Showing papers in "Global media journal in 2005"

Tres criterios para evaluar la calidad informativa en Internet: credibilidad, cobertura, novedad

Abstract: Internet agiliza el diseno de la comunicacion y su consumo. Quizas por esto bibliotecas, asociaciones y profesionales publican en la red textos o documentos web que recogen criterios para evaluar la calidad de la comunicacion web.En el presente texto identifico y defino tres criterios para evaluar la capacidad de los documentos web para satisfacer necesidades informativas de los usuarios.El proposito es proporcionar indicadores (extraidos de listas de evaluacion publicadas en internet) que nos muestren algunos de los elementos comunicativos que se estan considerando para medir la calidad informativa de los websites.Palabras clave: Comunicacion, Internet, consumo, calidad de la informacion. Internet speeds up communication and consumption design, maybe that’s why libraries, associations and professionals publish in the net texts or web documents that pick up criterions to evaluate the quality of web communication.This text identifies and defines three criterions for evaluating the capacity of web documents to satisfy informative needs of users.The objective is to provide indicators (obtained from evaluation lists published on the Internet) that show us some of the communicative elements that are on consideration for measuring informative quality of websites.Key words: Communication, Internet, consumption, information quality.

Media commercialization, entertainment, and the party-state: The political economy of contemporary Chinese television entertainment culture

Abstract: Introduction An entertainment storm has descended upon China and, in all likelihood, is here to stay. At the center of the storm is television. Watching Chinese television today, one could hardly imagine that just a little over ten years ago, it was so drab that a melodramatic soap opera – Kewang, or Yearnings – could virtually empty streets when it was on and could even cause a riot due to a power outage that interrupted its viewing (Rofel 1994). Today, so many glamorous distractions are brought into the living room by television every day that such phenomenal reception of a single show is unconceivable. Television drama series churned out a mountain of stories on a daily basis, whether they are set in an imperial palace where an emperor’s crafty ministers or concubines or sons and daughters never rest from attempts to undermine their enemies, or in the wilderness where good and evil masters of martial skills are set to overpowering each other, or in a modern city plagued with conspiracies between depraved government of cials and criminal cliques but of course eventually cleansed of them by the good forces. Competing against television dramas for prime time are Chinese versions of “Survivor,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” and the “Jerry Springer Show,” “Oprah,” the “Dating Game,” etc. With the heat of entertainment on, television stations give considerable screen time to entertainment reporting and promos of their own shows. As another kind of symptom, the boundary between entertainment and traditionally non-entertainment programs is blurred. Weather forecast, for example, is almost always presented by a visually appealing female. Although a high-pro le weather forecast program on a provincial channel – “Star Weather” (xing qixiang) – was chastised because of the female presenter’s erotic gestures and voices as well as suggestive elements like a shot of queensized bed, the so-called “beauty weather forecast” has decidedly taken root in China. News shows are no exception, which has already been observed by many scholars in North America with an interest in Chinese media. A dramatic storyline and a human interest angle are considered essential in news reporting. Even Newscast, a legacy from the 1970s that has been impervious to any kind of market-induced content change, was, in March 2003, ordered to limit reports on meetings within three minutes and to increase the amount of societal news. As a result, according to a count, societal news items more than doubled and stories like a leopard sneaking into a village and taking a nap after eating ve sheep nd their way into Newcast (Sun 2003). Last but not least, between these entertaining shows are the most highly developed entertainment – commercials. When James Lull wrote his book on Chinese television around 1990, the Chinese complained about nothing to watch on television but cheap soaps from Japan, the U.S., Brazil and Mexico; ten years later, they are simply bombarded with entertainment. In 1999, 18 out of the 30 some provincial satellite channels alone (not counting many over-the-air channels and cable channels) simultaneously aired the same television drama series based on a bestseller of martial masters – Tianlong Babu (Lu 2002). To drive the point home, according to a study, an average urban resident in China can receive about 30 channels in total (Zhang 2002) (not all provincial satellite channels had nationwide landing).

Audience Ethnographies: A Media Engagement Approach

Abstract: In this paper I argue that audience ethnography needs to be repositioned as a fieldwork-based, long-term practice of data collection and analysis. This practice allows researchers to attain a greater level of understanding of the community studied while maintaining self-reflexivity and respect towards those one is attempting to understand within the everyday life of the community. Relying on my work in rural communities in Brazil over the last decade I discuss some of the ways in which ethnography, as a long-term, in-depth practice, can benefit our understanding of the reception dynamic as well as provide insights otherwise impossible to attain. I will propose a model for audience ethnography, which I term media engagement, to discuss how the process of ethnography functions to apprehend the complex dynamic that evolves between consumers and cultural products.

ICT, Education and Digital Divide in Developing Countries

Abstract: Information Communication Technologies are the core of a new life that has made a new entity, the Information Society with a specific education system. From this viewpoint the Information Society and the way of learning is deemed to be as different from ancient, industrial and agricultural epochs. Since the 1950's, the advent of computers brought high hopes of the power of technology to revolutionize and ameliorate education systems. In this article we have tried to analysis how ICT and digital revolution have influenced education system by focusing on the advantages of new system of learning that has been produced by new information and communication technologies. At the end of article we have elucidated digital divide and key factors to bridge the digital divide between developing countries and developed ones. Keywords: Education, Developed and Developing countries, Digital divide, Information Society, Information Communication Technologies and Internet.

Conflict Management in an Age of Globalization: A Comparison of Intracultural and Intercultural Conflict Management Strategies between Koreans and Americans

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to compare conflict management strategies (CMS) between Koreans and Americans involving intracultural and intercultural interaction. Based on cultural difference between Korea and the U.S., Wilmot and Hocker’s “Duel Concern” model and previous intercultural conflict management studies, five research questions involving the characteristics of and similarities and differences between Koreans’ and Americans’ CMS in intracultural and intercultural interaction were established. The findings of this study showed that: first, both Koreans and Americans tended to use similar patterns of CMS in managing intracultural conflict and those patterns are directly related to their CMS in managing intercultural interaction; second, while Koreans prefer an avoidance strategy and a cooperative orientation to Americans, Americans prefer a competition strategy and an assertive orientation to Koreans in handling both intracultural and intercultural conflict; third, while Koreans’ use of compromise and collaboration strategies and their cooperative tendency for managing conflict in intracultural interaction is likely to decrease in intercultural interaction, Americans’ use of a competition strategy and their assertive tendency for managing conflict in intracultural interaction is likely to decrease in intercultural interaction. Discussions involving ethnocentrism in a multicultural society and implications and limitations of this study were described.

Re-orienting the Orientalist Gaze

Abstract: It is the job of media to construct images of people, events, and settings; it is the industry of media to do so in ways that reflect the political interests and economic parameters of the governing class. The result? Consistently narrow and misleading portrayals of social and cultural “others.” These characterizations become particularly problematic in relation to international and intercultural communities when the groups being constructed are not culturally proximate with those administering the media industries. With regard to US media representations of the “Orient” – a category that encompasses the geography, peoples, and cultures of the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia – these representational strategies can have devastating consequences. For the majority of those within the US, ignorance of important cultural histories, as well as of global situations with direct domestic implications, may result. For others within the US who exhibit characteristics of cultural otherness associated with the “Orient,” discrimination, abuse, and misunderstandings may result. And for those within countries associated with the “Orient” outside of the US, military conflict, political intervention, and economic dominance may result. Media participate at each of these levels, whether in terms of civil harmony or international conflict,

Changes and Challenges of the Iraqi Media

Abstract: Iraq is a relatively small country but with a rich history that goes back to more than five thousand years ago (Simons, 1994). The ancient Greeks called it Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers, which is often referred to as the Cradle of Civilization or the Cradle of Mankind. The ethnic makeup of the people of Iraq is Arab, Kurds, Turkoman, Assyrians, and others while the religious composition consists of Islam (Sunni & Shi’i), Christianity, and others. The Iraqi population is about 25 million people with the majority of them is under the age of 25. The official language of the country is Arabic while Kurdish is the primary language in the Kurdish areas. Other languages exist therein such as Turkish, Assyrian, and Armenian. Recently, the National Communication and Media Commission, which is the first Iraqi independent regulatory body, reported that there are about “80 radio stations and 21 TV stations on the air inside Iraq” as well as a number of newspapers (Al-Qazwini, 2004, p.2). This prodigious number of broadcast and print media comes quickly on the heels of 35 years of dictatorship when the Iraqi media were stifled and the dignity of the Iraqi media practitioners was degraded. Essentially, this paper examines the changes and challenges that Iraqi media have encountered. The analysis will cover three major eras. Era I (Before 1958) deals with the monarchy; Era II (1958 – 2003) focuses on the media under military discipline; and, Era III (2003 to Present) discusses the media after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime.

La Psicología Social y la Sociología Fenomenológica. Apuntes teóricos para la exploración de la dimensión comunicológica de la interacción

Abstract: El objetivo de este texto es ahondar en la definicion de la interaccion, en su relacion de interdependencia con la comunicacion y, finalmente, en su caracter de base de toda relacion social. La propuesta radica en definir la interaccion con base a dos fuentes historicas concretas: la psicologia social y la sociologia fenomenologica. Y la eleccion no es azarosa, es parte de la propuesta teorica del grupo “Hacia una Comunicologia Posible”, que parte de la existencia de cuatro grandes dimensiones de estudio de la comunicologia –expresion, difusion, interaccion y estructuracion-, y de siete fuentes basicas para la reconstruccion del pensamiento comunicologico –economia politica, cibernetica, semio-linguistica, sociologia funcionalista, sociologia critica-cultural, sociologia fenomenologica y psicologia social. Siendo las dos ultimas fuentes las menos exploradas y trabajadas en el campo academico de la comunicacion, por el predominio de los estudios sobre medios de difusion de informacion, se considera primordial un primer acercamiento a sus espacios conceptuales, asi como a sus posibles aportaciones hacia una construccion teorica de la interaccion.Palabras clave: Comunicacion, interaccion, psicologia social, sociologia fenomenologica. The objective of this text is to deepen in the definition of interaction, its relationship of interdependence with communication, and, finally, in its nature of being the base of every social relationship. The proposal lies in defining interaction based in two concrete historical bases: social psychology and sociological phenomenology. Election is not by chance, it is part of the theoretical proposal from the group “Hacia una Comunicologia posible”, which parts from the existence of four great dimensions of study of communicology –expression, diffusion, interaction, and structuring–, and from seven basic sources for reconstructing the communicological thinking: politic economics, cybernetics, semio-linguistic, functionalist sociology, critical-cultural sociology, phenomenological sociology, and social psychology. Being the two last sources the least explored and worked in the academic field of communication. For the predominance of studies about information media, it is considered as essential making a first rapprochement to its conceptual spaces, as well as to its possible contributions towards a theory construction of interaction.Key words: Communication, interaction, social psychology, phenomenological sociology.

Cultural Imperialism or Economic Necessity?: The Hollywood Factor in the Reshaping of the Asian Film Industry

Abstract: This paper contends that film industries in several Asian countries are in the process of reinventing themselves as traditional approaches to filmmaking are increasingly found not to be economically viable for the industry. Economic challenges to traditional filmmaking are attributed to economic and cultural globalization with the expansion of democracy around the world, which brings Western cultural influences and entertainment styles to increasingly economically well-off and educated people in Asian countries. The paper explains the appeal and adoption of these styles in Asian film industries within the framework of the theories of cultural dependency and media evolution. The paper says that, for now, there is a growing Hollywoodization of Asian films – marked by sexual depictions, scantily clad women, and violence-oriented scripts within the framework of a pleasure-seeking culture. The author contends, however, that evidence indicates the beginnings of a reverse influence on Hollywood for the same reason -- the profitability of commercial feature films -- that is influencing Asia by Hollywood. Hollywood is getting Asianized to some degree, with influences of the Indian, Hong Kong and Korean movie industries. The two-way cultural symbiosis is likely to grow to serve the entertainment and cultural needs of a cosmopolitan audience who is open to consuming and appreciating foreign cultural influences without entirely rejecting their own.

Explosión de violencia en los Medios Globales (Global Media Mayhem)

Abstract: La Humanidad ha tenido eras sedientas de sangre, pero ninguna tan llena de imagenes de violencia como la presente. Estamos sumergidos en una ola de representaciones violentas nunca antes vista por el mundo. Las imagenes de brutalidad coreografiada por expertos empapan nuestros hogares. No hay escape de la explosion de violencia producida masivamente que se extiende por el ecumene.La violencia es la punta del iceberg de la conexion masiva subyacente al rol de la television como una relatora de historias universal y de una industria dependiente de mercados globales.Los roles que los ninos atestiguan ya no son los otrora caseros, hechos a mano ni inspirados en la comunidad. Son productos de un sistema de manufactura y mercadeo complejo, integrado y globalizado. La violencia televisiva, definido como la accion fisica que lastima o mata (o amenaza con hacerlo) es una parte integral de dicho sistema.Las representaciones de violencia no necesariamente son indeseables. La sangre escurre en los cuentos de hadas asi como el gore en la mitologia o el asesinato en Shakespeare. No toda la violencia es semejante. En algunos contextos, la violencia puede ser una expresion cultural legitima e incluso necesaria. Ejercida individualmente, inspirada historicamente, las expresiones frugal y selectivamente utilizadas de violencia simbolica puede indicar los tragicos costos de las compulsiones mortales. De cualquier forma, ese sentido tragico de la violencia ha sido arrasada por “violencia feliz” producida en la linea de ensamblaje dramatica. Esta “violencia feliz” es cool , rapida, indolora y frecuentemente espectacular, incluso emocionante pero usualmente sanitizada. Conduce siempre a un final feliz; debe dejar a la audiencia en un temperamento receptivo ante el siguiente comercial.

Media Globalization and its Effect upon International Communities: Seeking a Communication Theory Perspective

Abstract: There is a growing body of research on the topic of globalization, which seems to be a topic of broad-brush interest to scholars in a variety of fields, such as sociology, political science, ecology, international business, anthropology and communication. This paper focuses on the phenomenon of media globalization and examines a variety of theories that address multinational corporations with media properties. While there are many theories that address mass communication (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, & Signorielli, 1986; Lazarsfeld, Cantril, & Stanton, 1939; McLuhan & Powers, 1989; Schramm, 1954), this paper highlights the need for new theories which specifically address media globalization and the unique aspects which convergence and new digital technologies offer to the media-user.

The Role of the State in the National Mediascape:The Case of South Korea

Abstract: This essay examines recent South Korean cultural transformations to contest the theoretical viability of recent accounts of globalization and political economy. Applying Appadurai's "mediascape" to the Korean context, I argue that while the demise of the state as touted by many popular and economic liberal scholars since the early 1990's remains a possibility, it is not likely in South Korea given its distinctive economic and cultural developmental path. In the Korean context, the structural logic of globalization and the recent history of the global economy can ironically be read as rationalizing the strong state. The absence of a universalizable logic connecting economic globalization to the diminution of state power accentuates the importance of attention to the normative or ideological dimensions of global order. The essay thus explores different kinds of stateness and their consequences, with more explicit attention to how the modern state, by intervening in the national media industry, can shape and deflect its own participation in global regimes to a larger extent than typically conceded by globalization scholars.

Reconsidering Geocultural Contraflow: Intercultural Information Flows Through Trends in Global Audiovisual Trade

Abstract: The main purpose of this paper is to review and reevaluate the concept of cultural-linguistic contraflow as it relates to global media trade, taking into account the work of Straubhaar, Robertson, Appadurai, Sinclair, and others, as well recent global developments, and especially the vast increase in global media trade since the end of the Cold War. The purpose is to gain a fuller understanding of the emerging global system of information flow and trade in broadcast materials. Case studies involving a number of bilateral and multilateral media trading relationships are re-examined. This examination provides support for Straubhaar’s asymmetrical interdependence thesis, within the context of a developing bifurcation in global cultural interchange between the “global popular” in movie production and “glocalization” in television production.

Mass Media Usage Pattern and Acculturation Processed of Koreans Living in Kentucky

Abstract: This exploratory study set out to investigate the relation between mass media usage patterns of Koreans living in Kentucky and their degree of acculturation. In addition, this present research sought to uncover the relationship between several demographic variables and U.S. (or Korean) media consumption patterns of Koreans living in Kentucky, where most study respondents consume Korean media through the Internet, because of limited access to such Korean media as newspapers produced in the U.S. The findings of this research indicate that there are some positive relationships between the degree of acculturation and English proficiency, and between the consumption of U.S. media and acculturation. Furthermore, the results revealed that there was not only a significant negative relationship between acculturation and usage of the Korean language on the Internet, but also there was a significant relationship among marital status, age, and degree of acculturation. Single and younger Koreans consume more U.S. and Korean media and are more acculturated than married and older respondents. However, this study did not find any statistically significant relation between the intentions of Koreans in Kentucky to stay in or leave the U.S. and their U.S. media consumption. Likewise, no significant relation was found between negative perceptions of the U.S. media by the Koreans and their U.S. media consumption.

Traveling Away from Culture The Dominance of Consumerism on the Travel Channel

Abstract: Certain media observers posit that the vast number of channels arising from commercial cable television provides diversity of programming unlike at any time before. However, the simple existence of more channels does not necessarily guarantee adequate programming in every area. Commercial pressures may dominate programming agendas and interfere with the general substance of those programs. Cultural programming may be one such genre vulnerable to commercial pressure, and the Travel Channel, chosen as a representative commercial cable channel was examined to determine the levels of interference from consumerism. Through triangulation involving quantitative content analysis and qualitative thematic analysis, this study concludes that programming on the Travel Channel places extensive focus on consumerism while almost entirely ignoring issues of culture. Furthermore, the vast majority of programming on this channel centers on the most commercially developed regions of the world, primarily the U.S., and secondarily, Europe while neglecting the rest of the world. Much of the programming not only advocates general consumerism, but also conscious over-indulgence, including the purchasing of ultra-expensive items and the consumption of highly unhealthy food in unreasonable quantities. Thus, the Travel Channel is one example of the possible inadequacy of commercial television for cultural programming.

When Local Meets Lucre: Commerce, Culture and Imperialism in Bollywood Cinema

Abstract: Bollywood, the most commercially successful form of Indian cinema, presents an interesting contradiction in terms. It consciously mimics some American norms but mines Indian culture for the success it enjoys among diasporic networks of South Asians. In its avowal of nationalism and cultural tradition, it presents a significant challenge to American domination of international film and culture. However, it is too simple to say that Bollywood represents an assertion of cultural independence in the face of an imperialist challenge, as Bollywood films themselves replicate patterns of cultural domination, primarily marketing Hindi-language films to an enormous community characterized by a high level of linguistic diversity. In order to move beyond the complex question of whether or not Bollywood can be seen as a symbol of resistance, this paper investigates how hybridity may explain Bollywood films’ widespread and enduring popularity, allowing viewers to accommodate the reality of exposure to different cultures. India is home to a varied and thriving film industry, spread across various regions, catering to different tastes and languages. In commercial terms, however, the most successful segment of the Indian film industry is the one referred to as Bollywood. While the name itself implies a self-conscious attempt to mimic American norms, the reality of Bollywood cinema is that its continued success within India and among diasporic networks of South Asians presents a significant challenge to American domination of international film, and more broadly, international culture. Rather than representing cultural independence in the face of an imperialist challenge, however, Bollywood demonstrates that hegemony can operate at more than one level. Bollywood films not only ape selected Hollywood tendencies in terms of production, writing and marketing, they also reproduce patterns of cultural domination, primarily marketing Hindi-language films to a diverse community whose languages include Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil, among others. It becomes difficult to reconcile this image of a monolithic entertainment industry with the notion of an indigenous culture that successfully demonstrates resistance in the face of hegemonic oppression. This paper examines whether the idea of hybridity may explain the ongoing popularity of mainstream Indian cinema with people of South Asian origin, allowing them to maintain a commitment to traditional values while acknowledging the importance of an Americanized global culture in their lives.

Media Globalization and Localization: An Analysis of the International Flow of Programs on Ghana Television (GTV)

Abstract: This study examined the international flow of programs on Ghana Television (GTV) and some other television stations in Ghana namely, TV3, Metro TV, and Crystal TV, during the period of 1969 and 2003. Television in Ghana has transitioned from the role of development to that of reflecting the global and local phenomena. The qualitative content analysis approach was employed to analyze the contents of television program guides and the results were related to the issues of development, dependency, globalization, and localization. The findings showed more local than global programs on GTV during the period under study. Most of the global programs in the categories of news, sports, sit-com, soap/drama, and action/adventure, were from the USA though others came from Europe , Asia , and other African nations. In contrast, there were more global than local programs on TV3, Metro TV, and Crystal TV. Globalization has a wide scope with dimensions of economics, politics, culture, and communication including the media in developing nations like Ghana . Hence, foreign culture in local traditional setting has been resisted, though some compromises have been made. The quest to maintain national identity through media policies coupled with the selection of specific foreign programs, in the face of globalization, yield complex interactions. Despite the vast areas and details covered in this media research, and benefits to the television industry, there are limitations of the lack of audience response to the programs on GTV and the other television stations in Ghana .

News Events, News Values and Editors' Judgments: The Cases of China, Taiwan and Japan

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to compare the rankings of the top ten world and domestic events by three prominent Asian news agencies, the Central News Agency from Taiwan, the Kyodo News Service from Japan, and the Xinhua News Service from China, from 1992 to 2001. Findings reveal some congruence as well as deviance in the patterns of evaluating news events by the three agencies. They all kept a close eye on events in the Asia-Pacific area, followed by North America; Latin America was the most inconspicuous to them. Each news agency had different types of events to look for from its neighboring nations and its own territory. The “good news” syndrome with Xinhua and the “bad news” mentality with Central News and Kyodo in their approaches to domestic news were also unmistakable. The selections of top events by each news service also reflect its particular stance and value judgments on Asian geopolitics.

En defensa del financiamiento de los medios públicos de comunicación

Abstract: Dentro del escenario historico de la transicion pacifica a la democracia cobra una importancia medular el rescatar la mision historica de los medios publicos de comunicacion colectivos, para reequilibrar la desproporcion estructural que en el terreno comunicativo, cultural, y espiritual ha vivido la sociedad mexicana en las ultimas decadas, con la actuacion desproporcionada del modelo de comunicacion-mercado; y transformar el nuevo espacio publico mediatico en una moderna zona de reconstruccion de la conciencia colectiva para elaborar otra mentalidad que nos permita sobrevivir civilizadamente en Mexico como una sociedad compleja, plural y diferenciada.Es por ello, que a principios del nuevo milenio, a traves de una nueva legislacion constitucional en la materia, los medios de informacion del gobierno deben transformarse en medios de Estado de servicio publico para construir en Mexico otro orden de comunicacion que cree un nuevo Espacio Publico Nacional que permita que se expresen las mayorias nacionales. Para ello, se debe aprobar una nueva forma juridica de financiamiento de estos, pues de lo contrario estos continuaran tan limitados que no podran cumplir con estas funciones sociales esenciales.Palabras Claves: Reforma del Estado, Ley Federal de Radio y Television, Contrarreforma comunicativa, Espacio publico mediatico. Into de historic scenery of pacific transition to democracy, rescuing the historic mission of communication collective public mediums recovers a medullar importance in: balancing the structural disproportion in the communication, cultural, and spiritual fields experienced by Mexican society during the last decades, with an unequal performance of the communication-market model; and transforming the new public media space in a modern zone of collective conscience reconstruction to elaborate a new mentality that enables a civilized existence as a complex, plural and differentiated societyThat’s why, at the beginning of the new millennium, through a new constitutional legislation in the subject, information mediums of government must become State mediums of public service to constitute, in Mexico, a new order of communication that creates a new National Public Space that allows the expression of national majorities. A new legal form of financing them must be approved for this to be possible; if not, these mediums would continue so limited that they wouldn’t be able to carry out these essential social functions.Key words: State Reform, Federal Law of Radio and Television, communicative counter-reform, Public media space.

Professionalization: Fusion of Media Freedom and Responsibility

Abstract: This paper, Professionalization: Fusion of Press Freedom and Responsibility, proposes that journalism around the world is in a chaotic, fragmented, unethical, and largely anti-social state. Although communitarianism, and its media component—public journalism—is attempting to remedy the situation somewhat, the future does not look bright. The paper hypothesizes that journalism is losing its appeal to serious, moral persons and is becoming simply another business enterprise. The “bottom line” has become the objective in the media world—not public enlightenment and social progress.

Media and Democracy in Nepal: A Case for Public-Oriented Journalism

Abstract: The argument in this heuristic essay is that Nepal’s heterogeneous national identity, its faltering sense of citizenship, and the lack of strong civic culture provide a basis why public-oriented journalism could be an asset in the process of democratization. Following an examination and evaluation of an arduous history of democracy in this developing nation, the paper sets out to identify clusters of public problems, opportunities and the goals of the community of people living in the capital city of Kathmandu. The essay then sets out to spell out some techniques for actually doing public-oriented journalism focused on one of this city's major problems-- bureaucratic corruption. The technique is largely based on Arthur Charity’s book Doing Public Journalism (1995), and Daniel Yankelovich’s model of “public judgment.” The paper emphasizes the pragmatic value of public-oriented journalism in a developing, struggling democracy.

From Communism to Nationalism: Chinas Press in the Transition of Dominant Ideology

Abstract: This paper documents the shift of the dominant ideology in China from communism to the Party-led nationalism. Within a theoretical framework of media hegemony, this paper identifies the Party-led nationalism as a hegemonic ideology, which is constructed from the top to legitimate the ruling of the Party. This paper investigates how China’s press behaves during such transition of dominant ideology in past 20 years. In late 1970s, China’s press functioned as a site of top level faction warfare among Party elites with diverging ideologies and later some as an independent force participated in the ideological struggle in late 1980s. During recent commercialization, two modes of press have emerged in China: party propaganda press and commercialized press. China’s commercialized press, operating in a market system with a close Party supervision, in order to survive, first has to yield to the pressure from the Party and then from the market. In this sense, the press performs dual missions: “toeing the party line and making money” (He, 2003, p.201) by commercializing the Party-led nationalism. Repackaged patriotism thus becomes a good commodity for China’s commercialized press. Most press in China has been transformed from a propaganda apparatus to the current “Party publicity Inc”, which is perfectly fit into the media hegemony analysis of the media role in modern society to maintain the status quo. This paper also explores how China’s press profits anti-Western sentiment as a theme of nationalism in international news coverage and is highly hegemonic in promoting the anti-western theme.

El diseño de la "Comunicación Espiral" al servicio de las organizaciones del siglo XXI

Abstract: Las empresas del siglo XXI fundamentan cada vez mas su valor en los activos intangibles, que la comunicacion puede ayudar a gestionar. Por nuestra parte, vamos a describir una nueva forma de hacerlo a traves de la ?Comunicacion Espiral? (CE) . La CE sobresale en un entorno marcado, sobre todo, por tres valores intangibles de los que depende, cada vez mas, la prosperidad de las organizaciones, como son: la Reputacion Corporativa, la Gestion del Conocimiento y la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC). En torno a la gestion de esos valores, nuestro diseno espiral crece y se desarrolla alrededor de su centro neuralgico: la direccion de imagen y comunicacion, dirigida por la figura profesional del director de comunicacion espiral (DIRCE). Con esta denominacion no se pretende acunar un nuevo termino, sino describir el papel que el profesional de la comunicacion absorbe en esta tarea de integracion, bajo esta dimension espiral, en las organizaciones que asi lo decidan.

Una introducción al estudio del discurso y al análisis del discurso

Abstract: En este articulo se realiza una introduccion al objeto del Analisis del discurso como una metodologia util en los estudios de comunicacion, se explican las relaciones entre este con la teoria del discurso (TD) y estudios del discurso (ED); se presenta una introduccion a algunas teorias y se muestran las grandes etapas en su realizacion. Se comentan un ejemplo de aplicacion

Whose Sound and Fury? The 1967 Riots of Hong Kong through The Times

Abstract: The 1967 Riots in Hong Kong were investigated through The Times’ reports, so as to further understanding of the anti-British movement in the colonial city from a new angle, to see the stance of the British press in the crisis and its influence on the decision-making by the Hong Kong and British governments. The study includes 3 main factors: 1) The Times’ analysis of the origins and causes of the event; 2) The Times’ portrayal of the different groups (the rioters, the British people and the Hong Kong people); 3) The Times’ obsession with the pro-communist newspapers and neglect of other camps. Primary sources of research are the original reports of The Times and of some Hong Kong newspapers, memoirs by The Times’ and Hong Kong local reporters, by the participants of the movement, and by the officials of the Hong Kong government. In addition, the Queen’s speech and parliamentary discussions also serve as primary sources. Published literature, unpublished theses and internet articles are secondary sources. The finding is that The Times’ reports on the 1967 Riots were a slanted coverage, but a precise mirror of Britain’s real interest in Hong Kong. Whose Sound and Fury?

Bringing the World Wide Web into Third World Countries: Integrating Technology Across the Globe

Abstract: While technology continues to thrive in the Western World, Third World and underdeveloped countries continue to struggle with the idea of incorporating such technology into their culture. After radio and television took decades to expand across most of the globe, the Internet seemed to boom into society within a matter of years. Many developing countries do not welcome the idea of technology, especially the Internet, into their countries. While many have a negative view toward the influence the media might have on their people, many countries simply do not have the resources or financial availability to acquire such technology. Despite the disadvantages of the Internet, there are several advantages that outweigh the disadvantages. Unfortunately, many seem to dwell only on the disadvantages. With cooperation and regulation, Third World and developing countries can use technology to their advantage. Developed countries will only benefit from global interaction. Underdeveloped countries have the possibility to boost their economy while increasing the quality of life by becoming part of the global economic community. Fair trade and employment opportunities are just a few ways to bring the world together for the benefit of all.

Representación de la mujer en anuncios de revistas comerciales mexicanas

Abstract: Las revistas comerciales son un medio de comunicacion al alcance de pract icamente cualquier persona por su precio, sus multiples puntos de venta y su facilidad de lectura. Tanto el contenido como los anuncios presentan imagenes e ideas, valores y estereotipos que buscan captar la atencion, los anuncios, ademas pretenden colocarse en la mente y persuadir al lector de los beneficios del producto. Este trabajo pretende identificar la manera en que se representa a la mujer en los anuncios de tres ejemplares de revistas del mes de abril del 2005, editadas en Mexico: Vanidades, Men´s Health y Padres e Hijos. Se utilizan las macro operaciones descriptiva y argumentativa del Analisis del Discurso para determinar la esquematizacion de los anuncios; se analiza bajo la perspectiva de la comunicacion en cuanto al manejo de estereotipos y sus implicaciones segun la teoria del Analisis del Cultivo; y finalmente en cuanto al manejo de los valores. Los resultados indican que existen estereotipos muy marcados en cuanto a las caracteristicas de la mujer asociados a ciertos productos publicitados y que se promueven valores muy estables y dificilmente discutibles. Ademas todos los anuncios siguen una estructura descriptiva y argumentativa muy similar que no presenta sorpresas al lector. Palabras clave: Comunicacion, genero, analisis del discurso, analisis del cultivo, estereotipos, revistas. Comercial magazines are a medium of communication available for almost anyone because of its price, its multiple sale-points and its reading easiness. Both, content and advertising present images and ideas, values and stereotypes that try to attract reader’s attention; ads, furthermore, pretend to place in reader’s mind and persuade him or her of the benefits of a certain product or service. This work expects to identify the way in which women is represented in adverts of three magazines on their issues for April 2005, edited in Mexico: Vanidades, Men’s Health, and Padres e Hijos. Descriptive and argumentative macro operations of discourse analysis are used to determine ads outlining. An analysis is made based on communication perspective about how to handle stereotypes and their implications according to the Cultivation Analysis Theory and in the way values are used. The results show highlighted stereotypes in relation with women characteristics associated to certain products, and the promotion of very stable not-easily-arguable values. Also, all ads keep a very similar descriptive and argumentative structure, that doesn’t surprise readers. Key words: Communication, genre, discourse analysis, Cultivation analysis, stereotypes, magazines.

Ominous Impunity: Rethinking State Terrorism in Argentina, Twenty Years After the Return of Democracy

Abstract: During the last Argentinean dictatorship (1973-1983) thirty thousand people were tortured and made ‘disappeared’ by the Dictatorial State. For decades, commanders of the Argentinean Military Forces denied responsibility for these cases, either by pretending that the people were still alive, that they had left the country, or by acknowledging only a few cases of torture while justifying them as “excesses.” In 2003, the national commemorations for the twentieth anniversary of the return of democracy in Argentina coincided with a series of kidnappings (which extend to the present) and juridical debates that echoed those events. The essay is centered on the European countries’ petition for extradition of these repressors and the Argentinean Supreme Court’s decision, which continued to protect the repressor’s impunity. By articulating Lacanian theory and political philosophy, the author examines the notion of “impunity,” including its significance as it pertains to Symbolic Law and its consequences for subjectivity, and culture. The author suggests that instead of defining the Symbolic Law as a fixed mediation, it should be considered a permanent work of inscription. This inscription can aid in understanding subjective positions regarding social trauma. With this in mind, the author focuses on the psychoanalytic notion of act as impersonal and political, and hence essential for understanding the petition of justice in the Argentinean case.

Constructing Gender Across Cultural Space: Japan's International Development Programs

Abstract: The central question in this research concerns how development discourse within the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) constructs women and gender across geographical regions. In-depth interviews, documents and videos inform this analysis. Findings describing programs implemented by JICA in East Asia, South Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East suggest that those areas perceived as more culturally distant, particularly those aligned with Islamic communities, are more likely to focus on women’s sexuality and to consider women as passive victims than those in more culturally proximate areas. Gender has become a particularly contentious arena within the field of development, as institutions and communities struggle over the nature of representation, the construction of social problems, and the appropriation of resources directed toward development intervention. This study explores the construction of women within the context of gender issues engaged through global development programs funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Specifically, when JICA’s development projects and programs are conceptualized and described, how are women’s roles and needs framed within the development process? And, how do gender issues differ across the region within which the development intervention is implemented? This case study of JICA, as a wealthy bilateral donor, allows an exploration of Orientalist constructions that complicates assumptions situating global power solely within western territories, and considers constructions of gender within contexts differentiated according to cultural proximity (Straubhaar, 1991). The central concepts in this work include attention to issues of development and gender within the context of Japanese development intervention. Specifically, development is conceptualized as a form of institutional discourse, communicating assumptions about problems, communities and solutions (Wilkins & Mody, 2001). For the purpose of this research project, gender is understood as a social construct interpreted and engaged within organizational settings, connected with considerations of race, ethnicity and other markers of cultural difference through the policies and practices of development institutions.