"In this fully revised and expanded Fourth Edition, Ronald E. Rice and Charles K. Atkin provide readers with a comprehensive, up-to-date look into the field of public communication campaigns. Updated to reflect the latest theories and research, this text extends coverage to new areas, including sun
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protection, organ donation, human rights, social norms, corporate social responsibility, condom use, ocean sustainability, fear messages, and digital games. Classic chapters include updates on topics such as campaign history, theoretical foundations, formative evaluation, systems approaches, input-output persuasion matrix, design and evaluation, meta-analysis, and sense-making methodology." (Publisher description)
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"The demands of public diplomacy have shifted with the development of social media technologies. Increasingly, governments are required to gauge and respond to public sentiment over and above the one-way communication of broadcast media. The social media and accompanying elevated public role have co
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mplicated the decision-making process in China to the extent of potentially influencing its outward engagements. On the receiving end of China’s diplomacy is Africa, which is undergoing its own important technological changes. South Africa’s domestic circumstances, however, demonstrate that larger factors can override online sentiment. In two such important regions in the world, it is important to consider whether these domestic changes are likely to strengthen or undermine future China–Africa future relations." (Abstract)
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"Dealing with uncertainty has been an important and distinct topic for PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (formerly MNP) and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), in terms of analysis and communication. Acting responsibly with regard to this issue is
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important; particularly where policy analyses are concerned. Without adequate attention to the role and implications of uncertainty, the outcome of research and assessments may be of limited value and could result in incorrect policy decisions, with all the attendant consequences. However, the general public does not always appear in need of very detailed information in ‘documents full of subtle distinctions’. Consequently, information on uncertainty is not always considered relevant, understood, or even noticed. Thus, uncertainty remains an awkward issue and a challenge for the authors of policy reports. This Guide comprises hints and points of attention, as well as questions that researchers should try to answer when communicating about uncertainty (e.g. in written reports and presentations). It is not intended as a protocol; every situation is unique and demands its own approach. Thus, the Guide for Uncertainty Communication is intended to support the researcher/communicator in making well-considered choices. Communication on uncertainty regarding a particular study requires having a clear picture of why this communication is important and to whom it should be addressed. For this, the issues and concerns of the intended target audience(s) must be known, as well as all relevant uncertainties involved in the study and their possible effects on the results of the study. This involves serious reflection on certain topics, such as on where uncertainties originate, what significance and/or implications they have, if uncertainty may be reduced, on the context of the study, and on the manner in which uncertainty was dealt with in the study. The purpose of the study will strongly determine what uncertainty information would be relevant. For example, a study which primarily deals with the effects of policy measures will focus less on uncertainty about the severity of environmental problems than would be the case when a newly emerging environmental problem is explored. Addressing these questions, ideally, would provide a clear insight into all relevant aspects of uncertainty, which should be communicated effectively to the intended target audiences. This Guide is set up to support this process." (Preface, pages 4-5)
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"Das Buch gibt einen Einblick in die neuen Erzählweisen des digitalen Journalismus. Es untersucht die Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf die Medienbranche und den mit ihr verbundenen Wandel journalistischer Darstellungsformen. Dabei geht es auch um die Möglichkeiten des journalistischen Storytel
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lings auf mobilen Endgeräten wie Tablet-Computern. Es wird eine neuartige Typologie von Darstellungsformen entwickelt, die über die klassischen Text-, Audio- und Fernsehformate hinaus digitales Storytelling ermöglicht." (Publisher description)
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"In the chapter, journalistic work ethics on the scene during school shootings and journalists’ psychological stress reactions after such work is studied. Approach: Findings are based on several qualitative studies carried out separately at different time periods, spanning over a decade. Included
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cases are one from the United States, Columbine (1999), and two from Finland, Jokela (2007) and Kauhajoki (2008). Similarities and differences between cases are pinpointed, and general conclusions are drawn. Findings: Results show that while technical equipment and publication platforms have developed between cases, journalists’ ethical issues, response to public criticism, and patterns of postcrisis reactions remain similar. Practical implications: As implications in the area of journalism ethics and stress reactions, the authors conclude that work in crises will be the rule rather than the exception during a journalist's career. Ethical considerations and individual response patterns to an event interact in complex ways. Personal preparation and knowledge in the area of ethics are of crucial importance for being able to function professionally during assignments. Social implications: Personal knowledge regarding journalism ethics and psychological stress are of importance, since individual mistakes when informing about a crisis can have long-lasting societal effects. Value of chapter: In the chapter, the authors underline the need to develop a personal understanding of typical crisis-related journalistic work strategies (autopilot/hyper mode), ethical boundaries, and possible stress reactions, for enabling an adequate work approach during assignments. Also, a number of possible predictors for emotional distress in journalists during crisis-related assignments are proposed." (Abstract)
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"Behaviour change communication is vital for increasing the enactment of particular behaviours known to promote health and growth. The techniques used to change behaviour are important for determining how successful the intervention is. In order to integrate findings from different interventions, we
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need to define and organize the techniques previously used and connect them to effectiveness data. This paper reviews 24 interventions and programs implemented to change four health behaviours related to child health in developing countries: the use of bed nets, hand washing, face washing and complementary feeding. The techniques employed are organized under six categories: information, performance, problem solving, social support, materials, and media. The most successful interventions use three or even four categories of techniques, engaging participants at the behavioural, social, sensory, and cognitive levels. We discuss the link between techniques and theories. We propose that program development would be more systematic if researchers considered a menu of technique categories appropriate for the targeted behaviour and audience when designing their studies." (Abstract)
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"This tool is used to assess the SBCC knowledge and competence of individuals and how successful a specific training has been for them. Individuals about to take an SBCC training fill in the pre-assessment provided in this document, then fill in the post-assessment right after completing the trainin
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g. The questions and items are the same for both assessments. Individuals completing a successful training and filling in the post-assessment will answer a higher number of questions correctly and rate their own SBCC competencies at increased levels. It is the comparison that matters. The difference between an individual’s scores and ratings in the two assessments allows the training to be monitored and measurably evaluated. The score indicates whether an individual increased his or her SBCC knowledge, skills, and competencies during the training, and the ratings can suggest whether further training or capacity strengthening is needed and in which specific SBCC competencies." (Introduction, page 4)
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"‘Killer facts’ are those punchy, memorable, headline-grabbing statistics that make reports special. They cut through the technicalities to fire people up about changing the world. They are picked up and repeated endlessly by the media and politicians. They are known as ‘killer’ facts becaus
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e if they are really effective, they ‘kill off’ the opposition’s arguments. The right killer fact can have more impact than the whole of a well-researched report."
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"You can’t expect supporters to dive into your website, newsletter or other written materials unless you entice them with pithy, pointed or engaging subject lines, headlines, tweets and status updates. Th ese bits of text, whether a few words or a few short sentences, are sometimes called microcon
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tent, a term coined by Jakob Nielsen, who in a 1998 article referred to Introduction Getting the Words Right microcontent as 'short content that needs to be immediately clear and inviting to a reader, and which still make sense when removed from its original context' (when it appears as a snippet in search results, for example)." (Introduction)
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"To encourage smoking cessation, persuasive messages can be used to raise smokers' risk perception. This article discusses challenges and solutions in designing a study to evaluate the effect of two different communication strategies ("gains from quitting" vs. "losses from continuing smoking") in en
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couraging calls to a quitline. The authors conducted an intervention study in two subway stations for 4 weeks, considering only 1 strategy per station. Large posters containing non-age-specific images and texts, on the basis of the theme "shortness of breath," were displayed on central dividing columns on the boarding platforms. Call rates from the selected stations, and respective rate ratios, overall and per study week, were calculated. Passengers who were smokers, exposed to the positive-content message, called on average 1.7 times more often than did those exposed to the negative-content message (p = .01). Moreover, call rate ratios did not decline over the 4 weeks of the study (p = .40). The effectiveness findings suggest that antismoking campaigns could use positive-content messages in order to recruit a larger smoker population. The proposed methodology can also be used to evaluate effectiveness of messages for "capturing" individuals with other health problems (e.g., alcohol abuse), thereby increasing its potential impact." (Abstract)
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"The global success of the film KONY 2012 by Invisible Children, Inc., manifests far greater magical powers than those of Joseph Kony and his ruthless Lord’s Resistance Army, which it portrays. The most prominent feature of the Invisible Children lobby is the making and constant remaking of a mast
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er narrative that depoliticizes and dehistoricizes a murky reality of globalized war into an essentialized black-and-white story. The magic of such a digestible storyline, with Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony as a global poster boy for evil personified, not only plays into the hands of the oppressive Ugandan government but has also become handy for the US armed forces as they seek to increase their presence on the African continent. As the US-led war on terror is renewed and expanded, Invisible Children’s humanitarian slogan, “Stop at nothing”, has proven to be exceptionally selective, manifesting the occult economy of global activism that calls for military interventions." (Abstract)
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