“Silly and Superficial”: Headline Tone in Press TV and Voice of America Coverage of the U.S. Withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

On May 8, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. President Trump had campaigned on removing the U.S. from the nuclear agreement, but the announcement still caught Iran and other parties to the JCPOA by surprise. This research analyzed three days of JCPOA-related news headlines from two international broadcasters: Press TV, headquartered in Tehran, and Voice of America, located in Washington, D.C. The majority of headlines published by both news organizations exhibited negative tone. Considering that reading a headline often substitutes for reading an entire news report, examining the headlines these international broadcasters used to present this event to their global audiences is a worthwhile pursuit. Keywords: Iran, United States, nuclear, headline, tone

Investigation of Social Approaches in Different Countries towards Suicide of the Blue Whale Game through Newspaper News

The aim of this study is to examine the negative attitude and prejudice of the media reflected in news articles about the relationship between ‘online games and suicidal youth’. This study analyzed the content of the news and the language of the media used for young people who committed suicide related to playing Blue Whale Challenge in different social settings. In this study, news articles in three different countries were examined with the content analysis method, using the content descriptors of Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). In the news concerning young people who committed suicide and used this game, it was clearly observed that sources of influence involved attitudes towards online games, developed in part through the messages of the media, and that social conditions, including generational experiences, were influential in creating the media messages. Keywords: media panic, violence, online games, Blue Whale Challenge

Using Smartphone as a Journalistic Tool: An Examination of Ethical Codes in Mobile Journalism in Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to understand the impact of ethical codes on Saudi journalists’ perceptions toward mobile journalism (MOJO). Three major ethical dimensions were examined, including seeking truth, minimizing harm, and being accountable in news coverage. A survey link created with SurveyMonkey was transmitted via social media avenues, such as Twitter and WhatsApp, where Saudi journalists can complete the questionnaire and then share the link with other Saudi journalists. A total of 124 Saudi journalists were recruited by this snowball sampling approach, while the Codes of Ethics of Society of Professional Journalists was adapted as major measurements for three ethical dimensions, including seeking truth, minimizing harm, and being accountable. Results found that all three ethical dimensions of professional journalists generated significant influences on Saudi journalists’ perceptions toward MOJO. Specifically, minimizing harm was found as the most powerful factor that affected Saudi journalists’ perceptions toward MOJO, followed by being accountable and seeking truth, indicating that Saudi journalists who were more likely to seek truth, minimize harm, and be accountable would exhibit more positive perceptions toward MOJO. Although using smartphone as a journalistic tool was a key factor toward Saudi journalists’ MOJO perceptions, it was not as powerful as three ethical dimensions that affected their MOJO perceptions. Keywords: mobile journalism, codes of ethics, professional journalism, Saudi journalists

“This Virus is a Common Threat to All Humans”: Discourse Representation of COVID-19 in Selected Newspaper Editorials

Existing studies on viruses with bias for COVID-19 have mainly been carried out from non-linguistic fields. Linguistics-related studies have not examined the media representation of COVID-19 since it is a recent development. This study, therefore, identifies the representational strategies, discourse structures and discourse strategies deployed by selected newspapers in representing COVID-19 and associated participants. Data were retrieved from selected COVID-19-related editorials from four purposively selected countries and continents across the world: New York Times (USA, North America), The Guardian (UK, Europe), China Daily (China, Asia) and The Punch (Nigeria, Africa), published in the early periods of the pandemic, and precisely from January 1 – March 31, 2020. Guided by aspects of van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of critical discourse analysis on ideological discourse structures, data were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. The newspaper editorials unusually converged to negatively represent an issue – COVID-19 – because it is largely negatively viewed by all. Ten representational strategies (like economic cankerworm, threat to humans, common enemy), six discourse strategies (like demonising, criminalising, condemnation) and twelve ideological discourse structures (like Actor Description, Authority, Burden) and different participant representations and roles (like solver, potential super spreader) were identified in the study. The newspapers largely set the agenda on the negative representation of the virus and its potential havoc on all facets of human endeavours, thereby giving emotional and informational appeal to all to join hands in earnestly silencing the epidemic. Keywords: COVID-19, media representation, newspaper editorials, discourse strategies, discourse structures

New Media in Film Distribution in Bangladesh: Bane or Boon?

The research explores the little-understood phenomena of new media based film distribution system in Bangladesh, finds the consequences of new media in film distribution, and makes a recommendation for developing an effective film distribution system. This research employs a qualitative approach where in-depth interviews of people involved in traditional and online film distribution systems are taken to collect data. The study finds that new media based film distribution is an emerging sector in Bangladesh, and it will strengthen the overall distribution system by reducing the distribution costs and increasing revenue. Keywords: new media, internet, online, film distribution, video on demand

Where Have All the Stories and Voices Gone in Local Newspapers? The Effect Falling Advertising Revenues and the Rise of the Web Have Had on English Regional Newspapers

The regional newspaper industry in the UK is in freefall with sales down more than 60 percent in 10 years. With this decline has come cost-cutting. This study looks at how these cuts have manifested themselves in terms of the number of news stories now being printed in newspapers and the number of local people being quoted in the newspapers. The study has looked at a number of regional newspapers across 30 years to show the effect of the changing face of the newspaper business as the audience and advertising have moved online. The research includes interviews with experts on whether story count mattered and if fewer stories and local voices have damaged the product. This paper finds that generally newspaper companies with a web-first culture have been forced to reduce their local news content in their printed products as they concentrate their resources online. While fewer stories and voices cannot be blamed for the complete demise of the newspapers, it is a consequence of cost-cutting and disadvantages the product. Opinions do vary on the needs for high story count, but this paper shows that most experts believe it is important and that without it, printed newspapers have been damaged. Keywords: newspapers, regional, decline, stories, quotes

Soviet Politics and Journalism under Mikhail Gorbachev’s Perestroika and Glasnost: Why Hopes Failed

The terms perestroika (literally, "transformation") and glasnost (literally, "transparency ") refer to the social change that took place in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. Then USSR leader, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Mikhail Gorbachev, introduced perestroika as a necessary action to improve the nation’s economy and its international relations. Glasnost was meant to promote effective discussions regarding the country’s existing problems and shortcomings. However, only a few years following their instatement, both processes did not improve the sociopolitical situation. On the contrary, they led to the country’s collapse. This article seeks to answer why gracious intentions, meant to actualize the hopes and dreams of the Soviet people, eventually resulted in tremendously difficult times. Special attention is paid to the role of the Soviet media, which became a catalyst for many social problems. The authors raise the issue of the media’s level of responsibility during this social transformation, which appeared to be one of the most crucial conditions for its successful implementation. Keywords: authoritarian culture, social transformation, civic society, perestroika, glasnost, Soviet media

Ethiopian Media: Journalists Trends of Using Sources in Reporting Stories

Scholars in the field of media studies argued that journalists tend to choose the sources for their stories considering they are reliable, trustworthy, authoritative and able to articulate issues very well as well as accessibility of the sources to meet the deadline of reporting the stories (Gans, 2004; Cottle, 2006, 2009). However, the author of this article wants to insight a discussion on the relationship between journalists and sources in a country like Ethiopia, where the media are working under political pressures. To explore this issue, ten journalists and four editors/ editors-in-chief of selected newspapers, namely, Addis Admas, Reporter, The Ethiopian Herald and The Daily Monitor, were interviewed to get answers why they prefer to use certain sources when they need information to report cases such as conflicts in the country. The overall result of the qualitative data indicates that journalists self-censor in selecting sources to report, particularly, internal conflicts and other sensitive issues of the country. It is because they tend to use certain official sources as a mechanism of minimizing pressures and to be safe. Hence, the relationship between the sources and the journalists shall be discussed in line with journalists’ self-censorship trends, journalists’ safety and the media situation in a country, which the scholars have not yet discussed. Keywords: Ethiopian media, conflict, self-censorship, source, political pressure

African Form of Indigenous Mass Communication in the Case of Ethiopia

The purpose of this article is to explore African form of indigenous mass communication with emphasis on Ethiopian indigenous form mass communication institutions, tools, manuscripts, and regulatory bodies. The method employed for this study is qualitative. First hand documents, tools and observation were considered as sources of primary data. Furthermore, pertinent literature was reviewed. The data was analyzed qualitatively where description of the responses on the bases of themes was given emphasis. The finding of this study argued that drum beating, horn blowing and town crying are a form of mass communications in the ancient time. In ancient time news in Africa was first made public from the tower in the center, squares of the city, palace main stairs, market and church. Town Criers, Azmari and shepherds were the journalists and the essential news presenters in ancient times. In the same manner, Afe Negus (mouth of the King) and Tsehafe Tezaze (Minister of Pen) were originally indigenous information regulatory bodies of the empire regime. This research discovered the oldest African newspaper in Ethiopia, a news sheet entitled Zenamewale (Daily News) and the first written newspaper and inscriptions of king Ezana are the first types of African form of news, which dates back to 320 A.D. Zena mewale is believed to be the first handmade press so far known in Africa for 700 years. This confirmed that Ethiopia has 3,000 years of indigenous forms of oral mass communication and handmade press history in Africa. Keywords: indigenous mass communication institutions, tools of traditional mass communication, manuscripts, regulatory bodies, Ethiopia

From Dominant Perspective to Critical Perspective in Health Communication: Analysis of Turkish Television Health Programs in terms of Critical Health Communication

Health communication, which has become a discipline since the mid-twentieth century, has become more crucial especially with the complexness of healthcare applications and health information practices. This has led to an increase in the number of researches and academic studies in the field of health communication and, also different approaches emerged regarding this debate. In order to improve the health of the individual and society, the theories used in the field of health communication are generally limited to individual information and behavior change models. Both the health behavior models, and health communication theory/models used are socio-psychological based approaches. Therefore, the methods used are individually focused. As a result, communication is typically understood as health information transfer and perception. After the changing economic-political approach and public broadcasting replaced by private broadcasting in the 1980s, it’s observed that the health communication practices on television started to show an approach towards the consumption of health services and products. This view mentioned above was called ‘dominant health communication’ in the 1990s and a new approach of the field emerged. Critical approach discusses that health is a social phenomenon and that all responsibility cannot be given to the individual. In this case, outside the individual factors such as economy, politics, culture, environment, education gender and even geography are important in the development and outcomes of health. In this study, it will be discussed that the ongoing health communication practices, which is termed dominant health communication, do not provide a solution to the existing health inequality in the society, on the contrary, they provide the reproduction and dissemination of the ideologies of the sovereign powers and a consent for the consumption of health products and services in the society. Therefore, in this study, health programs on mainstream television channels in Turkey will be analyzed in terms of critical health communication. Critical discourse analysis will be used as the main method of the study. Keywords: critical health communication, dominant health communication, critical discourse analysis, Turkish television health programs