News Media (news + media)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Rights and Morals, Issues, and Candidate Integrity: Insights into the Role of the News Media

POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
David Domke
In recent American political discourse, elections and debates tend to be presented by the news media as collisions of basic principles, with opposing parties advancing beliefs about what is right and what is wrong. When news coverage of an election campaign focuses on issues that emphasize rights and morals, voting behavior may be affected in two ways: Citizens become likely to form and make use of evaluations of the integrity of the candidates, and citizens become motivated to seek an issue-position "match" with candidates on those issues for which discourse is ethically charged (particularly when they hold a similar interpretation of the issue). These ideas were tested in an experiment in which labor union members and undergraduate students were presented with news stories about the contrasting positions of fictional candidates for elective office. Across three political environments, all information was held constant except for systematic alteration of a different issue in each environment. These three issues (abortion, gun control, and health care) vary in the types of value conflicts emphasized in news coverage. The results shed light on how individuals process, interpret, and use issue coverage in choosing among candidates. [source]


Exploiting a Rare Communication Shift to Document the Persuasive Power of the News Media

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009
Jonathan McDonald Ladd
Using panel data and matching techniques, we exploit a rare change in communication flows,the endorsement switch to the Labour Party by several prominent British newspapers before the 1997 United Kingdom general election,to study the persuasive power of the news media. These unusual endorsement switches provide an opportunity to test for news media persuasion while avoiding methodological pitfalls that have plagued previous studies. By comparing readers of newspapers that switched endorsements to similar individuals who did not read these newspapers, we estimate that these papers persuaded a considerable share of their readers to vote for Labour. Depending on the statistical approach, the point estimates vary from about 10% to as high as 25% of readers. These findings provide rare evidence that the news media exert a powerful influence on mass political behavior. [source]


A Prolegomenon on Restraint of Children: Implicating Constitutional Rights

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2001
Sheila S. Kennedy J.D.
News media and advocacy groups have brought to public attention a disturbing number of recent deaths proximal to the use of physical restraints. This paper examines the evidence indicating that use of these procedures can be dangerous to patients; explores the theoretical basis and practical application of restraints; and argues not only that their use may be unethical as a therapeutic intervention, but that it may have constitutional implications. [source]


Tuvalu and Climate Change: Constructions of Environmental Displacement in The Sydney Morning Herald

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2005
Carol Farbotko
Abstract Tuvalu, a place whose image in the ,West' is as a small island state, insignificant and remote on the world stage, is becoming remarkably prominent in connection with the contemporary issue of climate change-related sea-level rise. My aim in this paper is to advance understanding of the linkages between climate change and island places, by exploring the discursive negotiation of the identity of geographically distant islands and island peoples in the Australian news media. Specifically, I use discourse analytic methods to critically explore how, and to what effects, various representations of the Tuvaluan islands and people in an Australian broadsheet, the Sydney Morning Herald, emphasize difference between Australia and Tuvalu. My hypothesis is that implicating climate change in the identity of people and place can constitute Tuvaluans as .tragic victims. of environmental displacement, marginalizing discourses of adaptation for Tuvaluans and other inhabitants of low-lying islands, and silencing alternative constructions of Tuvaluan identity that could emphasize resilience and resourcefulness. By drawing attention to the problematic ways that island identities are constituted in climate change discourse in the news media, I advocate a more critical approach to the production and consumption of representations of climate change. [source]


Communicating the processes of science to the news media, politicians, and the public

INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010
John Cairns Jr.
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


The Neglect of Power in Recent Framing Research

JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 2 2004
Kevin M. Carragee
This article provides a critique of recent developments in research examining media frames and their influence. We contend that a number of trends in framing research have neglected the relationship between media frames and broader issues of political and social power. This neglect is a product of a number of factors, including conceptual problems in the definition of frames, the inattention to frames sponsorship, the failure to examine framing contests within wider political and social contexts, and the reduction of framing to a form of media effects. We conclude that framing research needs to be linked to the political and social questions regarding power central to the media hegemony thesis, and illustrate this focus by exploring how framing research can contribute to an understanding of the interaction between social movements and the news media. [source]


Insights Into U.S. Racial Hierarchy: Racial Profiling, News Sources, and September 11

JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 4 2003
David Domke
The events of September 11, 2001, seem likely to have reverberating implications for U.S. race relations, in particular the relative hierarchy of differing racial and ethnic groups. With this in mind, in this study the researchers focused on the manner in which "racial profiling" was talked about,by government and societal leaders, nongovernment opinion leaders, and average citizens,in several leading U.S. news outlets for the 5 months prior to September 11 and for the 5 months afterward. The findings indicate that (a) citizens increased markedly as sources in news coverage after September 11; (b) Arab Americans spoke from more favorable positions of status than African Americans; and (c) racial minorities may face a situation in which they de facto "compete" with other minorities for space in news coverage. The authors discuss implications for the role of news media in race relations. [source]


,Came hell and high water': the intersection of Hurricane Katrina, the news media, race and poverty

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Courte C. W. Voorhees
Abstract The mass devastation and suffering left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the US Gulf Coast brought the intersection of media and community into sharp focus. The news media played a pivotal role in almost every aspect of the disaster and its aftermath, and was harshly criticized for its depiction of minorities and for sensationalizing a human and environmental disaster. The literature suggests that media often represents minorities in a negative light, ultimately reinforcing existing social inequalities. This paper examines the portrayal of minority groups in the media during and after the storm. Data were coded from news media broadcasts to determine the nature of minority representation. Interviews were conducted with individuals from New Orleans who survived the disaster to understand issues related to media trust, the accuracy of media reports and perception of the media's portrayal of minorities. The results indicate that minorities are disproportionately shown in a passive or ,victim' role and are rarely shown in positions of expertize. Further, storm survivors indicated a misrepresentation of minorities in media coverage of the disaster, as well as reporting low levels of media trust and accuracy. The broader implications of these findings in relation to media reinforcement of social inequities and media responsibility are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Pasifika in the news: the portrayal of Pacific peoples in the New Zealand press

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
Robert Loto
Abstract Pacific Islanders have faced discrimination in New Zealand particularly since the 1960s when communities began to be transplanted from their home nations to Aotearoa as cheap immigrant labour. Subsequently, the New Zealand vernacular has contained references to Pacific Islanders as ,overstayers', ,coconuts', ,bungas' and ,fresh off the boat' [FOB]. However, the legacy of a domineering relationship between the Palagi1 majority group and Pacific minorities2 that is captured by such derogatory terms is still evident in public forums such as the media. Using a quantitative content and qualitative narrative analysis, this paper documents portrayals of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand print media reports (n,=,65) published over a 3 month period. Findings reveal that Pacific people are predominantly portrayed as unmotivated, unhealthy and criminal others who are overly dependent on Palagi support. We consider this offered pacific identity formation with that implied for Palagi, which is active, independent, competent and caring. Issues in coverage are discussed in relation to how Pacific Islanders are encouraged to see themselves, and the health and social consequences of dominant practices in press coverage. We offer some suggestions as to how more equitable representations of Pacific people could be fostered in news media. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Do Defendants Pay What Juries Award?

JOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2007
Post-Verdict Haircuts in Texas Medical Malpractice Cases
Legal scholars, legislators, policy advocates, and the news media frequently use jury verdicts to draw conclusions about the performance of the tort system. However, actual payouts can differ greatly from verdicts. We report evidence on post-verdict payouts from the most comprehensive longitudinal study of matched jury verdicts and payouts. Using data on all insured medical malpractice claims in Texas from 1988,2003 in which the plaintiff received at least $25,000 (in 1988 dollars) following a jury trial, we find that most jury awards received "haircuts." Seventy-five percent of plaintiffs received a payout less than the adjusted verdict (jury verdict plus prejudgment and postjudgment interest), 20 percent received the adjusted verdict (within ± 2 percent), and 5 percent received more than the adjusted verdict. Overall, plaintiffs received a mean (median) per-case haircut of 29 percent (19 percent), and an aggregate haircut of 56 percent, relative to the adjusted verdict. The larger the verdict, the more likely and larger the haircut. For cases with a positive adjusted verdict under $100,000, 47 percent of plaintiffs received a haircut, with a mean (median) per-case haircut of 8 percent (2 percent). For cases with an adjusted verdict larger than $2.5 million, 98 percent of plaintiffs received a haircut with a mean (median) per-case haircut of 56 percent (61 percent). Insurance policy limits are the most important factor in explaining haircuts. Caps on damages in death cases and caps on punitive damages are also important, but defendants often paid substantially less than the adjusted allowed verdict. Remittitur accounts for a small percentage of the haircuts. Punitive damage awards have only a small effect on payouts. Out-of-pocket payments by physicians are rare, never large, and usually unrelated to punitive damage awards. Most cases settle, presumably in the shadow of the outcome if the case were to be tried. That outcome is not the jury award, but the actual post-verdict payout. Because defendants rarely pay what juries award, jury verdicts alone do not provide a sufficient basis for claims about the performance of the tort system. [source]


When the British ,Tommy' went to war, public opinion followed

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2005
Paul Baines
This article seeks to outline how public opinion changed over the course of the government's announcement of 2nd Gulf War in Iraq until the scandal over the alleged ,sexed-up' Downing Street intelligence dossier. Using quantitative analysis of opinion poll data, together with in-depth interviews with journalists to show how the media were complicit in providing a positive spin for the government's stance on war, the authors conclude that the positive change in public opinion once the British soldiers were deployed occurred through one of the following mechanisms: 1) a patriotic effect, 2) government communication expertise and the management of a complicit news media, 3) the public basked in the reflected glory of the initially successful military or 4) some combination of the above. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Toward Improved Public Confidence in Farmed Fish Quality: A Canadian Perspective on the Consequences of Diet Selection

JOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010
Anthony P. Farrell
Marine fish oils (MFO) are used in salmon diets to mimic the natural diet, to ensure that essential fatty acid requirements for good fish growth and health are met, and to provide salmon flesh with an omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid content that can benefit human health. However, an extensive use of MFO in formulated salmonid diets is perceived as an unsustainable use of wild marine fish stocks. In addition, MFOs have a background level of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) unrelated to aquaculture practices. This review considers recently completed studies using alternative lipid sources of terrestrial origin as replacements for MFO and shows that the composition of conventional finfish diets can be altered to reduce the reliance on MFO while concurrently maintaining fish health as well as reducing background levels of POPs. A challenge still ahead is the need for a concerted and sustained outreach to ensure that the public is aware of such improvements to seafood quality so that the preoccupation of the news media with presenting negative images of fish culture to the public is combated. [source]


A short history of muddy floods

LAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2010
J. Boardman
Abstract The term ,muddy flood' has been used widely in the lowland, arable areas of western and central Europe to describe muddy runoff from arable fields that causes damage to property. There is some evidence that muddy floods are much more frequent in the last two decades than previously. It is clear though that there is very substantial under-reporting of the phenomena even in areas where they have been recognised for 20 years e.g. UK and France. Reconstructions based on questionnaires, news media and local authority records have had some success in historical analysis of muddy flood frequency but there is still a huge data deficiency. Records from some countries are woefully lacking e.g. Germany, Spain and Italy. Costs of muddy flooding are substantial especially in the loess belt of Belgium. The number of properties flooded in France suggests also that costs are high; similarly in England (UK) where costs for case studies are known but not for the country as a whole. There are two quite different solutions to the problem of muddy flooding. Protection can be provided by engineering devices: retention ponds, dams, trenches. This is an ,end of pipe' solution with severe cost implications and risks with regard to the design return period. Alternatively, land use change on relatively small areas of catchments, can be shown to be effective at reducing flood-risk hazard. A combination of the two has proved most effective at several sites in Europe. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Lawyers of the Right: Networks and Organization

LAW & SOCIAL INQUIRY, Issue 4 2007
Anthony Paik
Lawyers for conservative and libertarian causes are active in organizing and mobilizing interest groups within the conservative coalition, and networks of relationships among those lawyers help to maintain and shape the coalition. Using data gathered in interviews with seventy-two such lawyers, this article analyzes characteristics of the lawyers and the structure of their networks. The findings suggest that the networks are divided into segments or blocks that are identified with particular constituencies, but that a distinct set of actors with extensive relationships serves to bridge the constituencies. Measures of centrality and brokerage confirm the structural importance of these actors in the network, and a search of references in news media confirms their prominence or prestige. This "core" set of actors occupies the "structural hole" in the network that separates the business constituency from religious conservatives. Libertarians, located near the core of the network, also occupy an intermediate position. Regression analysis of ties within the network suggests that the Federalist Society plays an important role in bringing the lawyers together. [source]


The importance of news media in pharmaceutical risk communication: proceedings of a workshop,,§

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 5 2005
Felicia E. Mebane PhD
Abstract In response to mass media's role in the national and global system of pharmaceutical risk communication, the Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) convened a ,think tank' session on the ,Importance of Media in Pharmaceutical Risk Communication'. Prominent journalists and experts from the pharmaceutical industry, academia, medical practice and government were invited to consider the benefits and challenges of improving the way we communicate the benefits and risks of therapeutics via mass media, especially news media. Workshop discussions revealed a paucity of systematic research directed towards understanding how and why news media report on therapeutic risk, the impact of this coverage and how coverage can be improved. Consequently, participants produced a research agenda capturing the key aspects of the flow of information around this topic, including the meaning of risk, how news audiences process and use therapeutic risk information in the news, how and why news organizations report on therapeutic risk, and the role and impact of the pharmaceutical industry, government officials and academic researchers as sources of therapeutic risk information. The workshop ended with a discussion on action items addressing what news professionals, representatives of regulatory agencies and the medical products industry, and academic researchers can and should do to enable news media to effectively report therapeutic risk information. In sum, this proceedings report provides an outline for developing mass media risk communication research, influencing the practices of journalists and expert sources and ultimately, improving the quality of the public's life. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Rights and Morals, Issues, and Candidate Integrity: Insights into the Role of the News Media

POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
David Domke
In recent American political discourse, elections and debates tend to be presented by the news media as collisions of basic principles, with opposing parties advancing beliefs about what is right and what is wrong. When news coverage of an election campaign focuses on issues that emphasize rights and morals, voting behavior may be affected in two ways: Citizens become likely to form and make use of evaluations of the integrity of the candidates, and citizens become motivated to seek an issue-position "match" with candidates on those issues for which discourse is ethically charged (particularly when they hold a similar interpretation of the issue). These ideas were tested in an experiment in which labor union members and undergraduate students were presented with news stories about the contrasting positions of fictional candidates for elective office. Across three political environments, all information was held constant except for systematic alteration of a different issue in each environment. These three issues (abortion, gun control, and health care) vary in the types of value conflicts emphasized in news coverage. The results shed light on how individuals process, interpret, and use issue coverage in choosing among candidates. [source]


Death for a Terrorist: Media Coverage of the McVeigh Execution as a Case Study in Interorganizational Partnering between the Public and Private Sectors

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 5 2003
Linda Wines Smith
In June 2001, the Federal Bureau of Prisons helped to carry out the execution of Timothy McVeigh for his role in the infamous 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The intense national and international media attention that the execution received was virtually unprecedented in the bureau's history, and it put the bureau in the difficult position of having to carry out two potentially conflicting responsibilities: facilitating coverage of the execution by hundreds of reporters, producers, and technicians, while maintaining the safety and security of the maximum security penitentiary in which the execution was held. Historically, the Bureau of Prisons has preferred to maintain a low media profile and had no experience managing a large-scale media event. This article examines how the bureau met this challenge by forming a partnership with the news media through the creation of a Media Advisory Group. It analyzes the goals, functions, and achievements of the Media Advisory Group by employing the Dawes model of interorganizational relationships. [source]


Exploiting a Rare Communication Shift to Document the Persuasive Power of the News Media

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009
Jonathan McDonald Ladd
Using panel data and matching techniques, we exploit a rare change in communication flows,the endorsement switch to the Labour Party by several prominent British newspapers before the 1997 United Kingdom general election,to study the persuasive power of the news media. These unusual endorsement switches provide an opportunity to test for news media persuasion while avoiding methodological pitfalls that have plagued previous studies. By comparing readers of newspapers that switched endorsements to similar individuals who did not read these newspapers, we estimate that these papers persuaded a considerable share of their readers to vote for Labour. Depending on the statistical approach, the point estimates vary from about 10% to as high as 25% of readers. These findings provide rare evidence that the news media exert a powerful influence on mass political behavior. [source]


Can Sanctions Reduce Insider Trading?

ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2010
The Experience of the USA in the 1980s
G18; G34; G22 Abstract This paper empirically examines whether insider trading sanctions in the USA in the 1980s reduced insider trading in advance of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Using a sample consisting of 291 firms, both merged and non-merged in 1983 and 1989, I measured insider trading volume and the "news media effect." I conclude that the sanctions reduced insider trading on average, and also resulted in larger noise trading on M&A-related news and rumors. No evidence was found that insiders were increasingly camouflaging their trades by concentrating them on days on that they knew trading volume would be abnormally high, such as on days containing M&A-related news. [source]


THE NEW ZEALAND PRESS ASSOCIATION 1880,2006: THE RISE AND FALL OF A CO-OPERATIVE MODEL FOR NEWS GATHERING

AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2008
Article first published online: 6 FEB 200, Grant Hannis
co-operatives; monopoly; New Zealand; news media; transaction costs The establishment of New Zealand's press agency, the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA), as a co-operative news gathering agency in 1880 has traditionally been regarded as reflecting a pioneering spirit of newspaper unity or as being largely determined by the political situation of the time. But these explanations are insufficient. Applying economic and organisational theories of co-operatives to the history of NZPA, this paper reveals it was market conditions that led to the creation of NZPA as a co-operative news gathering service. Following profound changes in those market conditions, NZPA recently abandoned this co-operative news gathering model. [source]


Media attention and the market for ,green' consumer products

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2006
John Thøgersen
Abstract There are signs that a general ,counter-attack' is now being orchestrated against the ,greens'. This paper surveys the evidence regarding an ,issue-attention' cycle in environmental concern in Western Europe and North America. It furthermore discusses the role of the news media in creating the cycle. It is well documented that the mass media plays an important role in determining which issues receive high or low attention by the general public. However, not only does the media's assessment of what is newsworthy mean that ,green' businesses will eventually lose the current of a rising issue attention cycle, but also its mere success means that stories framing ,green' businesses in a negative light become newsworthy while positive stories lose their newsworthiness. Therefore, and despite a large and loyal customer base, many ,green' companies now find themselves in a much more hostile environment than a decade ago. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


ThiaZolidineDiones and the Influence of Media Adverse Reporting on Prescribing Attitudes in PraCTice (TZD-IMPACT) Study

CARDIOVASCULAR THERAPEUTICS, Issue 2 2009
Jacob George
Prescribing behavior may be linked to media influence rather than to scientific evidence. Recently, the oral diabetic drug class of thiazolidinedione has been under the spotlight because of concerns over their cardiovascular safety. We have therefore conducted an electronic questionnaire survey among prescribing physicians in Tayside, Scotland to evaluate the prescribing attitudes and knowledge of the available evidence regarding the cardiovascular safety of thiazolidinedione use. Nationally representative prescribing data thoughout Scotland and Tayside from the IMS Health RSA dataset were also examined. Prescriptions for rosiglitazone alone or in combination with metformin have steadily decreased since the publication of a meta-analysis suggesting harm from rosiglitazone. This was mirrored by a gradual increase in prescriptions of pioglitazone. However, when questioned, the majority of doctors rate the level of information received regarding drug safety information on thiazolidinediones to be low with 68% of respondents scoring 5 or less (scale 1,10) on the level of information received. The source of information regarding drug safety warning was highly varied ranging from journals (21%), scientific meetings (19%) and the news media (15%). The findings of this study clearly show a need to disseminate reliable drug safety information more effectively to prescribers. [source]