Journal. Media, Volume 4, Issue 4 (December 2023) – 15 articles

As the media landscape continuously evolves in response to the increasing dominance of data, it is important to understand how future journalists perceive and respond to the emerging discipline of data journalism. This paper explores the impact of an introductory session on data journalism conducted with second-year journalism students at Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. The study aims, through a focus group survey, to assess the students’ initial understanding and beliefs about data journalism and explores how an educational activity, structured as a one-time workshop utilizing a resource from the Al Jazeera Media Institute and data journalism project examples from the BBC, can elucidate the notion of data journalism and stimulate interest in the field. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the integration of data journalism into journalism curricula and the training of the next generation of journalists. Therefore, the findings could provide valuable insights for educators in understanding journalism students’ perception of data journalism in order to develop effective curricula and teaching methods for data journalism. Full article

Local journalism is fundamental for a thriving democracy, yet the UK faces a decline in the number of print and digital local news outlets. Large-scale mappings of the surviving outlets offer invaluable insights to policymakers designing interventions to strengthen the sector. Due to the lack of a comprehensive national directory of UK print and digital local news outlets, researchers have resorted to datasets such as circulation auditors’ databases, which have been noted to be incomplete and outdated. A lack of understanding of the magnitude of these data limitations hinders researchers from selecting optimal datasets. This study evaluates four commonly used local news databases, uncovering significant variations in their currentness and comprehensiveness. Thereafter, statistical analyses demonstrate the significant effect of each dataset’s shortcomings on findings in local news research. To address this issue, triangulation and manual verification are employed to create a more comprehensive and robust dataset. This procedure generates a new national dataset of print and digital local news outlets that can be used in future research, alongside a framework for leveraging public data to build an independent research dataset. This work paves the way for more rigorous research in data-driven local news provision studies. Concluding remarks stress the importance of setting definitions and establishing clear data pipelines in an increasingly diversified and dynamic sector. Full article

The motion picture industry is subject to extensive business and management research conducted on a wide range of topics. Due to high research productivity, it is challenging to keep track of the abundance of publications. Against this background, we employ a bibliographic coupling analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of current research topics. The following themes were defined: Key factors for success, word of mouth and social media, organizational and pedagogical dimensions, advertising—product placement and online marketing, tourism, the influence of data, the influence of culture, revenue maximization and purchase decisions, and the perception and identification of audiences. Based on the cluster analysis, we suggest the following future research opportunities: Exploring technological innovations, especially the influence of social media and streaming platforms in the film industry; the in-depth analysis of the use of artificial intelligence in film production, both in terms of its creative potential and ethical and legal challenges; the exploration of the representation of wokeness and minorities in films and their cultural and economic significance; and, finally, a detailed examination of the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises on the film industry, especially in terms of changed consumption habits and structural adjustments. Full article

This article presents the results of research conducted on Egyptian popular songs, categorized as patriotic and showing their writers’ support for ʿAbd Fattāḥ al-Sīsī. He was first a general, Minister of Defense and commander of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. When protests occurred in Egypt in 2013, he remained the main actor on the political stage. Then, he became marshal, resigned from his army positions, became the candidate for presidency and finally became president of the Republic. The author of this article briefly describes what happened in Egypt in this short time (2011–2014), and answers the main research questions which concern the messages of the songs, discussing whether the messages changed from the beginning of these events to the moment when he became president of Egypt. She points out how the songs follow the political events, and presents the results of her own participant observations, including photos from when she was living in Egypt from the middle of June 2013 to October 2014. She introduces this phenomenon, how the country changed in a few months and how the culture (music/popular culture) was an important part of the country’s changes that influenced these song’s messages. Full article

Journalistic news satire is a satire subgenre that is gaining legitimacy in academic research as well as in the journalistic field as an opinion news format and arena for public debate. News satirists claim journalistic roles and operate under the mandate of exposing moral wrongs and auditing power. The development of a more substantial news satire coincides with an observed repoliticization of humor and comedy and intensified moral negotiation around comedic content, particularly on social media. Based on the Moral Foundation Theory, this study identifies moral judgments in journalistic news satire, using a content analysis of TV news satire material from Sweden and the U.S. The results show an overwhelming majority of moral judgments related to the individualizing foundations of Harm and Fairness, while the binding foundations of Ingroup, Authority, and Purity were less frequent. In addition, the results show strong similarities between the two countries in the material, indicating moral common ground and displaying how moral judgment is connected to the inherent nature of satire in general and the genre conventions of journalistic news satire in particular. Full article

This study investigates the research questions: “How do political connections within Greece’s governing party evolve, and what underlying patterns and dynamics are revealed through a network analysis of interactions on $\mathbb{X}$ (formerly Twitter)?” To address these questions, data were collected from $\mathbb{X}$, focusing on following, retweeting, and mentioning activities among the politicians within the governing party. The interactions were meticulously analysed using tools derived from Network Theory in mathematics, including in and out-strength centrality, hubs and authorities centralities, and in and out-vertex entropy. In line with the emerging field of data journalism, this approach enhances the rigour and depth of analysis, facilitating a more nuanced understanding of complex political landscapes. The findings reveal complex and dynamic structures that may reflect internal relationships, communication strategies, and the influence of recurring events on these connections within the party. This study thus provides novel insights into understanding political communication via social networks and demonstrates the applicative potential of Network Theory and data journalism techniques in social sciences. Full article

In this study, we have identified a Twitter network of bad actors mostly affiliated with Iraqi militias that are closely connected to the federal Iraqi government. Using disinformation and threats of legal action, these users often target journalists and news organizations that are critical of them. Three datasets were collected totaling about 16,000 tweets by using 6 Arabic hashtags. We found three major themes: public shaming and personal attacks; legal threats and misinformation accusations; and glorifying Shiite heroism and promoting conspiracies. These bad actors also created a coordinated attack against journalists, news organizations, and human rights activists and even the UN representative in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert, falsely accusing her of fabricating the 2021 federal election results. Full article

As science journalism is growing in importance and reader interest, the social media platform Instagram provides new opportunities for media organizations to distribute scientific content. The growing danger of fake news and misinformation, as well as the ongoing pandemic and trends in media consumption patterns, make it increasingly necessary for science journalists to deliver reliable content in a well-designed manner on digital platforms. This study investigates how German media companies and individual journalists inform lay audiences on new publications, findings, and developments in sciences, using the platform Instagram. A representative quantitative content analysis of Instagram posts (n = 2.605) of nine wide-ranging German accounts related to science journalism shows that the three analyzed groups (public service media outlets, private outlets, and individual journalists) pursue significantly different approaches in how they communicate scientific content on Instagram—ranging from informative to entertaining posts—varying in their text length, the complexity of the media elements used, and the tone of voice. The results shed light on a diversification of journalistic approaches to communicating scientific content on Instagram, as well as which approaches seem fruitful. Thereby, the nature of the media organization influences the complexity, design, and purpose of their science communication on Instagram. Full article

The US television program The Daily Show has inspired creative talents worldwide to adapt the American political satire news formats to their own political environments. One example is The Night Night Show, hosted by Brian Tseng between 2018 and 2020 and produced by the STR Network from Taiwan. Instead of approaching the show as the result of the diffusion of the US cultural and political model into the rest of the world, this article contextualizes The Night Night Show’s adaptation of an American satirical news format in the Sinophone political discourse of laughter and satire in the modern history of Taiwan. It argues that while the show’s adaptation of an American satirical news format demonstrates how satire can dismantle linguistic and national boundaries as a transnational bonding force, it also brings this American format to critical scrutiny. In particular, the principal cultural understanding of news media as sensationalistic and propagandist instead of truthful in the local context contests the notions of “truthiness” central to the American satire news formats. Full article

Society and scholars have debated the representation of both women and either immigrants or Muslims in the media and how this representation might affect possible racist behavior and public policy choices. This study responds to the need for a better understanding of the intersectional media representation of migrant and/or racialized women. Framing analysis was conducted on the 234 clippings in which the six most popular Spanish broadsheet newspapers referred to the women in question throughout 2021. We observed that these women are underrepresented and that the opinion the press tends to shape varies depending on the women’s identity marker (Muslim, immigrant and/or Black) and the ideology of the dailies (leftist or rightist). Finally, it is relevant whether a newspaper is published in a territory with a large foreign and Muslim population. Full article

One of the great business institutions of the modern era is the BBC which is now 100 years old. The authors explored letters and memoranda in the BBC’s Written Archives at Caversham, which revealed much about the business tactics of those in charge of the BBC during the pre-Second World War era, and how they used the power of their monopoly to their own ends. A new market of broadcasting magazines sprang up around the radio broadcasts, creating an inter-dependency between the two media. The BBC soon launched its own magazines, and from then on, the BBC’s interactions with the press media were complex, reflecting an uncomfortable blend of symbiosis and threat. Episodes between the press owners and the BBC have been uncovered, about which there has been little previous investigation, and unexpected patterns of behaviour have emerged. This archival research, using narrative history, is based upon original letters, memoranda and handwritten messages that were archived for posterity, and which report upon the actual thoughts and views of those involved at the time, revealing unexpected intrigue and machinations. Full article

This study delved into the realm of conspiratorial thinking and misinformation on Twitter, examining the case of Silvia Romano, an Italian aid worker who faced online conspiratorial attacks before and after her release. With the increasing prevalence of conspiratorial narratives on social media, this research investigated the interplay between conspiratorial thinking and the dissemination of misinformation. Two datasets comprising Italian tweets were analyzed, aiming to uncover primary topics, detect instances of conspiratorial thinking, explore broader emerging topics beyond Silvia Romano’s case, and examine whether authors of conspiratorial narratives also engage in spreading misinformation. Twitter served as a critical platform for this study, reflecting its evolving role in news dissemination and social networking. The research employed topic modeling techniques and coherence scores to achieve these objectives, addressing challenges posed by the inherent ambiguities in defining conspiratorial narratives. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of conspiratorial thinking and misinformation in the digital age. Full article

This study seeks to decipher the modus operandi of Shanghai’s image portrayal to the audience through social media platforms, particularly Twitter. Leveraging the potency of big data analysis, the study scrutinizes the applicability of the two-step flow communication model in the communication of Shanghai’s image. The findings highlight the cardinal role of opinion leaders in the image communication process, overshadowing the impact of mass media. The age-old phenomenon of two-step flow, wherein information trickles down from mass media to opinion leaders, appears to be fading away. Although mass media’s tweets can potentially reach a broad audience, they do not necessarily captivate the attention of opinion leaders. Thus, the study underscores the importance of both mass media and opinion leaders in shaping Shanghai’s image. Full article

As social media becomes a major channel of news access, emotions have emerged as a significant factor of news distribution. However, the influence of cultural differences on the relationship between emotions and news sharing remains understudied. This paper investigates the impact of cultural disparities on emotional responses to political news in Hong Kong. We introduce the notion of “emotional profile” to capture cultural differences in the level and structure of audiences’ emotional responses to political topics on Facebook news pages. The study was conducted at a highly significant political moment in the former British colony when the National Security Law (NSL) was passed. The study found that readers of China-critical news pages on Facebook express the highest emotional intensity while readers of China’s media in Hong Kong express the lowest emotional intensity, and readers of China-supporting media fall in between. Readers of China-critical Facebook news pages express the most anger, but their political news sharing is correlated the most with “wow” and “sad” reactions. In contrast, readers of Facebook pages of China’s media in Hong Kong are more likely to react with “love”, which is also the emotion most associated with their political news sharing. The notion of “emotional profile” helps discover similarities within and differences across political boundaries of the news ecosystem. We interpret the results with the help of recent scholarly understanding of emotional expression on social media within Hong Kong’s political context. Full article

This study aimed to find out if there is a relationship between social media and political polarization in Türkiye from the perspective of Turkish students. To reach this aim, the needed data were collected through qualitative and quantitative approaches. A total of 303 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The sample consisted of university Turkish students across undergraduate, masters, and PhD levels in Türkiye aged between 18 and 50+. As well, an online focus group discussion with six Turkish students from different universities and education levels was conducted to gain a more in-depth understanding of the study’s problem. The results of the study showed that the perspectives of the Turkish students were that social media had a weak-to-moderate effect on political polarization in Türkiye. Furthermore, the results indicated that the studied sample of the Turkish students does not rely on social media platforms to obtain political news, and most of them do not follow political leaders on social media. Moreover, communication platforms did not encourage many Turkish students to express themselves, which is an indication that social media algorithms have contributed to a medium degree in creating filter bubbles through the content they suggest to users. Results have also shown that Turkish students are afraid that their posts and comments are being censored. Full article