere are crucial in various technological areas. An analysis of the lower ionospheric response induced by sudden events during daytime-solar flares and during night-time-lightning-induced electron precipitation was carried out. A case study of the solar flare event recorded on 7 September 2017 and lightning-induced electron precipitation event recorded on 16 November 2004 were used in this work. Sudden events induced changes in the ionosphere and, consequently, the electron density height profile. All data are recorded by Belgrade (BEL) radio station system and the model computation is used to obtain the ionospheric parameters induced by these sudden events. According to perturbed conditions, variation of estimated parameters, sharpness and reflection height differ for analysed cases. Data and results are useful for Earth observation, telecommunication and other applications in modern society.

A Risk Communication Strategy to Support Implementation Child Rights Protection Program: A Descriptive Qualitative Study in ALIT Indonesia Foundation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the pandemic COVID-19, the number of Child Rights violations have been increased such as sexual harassment, the exploitation of the children, and child abuse. Moreover, during the regulation such as “lockdown” that forced people to stay at home has been putting the children into another risks. Thus, it is important for Civil Society Organization (CSO) who works with the children to have its risk communication strategy in its Child Rights Protection (CRP) program implementation. This study is to address the risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategy in supporting the sustainability of CRP program implementation in ALIT Indonesia Foundation during pandemic COVID-19. The writer assumed that the organization has been applied a good strategy for its risk management. Moreover, using a descriptive qualitative research methods and data gathering from interview and literature review, it founds that the risk communication strategy adjustment applied by ALIT Indonesia Foundation on its CRP program implementation not only helped the organization in working with the children and their family as the target group, but also giving advocacy about the Child Rights to the stakeholders during pandemic COVID-19. The organization run some strategies based on the government’s health protocols during pandemic, such as physical distancing, wearing mask, hand washing. They also use social media such as Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to outreach their target group who live in the internet-accessible area, but for those who are living in the remote area, they had field staffs as the interconnector to their volunteer in the field, and spread the key messages of the CRP program through local radio station, or they gather the children of 4 who live nearby to disseminate the information.

On the assessment of the reliability of the train radio communication channel

The research purposeis to develop an approach to assessing the reliability of a train radio communication channel based on the representation of a radio communication network in the form of a model that includes both traditional elements (various types of equipment, a wire channel) and a radio channel, which is proposed to be described by the availability of radio coverage, which varies depending on the location of the mobile subscriber. In the research methods of the theory of reliability, and, in particular, the assessment of the availability factor of the elements of the radio communication system and communication channels, dynamically changing during the movement of the mobile radio station. In addition, to assess the energy of radio channels, the theory of radio wave propagation was applied, including on the basis of industry recommendations for calculating radio communication networks of JSC Russian Railways. As result of the research, a method was proposed for assessing the dependence of the reliability of a train radio communication channel (in terms of readiness) on the track coordinate. In this case, the radio communication channel dynamically changes the composition of the elements when the mobile subscriber moves along the railway section. Simultaneously, for each point of the section, the calculation formula is also dynamically changed, which makes it possible to find the value of the readiness of the communication channel. The proposed approach allows to identify the sections of technological radio communication networks that are weakest from the point of view of communication reliability and take this information into account when planning work to improve the reliability of communication networks.

Love thy ‘populist’

This article aims to deepen our understanding of scandals involving both transgression of accepted speech and populist logic by analysing the origins, development, and outcome of a 2018 Czech media controversy. The scandal erupted when a public service radio station was accused of airing pornographic content. It escalated when the accuser added a xenophobic, homophobic and nativist commentary to his complaint. By analysing each party’s arguments, the contested and silenced ideas, and the fantasmatic dimension, I demonstrate how each actor contributed to the escalation of the conflict and facilitated a shift in accepted public conduct. I propose to view such scandals as attempts to break hegemonic silence that reveal the lack of acceptance of a new norm, in this case homosexuality. I conclude that such scandals can support dialogue and reduce the polarization of society if dissenting views are taken into consideration and divisive language avoided by all sides.

Sunday Sounds

Rev. Dr. William Augustus Jones, Jr. was pastor of Brooklyn’s Bethany Baptist Church for over 40 years and a significant figure in the African-American community. In the mid-1970’s New Jersey radio station WFME approached him with an offer to have his Sunday sermons broadcast as The Bethany Hour in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut markets. Brooklyn College Archives has the Jones collection, which contains cassette recordings of several hundred of these sermons, as well as video recordings from the program’s short time on broadcast television. With no playback equipment for patrons, and concerned about the physical integrity of the recordings, the archives decided to digitize the materials. With a tight budget and no digitization expertise on staff, the archives applied for and won a Council on Library and Information Resources Recordings-at-Risk grant. Despite some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was made available to the public at the end of March 2021.

When Algorithms Recommend What’s New(s): New Dynamics of Decision-Making and Autonomy in Newsgathering

Newsroom innovation labs have been created over the last ten years to develop algorithmic news recommenders (ANR) that suggest and summarise what news is. Although these ANRs are still in an early stage and have not yet been implemented in the entire newsroom, they have the potential to change how newsworkers fulfil their daily decisions (gatekeeping) and autonomy in setting the agenda (agenda-setting). First, this study focuses on the new dynamics of the ANR and how it potentially influences the newsworkers’ role of gatekeeping within the newsgathering process. Second, this study investigates how the dynamics of an ANR could influence the autonomy of the newsworkers’ role as media agenda setters. In order to advance our understanding of the changing dynamics of gatekeeping and agenda-setting in the newsroom, this study conducts expert interviews with 16 members of newsroom innovation labs of<em> The Washington Post</em>,<em> The Wall Street Journal</em>, <em>Der Spiegel</em>, the BBC, and the Bayerische Rundfunk (BR) radio station. The results show that when newsworkers interact with ANRs, they rely on suggestions and summaries to evaluate what is newsworthy, especially when there is a “news peak” (elections, a worldwide pandemic, etc.). With regard to the agenda-setting role, the newsworker still has full autonomy, but the ANR creates a “positive acceleration effect” on how certain topics are put on the agenda.

Voices of Vietnam

On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence over a makeshift wired loudspeaker system to thousands of listeners in Hanoi. Five days later, Ho’s Viet Minh forces set up a clandestine radio station using equipment brought to Southeast Asia by colonial traders. The revolutionaries garnered support for their coalition on air by interspersing political narratives with red music (nhạc đỏ). Voice of Vietnam Radio (VOV) grew from these communist and colonial foundations to become one of the largest producers of music in contemporary Vietnam. In the first comprehensive English-language study on the history of radio music in mainland Southeast Asia, Lonán Ó Briain examines the broadcast voices that reconfigured Vietnam’s cultural, social, and political landscape over a century. Ó Briain draws on a year of ethnographic fieldwork at the VOV studios (2016–17), interviews with radio employees and listeners, historical recordings and broadcasts, and archival research in Vietnam, France, and the United States. From the Indochinese radio clubs of the 1920s to the 75th anniversary celebrations of the VOV in 2020, Voices of Vietnam offers a fresh perspective on this turbulent period by demonstrating how music production and sound reproduction are integral to the unyielding process of state formation.

The 1956 Hungarian Revolution Echoes in Poland

The article highlights the reaction of Polish society and government to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It is emphasized that the history of Poland and Hungary was closely intertwined in 1956 and reflected in the course of political events of that time. Poznan workers' uprising in June 1956 caused a great resonance in Hungary and the Hungarian authorities intended to use the events in Poznan as a pretext for resolving the political crisis in Hungary. Hungarian protesters, expressing solidarity with the Polish people and supporting change in Poland, demanded a "Hungarian path to socialism". The Hungarian revolution, which had a bloody and tragic character, had a lively response in Polish society. The activity of Polish information publications and the ways in which information about the Hungarian revolution reached Poland are described. It is emphasized that the speeches and publications of journalists had a significant impact on the attitude of Polish society to the Hungarian Revolution. The activity of the new Polish government in search of like-minded people and allies among the countries of "people's democracy" is analyzed. It is noted that the Polish leader V. Gomulka, proclaiming the "Polish road to socialism", took into account the analogies and similarities between the events and changes that took place in Poland and Hungary. The Polish authorities realised the catastrophe from which their country and the party, which managed to resolve the socio-political crisis in a bloodless way, escaped. Gomulka was convinced that only by resolving the Polish-Soviet problems it was possible to avoid a repeat of Poznan and Budapest. The process of providing humanitarian aid to Hungary by Poland is analyzed. It is noted that the greatest assistance to the Hungarians during the revolution was provided by Poland. The position of the radio station "Free Europe" and the editorial board of "Voice of Free Poland" is revealed. It is noted that the RWE editorial board felt responsible for the accuracy of the information provided, and deeply understood the impact of its broadcasts on the mood of Polish society. It is emphasized that the events of 1956 in Poland and Hungary marked the beginning of the collapse of pro-Soviet totalitarian regimes in Europe

The World has not Changed

The Pèrè people is a ethnic group who lives on the Pere plains. Their territory is divided by the Nigerian Cameroonian border. Their traditions are threatened of desperation by a strong islamization process and by migration into the cities. At the regional radio station CRTV Adamaoua, in Northern Cameroon, do they have redaction on various local languages. This film follows of the Pèrè redaction and its work to take care of the traditions of its people and to facilitate communication between its people and the modern world. The film is shot on SD (DV-CAM).