Narrowmobilization and Tea Party Activism: A Study of Right-Leaning Alternative Media

Past research concerning the theoretical framework of Resistance Performance (RP) has been based on observations of liberal organizations and activists. In the following essay, we engage in a qualitative content analysis of alternative media utilized by conservative “Tea Party” activists to build on the concept of RP. Overall, we discovered that the dominant theme found in much of the content focuses on “purity,” which is considerably different from past RP research that found broad themes of “human rights,” “democracy,” “be the media,” and “principles of unity” embedded within liberal alternative media content. We conclude that the theme of “purity” gives rise to narrowmobilization, which constructs very focused protest communities within right-leaning politics.     

大卫·诺德的“新闻机制史”书写路径及其知识贡献——以《新闻的共同体:美国报纸和它们读者的历史》为中心

以詹姆斯·凯瑞的讨论为源头,兴起于20世纪70年代的新闻史观变革运动推动了美国新闻史研究走出辉格式的、线性的、进步的传统范式。大卫·诺德延续了凯瑞的新闻文化史路径,将其进一步聚焦到以阅读史为代表的新闻机制史的范畴中。他的《新闻的共同体》重新定义了"新闻"与"新闻史"的内涵,从"生产的共同体"和"接收的共同体"两个维度阐发了北美新闻传统中的共同体精神。他的新闻史研究试图将文学批评、历史学、传播学、社会学等融合在一起,建立一种兼顾人文主义和社会科学的新的关于传播的历史。由于他的新闻史观是地方性的,国内研究借鉴时要注意可行性和合理性。     

Research dynamics: Measuring the continuity and popularity of research topics

Dynamic development is an intrinsic characteristic of research topics. To study this, this paper proposes two sets of topic attributes to examine topic dynamic characteristics: topic continuity and topic popularity. Topic continuity comprises six attributes: steady, concentrating, diluting, sporadic, transforming, and emerging topics; topic popularity comprises three attributes: rising, declining, and fluctuating topics. These attributes are applied to a data set on library and information science publications during the past 11 years (2001–2011). Results show that topics on “web information retrieval”, “citation and bibliometrics”, “system and technology”, and “health science” have the highest average popularity; topics on “h-index”, “online communities”, “data preservation”, “social media”, and “web analysis” are increasingly becoming popular in library and information science.     

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!

“Trolling” and other negative behaviour on magazine websites is widespread, ranging from subtly provocative behaviour to outright abuse. Publishers have sought to develop lively online communities, with high levels of user-generated content. Methods of building sites have developed quickly, but methods of managing them have lagged behind. Some publishers have then felt overwhelmed by the size and behaviour of the communities they have created. This paper considers the reasons behind trolling and the tools digital editors have developed to manage their communities, taking up the role of Zygmunt Bauman's gardeners in what they sometimes refer to as “walled gardens” within the Internet's wild domains. Interviews were conducted with online editors at the front line of site management at Bauer, Giraffe, IPC, Natmags, RBI and the Times. This article shows how publishers are designing sites that encourage constructive posting, and taking a more active part in site management. Web 2.0 and the spread of broadband, which have made management of fast-growing communities difficult, may themselves bring positive change. As uploading material becomes technically easier, “ordinary” citizens can outnumber those who, lacking social skills or with little regard for social norms, originally made the Internet their natural habitat.     

The Temple and the Bazaar: Wikipedia as a Platform for Open Authority in Museums

Museums today grapple with the reconciliation of traditional models of authority with the expectation to incorporate new voices in cultural interpretation. At the same time, society is increasingly empowered by a social Web that provides collaboration, connectivity, and openness. This paper frames the dialogue of authority and openness around parallel theories within the museum and technology communities, offering Wikipedia as a platform for facilitating new perspectives in collaborative knowledge‐sharing between museums and communities. Expanding on the metaphors of the museum as “the Temple and the Forum” and the Web as “the Cathedral and the Bazaar,” this essay argues that issues of democratization, voice, and authority in museums can be addressed through Wikipedia's community, process, and its potential as a model for a new Open Authority in museums.     

Looking toward an information base in the 21st Century: The American Community Survey

Communities traditionally have relied on demographic and economic data from the decennial census for key decisions. Those same data are used by Congress and federal agencies to distribute billions of dollars, to administer federal programs, and to evaluate the results of federal policies. As the decade progresses, communities and their financial supports have had no alternative other than to live with the fiction that their areas have not changed since the last census. This article describes the American Community Survey, which the U.S. Census Bureau has designed to provide demographic, economic, and housing information to communities every year instead of every 10 years, providing them with a “video” of changes in their areas, rather than the current decennial “snapshot.”     

Profiling a city: Information resources on Chicago's 77 community areas

Urban areas are often considered to have distinct qualities and characteristics, for example, Chicago is the “City that Works” and Philadelphia is known as the “City of Brotherly Love.” Whether or not these cities are accurately described by such labels is a question that may be answered by looking at the “cities within the city.” These distinctive communities are often studied by researchers in the fields of sociology, geography, criminal justice, and urban planning; by city managers for allocations of funds and services; and by citizens interested in relocating to or starting a business in a particular area. This article provides background about the 77 community areas of Chicago, describing information resources available for compiling such profiles. Many similar resources are available for urban areas nationwide.     

From Journalism to Information: The Transformation of the Knight Foundation and News Innovation

Amid the digital disruption for journalism, the U.S.-based Knight Foundation has made a highly publicized effort to shape the nature of news innovation. This growing influence raises questions about what it is trying to accomplish for mass communication and society. This qualitative case study shows how and why the Knight Foundation has sought to change journalism by renegotiating its boundaries. Namely, by downplaying its own historical emphasis on professionalism, the foundation has embraced openness to outside influence—for example, the wisdom of the crowd, citizen participation, and a broader definition of “news.” These rhetorical adaptations have paralleled material changes in the foundation's funding process, typified by the Knight News Challenge innovation contest. In recent times, the foundation has undergone a further evolution from “journalism” to “information.” By highlighting its boundary-spanning interest in promoting “information” for communities, the Knight Foundation has been able to expand its capital and influence as an agent of change among fields and funders beyond journalism.     

The New Information Poor: How Limited Access to Digital Scholarly Resources Impacts Higher Education

The “new” information poor are the individuals and communities who have computer and Internet connectivity, but cannot access scholarly information due to prohibitive costs. Pratt Institute's School of Information and Library Science (SILS) represents such a community and is the subject of this case study. Three measures were analyzed: SILS' four “core” classes were surveyed to determine how many required readings were available via the library; a survey was sent to 31 SILS instructors; and we conducted in-depth interviews with two SILS instructors. While “information poor,” the data suggest our respondents are resourceful in finding ways to cope with their disadvantage.     

Building Relationships through Communities of Practice: Museums and Indigenous People

Abstract This paper explores the theory of “communities of practice” and how the ideas contained in it could be applied to museums, by demonstrating how a key stakeholder group, Indigenous people, have been involved with and engaged in the work of the Australian Museum, Sydney, over the past 30 years. It is suggested that the processes museums have developed in building relationships with Indigenous people, particularly at the practitioner level, could form a template for how museums make themselves relevant to broader communities through active engagement with multiple communities of practice.     

国外档案外展服务实践与研究进展

档案外展是兴起于欧美国家的一项档案服务活动,具有外展主体与对象广泛、外展形式多样、外展组织过程有针对性等特点。自20世纪50年代至今,国外档案外展的探索与实践经历了孕育萌芽、奠定基础、拥抱网络、日新月异四个发展阶段,并逐渐形成教育导向的档案外展服务、面向社群的档案外展服务和基于社交媒体的档案外展服务三大核心议题。文章认为,在后机构改革时代,我国档案机构可以吸收国外档案外展服务的经验,从外展意识、外展内容、外展方式等方面着手,确定档案外展的基本实践要点,做到意识先行,重视受众需求导向;内容为本,深挖档案机构馆藏;技术为路,推广拉近公众距离。     

Towards an Edible Museum: Exploring Foodways as Sociomuseological Practice in a South African Township

Museum institutions are rarely recognised for their gastronomic potential, particularly in their efforts to draw culturally diverse audiences. This article unpacks the possibility of exploring foodways through a sociomuseological practice, with the aim to facilitate cross‐cultural interaction and tolerance. Following an action research methodology, this study explored the possibility of transforming a township restaurant in a marginalised community in South Africa, into an “edible museum” – a restaurant with sociomuseological aims. The results, however, indicated that the formalisation of the restaurant space in this context further exaggerated cultural difference rather than attempting its engagement towards tolerance through museological means. It is proposed that the “edible museum” concept lends itself to be envisioned as a process, rather than a physical space, through which museum professionals and educators may network with existing food communities and sites towards a sensory interpretation of cross‐cultural tolerance both inside their galleries and within broader communities.     

Constructing Television Communities: The FCC,Signals, and Cities, 1948–1957

This study analyzes the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) efforts to define the television “community” as it formulated a national television system. The first opportunity came with the Sixth Report and Order, when the FCC made no provision for tailoring signal contours to existing communities. The second came when the FCC established program guidelines for new TV licensees and mandated a broad, amorphous community to be served by local programming. Such communities often bore little relation to local political, cultural, or social units. These spatial dimensions, which efficiently served network advertisers, still exist in many U.S. television communities.     

Imagining transformative spaces: the personal–political sites of community archives

Although much has been written about formal archival spaces, little scholarship has addressed the physical spaces of community archives. This paper asks: How do community members imagine the physical spaces that steward identity-based community archives? Based on focus groups with more than 54 community archives users at five different community archives sites across Southern California, this paper examines how members of marginalized communities conceive of the physical space inhabited by community archives representing their communities. The sites explored range from a prominent location on a university campus, to storefronts, strip malls, and small cinderblock buildings. Yet across sites, users spoke about community archives spaces as symbolic and affectively moving locations. Many users described their community archives site as a “home-away-from-home,” marked by intergenerational dialog and a profound sense of belonging. For other users, community archives sites were described as “politically generative spaces” which foster dialog and debate about identity, representation, and activism and enable the community to envision its future. And yet, while the very existence of community archives is political, many participants felt that the full political potential of these sites is not yet realized. By listening to the voices of the communities represented and served by community archives, our research both indicates that a shift is warranted in archival metaphors of space and reveals how community archives are personally and politically transformative spaces for the communities they represent and serve.     

Sarah Roberts and the early history of the “separate but equal” doctrine: A study in rhetoric,law, and social change

This essay explores the early history of the “separate but equal”; doctrine in nineteenth century legal and political argumentation. By employing ironic and tragic frames, the authors challenge the traditional, linear approaches to legal historirizing. Moving beyond legal texts, the authors investigate how various communities in antebellum Boston negotiated conflicting views about how to best advance the cause of civil rights, both inside and outside the courtroom. These early debates created a complex rhetorical culture, and they provided jurists with several possible interpretations of the terms “separate”; and “equal.”; The authors conclude that these early debates, and Lemuel Shaw's subsequent decision in Sarah C. Roberts v. The City of Boston (1849), provide readers with insightful illustrations of the irony and tragedy of the law.     

Violence and identity politics: 1970s lesbian-feminist discourse and Robin Morgan's 1973 West Coast Lesbian Conference keynote address

This essay examines 1970s lesbian-feminist identity rhetorics to interrogate the exclusionary logics of visibility and gender normativity. Lesbian-feminists used such logics to exclude women living “in the closet,” performing gender in nonnormative ways, or avowing a transgender identity. Those struggles form a dynamic context to situate and critically analyze Robin Morgan's keynote address at the 1973 West Coast Lesbian Conference, “Lesbianism and Feminism: Synonyms or Contradictions?” Though Morgan's address exemplifies rhetorical violence of identity politics and transphobia within lesbian-feminist communities, I explore its radically queer possibilities to shed fresh light on persistent struggles that shape contemporary queer politics.     

ONLINE NEWS USERS’ SENSE OF COMMUNITY

The idea of geography is fundamental to local newspapers, both in the sense of community news and news from a community perspective. It has been suggested that “geography is dead.” This idea was tested through a self-administered mail survey of a sample of adults living in Maricopa County, Arizona, using geographic and online senses of community measures to determine the importance of geography in today's Internet-rich environment and determine if geography is really “dead.” The analysis focused on evaluating the mean sense of community measures among groups, and examining the use of newspaper weblogs in light of the print newspaper's coverage of a particular geographic area. Results rebuff suggestions that geography is “dead” and indicate that respondents are still attached to their geographic communities. In the struggle to find new models of journalism, newspapers must find a way to remain geographically relevant in print and on the Web.     

Community Structure and Social Protest: Influences on Newspaper Coverage

Research on news coverage of social protest has yielded evidence of a “protest paradigm,” a framework of common news attributes that contribute to the marginalizing of protesters as social deviants. Analysis here investigates whether adherence to the protest paradigm varies by structural characteristics of the communities in which news organizations originate. More specifically, news organizations in less pluralistic communities may exhibit lower tolerance for social conflict than news organizations in more pluralistic communities. This research compares newspaper coverage of social protest from communities with varied levels of pluralism. Results showed that newspapers in less pluralistic communities were more critical of protesters when local government was the target and were less likely to quote protesters in stories. Further, newspapers in less pluralistic communities were more critical of protesters when stories were on the front page than those appearing elsewhere in the newspaper. Implications for understanding the protest paradigm and influences of community structure on news coverage patterns were explored.     

Learning to stand on their own: contradictory media representations of Burmese refugees by nonprofit organizations

This study examines the arrival of refugees from Burma, also known as Myanmar, to the Midwest of the United States and how the depiction of the refugees in online media often deploys contradictory messages about these new communities. Specifically, this analysis investigates the images and texts created by both U.S.-led refugee resettlement agencies and Burmese-led nonprofit organizations in Indiana. The project weaves together findings from the analysis of online media content along with interviews of twelve organisation leaders and staff members. The analysis reveals that the media created by the two types of organizations differ substantially. While the U.S.-led refugee resettlement agencies portray the refugees as “strangers” deserving of “the life ahead” and as worthwhile citizenship projects, the Burmese-led nonprofit organizations focus on the education of youth as future leaders and on its own members who serve as role models for the ethnic communities. This project underscores the broader implications for how refugees are portrayed in the West’s media during a period of massive exodus of refugees from nations with repressive governments and the need for more research about this topic that transcends national borders.     

From Tagging to Theorizing: Deepening Engagement with Cultural Heritage through Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing, or “obtaining information or services by soliciting input from a large number of people,” is becoming known for the impressive productivity of projects that ask the public to help transcribe, describe, locate, or categorize cultural heritage resources. This essay argues that crowdsourcing projects can also be a powerful platform for audience engagement with museums, offering truly deep and valuable connection with cultural heritage through online collaboration around shared goals or resources. It includes examples of well‐designed crowdsourcing projects that provide platforms for deepening involvement with citizen history and citizen science; useful definitions of “engagement”; and evidence for why some activities help audiences interact with heritage and scientific material. It discusses projects with committed participants and considers the role of communities of participants in engaging participants more deeply.