Showing papers in "Communications in 2004"

Framing-effects approach: A theoretical and methodological critique

Abstract: The article deals with research on framing effects. First, I will start with classifying different approaches on framing. Subsequently, I will provide a definition of the concepts of frame, schema and framing, expand on framing research conducted so far - both theoretically and operationally. Having this equipment at hand, I will initiate a discussion on studies of framing-effects in terms of theory, methods and empirical results. This discussion leads to the conclusion that studies on framing effects are insufficiently concerned with the more recent psychological constructs and theories. In merely focusing on the activation of schemata, most studies ignore the more elaborate types of framing-effects. Therefore, several empirical questions remain unanswered and some methodical chances seem to be wasted.

Supercrips versus the pitiful handicapped: Reception of disabling images by disabled audience members

Abstract: Thirty Israeli disabled people were asked to describe their most memorable interactions with mass mediated images of disability as part of a tentative endeavor to delve into their reception patterns. Two stereotypes are discussed in this paper, namely the supercrip and the pitiful disabled. The interviewees seek examples to corroborate their belief that physical, social, and cultural obstacles can be overcome. Highly regarded supercrips embody one example as 'regular' (i. e., 'someone like me') people are especially coveted. Well-known, successful disabled people are put on a pedestal for their demonstrated ability to triumph. This triumph is used to validate the disabled individual and to alter societal perceptions. Consequently, the wish to see disabled who 'have done it' is particularly intense while the pitiful disabled trigger antipathy because they reproduce and reinforce disabled people's inferior positionality and exclusion.

Media responsibility and accountability: New conceptualizations and practices

Abstract: This article will provide an overview of recent conceptualizations of media responsibility and accountability, and related concepts such as governance. Furthermore, new arrangements for media governance will be looked at in line with the four accountability mechanisms proposed in this article: political, market, professional and public accountability. Finally, some interesting media accountability practices to be found throughout Western Europe and across the Atlantic will be presented.

The cognitive processes underlying cultivation effects are a function of whether the judgments are on-line or memory-based

Abstract: The dependent variables typically used in testing for the cultivation effect have often been grouped into two categories: those that relate to the demographics or facts of television content and those that relate to the values expressed in television content (Hawkins and Pingree, 1982). This article explores this distinction in terms of the cognitive processes underlying the different types of judgments. The author argues that the demographic judgments are typically made in a memory-based fashion and the value judgments are typically made in an on-line fashion (Hastie and Park, 1986). This notion is then used to construct cognitive process models for each type of judgment that specifies when and how television information exerts its influence and results from previous research are presented that support these models. The general finding is that the same factors (motivation and ability to process information) affect the extent to which television information is used regardless of the type of judgment. However, the way in which these factors influence cultivation of demographic measures is exactly the opposite of the way in which they influence value measures.

Implications of the mental models approach for cultivation theory

Abstract: Mental models are dynamic mental representations of situations, events, and objects. We argue that the mental models approach can expand our understanding of cultivation theory. We survey the research on mental models, situation models including the event indexing model, and cultural models. Based on this literature, we propose several ways in which cultivation theory can be expanded to provide a richer understanding of how the media influence peoples perception of their social reality and understanding of their culture.

Life according to television. Implications of genre-specific cultivation effects: The Gratification/cultivation model

Abstract: The basic assumption of cultivation - more exposure to television leads to more cultivation effects - is examined by reviewing research on genre-specific cultivation. Studies on three genres are included in the review: Crime, soap opera and talk shows. The review indicates differential cultivation effects of the different genres; not all of them are consistent with the basic cultivation hypothesis. Building on these results, a theoretical framework is set up that accounts for possible explanations. The framework starts from the notion of a multi-step cultivation process inherent in current theorizing, ranging from (1) encoding and storage of television information, (2) inferences about the real world, and (3) retrieval and construction of cultivation judgments. This notion is extended by reconceptualizing the 'cultivating' message, integrating uses and gratifications of television viewing and emphasizing the role of personal knowledge and attitudes.

Ruining a good story: Cultivation, perceived realism and narrative

Abstract: Cultivation research has been criticized for failing to articulate underlying psychological processes and mechanisms. Research into viewers' perceptions of content realism has been implicated in the cultivation process, yet we know little about how viewers assess realism, especially while viewing. This article considers the role of perceived realism judgments in the cultivation process from a narrative perspective. It argues that cultivation research should refocus on the viewer's interaction with the narrative, and that perceived realism judgments should be considered an on-line, evaluative process that has the potential to interfere with cultivation effects.

Viewing behavior of children and TV guidance by parents: A comparison of parent and child reports

Abstract: In this study parents as well as their children (N = 224) were surveyed about children's television viewing behavior and television guidance provided by parents. It was investigated whether parents know how much time their child spends in front of the television and which programs the child watches. Parents' estimate of their children's viewing time was consistently lower than the estimate made by the children themselves. Parents showed to know about half of the programs the child reported to watch at home. In regard to television guidance, mothers as well as fathers reported to provide TV guidance more frequently than children reported to receive. Parents' tendency to report a greater incidence of guidance than their children applied to all three measured types of TV guidance: restrictive guidance, instructive guidance, and social co-viewing. Mothers, fathers as well as children reported that social co-viewing was practiced most often and restrictive guidance the least

Exploring newspapers' portrayals: A logic for interpretive content analysis

Abstract: As shown through an inventory of the procedures used in diverse forms of qualitative content analysis projects, the logic of qualitative procedures is in most cases not standardized. Often researchers pay little or no attention to the procedures which they apply. This contribution presents and discusses a procedure for interpretive content analysis which was applied in an empirical study into trans-border news coverage in the Dutch-German Euregion Rhine-Waal. First, we will describe the study on the portrayal of the Dutch and German people as well as their respective countries, The Netherlands and Germany, in the four main regional newspapers of this region. Secondly, basic principles of qualitative methodology are discussed and, thirdly, the procedure of the applied method based on these principles is presented and illustrated by means of exemplary material. Finally, after a brief presentation of some empirical results, the applied procedure of interpretive content analysis is discussed.

Le sauvage et le domestique

Abstract: L'examen des conceptions tres diverses que des peuples de chasseurs-cueilleurs, de pasteurs nomades, d'horticulteurs tropicaux et d'agriculteurs se font des espaces qu'ils exploitent et transforment montre que l'opposition entre le sauvage et le domestique n'a rien d'universel, mais releve d'une trajectoire historique singuliere dont l'origine est a rechercher dans les paysages issus de la colonisation romaine de l'Europe.

The problem of causality in cultivation research

Abstract: This paper offers an up-to-date review of problems in determining causal relationships in cultivation research, and considers the research rationales of various approaches with special reference to causal interpretation. It describes in turn a number of methodologies for addressing the problem and resolving it as far as this is possible. The issue of causal inference arises not only in cultivation research, however, but is basic to all media effects theories and approaches primarily at the macro-level whose main methodology rests on correlational studies (agenda-setting, spiral of silence, knowledge gap hypothesis, etc.). We therefore first discuss problems of causal interpretation in connection with the cultivation hypothesis, and then sketch in summary how these problems arise with other media effects theories. We first set out the basic features of the cultivation approach, then consider the difficulties with correlational studies and discuss alternative research designs - designs which are not original to us, but have been adapted for cultivation research. These comprise laboratory experiments, sequential studies, social studies and time-series procedures. Finally, we argue for multiple approaches that complement one another's advantages and balance out their disadvantages.

Days of awe: The praxis of news coverage during national crisis

Abstract: The case study aims to reveal the praxis that serves the media during ethnic-violent conflict. The article closely reads reports of the Israeli media covering the clashes between Israeli Arabs and the police, in the first days of the second Intifada (September 28-October 9, 2000). We analyze how mainstream Hebrew media (television news stations and newspapers) covered the unfolding events, and also refer to reports in Arab-language newspapers. Two prominent trends shaped the frame through which events were reported: Inclusion and exclusion. Israel’s Hebrew-language media excluded the Arab citizens from the general Israeli public, while, at the same time, equating them with the residents of the Palestinian Authority. That is, the media framed the Arab Israeli citizens as Palestinians, blurring the line between the riots within Israel and the armed violence in the West Bank and Gaza. This coverage changed after the first and most intense days of riots; Israeli journalists, then, switched to a more civil framing after establishing an inner as well as an outer discourse (mainly in concurrence with the politicians).

A return to cultural indicators

Abstract: This article discusses the notion of cultural indicators, an important theoretical component in cultivation theory. The concept of cultural indicators is reviewed, especially in relation to issues of portrayals of violence on television and portrayals of homosexuality. It is argued that violence on television plays a nebulous role as a cultural indicator, due to unchanging levels of violence. Minority portrayals are seen as a more valid cultural indicator

What men and women think while watching the news: An exploration

Abstract: This study addresses gender differences in television news processing. Male and female subjects were asked to verbalize their thoughts while they watched an edited television newscast. The authors use an interpretive procedure to analyze both the newscast’s content and protocols of the thoughts expressed by the subjects. Results indicate that women and men differ in the number and types of thoughts they have while watching the news. Most notably, the analyses suggest that women generally experience a lack of information while they watch newscasts that can be regarded as largely masculine in nature. This perception of not being informed culminates in criticism of the news among the highly educated women while it causes embarrassment among the lower educated women. The consequences of the findings and possible uses of the method for future news research are discussed.

Media ethics: from corporate governance to governance, to corporate social responsibility

Abstract: This contribution develops a media ethic around three notions, borrowed from the world of business ethics: corporate governance, good governance and corporate social responsibility. Corporate governance focuses on the internal and external mechanisms that help solve the agency problem that exists between owners and controllers of the firm. Here, it is argued that internal mechanisms for corporate governance are useful and important in the world of the media and have so far been relatively neglected by media regulators. Good governance is a much looser term. We propose to reserve this concept for the political side of media regulation (media as the fourth power in a democracy). The basic ideas about what good governance entails for the media can be found in the report written by the Hutchins Commission. Looking for the best possible governance structures that help us implement the basic principles laid out by the Hutchins Commission forms the bulk of media regulation in modern democracies. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an even looser and broader concept than good governance. This contribution goes beyond the political side of the media and focuses on the impact of the media on identity and group formation. I will argue that the impact of the media in a post-modern society is potentially very large and that this justifies a different type of media regulation in which content regulation has a much bigger part to play

Transparency and accountability in Canadian media policy

Abstract: Transparency and accountability are key elements of media policy in Cana- da. A long tradition of public consultation is embedded in the various pro- cesses that have shaped Canadian media, especially broadcasting. Public consultation is complemented, however, by other aspects of the policy pro- cess: federal-provincial negotiations, Supreme Court rulings, and direct lobbying of policy-makers by industry and civil society organizations. This article reviews some of the highlights of the process, with special emphasis on a landmark study of Canadian broadcasting by the parliamentary Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which reported in 2003. This study and the government's subsequent response underlines the importance of transparency and accountability for actors who are otherwise once re- moved from the centres of decision-making: artists, creators, journalists and ordinary citizens.

Gestions faunistiques, cultures des sauvages et brouillage des catégories

Abstract: On parle aujourd'hui d'ancienne et de nouvelle culture du sauvage pour evoquer deux modes de representation distincts. Qu'en est-il de cette ancienne culture que certains disent en crise ? Plus que d'une crise, ne s'agirait-il pas plutot d'un conflit de representation ? D'un cote, le statut legal de l'animal s'appuie sur l'anticipation et la maitrise dans le contexte d'une politique de developpement durable ; de l'autre, le statut coutumier est ancre sur l'imprevisibilite et l'absence de controle dans un contexte de crise des activites agropastorales traditionnelles de montagne.

Renewing connections and changing relations: Use of information and communication technology and cohesion in organizational groups

Abstract: This article presents a theoretical framework illustrating the possible effects of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) on smaller and larger task-related entities within organizations. Organizations comprise smaller and larger groups which maintain specific relationships to each other and which together make up the largest group: the organization itself. This article presents a conceptual model of cohesion as social attraction in organizational groups, followed by five propositions covering the possible effects ICT might have on this form of attraction within organizations. It argues that ICT in organizations has a restraining effect on cohesion within small groups or work teams, while when it comes to larger entities, for instance at the level of the organization as a whole, the effect is stimulating. This theoretical framework suggests a good starting point for empirical research in this field.

The transformation of politics: implications for media assessment and accountability.

Abstract: This article discusses the problem of the transformation of politics, based upon the concepts of 'emancipatory politics' and 'life politics' by Anthony Giddens. Different arguments are put forward why these concepts can be useful for an analysis of our late modern society. Special attention goes to the role of the media in this transformative process. Accepting that politics is expanding and broadening from 'emancipatory politics' to 'life politics' also has important implications for the notions of media assessment and media accountability. This means that the latter concepts should also broaden their scope from the pure informative aspects of the media to the field of infotainment

Le miroir de l'âme

Abstract: L'epoque classique tend a privilegier un regard ou la vue s'obtient par l'exteriorisation de l'interieur, faisant ainsi de l'œil, a la fois, le miroir de l'âme et l'instrument de son langage. Au XIXe siecle, avec l'analyse du mecanisme de la physionomie humaine, Duchenne de Boulogne dissipe cette illusion. Le regard s'inscrit desormais dans la mimique, qui ressortit a une fonction d'expression.

Manières de regarder dans les sociétés démocratiques contemporaines

Abstract: On entreprend ici — a l'instar d'Elias — de livrer les fragments d'une histoire du role du regard dans les societes democratiques contemporaines. En s'attachant aux rapports peu explores entre le besoin d'attention et la dimension protectrice (l'« inattention civile » de Goffman) ou menacante de l'inattention, on veut souligner que les manieres de regarder ne sont pas dissociables des manieres de sentir.

Regard et anthropologie

Abstract: Anthropologiquement parlant, le regard est l'objet d'un apprentissage pour une maitrise complete de son usage au cœur des relations sociales : il est un lieu de rapports de pouvoir. De ce fait, si le regard des hommes peut se poser sur tout, femmes comprises, celui des femmes n'a pas cette liberte. D'un point de vue metaphorique, on parle du regard sur la societe a laquelle on appartient, c'est-a-dire d'une lecture integree du modele qui la gouverne. Mais ce regard est aussi sous la coupe du modele, et donc porteur de points d'aveuglement.

The motivation of journalists within local newspapers

Abstract: This paper analyzes the motivation of Greek journalists who work for local newspapers. A literature overview on intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives leads us to the hypothesis that Greek journalists working for local newspapers are motivated more by intrinsic reasons than by extrinsic incentives. The second part of the paper discusses empirical evidence from data collected through a national survey. Results show that for most of the journalists in local newspapers security and personal relation issues are more important than bonus and promotion rules.

Sous le regard de Freud

Abstract: Le regard de Freud invite a distinguer regard d'emprise et regard de comprehension. Le regard de comprehension, qui reconnait autrui, permet a celui-ci un regard sur lui-meme. Le regard de seule emprise restreint au contraire la construction psychique de l'autre. La monstration d'images traumatisantes reduit le champ du regard et de la pensee personnels, et favorise l'adoption d'opinions ou d'ideologies collectives.

La « découverte » d'une nouvelle population de vipères en France

Abstract: En 1992, des cas singuliers d'envenimation firent suspecter la presence, en Region PACA, d'une population de viperes inconnue. C'est l'observation du corps humain qui permit de decouvrir et localiser geographiquement l'animal. On s'interesse ici aux conditions entourant une decouverte qui pose la question du lien entre le regard porte sur le monde et la visibilite des formes qui l'habitent. Dans l'exemple choisi, est-ce la faune ou le regard porte sur elle qui se renouvelle ?

Regards, égards, égarements dans la ville aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles

Abstract: Notre destin d'etre regarde comme notre maniere d'echanger des regards sont lies a la question des egards et des ecarts sociaux. Dans les villes des XVIIIe et XIXe siecles, l'experience nouvelle de l'anonymat et les transformations historiques des dispositifs spatiaux et optiques affectent les manieres de regarder et les recits qui les restituent. La vie urbaine manifeste a la fois les liens, la reciprocite des regards comme les pouvoirs archaiques et modernes attribues a l'œil. Au point d'interroger notre present et ses regimes de visibilite.

Enfants-loups, enfant-mouton, enfants-ours, enfants seuls...

Abstract: Des mythes fondateurs aux faits divers de nos journaux en passant par une longue echelle de temoignages plus ou moins detailles on retrouve des figures d'enfants qui ont grandi aux lisieres du monde des hommes, dans la compagnie des betes, parfois dans la solitude ou la reclusion. Suivre les enfants sauvages revient a eventer dans la longue duree toutes les situations ou l'on a voulu tester sur l'homme a l'etat de nature les hypotheses issues de theories venant de tous les horizons de la pensee. ; Ils paraissent inseparables de la problematique du grand partage Nature /Culture et de la negociation de nos relations aux non-humains.