Grasping scientific news

By developing model-based news articles and presenting them to audience focus groups, this research gauges reader response to “test stories” based on four models of science journalism: science literacy, contextual, lay-expertise, and public participation. This approach allows investigation of how to tie journalism theory to practice to audience reception, and back again. The results show how journalists and readers differently engage with various models of science journalism and used them to gain different knowledge and understanding. These differences show the need to articulate more clearly hybrid models of science journalism that make use of the overlapping positive features of the models investigated. Such hybrid science journalism models could provide new educational tools aimed at showing how to better understand who “the audience” is and exemplifying how to position audiences as active members in stories and as stakeholders in the scientific process.     

Practicing Engagement

In recent years, the rapid expansion of Web 2.0 tools has opened new possibilities for audience participation in news, while “engagement” has become a media industry buzzword. In this study, we explore approaches to engagement emerging in the field based on in-depth interviews with editors at a range of news outlets from several countries, and we map these approaches onto the literature on participatory journalism and related innovations in journalism practice. Our findings suggest variation in approaches to engagement that can be arrayed along several related dimensions, encompassing how news outlets measure and practice it (e.g. with the use of quantitative audience metrics methods), whether they think about audiences as more passive or more active users, the stages at which they incorporate audience data or input into the news product, and how skeptically or optimistically they view the audience. Overall, while some outlets are experimenting with tools for more substantive audience contributions to news content, we find few outlets approaching engagement as a way to involve users in the creation of news, with most in our sample focusing mostly on engaging users in back-end reaction and response to the outlet’s content. We identify technological, economic, professional, and organizational factors that shape and constrain how news outlets practice “engagement.”     

科技论文的研究设计指纹自动识别方法构建与实现

[目的/意义]从科技论文中自动识别与抽取研究设计指纹,能够为科研人员项目设计、研究方法的有效性评估、研究过程问题诊断、研究结果鉴别与评价提供重要的方法论和研究操作支撑。[方法/过程]基于科技论文研究设计指纹的概念模型,提出基于多规则模式混合机器学习方法,设计并实现指纹识别算法,并以数据挖掘领域的期刊文献数据为例,对识别算法的可行性与有效性进行分析验证。[结果/结论]除研究数据与研究趋势外,其他研究设计指纹识别准确率的认可度都基本达到80%以上,覆盖率的认可度,除研究工具与研究数据外,基本达到80%以上。     

Gatekeeping in a Digital Era

The original concept of gatekeeping within journalism was based on a particular research method, a particular sub-profession within the news media, and a particular—now extinct—technological platform. This article describes and discusses what has happened to the function of gatekeeping as new technologies have developed, and it suggests that three models of gatekeeping are present in the digital era. The first model is based on a process of information, the second model is based on a process of communication, and the third and last model is based on a process of elimination, where the function of gatekeeping is taken over by people outside the newsrooms. All three models have been part of the history of journalism from the very beginning, but their importance for news reporters and the news media have changed with the invention of new technological means, methods and tools. This reassessment of the principles, practices and new technological platforms for gatekeeping concludes by discussing the ways in which our models of journalism can affect not only researchers but also news reporters and audiences.     

FROM “KNOWING HOW” TO “BEING ABLE”

In attempt to define a methodology, journalism scholars use the term “reflective” as a way to distinguish their critical study of journalism from that of a non-practitioner. The phrase “reflective practice in journalism” is now also used widely in higher education course literature and increasingly it is emerging in discourses relating to journalism research. However, the use of the term “reflective” in both cases has not been anchored in meaning. This paper will propose a number of definitions, and will discuss a number of potential approaches that seek to move towards a synthesis of journalism practice and theory. It will start by outlining the current scholarly context for undertaking journalism research, focusing on the rise of “journalist-academics” and the desire for recognition of the value and status of practice within the academy. It will then examine a number of critical models which may shed helpful light on how journalism might be viewed as “research-in-practice”.     

Is Mojo (En)De-Skilling?

Drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory, this paper examines how the Hindustan Times, one of the leading English dailies in India, integrates mojo (contraction of mobile journalism) into its journalistic practices. Further, this paper explores how journalists respond to the concomitant changes brought about by the adoption of technologised practices in the newsroom. The analysis of qualitative data obtained from participant-observation and in-depth interview reveals that the practice of mojo, which is about learning new apps and tools, producing short videos by and for mobile devices, and disseminating news to digital readers through multiple platforms, emerges as a new rule in the field of journalism. Instead of depending solely on a team of mobile journalists, the newspaper aims to develop capabilities and impart training to journalists across the board in the newsroom. This study also reveals that journalists at the Hindustan Times experienced the practice of mojo as both en-skilling and de-skilling.     

Utilizing Systems Development Methods in Archival Systems Research: Building a Metadata Schema Registry

This paper discusses the use of systems development research methods in the context of ongoing research that is formulating a specification for a metadata schema registry. The paper extrapolates from this discussion how such methods can be utilized in archival systems research and how such an approach differs from commercial systems engineering. In particular, the paper suggests that adopting a user-centred prototyping approach in a research context allows for exploration of the interplay between theory and practice, advancing the practice, while also offering new insights into theoretical concepts. It argues that these research methods are of increasing interest to the archival profession in order to conceptualise and realise the tools necessary to support recordkeeping and archival processes in digital environments.     

2019年中国的新闻学研究

本文从近30种中文学术期刊(包括港台地区)遴选出在问题意识、研究视角、论证方法等方面较为创新的新闻学研究原创文章,并从媒介转型、新闻从业者研究、新闻与社会记忆研究、技术视角下的中国新闻业、作为公民与用户的受众、新闻基础理论研究、报刊史与近代政治以及新闻学科建设与反思等八个话题对相关文献加以回顾。研究发现,2019年中国的新闻学研究主要呈现为四个特征:一是围绕新闻行业生态变革的重要研究议题涉及面较广,比较亮眼的研究是以新的理论视角观照中国语境下的本土实践;二是对中国新闻从业者与新闻受众的不少研究表现出明显的社会学取向,阶层特征、群体分化、角色冲突以及管辖权成为主要的概念切入点;三是新闻理论研究兼顾对经典新闻理念的反思与新兴新闻实践及其理论化现状的引介;四是报刊史研究注重在专门史与近代政治史的脉络和问题框架中组织材料与观点,试图开拓研究视野从而避免内卷化的学术意图比较明确。     

新闻传播学术研究中存在的问题——-CSSCI中几组数据的分析

在我国传播学研究中存在程度不等的学术规范问题,无论从学术成果的引文情况、被引情况,还是使用外文资料和学者之间的合作研究、跨机构跨地区的学术研究等角度分析,在社会科学相近学科的对比中,新闻传播学研究都表现了一些弱点.通过对CSSCI提供的相应数据的分析,可以看到存在问题的原因.     

Innovation Through Practice

Practices of news selection, presentation and distribution have been transposed to the domain of audiences communicating through network media. Media practices of journalists and “media-oriented practices” of audiences (Couldry) make use of the network as a common resource, merging into a new form of “news-based communication.” This new situation of public communication questions institutional approaches to journalism and the crisis it currently experiences. The paper proposes to regard journalism as a structure of public communication which is mutually enacted by journalists and audiences alike. Practice is outlined as a conceptual tool to study how social structures such as journalism can innovate. In practice, cultural schemas value resources of communication and endow actors with agency. As media of public communication are de-differentiated in digital contexts, practice offers a way to understand innovation as the gradual transposition of such schemas to new resources.     

The Relevance of Journalism

The media-saturated nature of everyday life is well acknowledged in current audience research, but the role of journalism for people living in this digitalised environment remains less clear. To provide a better understanding of the role of journalism and news in everyday life, this article states the case for combining two complementary analytical perspectives in cultural audience research that draw on the framework of practice theory. We need to focus on both interpersonal communication practices within social networks and on discursive practices and patterns of how people use the media. Empirically, this article draws on an extensive audience study conducted in Finland, whose findings provide a cause for moderate optimism regarding the sustaining relevance of journalism in people's everyday life in the digital era. Firstly, social networks—both offline and online—constitute a vital structure within which the output of journalism is rendered meaningful by users. Secondly, the discursive practices applied by the participants emphasise the importance of news as a central means of orientation to society and making sense of the political nature of the public world. However, much of this potential remains unknown to journalists because users' activities occur at a distance from journalism and political institutions, which poses a challenge to digital journalism.     

发达国家"算法新闻"的理论缘起、最新进展及行业影响

算法新闻是运用智能算法工具自动生产新闻并实现商业化运营的过程、方法或系统.它是21世纪新闻传播领域一场全新的范式革命,不仅是对传统新闻传播方式的颠覆,更是新闻传播观念的重要突破.算法新闻的发展经历了理论孕育、技术探索和初步应用三个阶段.目前发达国家的算法新闻正从窄领域转向宽领域应用、从格式化转向个性化应用、从个案转向规模化应用、从低层次转向高质量应用、从低难度转向高难度应用、从机械传播转向交互体验应用.算法新闻的崛起将在受众认可度、媒体接受度、新闻传播业态及新闻伦理与法规等方面带来新课题.     

Leveraging Learning Outcomes to Build an Online Information Literacy Tool

This exploratory study applies reflective practice to analyze the role of learning outcomes in developing an online information literacy tutorial. [web address] is a set of ten open access modules that build graduate-level academic literacies and research skills. At the heart of the modules is a set of rigorously crafted learning outcomes that provide the foundational structure on which the self-paced tool is built. Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, this study traces how learning outcomes framed an iterative four-stage design process. Drawing on these findings, we offer considerations for teams developing online learning tools for information literacy and research skills.     

An Illusion of Interactivity

This study explores paternalism in contemporary data journalism, a hybrid form of journalism where parts of the engineering culture are blended with the culture of journalism. Technologists often question paternalistic elements in design, whereas journalists consider paternalistic decision-making to be justified as an inherent part of what journalism is. Based on a predominately qualitative content analysis of paternalistic elements in 31 data journalistic projects submitted to the Nordic Data Journalism Awards in 2013, 2015 and 2016, three characteristics of paternalism were found: controlling functionality, the illusion of interactivity and linearity. All three characteristics include several types of control over the audience control, embedded in the design, and as previous research has found that paternalism is often associated with negative effects, on the basis of journalistic choices in design and presentation involving technology, the problem is whether the audience begins to perceive data journalism as controlling, non-transparent or intrusive.     

What Makes for Great Data Journalism?

This study examines the quality of winners and finalists in major national and international data journalism awards. We completed a content analysis of data projects submitted by Canadian media to three journalism associations—the Online News Association, the Global Editors Network and the Canadian Association of Journalists—as far back as the first award in this category in 2012. Our research addresses how journalists executed what could be considered excellent data journalism. Our findings point to a lack of accepted standards regarding what is considered as excellence. The quality of the projects was limited by two key factors: the use of free online options such as Google Maps that were not easily customizable; and the number of practitioners who worked on the data projects largely within traditional journalism frameworks. The most used visual elements were dynamic maps, graphs and video. With respect to interactivity, all but one of the projects contained an interactive element. The most popular interaction techniques were inspection and filtering, considered entry-level techniques in the field of information visualization. These techniques suggest a need for collaborative interdisciplinary approaches to data journalism, and further study on the implications of tools such as Google Maps on practice.     

口述史:新闻史研究的一种新路径

本文把口述史置于新闻史研究的背景下,阐释了口述历史的相关理论,对其应用于新闻史研究的可行性和实际操作时可能出现的问题进行了分析,说明新闻史研究开展口述历史工作的意义及其方法。     

对当前新闻学研究中几个认识问题的思考

本文对当前新闻学研究中存在的如何看待“新闻无学论”、如何理解新闻学研究同政治的关系、如何认识新闻学研究同实践的关系、如何在新闻学研究中处理传统继承与理论创新的关系等几个认识问题阐述了自己的见解。     

Determinants of diachronic information seeking among communication intermediaries

While the study of the ethical use of new technologies in journalistic work is imperative given the widespread use of such technology, such studies are few and far between, particularly for the developing world. This paper provides results of an exploratory, qualitative study of Indian journalists’ views about the ethical use of new computer and Internet-based technologies for news gathering and reporting in India. New digital technology was widely accessible to the respondents, but not all journalists were given the tools by their employers. Opinions about ethical news practices using new technology were mixed and revealed a few grey areas. English language national newspapers tended to indicate that their standards were strict and that ethical violations, exacerbated by new technology, occurred mostly in vernacular newspapers. On the whole, respondents had not heard often of other organizations or individuals committing unethical practices such as plagiarism and lack of attribution using new technology. Still, some beliefs indicated uncertainty about ethical practice or breach of ethical principles. The findings of this study have implications for journalism education and on-the-job training of Indian journalists, as well as for formulating ethical codes of journalism, particularly with regard to new media. Indian codes focus more on the roles journalists should play in society and do not provide very specific tactical guidance for everyday news gathering. Coupled with lack of training, this creates a situation where perceptions about journalistic ethics are sometimes vague and variant.     

基于观众对话的博物馆学习研究新视角——来自苏·艾伦研究成果的启发

观众在博物馆中如何学习、学习效果如何评量等问题长期受到研究者的关注。观众对话作为参观学习的体现,是探究博物馆学习过程的重要材料。基于此,苏·艾伦采用社会文化视角,透过参观过程中的观众对话寻找学习的证据。本文主要目的是介绍该研究的研究问题、研究发现、方法论框架、数据收集与分析等方面的内容,以期为国内博物馆观众研究领域提供一种新的视角。