"Increasing levels of toxicity, harassment, trolling, and doxxing targeting journalists are a global problem that adversely affects journalism and democratic life. This study offers a comparative analysis of journalistic responses to online violence in the United States and Germany, based on 87 inte
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rviews and multiple newsroom observations. U.S. journalists typically discussed the problem in individualized terms, with the onus largely perceived to be placed on journalists to protect themselves while maintaining visibility and accessibility. In Germany, journalists typically discussed the problem as a systemic one, with the onus largely perceived to be placed on media organizations to protect staffers. Journalists in Germany thus considered legitimate a variety of obfuscation and avoidance strategies online and offline, while U.S. journalists felt a greater personal responsibility to advocate for the profession. These findings show the contribution of comparative perspectives in studying the global challenge of anti-press violence. They also demonstrate the complexity of defining and measuring journalistic autonomy, posing theoretical questions that illuminate some of the intrinsic tensions and tradeoffs of autonomy." (Abstract)
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"Conspiracy Theories in the Time of Covid-19 provides a wide-ranging analysis of the emergence and development of conspiracy theories during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on the US and the UK. The book combines digital methods analysis of large datasets assembled from social media with politic
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ally and culturally contextualised close readings informed by cultural studies. In contrast to other studies which often have an alarmist take on the "infodemic," it places Covid-19 conspiracy theories in a longer historical perspective. It also argues against the tendency to view conspiracy theories as merely evidence of a fringe or pathological way of thinking. Instead, the starting assumption is that conspiracy theories, including Covid-19 conspiracy theories, often reflect genuine and legitimate concerns, even if their factual claims are wide of the mark. The authors examine the nature and origins of the conspiracy theories that have emerged; the identity and rationale of those drawn to Covid-19 conspiracism; how these conspiracy theories fit within the wider political, economic and technological landscape of the online information environment; and proposed interventions from social media platforms and regulatory agencies." (Publisher description)
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"Unruly Speech explores how Uyghurs in China and in the diaspora transgress sociopolitical limits with "unruly" communication practices in a quest for change. Drawing on research in China, the United States, and Germany, Saskia Witteborn situates her study against the backdrop of displacement and sh
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ows how naming practices and witness accounts become potent ways of resistance in everyday interactions and in global activism. Featuring the voices of Uyghurs from three continents, Unruly Speech analyzes the discursive and material force of place names, social media, surveillance, and the link between witnessing and the discourse on human rights. The book provides a granular view of disruptive communication: its global political moorings and socio-technical control. The rich ethnographic study will appeal to audiences interested in migration and displacement, language and social interaction, advocacy, digital surveillance, and a transnational China." (Publisher description)
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"Was wäre, wenn Sophie Scholl auf Instagram aktiv gewesen wäre? Soziale Medien werden auch zur Vermittlung von Geschichte immer populärer. Eines der jüngsten Beispiele ist das Instagramprojekt @ichbinsophiescholl der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten SWR und BR, das Nutzer:innen an den l
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etzten 10 Monaten des Lebens einer remediatisierten Sophie Scholl, gespielt von Luna Wedler, teilhaben ließ. Der Ansatz, Geschichte »hautnah, emotional und in nachempfundener Echtzeit« zu erzählen, führte dabei zu großer medialer Aufmerksamkeit und Reichweite, im Projektverlauf jedoch zunehmend auch zu kritischen Auseinandersetzungen mit Geschichtsdarstellungen im Social-Media-Format. Anhand eines der erfolgreichsten Produkte der Public History in den letzten Jahren wird die Darstellung von Geschichte in Social Media eingehend analysiert. Der Band vereint interdisziplinäre Perspektiven aus der Geschichtswissenschaft, Medienwissenschaft, Psychologie, Didaktik und historisch-politischer Bildung auf das Projekt, dessen Rezeption und Analyse." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"The Center for Journalism Studies (Ghent University, Belgium) has a long tradition in profiling studies of journalists based on survey research in collaboration with the Belgian associations of professional journalists (VVJ and AJP). Every five years (since 2003, last wave in 2018), a representativ
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e sample of Belgian journalists answer a series of questions about their background, work conditions and role conceptions. Following the start of the corona pandemic, we have launched an intermediary survey in April 2020 to collect data on how the crisis impacts important aspects of the journalistic profession, including news gathering, autonomy and income. 628 completed questionnaires were returned, i.e. a response rate of 20% of the total population of professional journalists. The findings of this representative survey reveal, first, that the consequences of the crisis are felt most strongly by freelance journalists, who reported a substantial decrease of assignments and income. It is remarkable that this was also the case for freelance journalists who work for the public broadcaster, which has a rather stable source of income not directly impacted by the corona pandemic. In contrast, commercial news media are more susceptible to sudden market changes and are therefore more associated with fluctuating employment of freelancers. Seen that the last profiling study in 2018 revealed a substantial increase of freelance employment in Belgian newsrooms from 18 to 25%, our findings point to increasing precarity in the journalistic workforce. A second important finding is that more journalists (both freelance and staff reporters) report problems with access to news sources and news gathering locations, indicating that safety measures are also used strategically by unwilling news sources. This raises concerns about the quality and independence of Belgian journalism during the corona pandemic. We end with a critical reflection about our collaboration with the professional associations to gather data on journalistic profiles and work conditions, and we show how our research can be useful in negotiations with news media groups and policy makers." (Abstract)
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"This book brings together a vast range of pre-eminent experts, academics, and practitioners to interrogate the role of media in representing economic inequality. It explores and deconstructs the concept of economic inequality by examining the different dimensions of inequality and how it has evolve
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d historically; how it has been represented and portrayed in the media; and how, in turn, those representations have informed the public's knowledge of and attitudes towards poverty, class and welfare, and political discourse. Taking a multi-disciplinary, comparative, and historical approach, and using a variety of new and original data sets to inform the research, studies herein examine the relationship between media and inequality in UK, Western Europe, and USA. In addition to generating new knowledge and research agendas, the book generates suggestions of ways to improve news coverage on this topic and raise the level of the debate, and will improve understanding about economic inequality, as it has evolved, and as it continues to develop in academic, political and media discourses. This book will be of interest to academics and practitioners alike in the areas of journalism, media studies, economics, and the social sciences, as well as political commentators and those interested more broadly in social policy." (Publisher description)
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"This book showcases the online activism of women's groups around the world in the post-#MeToo era, and presents an overview of the diversity of its current expressions. The focus of this book extends beyond campaigns against rape culture to include women's struggles on other political and environme
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ntal issues, such as the campaign against the radical right-wing in Austria. Moreover, the book's chapters highlight the genuine complexity of the efforts of women activists who are not only challenging the patriarchal order within male-controlled digital platforms but are also challenging the hegemonic voices within the women's movements. The book's case studies attest to the proliferation of digital campaigns aimed not only against discrimination of women but against discrimination based on their color, age, ethnicity, and nationality. The internet helps them to voice their agenda and strive for social change as well as to create both connective and collective identities." (Publisher description)
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"Journalists are regularly exposed to online hate speech their profession. Because discrimination often harms targets and can prompt self-censorship in journalistic content, undermining journalism’s public duty, it is essential to understand factors explaining why journalists become victims of onl
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ine hate speech. Using Routine Activity Theory, an online survey of journalists in Germany (N*=*497) revealed that conceptions of their roles as interpreters or adversaries were associated with more frequently being targets of online hate speech. Moreover, women journalists and journalists with migration background were additionally targeted by respectively sexist and racist online hate speech. Participation in active content moderation, a presumed destructive motivation, and audiences’ weak trust in media also raised journalists’ likelihood of being targets of hate speech online. Newsroom support, however, was positively related to such victimization, possibly as a result of sharing past experiences." (Abstract)
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"Growing up in Mogadishu, Somalia, Shirin Ramzanali Fazel was immersed in the language and culture of Italy, Somalia's former colonizer. Yet when she moved to Italy as a young mother in the 1970s, she discovered a country where immigrants and Muslims were viewed with a mixture of curiosity and suspi
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cion–where, even today, she and her children must seemingly prove they are Italian. In Islam and Me, Fazel tells her story and shares the experiences of other Muslim women living in Italy, revealing the wide variety of Muslim identities and the common prejudices they encounter. Looking at Italian school textbooks, newspapers, and TV programs, she invites us to change the way Muslim immigrants, and especially women, are depicted in both news reports and scholarly research. Islam and Me is a meditation on our multireligious, multiethnic, and multilingual reality, as well as an exploration of how we might reimagine national culture and identity so that they become more diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist." (Publisher description)
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"Der politische Diskurs verroht, in den sozialen Medien toben Trolle und grenzüberschreitende Witze haben Hochkonjunktur. Rechtspopulist*innen und fragwürdige Influencer*innen nutzen bewusst sprachliche Unschärfen und ironische Zwischentöne, um das Gesagte im Nachhinein relativieren zu können.
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Fabian Schäfer untersucht die besondere Aufmerksamkeitsökonomie und die Konnektivität des Likens und Teilens der sozialen Medien, die die Ausbreitung von politischem und kulturellem Zynismus anfachen. Mit dem Konzept des konnektiven Zynismus zeigt er auf, wie aus randständigem Humor Profit geschlagen und mit antidemokratischen Diskursstrategien Politik gemacht wird." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Hate speech is more complex and diverse on social media. It spreads at high speed and can impact behaviors beyond the borders where it originates. Hate is ubiquitous, interactive, and multimedia. It is available 24/7, reaching a much larger audience. On social media, haters can be anonymous and fin
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d support from individuals with the same aggressive mindset. This is just a brief characterization and certainly presents many theoretical gaps that need improvement. This book explores the nature of hate speech on social media. Readers will find chapters written by 21 authors from 18 universities or research centers. It includes researchers from 11 countries, prioritizing a diversity of approaches from the Global North and Global South – Brazil, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Germany, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA. The analyses herein involve the realities in an even larger number of countries, given the transnational approach of some of these studies." (Preface, page 13)
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"Fact-checking has been identified as a significant journalistic tool in the fight against disinformation. Relevant studies have focused on its emergence as a movement within journalism aiming at renewing the profession, as well as its effectiveness in challenging disinformation, especially during e
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lections. However, little has been said about how audiences themselves understand factchecking and employ it in their daily consumption of news. In this article, we answer these questions by drawing upon two sets of data. The first consists of fourteen focus group discussions in the UK, which included 52 participants, and were conducted online between April and May 2021. The second consists of two qualitative surveys that explored news consumers’ understandings of fact-checking and their evaluations of current fact-checking practices of UK media during the same period. We conclude that the use of fact-checking remains largely peripheral, and its influence is minimal in people’s news consumption. However, there is an appetite for more fact-checking in television news, as a way of holding politicians into account and helping the public better understand politics. In this context, we argue, if factchecking is to play an important role in political discourse, it should become a regular part of broadcast journalism." (Abstract)
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"This book tells the complex story of women journalists as both outsiders and insiders in the German press of the National Socialist and post-war years. From 1933 onward, Nazi press authorities valued female journalists as a means to influence the public through charm and subtlety rather than intimi
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dation or militant language. Deborah Barton reveals that despite the deep sexism inherent in the Nazi press, some women were able to capitalize on the gaps between gender rhetoric and reality to establish prominent careers in both soft and hard news. Based on data collected on over 1,500 women journalists, the book describes the professional opportunities open to women during the Nazi era, their gendered contribution to Nazi press and propaganda goals, and the ways in which their Third Reich experiences proved useful in post-war divided Germany. It draws on a range of sources including editorial proceedings, press association membership records, personal correspondence, newspapers, diaries, and memoirs. It also sheds light on both unknown journalists and famous figures including Margret Boveri, Ruth Andreas-Friedrich, and Ursula von Kardorff. Addressing the long-term influence of women journalists, this book illuminates some of the most salient issues in the nature of Nazi propaganda, the depiction of wartime violence, and historical memory." (Publisher description)
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"Medien sind aus dem Alltag von Heranwachsenden nicht mehr wegzudenken. Kinder sind von zahlreichen Medien umgeben und wachsen in Haushalten mit einem breiten Medienrepertoire auf. Fernsehgeräte, Smartphones, Computer/Laptops und ein Zugang ins Internet sind in nahezu allen Familien vorhanden. Auch
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Radiogeräte, Drucker, DVD- und CDPlayer, Streaming-Dienste, Digitalkameras, Tablets und Spielkonsolen sind weit verbreitet. Im Vergleich zu 2020 sind insbesondere bei Smart-TVs (+15 PP), Streaming-Diensten (+14 PP), Pay-TV-Abonnements (+12 PP) und Tablets (+9 PP) deutliche Anstiege zu sehen. Damit setzt sich der starke Zuwachs, welcher bereits in den letzten Jahren zu beobachten war, weiter fort. Kinder besitzen selbst noch vergleichsweise wenig eigene Geräte. Am häufigsten sind mit 44 Prozent Smartphones im eigenen Besitz der Kinder. Jeweils etwa ein Drittel hat einen CD-Player und ein Fernsehgerät im Kinderzimmer, eine tragbare Spielkonsole ist bei 28 Prozent vorhanden (feste Spielkonsole 19 %). Mit zunehmendem Alter nimmt der Gerätebesitz deutlich zu. Insbesondere der Anteil an Kindern, die ein eigenes Mobiltelefon haben, steigt an (6-7 Jahre: 9 %, 8-9 Jahre: 27 %, 10-11 Jahre: 58 %, 12-13 Jahre: 81 %). In der Freizeit der Kinder nehmen das Treffen mit Freunden, Fernsehen, Hausaufgabe/Lernen und das Spielen den größten Platz bei den häufigsten Aktivitäten ein. Über 85 Prozent gehen diesen Tätigkeiten mindestens wöchentlich nach. Knapp drei Viertel der Kinder unternehmen ein-/bis mehrmals in der Woche etwas mit der Familie. Etwa jeweils zwei Drittel hören regelmäßig Musik, nutzen ein Handy/Smartphone und betätigen sich sportlich. Jeweils drei von fünf Kindern sehen sich mindestens wöchentlich online Bewegtbild an oder spielen digitale Spiele. Jeweils etwa jedes zweite Kind liest in der Freizeit Bücher, hört Radio oder wird beim Malen/Basteln kreativ. Die Beschäftigung mit Tieren folgt mit 45 Prozent. Mit zunehmendem Alter verändert sich die Freizeitgestaltung der Kinder in einigen Bereichen. Ab einem Alter von zehn Jahren spielen Kinder weniger, Unternehmungen mit der Familie werden seltener, ebenso wie das Malen/Basteln, das Anhören von Hörspielen/Hörbüchern sowie die Beschäftigung mit analogen Spielen. Dafür nehmen Hausaufgaben und Lernen mehr Freizeit der Kinder ein. Der stärkste Anstieg im Altersverlauf ist bei der Nutzung von Mobiltelefonen (6-7 Jahre: 28 %, 12-13 Jahre: 96 %) sowie bei der Internetnutzung (6-7 Jahre: 21 %, 12-13 Jahre: 92 %) zu sehen. Auch digitale Spiele, die Nutzung von Computer/Laptops und die online-basierte Bewegtbildnutzung nehmen mit steigendem Alter zu. Das Aufnehmen von eigenen Fotos/Videos wird ebenfalls im Altersverlauf bedeutender. Mädchen betätigen sich häufiger kreativ, lesen Bücher und beschäftigen sich mit Tieren, während Jungen eine stärkere Affinität zu Sport und digitalen Spielen zeigen." (Zusammenfassung, Seite 82-83)
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"Probablemente, el indicador más elocuente del descenso en la producción es que, sumados, los mismos países produjeron en 2022 un 54% de lo que producían en 2012. El gráfico 3 muestra las caídas ocurridas en cada país. A nivel agregado, los niveles de producción de 2012 son similares a los
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de 2017, pero a partir de ahí empieza una disminución que se agudiza durante la pandemia, se recupera parcialmente en 2021 y vuelve a caer en 2022. A los factores ya mencionados como algunas de las posibles causas de la caída, el descenso inversión publicitaria y desplazamiento de hacia las plataformas, cabe considerar otros dos que apuntan a la sustitución: la ya consolidada presencia de telenovelas turcas y de otros orígenes incipientes y también la competencia de las reposiciones. La brecha en la calidad visual de las realizaciones de fines de los años 90 en adelante, respecto de las actuales, es baja. Telenovelas históricas como Terra Nostra, Betty la Fea o Pasión de Gavilanes se reprograman y son consumidas de un modo parecido a las actuales.
Un elemento recurrente entre los capítulos nacionales de este informe es relevar la importancia de la reposición de materiales ya exhibidos. Los intercambios de contenidos audiovisuales entre países iberoamericanos han estado presentes por décadas, pero hay fuertes diferencias en las cantidades de producciones que cada país importa o exporta. Asimismo, también hay diferencias en la variedad de orígenes desde los que se importan contenidos.
En los capítulos nacionales se muestra la cantidad de títulos y horas de ficción televisiva de estreno iberoamericana de exhibida en el país durante 2022. Vistas individualmente, muestran los consumos locales. Sin embargo, al combinarlas, revelan los flujos de intercambios de producciones entre países.Eso es lo que se muestra en la tabla 3, usando las horas como unidad de medida. La tabla 3 puede leerse vertical y horizontalmente. Leída verticalmente, muestra el origen de la ficción televisiva de estreno exhibida en cada país. Horizontalmente, muestra los distintos países en que se exhibió ficción televisiva originada en un país [...]
La tabla 3 muestra que el principal país exportador de ficción televisiva en Iberoamérica es México, al igual que en los años anteriores. En 2022 vendió contenidos a todos los países, salvo Portugal, siendo además, con la excepción del cono sur, el principal exportador hacia cada uno de los países de la región. En segundo lugar, tanto en volumen como en cantidad de países a los que exportó, está Brasil. Un caso llamativo es Colombia: no sólo redujo sus exportaciones en casi un 60%, sino que su producción se redujo en un 53%, fundamentalmente por la reducción en la producción de telenovelas. Los casos de España y Portugal son interesantes en 2022 por la misma razón que lo fueron en 2021. Su volumen de producción los ubica sólo por debajo de Brasil o México y muy por encima de todos los demás países. La factura de sus realizaciones es de alto estándar. Sin embargo, sus niveles de exportaciones no alcanzan al 5% de lo producido." (Páginas 26-28)
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"Insgesamt zeigt sich sowohl in der internationalen als auch in der deutschen Berichterstattung über Gewalt gegen Frauen ein recht einheitliches Bild. Gewalt gegen Frauen muss besonders brutal sein, um die Schwelle der medialen Berichterstattung zu überschreiten. Dies gilt insbesondere für Gewalt
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in Paarbeziehungen. Dass in den Medien vor allem über Tötungsdelikte an Frauen berichtet wird, kann auf den ersten Blick als Sensibilisierung für Femizide verstanden werden. Tatsächlich wird eine solche Sensibilisierung durch die Berichterstattung aber nur dann erreicht, wenn Femizide auch als solche eingeordnet werden. Eine entsprechende Einordnung findet jedoch in den meisten Fällen nicht statt: Die mediale Berichterstattung erfolgt überwiegend in Form von Einzelfallberichten, ohne Bezugnahme auf das Ausmaß von Gewalt gegen Frauen oder eine Einordnung durch Expertinnen und Experten. Geschlechtsspezifische Gewalt gegen Frauen als strukturelles Problem wird vor allem dann thematisiert, wenn es einen aktuellen Anlass gibt, wie zum Beispiel die jährliche Veröffentlichung der Polizeilichen Kriminalstatistik zu Gewalt in Paarbeziehungen. Obwohl die überproportionale Fokussierung auf Tötungsdelikte der allgemeinen Medienlogik entspricht, erscheint sie im Kontext von Gewalt gegen Frauen besonders problematisch. Studien zu Gewalt in Paarbeziehungen zeigen, dass eine Tötungshandlung häufig nicht spontan erfolgt, sondern der letzte Schritt in einer langen Geschichte von Zwangskontrolle und Gewalt ist. Diese Eskalation verläuft häufig nach ähnlichen Mustern. Mediale Berichterstattung, die sich nur auf diesen letzten, irreversiblen Akt konzentriert, verdeckt, dass Tötungsdelikten in Paarbeziehungen in der Regel viele alltäglichere und weniger drastische Formen von Gewalt vorausgehen." (Fazit)
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"The purpose of this Report is to help the countries that are in the process of migrating from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting. The Report examines the reasons why this is happening and the technologies involved. It provides an overview of digital terrestrial sound and television broadc
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asting technologies and system migration. The Report outlines the available options for making that transition and the route to be followed. The Report is divided into two parts. Part 1 deals with the main issues related with the transition to digital, presents the principal problems and possible solutions. Part 2 gives more detailed information on important aspects which have already been covered in Part 1." (Page 1)
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