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This study investigates the impact of citizen journalism in Kazakhstan, utilizing quantitative and logical methods, drawing on both foreign and local insights. Findings reveal trust in mainstream media, concerns about bias and recognition of citizen journalism's value for diverse perspectives. Media professionals acknowledge its significance and express varied opinions on credibility and future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rural weekly newspaper industry rooted in traditional geographically bounded U.S. communities was long thought to have been shielded from industry dilemmas—revenue and circulation—at larger mainstream daily newspapers. However, recent data show a shift in these rural community journalism trends, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Using normative theory and diffusion of innovations, this study examines how rural weekly newspaper publishers perceived, nearly 18 months after the onset of the pandemic, how COVID-19 impacted their newspapers' advertising, news, technology, and community involvement. Survey results reveal short-term and long-term content and financial challenges plague U.S. rural grassroots information sources with circulation less than 3,000—indicating the end of the "golden era" of weekly newspapers. Despite the constraints, publishers remain optimistic and dedicated to their audiences, albeit reluctant to swift change, as they perceive themselves as the only reliable information source for their rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Beacons in the Darkness: Hope and Transformation Among America's Community Newspapers" by Dave Hoekstra is a book that explores the world of community newspapers in the United States. The author, a former columnist and critic, interviews editors and publishers from various small-town newspapers to shed light on their dedication and perseverance. While the book is not a manual on saving community journalism, it offers inspiring stories of individuals who have devoted their lives to covering local news. However, the book lacks organization and fails to provide critical analysis or practical solutions. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism" by Benjamin Toff, Ruth Palmer, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen explores the phenomenon of news avoidance and why a significant portion of the population chooses not to consume news. The authors define news avoiders as those who intentionally or unintentionally do not consume news produced by professional journalists. They find that news avoiders are more likely to be young, female, and from lower socioeconomic classes. The book argues that three key variables influence news avoidance: identities, ideologies, and infrastructures. The authors provide a framework for understanding news avoidance and call for change in journalism to meet the needs of these audiences. [Extracted from the article]

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the role news organizations play in disseminating information and shaping public response to the crisis. This study adopts an ecological approach in examining Russian regional journalists' adaptations to the pandemic. Based on in-depth interviews, the study found that a worsened economic situation has increased dependence on state subsidies. Journalists avoided questioning authorities' response to COVID, with some publishing government information and others focusing on practical tips for readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research sought to understand how the loss of a local newspaper impacts the community. Focus groups were conducted among a purposive sample of community leaders. The overall consensus was that residents miss having a single community information platform. Business owners lack an effective way to advertise. Respondents' perception of the emerging communication platforms trying to fill the information void depends on the consumers' technical proficiency and prior use of such platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dharamshala is home to the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. Its small-town journalism landscape is unique due to specific forms of community journalism practice adopted by Indian and Tibetan journalists. The Tibetan press there faces a paradox: simultaneously "local and community specific" for Tibetans-in-exile, "refugee voices" for the international community, and "foreign journalism" for Indians. This framing study identified interpretive packages in news coverage of conflict and integration between Dharamshala communities, by examining stories from community news outlets. Indian Hindi journalists enact a "community booster" role by actively framing issues of conflict in favor of the community, while Tibetan journalists' approach was comparatively more balanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of people in the market distribution area of the Florida Times-Union (T-U) showed that amount of exposure to the newspaper indirectly predicted positive attitudes about civic participation and civic participation behaviors such as volunteering and religious activities, as mediated through connectivity with the T-U and news interest. Online and offline communication were also directly related to positive civic participation attitudes and indirectly to community volunteering and religious activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community media maintain a tradition of interaction, yet, few studies focus on digital operations at smaller publications. This study indicates direct communication matters more than technology to generating interaction advancing interactivity theory. This project further suggests no single technological element likely increases the amount of interaction on the websites of community newspapers and multiple forms of digital outreach could improve the likelihood of success. However, website managers appear indifferent to communicating with the audience online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines front-page stories published in selected small community newspapers in the days leading up to election day 2016. The researchers found that in the face of one of the most monumental U.S. presidential elections in recent memory, newspapers emphasized local election news. Remaining true to their hyperlocal focus suggests that community newspapers remain a vital source for citizen engagement in the local democratic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study examines how two small Virginia newspapers that had opposed school integration covered an integrated high school boys basketball team that won a state championship three years after the school admitted African American students. While previous studies of sports journalism have found evidence of racial bias in the depiction of black athletes, this study finds values governing community journalism, including local boosterism, trumped racial bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journalists and online commenters compete for control over news forums. The negotiation of how forums are used, what norms are accepted, and how participants can work together are critical issues for building better forums. This study uses boundary work and a textual analysis of comments to consider how commenters understand best practices and the journalist's role. Commenters express three hierarchical roles for journalists based on differing philosophies of journalist roles and audience autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media have emerged as a vital tool of communication for reaching and engaging broader audiences; however, few studies discussed the differences of news norms and journalists’ practices defined by the news platforms. Using framing analysis, this study examined how U.S. media presented the 2014 Ebola outbreak both within newspaper stories and within each newspaper’s corresponding Twitter account. Twitter accounts deviated from traditional print platforms by having a more magnified voice following key Ebola events, using more updates and science frames and less conflicts, responsibility, consequence, and savior frames. Degrees of alarming or reassuring tones differed by platform as well. While newspapers fulfilled traditional media responsibilities, the Twitter accounts were geared toward public concern during the epidemic escalation, serving responsibilities more befitting a health organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This in-depth case study examines attempts to transform a traditional newsroom to one oriented around civic journalism principles, offering a unique look at the resistance toward those principles even in a digital environment that facilitates new audience relationships. Civic journalism emphasizes understanding and addressing community concerns from a citizen perspective. This study finds that journalists still struggle to integrate citizens’ contributions into newsroom practice in meaningful ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, this study examines direct and indirect effects of citizen journalism on civic participation. Through a quasi-experimental design, analyses show that citizen journalism practice has a direct effect on civic participation and enhances attitudes toward nonprofi t and voluntary organizations leading to volunteering and donating behavioral intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A content study of top stories in eight cities compares professional newspaper story placement to its participatory competitor and finds both are intensely local. While the latter runs softer and more opinionated stories, professional content is rooted in traditional topics such as crime. Results suggest that participatory journalism complements do not replace local news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an experiment comparing traditional news reporting to citizen blogs, university students rated traditional journalism as more credible than citizen journalism. Also, participants assessed straight news articles as more credible than opinionated reports of the same news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including social media, citizen journalism and Internet videos.