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In 2023, an average of 2.5 local newspapers shut down each week. This year seems to be following a similar trend. With fewer professional journalists keeping watch over politicians and the process of voting—and an information landscape that is rife with falsehoods and propaganda—democracy is under threat. An evolving digital media landscape and the loss of trust in journalism has brought the industry to a reckoning point. In addition to charitable interest in supporting local news and legislation to protect the industry, journalists and key players are experimenting with different structures and business models. However, it's unclear which, if any, of these efforts will ultimately prove successful. But for journalism to continue standing as an essential pillar of democracy, one or more of these endeavors will need to emerge as viable—or at least lay the groundwork for other models that can succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research has uncovered an array of visible competitive dynamics, a strategic world of competition lies beneath the surface that should also be theorized and empirically traced. We investigate the strategic consequences of "media–rival" common ownership, in which investors own a media company and a non-media focal firm's rivals. We posit that focal firms receive worse coverage from media outlets when institutional investors hold substantial ownership in both a media company and the focal firm's rivals because the investors' common holdings provide them with incentives and power to enhance the competitiveness of their portfolio firms by tainting the focal firm's media coverage. We account for three moderators to show that this effect amplifies when investors have stronger incentives and power to influence the media and when media executives have incentives to cater to the interests of their investors. Using a novel dataset on common ownership of rival firms and media companies, we find support for our theory. Our study reveals a new invisible hand underlying competitive markets and offers a new view of the media as a strategic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the impact of video-based approaches on health education. PUBMED, Web of Science, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and LILACS databases were searched from their inception until November 2022. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies on interventions were included in this review. Studies were grouped according to their reported learning outcomes. A random effects meta-analysis was performed. Meta-regression analyses were used to explore the effects of confounding variables on the overall estimates. Forty studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that video-based learning (VBL) has a significant effect on 'knowledge acquisition' in dentistry (Cohen's d = 2.18), moderate effect in medicine (Cohen's d = 0.67); moderate effect on 'skills development' in medicine (Cohen's d = 0.76) and nursing (Cohen's d = 0.59); overall moderate effect on 'attitude' (Cohen's d = 0.74). Egger's test was performed to assess potential publication bias. VBL offers a valuable educational tool for knowledge acquisition, skill development, and attitude changes in health education. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed. To strengthen the evidence base, future research should address the limitations found, such as the high risk of bias (RoB), and employ rigorous study designs when investigating the role of multimedia learning in various academic disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the state of press freedom in Indonesia and its divergence from regional approaches in Southeast Asia. It discusses the negative consequences of domestic laws on the press, such as the criminalization and imprisonment of journalists. While some argue that these laws modernize Indonesian law and combat misinformation, others view them as opportunistic legislation. The article explores Indonesia's role in promoting democratic norms in the region and suggests measures to enhance press freedom and avoid inconsistencies. It also addresses challenges faced by the press in Indonesia, including concerns about the reliability and neutrality of information due to the political ambitions of media owners. The limitations imposed on the press make it difficult to have diverse media available in the country. The transition of the newspaper "Republika" from print to online due to high costs impacts local populations who still rely on printed news. The article emphasizes the importance of Indonesia's role in Southeast Asia and the need for alignment between domestic laws and regional engagements to maintain its identity and advocacy of democratic norms and values. The criminalization of the press and the threats faced by journalists and media outlets hinder the establishment of a true democracy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urged to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to maintain a consistent image in regional affairs. [Extracted from the article]

This article investigates the factors that contributed to the proliferation of online COVID skepticism on Twitter across Italian municipalities in 2020. We demonstrate that sociodemographic factors were likely to mitigate the emergence of skepticism, whereas populist political leanings were more likely to foster it. Furthermore, pre-COVID anti-vaccine sentiment, represented by "old truthers" on Twitter, amplified online COVID skepticism in local communities. Additionally, exploiting the spatial variation in restrictive economic policies with severe implications for suspended workers in nonessential economic sectors, we find that COVID skepticism spreads more in municipalities significantly affected by the economic lockdown. Finally, the diffusion of COVID skepticism is positively associated with COVID vaccine hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advances sociological work on globalization processes. It concerns itself with conceptualizations of how the local and global 'clash', utilizing Ulrich Beck's work on globalization, cosmopolitanism and power. By employing Brazil's 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) men's World Cup as a case, this article seeks to build on Beck's theorizations, into the field of football; using the General Law of the World Cup as a symbolic representation for the global/local, interest‐driven interactions between Brazil and FIFA. In particular, this article is concerned with how FIFA's requirements, standards and norms, as imposed on the host nation, were framed within local media and journalistic discourses. The article extends Beck's insights by problematizing how global demands meet local socio‐spatial, legal and cultural contexts and how these demands, seeking to regulate and secure consumption, are resisted by various domestic and localized actors situated within a power game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why did certain COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong attract more media scrutiny than others during the pandemic? We systematically compare media and social media responses to different clusters of infection that emerged during Hong Kong's COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on Susan Sontag's (2009) essay, Illness as Metaphor, we argue that the media preoccupation with Hong Kong's Fourth Wave COVID-19 infections was not so much concerned with the science and epidemiology of the virus, but instead resonated with deeply held anxieties about gender, aging, and sexuality in the city. Specifically, we describe how women who attended ballroom dance studios during this outbreak were targeted by mainstream and social media for transgressing traditional gender roles: abandoning their husbands and purchasing intimacy with younger and less wealthy male dance instructors. We explore the implications of this "gendering" (and its intersections with social class and ageism) for health communication and public policy in the way that it disproportionately attributed blame for the outbreak on the women and denigrated an important recreation in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is about the role of the media in the phenomenon of contemporary racism. More specifically, it outlines the discursive mechanisms through which insidious, hidden forms of racism are able to exist "invisible in plain sight," even in the media and public discourse of countries, like Norway, that regard themselves as democratic and tolerant. The study is part of a broader investigation into the role of the media in the life-experience of immigrants. It addresses the question: How did Norwegian media portray immigrants during the Covid-19 pandemic? Based on a discourse analysis of media coverage, the study demonstrates how racism is hidden "between the lines," in the assumptions behind a text. It also explains how racism is produced and reproduced covertly, yet systematically, through a media text's small, even "irrelevant"-looking details. The analysis, importantly, reveals the presence of already existing and widely shared racist scripts which, although they became more noticeable during the Covid-19 crisis, actually underlie public- and media discourse at all times. The results of the study, while related to the case of Norway and the pandemic crisis, help us more broadly understand how and why racism, under the shape of "normality," tends to remain practically unchallenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This was a research and development (R&D) which aims to develop adaptive educational hypermedia system (AEHS) learning media. The use of AEHS based on learning style in supporting the online learning process is considered very effective for use by engineering students because it can be accessed via mobile devices which can make it easier for students to learn and has an effect on increasing learning outcomes, this is supported by several inputs from experts through expert learning design tests, learning instrument experts, learning media experts and learning outcome measurement experts with the assessment results included in the very good category. The participants in this study were informatics engineering students, totaling 100 students. Small group tests were conducted for participants and obtained a gain score of 0.735 included in the 'high' category. The pretest and posttest have been carried out and the results show that the average posttest score is greater than the pretest value. A comparison between the use of AEHS developed with web-based learning was carried out and it can be concluded that the use of AEHS based on learning styles further improves student learning outcomes in informatics engineering compared to web-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have long debated how radio broadcasts affected the dynamics of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, with some arguing that the radio was highly consequential, and others suggesting such effects have been overstated. This article contributes to these debates—as well as to debates regarding the role of old and new media in collective action—by examining whether and how Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (Radio RTLM) coverage was associated with two core aspects of the violence: (1) subnational onset of genocidal violence and (2) participation in genocidal violence across subnational spaces. Drawing on new data on Radio RTLM coverage, we find that areas with coverage were more likely to experience immediate onset of violence. However, our analysis of participation in the genocide—which uses more accurate measures of participation and of radio coverage than prior studies—finds no significant association between Radio RTLM coverage and subnational levels of participation. After illustrating that these results are robust to numerous model specifications, we theorize that information broadcast over the radio's airways contributed to the creation of a critical mass that initiated genocide in localized spaces. We conclude by considering the importance of understanding the role of media in the subnational onset of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet and digital technologies have penetrated all domains of people's lives, and family life is no exception. Despite being a characterizing feature of contemporary family change, the digitalization of family life has yet to be systematically theorized. Against this backdrop, this article develops a multilevel conceptual framework for understanding the digitalization of family life and illustrates the framework by synthesizing state‐of‐the‐art research from multiple disciplines across global contexts. At a micro level, as individuals "do" family online, digitalization influences diverse aspects of family practices, including family formation, functioning, and contact. How individuals "do" family online is not free‐floating but embedded in macro‐level economic, sociocultural, and political systems underpinning processes of digitalization. Bridging the micro–macro divide, family‐focused online communities serve as a pivotal intermediary at the meso level, where people display family life to, and exchange family‐related support with, mostly nonfamily members. Meso‐level online communities are key sites for forming and diffusing collective identities and shared family norms. Bringing together the three levels, the framework also considers cross‐level interrelations to develop a holistic digital ecology of family life. The article concludes by discussing the contributions of the framework to understanding family change and advancing family scholarship in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generative AI is increasingly being used, among others also in the professional media industry. This article provides an overview of the main ethical and legal challenges regarding content generated by, or with the help of generative AI. Among the ethical challenges, special attention is devoted to the development of journalistic standards. The legal discussion highlights the questions of civil and criminal responsibility regarding content, with a primary focus on the attribution of liability. It scrutinises the roles of deployers, assessing their contributions to the final product. It suggests that all human participants' contributions should be accordingly acknowledged, potentially necessitating the creation of novel categories such as hybrid authorship and shared responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an audience ethnography, focusing on the documentary The Work (dir Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous, US, 2017), which depicts a four-day therapeutic programme involving men from the community and men from a high security prison. The film was screened to audiences of people who live and work in an English prison-based therapeutic community. Previous prison-based audience studies have highlighted the significance of the media text and the characteristics and experiences of the audience, but have not specifically addressed the salience of the context in which the media is consumed. By conducting the research in an atypical penal environment, the intention is to illuminate how consumption is affected by different penal contexts. The audience offered macro, meso and micro level responses to the documentary. At a macro level, they recognised the reforming intentions of the film, but also revealed the limitations of popular culture, with its emphasis on spectacle. At a meso level, the audience offered a sophisticated and expert analysis of the content and omissions of the film's representation of therapeutic processes and cultures. At a micro level, those serving prison sentences used the content of film as therapeutic material, reflecting on their own emotions and experiences, while the prison staff used the content to explore their professional identities. The audiences viewed the film through a therapeutic habitus, and media consumption was a way of enacting and reinforcing the expectations and practices of therapeutic community life. By highlighting the salience and variability of penal contexts, the study extends prison-based audience scholarship, but also highlights a factor that should be considered in the planning and design of media and arts programmes in prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the value of folklore training in developing public humanities initiatives, particularly through podcasting. Topics include the role of public humanities in addressing the crisis in humanities education, the skills derived from folklore studies that contribute to effective podcast creation, and the practical benefits of using podcasts to engage broader audiences outside academia.

Elite-level women's artistic gymnastics is (in)famous for the youth of its competitors. Yet if age representation constructs the limits and possibilities of sport, it is important to explore the effects of these representations. Here we examine media coverage of gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, who has competed internationally up to the age of 46. We conduct content analysis of 17 international competitions in which Chusovitina competed, from 2001 to 2018, exploring coverage of her and the younger gymnasts with whom she competed. As hegemonic masculinity structures a gender order in sport and beyond, we argue that gymnastics coverage constructs an age order in the sport by (1) emphasizing the exceptionality of older competitors; (2) focusing on athletes' private lives; and (3) constructing the athlete-coach relationship as familial, where coaches are represented as surrogate parents. These techniques diminish the agency of young gymnasts and produce their youthfulness as hegemonic, treating athletes competing beyond their twenties as unworthy of serious attention. When older athletes like Chusovitina are categorized as outliers, the sports media is free to infantilize younger gymnasts, naturalizing their ostensible lack of agency, as well as the sport's high burn-out and injury rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public persona of the 8th PM of Malaysia, Muhyiddin Yassin, was derived from the metaphorical framing of the Good Father archetype. Archetypes do not always lead to logical conclusions because issues are framed by focusing on specific aspects while avoiding those that are inconsistent with the metaphor. Metaphorical structures influence the way we perceive, think or act. Muhyiddin's abah persona can be described as monolithic. It normalizes the conservative Malay value that upholds the patriarchal role while marginalizing other ethnic or religious representations and their cultural and parenting practices. Muhyiddin had exploited this privileged position so as to further the asymmetrical power relation. The Malaysian collective fantasy of a Good Father is not uniform and Muhyiddin's abah was challenged by a Shadow Father counternarrative. This exploratory study is limited in achieving depth of understanding of gender roles representation but explores instead the strategic actors, namely Muhyiddin and his supporters, how they tried to build the image of a Good Abah, and how the narrative was negotiated and contested, as well as the ideologies that were promoted or reinforced by the father archetype. Findings include readers' polarized views of good father, low-key misogyny, the traditional and stereotyped expectation of men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pornography can be used through multiple media and its associations with couples' relationship and sexual satisfaction are mixed. The aims of this study were to examine the proportion of use of different pornographic media (i.e., videos, pictures, audio material, and written material), including different contents (i.e., sexual activities and nudity), gender-based differences in the frequency of use of these media, and the associations between an individual's frequency of use of different pornographic media and their own and their partner's sexual and relationship satisfaction, considering potential gender differences. A sample of 706 adult couples (1368 participants; Mage = 32.19 years) completed online self-report questionnaires. Results of actor-partner interdependence models indicated that video use was associated with lower relationship and sexual satisfaction, and partners' lower sexual satisfaction. Picture use was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and partners' lower sexual satisfaction. Written material use was associated with lower sexual satisfaction. Cisgender women's audio use was associated with their own higher sexual satisfaction, whereas cisgender men's audio use was associated with their partner's lower sexual satisfaction. These findings suggest different associations with sexual and relationship satisfaction depending on the pornographic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on propaganda often focuses on strategies that autocrats can use to persuade skeptical citizens. I outline a different function of propaganda—reinforcing regime support and building trust through identity-consistent messages. Such affirmation propaganda results in more positive perceptions of propaganda outlets and skepticism about independent media. I test this argument using three studies in Russia. In two randomized experiments, I demonstrate that pro-regime citizens trust reports from state media more than reports from independent media; however, state media lose trust if they send more critical messages. Additional survey evidence suggests that regime supporters often find state media accurate despite recognizing the pro-government bias of these outlets. My analysis suggests that autocrats are more constrained by public opinion than previously thought. It also helps to better understand the role of persuasion and censorship in authoritarian regimes, and it highlights that independent media have limited power to challenge authoritarian rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large corpus of scientific literature details how the media generates an imbalance in their portrayal of society and thus contributes to the reproduction of extant power structures, particularly gender. However, there has been scant attention paid to understanding how the media adapt to changes in the social environment, especially with power structures modified by exogenous shocks such as new laws requiring gender parity in politics. This study examines how such shocks affected gender imbalance in the coverage of politics in France between 1990 and 2020. It highlights the shortcomings of an overly linear approach to the time lag effect in understanding the parameters and substance of gender imbalance in political news and advocates instead for utilizing the concept of gender imbalance hysteresis to understand why media stories do not demasculinize as quickly as the gender composition of Parliament. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines, through a survey, the level of education and training in data verification among directors and department heads in the Spanish media (n=190). Findings reveal a limited level of training in this area, mainly acquired through in-house courses or self-directed learning, resulting in a limited knowledge and use of specific digital tools for information verification. Despite this, respondents generally hold a positive self-assessment of their verification skills, with (almost) all expressing a willingness to participate in training initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern societies are characterized by unprecedently broad and fast diffusion of various forms of false and harmful information. Military personnel's motivation to defend their country may be harmed by their exposure to disinformation. Therefore, specific education and training programs should be devised for the military to systematically improve (social) media literacy and build resilience against information influence activities. In this article, we put forward a useful methodological approach to designing such programs based on a case study: the process of developing a media literacy learning platform tailored to the needs of the Estonian defense forces in 2021. The approach is grounded in data on (a) the current needs and skills of the learners, (b) the kinds of influence activities that the learners may encounter, and (c) the learning design principles that would enhance their learning experience, such as learning through play and dialogue through feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flash floods can cause significant damage if people perceive them as low risk. Media plays a crucial role in improving risk perception. This study aims to survey the perceptions of residents in Yazd, Iran, about the performance of local TV during the flash flood in 2022. Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative study using a content analysis method that was conducted on 22 residents (14 males and 8 females) who had a history of watching local TV programs during the 2022 flash flood in Yazd City. They were selected by purposive sampling method until data saturation. The data was collected through a semi-structured face-to-face interview using open-ended questions about the news received from local TV regarding the flash flood in the city. Qualitative data analysis was done using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Results: Data analysis led to the emergence of one main concept (information quality), five themes (time of broadcasting news, content of programs, trust in the media, and ability to increase social sensitivity), 12 sub-themes, and 48 codes. Conclusion: The effectiveness of local TV during the flash flood in Yazd is low due to incorrect weather predictions, insufficient risk emphasis, lack of prime-time broadcasts, generic messaging, and absence of news headlines. Addressing these issues can enhance people's perceived sensitivity and response to flood warnings from the local TV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural policymaking frequently came to the fore in media debates about the impact of the crisis and measures to alleviate it. In this article, we present evidence of how newspaper coverage of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) identified and framed competing perceptions of the relative utility of policymaking in this context, while also problematising familiar assumptions about the CCIs among policymakers, journalists and (arguably) the public. Specifically, we analysed British news and editorial items (n.4,162) published from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. It offers a novel investigation into the ways in which media and policy rhetoric overlap, interact and influence each other. In doing so, this article contributes a unique perspective to the study and practice of cultural policy, bringing to light the typically underexplored role of the news media in shaping the narratives driving cultural policy deliberation and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European integration is at risk of becoming stuck in a 'politics' trap: Diverging national EU politicisation inhibits joint agreements which fuels public debates further. What can break this vicious circle? We argue that large and symmetrical exogenous shocks may reduce the divergence of national public EU debates to then study how the COVID-19 and Ukraine crises have altered mediatised EU portrayals across 753,435 articles from 228 major online news sites in the 27 EU member states during the 2018–2023 period. We find that the Covid and especially the Ukraine shock led to higher convergence in the public salience of the EU and the issue areas associated with this while partially also muting domestic party presence. However, we note that these effects appear short-lived. Large exogenous shocks thus do not lift the politicisation constraints on European integration permanently but offer at least windows of opportunity that may facilitate intergovernmental compromise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have shown that prolonged television watching increases obesity risk among children. However, few studies examined the associations with other types of screen time, such as computer and smartphone use, using a prospective cohort study design. Further, little is known about the specific non-screen time activity that may yield the most benefits when reallocating screen time to other activities. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort analysis using 3-year follow-up data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 (n = 2,023; 4th grade elementary students who were not obese at baseline). Average time spent watching television, using computer and smartphone, and other after-school activities were self-reported at baseline. Weight and height were also self-reported at baseline and follow-up surveys through 2021. We performed multivariable logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between screen time and obesity incidence, adjusting for potential confounders. We also performed isotemporal substitution models to examine the associations of reallocating screen time to other non-screen time activities (physical activity, sleeping, hanging out with friends, reading, studying, and chatting with parents) in an equal time-exchange manner. Results: Longer combined screen time (≥ 240 vs. <120 m/d) was statistically significantly associated with an increased obesity risk (OR [95% CI] = 1.68 [1.03, 2.73]). The direction of associations with television watching (≥ 180 vs. <60 m/d: OR [95% CI] = 2.86 [1.58, 5.20]), computer use (≥ 120 vs. <60 m/d: 1.38 [0.52, 3.64]), and smartphone use (≥ 180 vs. <60 m/d: 1.42 [0.76, 2.65]) were all positive, although the association was most apparent and statistically significant for television watching only. The associations did not change after additional adjustment for other lifestyle factors, including physical activity, sleep, and breakfast skipping. In the isotemporal substitution models, reallocating 1-hour of screen time to reading (OR [95% CI] = 0.67 [0.48, 0.93]) was associated with a decreased obesity risk. Reallocating 1-hour of screen time to physical activity was only marginally significantly associated with obesity risk (0.79 [0.62, 1.01]). Conclusions: Our data suggest that more efforts should focus on reducing screen time and increasing time for other non-screen time activities, particularly reading, for obesity prevention in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is a vast body of work on legitimacy, we still have a limited understanding of the discursive aspects of moral legitimation. This is surprising considering the increase in morally laden societal discussions, for example related to understanding gender, rights and regulations during a pandemic, political scandals and ethics of global business amongst others. In particular, from an organization studies perspective, we lack knowledge on how journalists negotiate moral legitimation of controversial organizational decisions such as closures or shutdown decisions related to global industrial restructuring. Therefore, drawing on the critical discourse studies tradition, we examine the media coverage of controversial shutdowns in Finland over the past 2 decades. Our analysis suggests three moral legitimation types: moral engaging, moral distancing and moral surrendering. These types involve specific discursive moralization practices and strategies, and they each paint a different picture of the moral options, responsibility, and inevitability in these decisions. These types can be found in the same texts supporting each other, but they also help us understand how legitimation may involve a pattern where the most explicit reflections (moral engagement) are followed by more indirect (moral distancing) and less apparent but very powerful (moral surrendering) forms of legitimation. By so doing, we also offer a heuristic that can, with due caution, be used for analyzing other texts on adverse effects of globalization or events that might include moral and ideological conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, in the Albanian language (either in what is used in daily life, or in the standard language used in the country's institutions), many new or foreign words are entering as a result of the extraordinary development of information technology. Thus, we are facing new words every day, we are hearing new expressions every day. The point is that in the language are entering even words that the Albanian language does not need it, even though it has it on its own language and the use of these lowanwords is unnecessary. In the period of globalization, English has become the dominant language everywhere in the world, so it falls to have risking not only the Albanian language but also other languages everywhere in the world. In this statement, we have expressed our concern and not only, for the disdainful attitude of the Albanian language from our society, but also from institutions including schools, the media (which also in some way, language education also comes through the media), not leaving out social media. Our focus in this process will be the media and social networks, becouse, young people are the first to be exposed to social changes. The language needs care, also for an organized institutional attention that will deal with today's problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Mental disorders significantly impact individuals and societies globally. Addressing societal stigma is crucial, as it affects help-seeking behaviors and the effectiveness of treatment for mental disorders. Objective: This study aims to explore the knowledge and perceptions of the Spanish population toward mental disorders and their treatment, assess changes in mental health stigma over time, and examine variations across sociodemographic variables by comparing current results with previous studies. Methods: A panel of three psychiatrists designed a questionnaire to collect public opinions about various aspects of mental illness in Spain, covering topics such as social perception, diagnostic reliability, causes, symptoms, treatment, suicide, and media influence. The survey, conducted from October to December 2022, involved 1,002 Spanish individuals aged 18-70. Results: Our results indicated an improved general knowledge of mental health, reduced stigma, and greater acceptance of those affected by these disorders, compared to past research. Almost 80% of the participants have accurate knowledge regarding the complex and multifactorial nature of mental illnesses. Around 90% of the participants share the belief that stigma affects those affected by mental disorders. Psychological and pharmacological treatment are considered to be effective and helpful by more than 70% of the sample. More than 60% of the participants highlighted that suicide needs to be addressed appropriately in the media. Conclusion: These findings suggest a significant shift in how Spanish society views mental disorders, marking progress over decades of discrimination. Reducing the stigma associated with mental health can encourage individuals to seek assistance without the fear of judgment or discrimination, thereby increasing the likelihood of early intervention and treatment. Open conversations about mental health within families, communities, and workplaces can create a supportive environment that enhances recovery. However, continued efforts and awareness campaigns targeted to broader audiences remain necessary. Responsible media portrayals of mental health, avoiding stigmatizing language or sensationalism, are also essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Environmental communication has been a profession and a subject of study for decades. Communication currently revolves around the anthropogenic ecological catastrophe, which makes the field's early self-description as a crisis discipline even more pertinent. How communication is used and perceived significantly impacts how human-caused climate disasters and other environmental and social problems develop and how solutions are offered. The phenomenon of technology has shown significant impacts on how people refer to environmental communication. While bibliometric analysis (BA) helps understand the trends, ChatGPT can generate information related to environmental communication. How are they different from each other? What are the limitations? This study aims to identify the trends and limitations of BA and ChatGPT that are associated with environmental communication. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach is used, which refers to BA using the Biblioshiny software (n = 867) and content analysis on ChatGPT 3.5. It uses a systematic technique for keyword search, namely, environmental and communication, from 2000 to 2022. Findings: There has been a decrease in the scientific production of studies starting in 2021 and 2022, which is believed to be due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ChatGPT provides valuable information but is rather complimentary to BA. ChatGPT is unable to provide statistical information related to environmental communication among Scopus-indexed publications. Research limitations/implications: This study focuses on the literature published in Scopus from 2000 to 2022. The keyword is limited to "environmental" and "communication." Besides, the choice of keywords made it specific to the studies involved in the BA, which may not include some other studies if the keywords are not listed. Originality/value: The originality of the research focuses on the field of environmental communication, its evolution within previous literature and the comparison between BA and the use of ChatGPT for understanding trends and limitations within this field. The text touches upon various aspects, such as the historical context of environmental communication, the impact of technology, the trends in scientific production among Scopus journal papers and the limitations of using ChatGPT compared to BA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games are the first Games with numerical gender parity, with equal numbers of male and female athletes competing. Notably, during the Olympic Games, the proportion of coverage sportswomen receive in the media is significantly greater than outside of the Games, albeit considerably less than sportsmen. As such, the representations and framing of sportswomen during this period of increased visibility hold significant importance and influence. In this context, we examine the trends that have been previously identified in the representations of sportswomen in the sports media and explore the representations of three British sportswomen who represented Great Britain during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the British news media: Dina Asher-Smith (athletics), Helen Glover (rowing), and Bethany Shriever (BMX racing). Despite evidence of some progress in female Olympians' media representations, ambivalent narratives and gendered discursive journalistic practices are still prevalent in British news media. In light of these findings, we suggest ways that the journalists and media organizations can improve representations of sportswomen to facilitate progression towards gender equity in sports reporting at future Olympic Games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction outlines some of the core themes and concepts that cut across this special issue. We begin by discussing the Olympics and Paralympics and how athlete activists have used the Games to highlight inequity and social injustice. With television audiences surpassing five billion people, these mega-events have the potential to not only reach onlookers from across the world but perhaps change attitudes, practices, and policies. Despite IOC-imposed restrictions around athlete activism, we offer an array of campaigns and activist organizations in the French context to illustrate how discriminations are being challenged in advance of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. At the 2024 Games, it is highly likely that issues of discrimination will be highlighted, and athletes are central to this discussion. Therefore, across this special issue, we focus on representations of gender and ethnicity in television, radio, and newspaper coverage; social media abuse directed at athletes; and disability inclusivity at the Games. Using an intersectional approach where possible, we illustrate how this myriad of identities shapes experiences and the mediated representations of individuals, groups, and nations. Every article within the special issue offers recommendations for positive and transformative change, or possible areas for future research. We end this introduction by presenting some of these core recommendations designed to challenge inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barnett responds to three articles that put the thought of Søren Kierkegaard in conversation with modern popular media. He argues that each of these pieces demonstrates that Kierkegaard's criticism of the burgeoning free press remains relevant today, particularly in the areas of journalistic practice, mental health, and political responsibility. At the same time, however, Barnett wonders if the radical nature of the Dane's critique has been fully considered. For Kierkegaard, in other words, it is not just that popular media have flaws in need of correction; it is that the media constitute "the evil principle in the modern world." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euroscepticism has become prominent across the European Union, also in countries that were originally seen as pro‐integrationist such as the Netherlands. Based on a qualitative analysis of claims in three major Dutch newspapers, I examine the mainstreaming of Euroscepticism in the Netherlands in the context of the 2009, 2014 and 2019 European Parliament elections. Mainstreaming refers to a process in which an idea becomes an integral part of debates in the public sphere. I examine the mainstreaming of Euroscepticism through a two‐part analysis that centres around a fourfold typology, which distinguishes between supportive, Euroalternative, soft Eurosceptic and hard Eurosceptic claims. I find that Euroscepticism has indeed become mainstream, in debates revolving around arguments for and against the European Union. Furthermore, Euroscepticism has not just become more prominent but has also moved from an outsider to an insider perspective. Yet, it often remains unclear what Euroscepticism actually entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fear of crime refers to the fear of being a victim of crime, and it is nurtured by folklore and the media. Folklore fosters fear of crime using oral tradition transferred throughout generations by updating old contexts into modern times. On the other hand, the media visualizes the possibility of being a victim by introducing the real-life experiences of victims. Contrary to folklore, victims presented in the media seem more accessible, and the victimization of individuals may be proven. Folklore and the media have cooperated to keep the fear of crime alive to warn society that individual lives are on the verge of becoming victims of criminals. In this paper, I aim to describe the fear of crime through two particular crimes: Child abductions and organ thefts. Data for this research comes from two sets of materials: Newspaper news stories and semi-structured interviews conducted in face-to-face settings with mothers from two different generations. My research reveals that mothers of the eighties were scared of their children being victims of beggar gangs and organ trade criminals, while millennial mothers suffer from the possibility of their children being victims of online grooming and sextortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the decision to invade all of Ukraine and Russia's atrocious behavior and disastrous performance in the war may seem surprising and even irrational, Russia has in fact followed patterns that it used in the recent past with the two Chechen wars of 1994–1996 and 1999–2009. In this article, we compare key similarities and differences in the two Russo-Chechen wars and the current war on Ukraine by analyzing three aspects of the wars: Russian political strategy in the territories, Russian military strategy and conduct, and the Russian state's approach to war-related information and media campaigns. By drawing these comparisons, we hope to show how Russia's past war strategies in Chechnya might shed light on outcomes in Ukraine. In addition, in showing the similarities between Russian actions in Chechnya and Ukraine we highlight the argument that Russia is treating Ukraine not as a sovereign state, but as a part of Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Rohingya crisis has been a significant issue for national and international news media, capturing their attention for an extended period and documenting various phases of the crisis. Previous research exploring the tones and portrayal of the Rohingyas in the news lacks comparative and temporal analysis of news sentiments. In this study, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing 8074 news stories on Rohingya issues published in 10 news media outlets from 10 countries between 2009 and 2023. Our computational sentiment analysis reveals that Rohingya-related news sentiments are predominantly negative and fluctuate over the years across different countries, showing little identifiable patterns. An ANOVA suggests significant variation in news sentiments among countries, with some countries exhibiting more similar sentiments than others, thus creating distinguishable groups. Some of our findings contradict previous scholarships, warranting further research and novel frameworks. Additionally, we encourage scrutiny of academic insights to address potential biases against news media's journalistic integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of laughter in media strategies. The aim is to distinguish between laughter shared 'with' the audience and laughter directed 'at' the audience. The research briefly traces the historical evolution of laughter from a repressed and morally criticised expression to a symbol of wealth and empowerment, a transformation facilitated by media diffusion. The subsequent analysis, based on the Portuguese context, seems to indicate a current tendency towards a more empathetic, lighter, and more visibly expressive form of laughter that transcends boundaries such as age, education, and social status, thus fostering a deeper connection with the audience. This study underlines the profound impact of laughter on audience engagement and highlights the central role of communal laughter—laughing 'with' the audience—in contemporary media communication. In conclusion, the findings suggest that a more empathetic and less critical approach to audience behaviour through laughter has the potential to attract larger audiences. Indirectly, this emerging trend may be indicative of a growing reluctance among members of contemporary society to tolerate ideas or perspectives contrary to their own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global attention to mental health issues increases, its media portrayal becomes increasingly important. This literature review explores the representation of mental health in the media. The study found that the media plays a key role in shaping the public's views on mental health issues. Positive media reports can help increase public awareness, reduce stigma, and promote help-seeking behaviors and policy improvements. However, negative reports may deepen misunderstandings and prejudices, increase stigma, and hinder people from seeking help. Several topics including violence and threats have become common themes in media reports on mental health issues. In addition, the portrayal of mental health on social media is emphasized, which provides a platform for discussing mental health issues, but also brings challenges to information authenticity and privacy protection. Social media interactions can provide support for mental health issues, but negative comments and cyberbullying may exacerbate the problem. The significance of this literature review is to provide theoretical support for improving media coverage and formulating public strategies, calling on media practitioners to report mental health issues in a responsible manner to promote healthier public attitudes and more effective policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The younger generations are exerting a profound influence on the future of the media. The current crisis of reputation facing traditional media is compelling those involved in the creation, production, and distribution of content to rethink the logic underpinning these processes. The consumption of entertainment and information via smartphones is becoming increasingly concentrated in screen devices and social platforms. In light of the particularities of a convergence of media and the characteristics of the digital sphere of users, it is necessary to investigate the information consumption habits and preferences of young university students towards conventional and digital media platforms, as well as social networks within the digital sphere. The objective of this research was to ascertain the news consumption habits of young university students in the context of the new digital landscape, characterised by the pervasiveness of connectivity and the ascendency of smartphones as the primary gateway to the internet. A survey of 1300 students was conducted in October 2023 to investigate their adoption, use, and consumption of traditional and digital media, as well as the devices they use and the importance of podcasts. The results, viewed through the lens of a specific ecosystem, such as that of Colombia, challenge prevailing stereotypes and suggest that younger generations continue to value traditional journalistic brands, potentially due to familial influence. The majority of content is accessed through screen devices and social media platforms. Despite the existence of prejudices, young people supplement their musical preferences with informational content and leisure and entertainment products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study critically examines the public's perception of Florence Nightingale's legacy through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of digital media, specifically podcasts and YouTube. Nightingale, who is often remembered as "The Lady with the Lamp", holds a complex identity within modern narratives that is celebrated for her pioneering contributions to nursing and public health, even if there are some disagreements about her, given the colonialist setting that may have shaped some of her opinions and decisions. This research employed CDA to analyze 25 podcasts and 18 YouTube videos, which were systematically included according to a priori inclusion criteria. The study synthesized how these media products portray Nightingale and, by extension, shape public discourse about the nursing profession. The findings reveal five thematic representations of Nightingale: as a legendary figure, a modern feminist, a dedicated statistician, a pioneer in public health, and a pivotal STEM contributor. These portrayals challenge traditional nursing stereotypes by emphasizing Nightingale's role as a rigorous scientist and reformer, suggesting broader perceptions of nurses that encompass leadership, analytical skills, and strategic thinking. The study supports the hypothesis that digital narratives significantly influence the public's understanding and appreciation of nursing, advocating for a more nuanced professional identity that integrates traditional caregiving roles with critical and analytical capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audience studies highlight the relevance of studying citizens' participation in the media convergence environment. This study evaluates audience participation in the three foremost local radio newscasts in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where radio remains present in everyday life and public issues trigger audience's interest to express themselves through this medium. The methodology was designed based on Carpentier's Analytical Tool for Critical Analysis of Media Processes and UNESCO's Media Development Indicators (MDI). It consisted of an analysis of modalities of audience participation and interviews with audience members, production teams, activists, and politicians. Findings show that audiences prefer to listen to other citizens on air, but participation is scarce and mainly limited to messages on the radio newscasts' social networks sites. Audiences' rights and the role of radio as a platform for democratic conversation among citizens and government need to be promoted and regulated, because commercial interests prevail. Despite technological innovations, the design of newscasts remains unidirectional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I study Guy Debord's critical discourse, particularly his landmark essay The Society of the Spectacle. He underlines here the symbolic desert produced by modern societies. I stress the uniqueness of his perspective, to the extent that such desert stems from a situation of overabundance and excess, and not from a specific void or absence. This desert constitutes a space saturated with images and signs: it asserts the rule of the superfluous and the inconsequential. Moreover, this discourse was rooted in the Glorious Thirties, which were characterized by a strong economic growth. It must therefore be placed within a historical and social context that is quite different from twenty first Century French society. Contemporary France is marred by contrast by unemployment and precariousness as well as by huge socio-economic inequalities. The endless production of media images contradicts therefore the deep shortcomings of social reality. Finally, the concept of the Spectacle, for Debord, did not include yet the overwhelming power of new technologies. These technologies have greatly expanded the influence of images within the social and cultural sphere by making them instantaneous and readily available. The same process has also increased significantly the potential alienation and isolation of man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary French novelists Michel Houellebecq and Yannick Haenel may seem to have little in common, but in fact both are given to making pronouncements about the state of Western civilization, and each has been described as prophetic in this regard. Houellebecq's Sérotonine (2019) and Haenel's Tiens ferme ta couronne (2017) are both stories whose protagonists isolate in their apartments, and—from that remove—proceed to, ostensibly, see the world for what it really is. Looming in both novels is a twenty-four-hour-news-cycle culture that serves as the ultimate prophet of doom. Haenel's hero finds in solitude the critical distance from that culture needed to formulate an alternative vision of the world and exorcise the horror just enough to find hope. In Houellebecq's novel, that distance is impossible, as his hero, a self-proclaimed "telemancer," remains obsessed with cable news and as, on a deeper level, Houellebecq's style merges seamlessly with the news cycle's fearmongering logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An economic model of news contends that the pressures of limited column space and market competition force media actors to be strategic concerning which notable events receive exhaustive coverage, if any at all. Applying this framework to the Supreme Court can explain why coverage of the Justices' decision-making has historically been sensationalized and reserved for decisions sure to have a pronounced effect on public discourse. However, the emergence of social media as a practical alternative for mass media dissemination raises notable questions, chief among them being whether the economic framework fully extends to this newer medium. In this study, I analyze media coverage of the Court's decisions using Twitter and observe important distinctions among environments for news dissemination. I argue that the apparent reduction in the economic costs associated with coverage dissemination and consumption on social media platforms like Twitter requires viewing Supreme Court news in these environments through an amended theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this research was to examine the role of media power in the sports diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: The present research, with a qualitative approach, is based on data foundation, which was conducted in terms of practical objectives and data collection fieldwork. Among the elites in this field, 20 individuals were purposefully selected as snowball samples. The research tool was a semi-structured interview, which continued until theoretical saturation was reached. For the validity and reliability of the research, the acceptability, transferability, and confirmability method was used, and the reliability was obtained at 77% in the retest. Results: Through the review and analysis of the interviews, 39 codes were identified in the form of 8 concepts in the axis of external conditions, 30 codes in the form of 6 concepts under contextual conditions, 20 codes in the form of 4 concepts under interventionist conditions, 44 codes in the form of 9 concepts in the axis of strategies, 36 codes in the form of 7 concepts related to consequences, and 24 codes in the form of 2 concepts related to the central phenomenon of identification. Conclusion: The research results showed that factors such as media development, the importance of sports in the media, media position development,cultural exchange in the media, theoretical foundation production in the media,the diplomatic nature of the media, enrichment of leisure time, and other factors played an important role in the media's role in sports diplomacy in the Islamic Republic of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the combination of democratization and violence shape the public sphere? This should entail an enlargement of the public sphere and an increase in public deliberation. Since framing is a powerful tool in determining the scope and contents of public debate, what role does framing play in democratizing public spheres? Taking the state of Veracruz (Mexico) as a case study, we explore to what extent do print media allow for an enlargement of the public sphere in terms of both admissible participants and issues. We argue that framing practices contribute to a paradoxical situation in which deliberation takes place, but whose democratic character is severely compromised by the systematic exclusion of certain actors and the subordinate framing of certain issues in the media. The result is a hybrid public sphere in which ostensibly democratic media help normalize violence, authoritarian practices and traditional domination patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet was once seen as a beacon of hope for democratizing public access to information, but scholars argue that social media has led to frustration, isolation, and pseudo-information. This volume presents empirical studies exploring paths to potentially rebuild ideal communication situations, if ever, in the digital age and cope with digital information failure. Can we salvage an ill-informed society? These studies offer insights into addressing these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]