"This paper investigates occupational stressors amongst media personnel assigned to work on covering the Iraq War via interviews with 54 journalists from the BBC and Reuters, who worked in Iraq between February and April 2003. A range of stressors were identified that could be categorized into three
...
main themes, control over the situation, support from management and grief from the death of colleagues. Journalists not embedded with military units were more likely to report negative physical and emotional health outcomes. The study concludes that hazardous work environments do not, by themselves, cause stress and poor job satisfaction. Rather, organizational factors, the imbalance between the ability to make decisions about how to carry out their job effectively and the perceived rewards of working in such environments appear to have a greater impact on work related stress." (Abstract)
more
"Die vorliegende Studie wendet den Blick ab von den bisher in erster Linie erforschten journalistischen Inhalten hin zu den Prozessen und Strukturen, innerhalb deren sie entstehen. Sie erweitert dabei die Perspektive der Rühl’schen Redaktionsforschung (1969) um Erkenntnisse der betriebswirtschaft
...
lichen Managementlehre und hier besonders des Total-Quality-Managements (TQM). Neben den originär journalistisch-handwerklichen Entscheidungsprogrammen (z. B. Recherche, Themenselektion, Gegenlesen) werden auch Entscheidungsprogramme des redaktionellen Managements (z. B. Personalmanagement, redaktionelles Marketing) als potenzielle redaktionelle Routinen gesehen, die in ihrer Vernetzung ein zielgerichtetes Qualitätsmanagement ermöglichen können. Diese Routinen werden als Instrumente (Werkzeuge) des Qualitätsmanagements bezeichnet. Die Praxis des Gegenlesens oder die institutionalisierte Blattkritik sind also ebenso solche Instrumente wie die redaktionelle Zielformulierung, Weiterbildungsofferten oder Leistungslohnsysteme für Mitarbeiter. In einer Vollerhebung aller deutschen, tagesaktuell arbeitenden Nachrichtenredaktionen wurde ermittelt, welche der einzelnen Instrumente des redaktionellen Qualitätsmanagements im Nachrichtenjournalismus der unterschiedlichen Medientypen bereits Anwendung finden und in welcher Form dies geschieht. Eine abschließende Zusammenschau der einzelnen Instrumente soll zeigen, ob diese Bemühungen um die Sicherung der redaktionellen Qualität bereits auf eine systematische Anwendung im Sinne des Total-Quality-Managements hinweisen oder – falls nicht – inwiefern sich Tendenzen und noch ungenutzte Potenziale zeigen (siehe Kap. 7). Die Analyse wird vor dem Hintergrund einer funktional multidimensionalen Definition journalistischer Qualität durchgeführt (siehe Kap. 3.2.2). Es wird davon ausgegangen, dass jede Redaktion ihre eigenen Qualitätsziele und -kriterien hat (inwiefern sie diese auch schriftlich fixiert, ist ebenfalls Teil der Untersuchung). An ihnen richteten sich alle Bemühungen ihres internen Qualitätsmanagements aus. Im Zentrum der Erhebung steht also nicht die fallbezogene Untersuchung der Effizienz der Maßnahmen (denn dazu müssten ebenfalls die Qualitätsziele, -kriterien und Inhalte einer Redaktion untersucht werden), sondern ihre Existenz und Vernetzung im Sinne von TQM. Dies entspricht nach Donabedian einer Analyse der Struktur- und Prozessqualität. Werden diese für gut befunden, ist es auch wahrscheinlich, dass die in diesem Umfeld produzierten Inhalte (Ergebnisqualität) den Zielen der jeweiligen Redaktion entsprechen." (Seiten 22-23)
more
"The current war in Iraq saw an alliance between the media and the military, a process called embedded journalism. The aim of this study was to explore whether this process affected the journalists' vulnerability to psychological distress. Eighty-five of 100 journalists approached agreed to particip
...
ate; 38 (44.7%) were embedded. There were no differences between embedded and unilateral (nonembedded) journalists on demographic measures or in their exposure to traumatic events. Similarly, the two groups did not differ on indices of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, psychological distress, and substance use. Based on General Health Questionnaire scores, one third of all journalists were psychologically distressed. There is no evidence from the recent war in Iraq suggesting that embedded journalists are at increased risk for psychological problems." (Abstract)
more
"The work in this report and that found in the International Woman’s Media Foundation / Africa Woman’s Media Centre report, Deadline for Health (2004), provide us with the only insight into malaria reporting in African contexts. Both are baseline studies made prior to journalists training interv
...
entions and draw similar conclusions about the priority placed on HIV/AIDS reporting to the detriment of malaria coverage. This report goes beyond the work of the IWMF / AWMC to include the perspectives of malaria professionals and an examination of the rhetorical devices used in malaria reporting. This report outlines the results of a survey of a sample of journalists, chief editors, managing directors of major media houses and experts involved in malaria control in Kenya and the Gambia in 2005. A qualitative study of six months of newspaper reporting in three main papers in Kenya was also undertaken and the results discussed in relation to the survey results. The survey found that media professionals recognise malaria as an important health topic worthy of media attention. The majority of Gambian journalists, chief editors and MDs ranked malaria first followed by HIV/AIDS. In Kenya media personnel selected HIV/AIDS as the health issue that deserved most media coverage followed by malaria. Media people in both countries stated that HIV/AIDS dominates reporting and that malaria deserves more attention than it currently received. Issues such as maternal child health and TB received a relatively low rating in comparison. There is strong media commitment to malaria reporting as shown by the survey, however stories and programmes on the subject are usually the product of a journalists own interest, rather than a concerted effort on the part of editors and reporters. Malaria stories compete for space and time with the other issues of the day. No media houses have designated health desks, specialised health reporters or supportive editorial policy. Documented evidence of editorial guidelines was found for only one media house in Kenya." (Executive summary)
more
"In this study, the researcher examined the development of the various theoretical frameworks that define the practice of development communication, and then reached out to the international development community through a survey to discover: a) whether an assumption that development communication i
...
s not sufficiently appreciated by decision and policy makers in development organizations is correct; and b) if it is, what possible reasons there could be for this. The researcher found that where this assumption is correct, possible reasons for it could be a) a deficiency of empirical indicators on which policy makers can base their budgeting decisions; and/or b) a lack of effective communication between those that advocate for development communication and those at the top of the organizational hierarchies." (Abstract)
more
"From the establishment of the region's first journalism school at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in 1975 with New Zealand aid, Robie traces three decades of South Pacific media education history. He profiles journalism at UPNG, Divine World University and the University of the South Paci
...
fic in Fiji with Australian, Commonwealth, French, New Zealand and UNESCO aid. He also examines the impact of the region's politics on the media in the two major economies, Fiji and Papua New Guinea - from the Bougainville conflict and Sandline mercenary crisis to Fiji's coups. The book draws on interviews, research, two news industry surveys, and the author's personal experience as a Pacific media educator." (Publisher description)
more
"The summary of findings for this study is drawn from extensive research conducted in the form of questionnaires and focus groups. The aim of the study was to assess the level at which community radio stations in Africa are involved in programming of content on sustainable development themes/ topics
...
. Investigations conducted through the study indicate that in general, community radio stations are still struggling with producing content on sustainable development. One of the reasons is the lack of understanding and distinction of what sustainable content is especially in the specific context of the different communities. Findings however also indicate that despite challenges faced by the sector, community radio stations are making some efforts to produce programmes on sustainable content although they are also faced with challenges on identifying and working with relevant stakeholders for content development. This report makes specific recommendation on how community radio stations can improve on sustainable programming." (Executive summary of findings, page 5-6)
more
"Mit Hilfe von Befragungen unter europäischen Aus- und Weiterbildungseinrichtungen werden Zusammenhänge hergestellt zwischen den Trends, dem Bedarf von Medienmärkten und Entwicklungen in verwandten Berufsfeldern wie der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit. Der Band vermittelt eine aktuelle Bestandsaufnahme zu
...
r Journalistenausbildung in Europa und zu den Unterschieden in Ausbildung und Tradition." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more