Uncertain Terms: Message Features of Online Cancer News

About 113 million Americans have reported seeking health information online; however, little is known about the quality (or qualities) of the information being retrieved. Users have reported seeking information about health issues in an attempt to reduce negatively appraised uncertainties (Brashers, 2007), but less is known about the ability of the retrieved information to increase or produce unwanted uncertainty. A content analysis of online cancer news was conducted and suggests that 65% of Internet-based cancer news contains message features previously linked to the production of uncertainty (e.g., ambiguous or complex information). Though future research is required regarding uncertainty-related content and its effects, this project provides a foundation for such future endeavors.     

Visual Framing,Stigmatization, Race,and Obesity: Examining Television News Presentation of Stories about Obesity and Stories about Health

This study conducted a content analysis to examine how weight and race/ethnicity impacted how people were portrayed in the imagery accompanying broadcast and cable television news stories about obesity compared to stories about health. Five hundred and seven people were analyzed in 135 stories. Results showed that people who were overweight were often shown as an isolated body part, but their portrayal was not entirely stigmatizing. Overweight people were often shown exercising, which combats weight stereotypes. Additionally, race/ethnicity did not make the portrayal more stigmatizing. The results of the content analysis are discussed with an emphasis on the larger implications of the findings.     

新制度主义视野下的新闻生产研究

本文从新制度主义的分析范式入手,探讨在有关新闻生产的研究中所运用的社会科学理论的最新进展情况。在同样将新闻视为社会建构的产物的基础上,新制度主义更强调嵌入于更广阔的社会部门和领域的媒介组织的政治和文化因素,认为新闻生产通常存在于被视为理所当然的、受文化认可的传统或制度中,由此说明组织对更广范围的文化规范及来自支配领域的压力的遵从。本文认为,新制度主义范式将制度变量引入了新闻生产的分析中,开拓了我们从社会学角度开展的一系列新闻研究,其对关键节点和时序划分等概念的强调,也有助于我们克服对新闻业自身发展的历史做因果直线式的"决定论"的偏向。     

Mr. Mom in the News: The Relationship Between Stereotypes and Perceptions of Gendered News Stories

This study examined the relationship between women’s stereotypes and their perceptions of gendered news stories, specifically about stay-at-home parenthood. A between-subjects experiment with undergraduate women revealed that participants with stereotypes about women thought a news story about a stay-at-home mother was more typical than one about a stay-at-home father. Additionally, participants with stereotypes about women thought the news stories were low in realism, regardless of the story’s gendered content. Notably, participants who read the news story about a stay-at-home father found it more enjoyable than the story about a stay-at-home mother, regardless of their stereotypes.     

(Re)Viewing Reviews: Effects of Emotionality and Valence on Credibility Perceptions in Online Consumer Reviews

This study examines credibility perceptions in online consumer reviews. Specifically, this work investigates the effects of review emotionality (high vs. low), review valence (positive vs. negative), and individuals’ need for affect on source credibility and information credibility. In an online experiment, U.S. adults (N = 327) viewed a product review from Amazon.com varied across four experimental conditions. Results indicate that high-emotionality reviews are perceived as lower in source and information credibility compared to low-emotionality reviews. A moderated mediation model was tested with the source credibility dimensions as possible mediators of information credibility and need for affect as a moderator for the effects of review emotionality. The effects of emotionality on information credibility were significantly mediated by source trustworthiness, and this mediation was moderated by participants’ need for affect, with the credibility-hampering effects of emotionality found only among participants with low and moderate levels of need for affect.     

快速课件——图书馆在线信息素质教育的新发展

图书馆在线信息素质教育面临着发展缓慢,层次较低等问题。在明确了图书馆在线信息素质教育存在三个层次的基础上,应从实际出发,推动快速课件的应用。介绍了快速课件的技术与理念与国外大学图书馆信息素质教育中应用快速课件的现状。提出在图书馆信息素质教育中应注意科学的应用快速课件制作工具,并扩大快速课件的应用范围等问题。     

Powerless Language in Health Media: The Influence of Biological Sex and Magazine Type on Health Language

Powerless language influences how media consumers perceive the believability and trustworthiness of news sources. Past studies have suggested females use more powerless language, which can negatively influence credibility. However, previous research also suggests powerless language may be preferred in certain contexts. To investigate powerless language use in written health media, a content analysis investigated health-related articles in issues of 12 magazines between October 2008 and September 2009. Analysis compared differences in powerless language frequencies relative to three variables: biological sex of the author, biological sex of the audience, and the magazine's overall topic focus. Female authors and health-focused magazines used more powerless language than male authors and generic-focused magazines, and powerless language was more often directed towards a female audience than a male audience.     

犯罪新闻报道的价值冲突与平衡——以系列校园血案和菲律宾人质事件报道为分析对象

本文以引起公众质疑的系列校园血案和菲律宾人质事件报道为分析对象,就处于侦查阶段的刑事案件报道进行探讨,从宪法学、行政法学、刑事法学等角度剖析犯罪新闻报道的正当性及边界,辨析犯罪新闻报道与公众知情权、侦查权行使、犯罪嫌疑人人权保障、被害人权利保护等关系,促进犯罪新闻报道与公共安全、公共秩序的保持、公正审判的维护、公民人格尊严等价值之间的平衡与协调。犯罪新闻报道要实现多种价值的平衡,符合社会公共利益,媒体法规与媒体自律的互动是一条现实途径。     

从《华商报》关于新闻自由的讨论到上海私营报纸成为改造对象——1949年-1952年前后中共新闻政策考察

本研究关注从1949年《华商报》对新闻自由的讨论到1952年上海私营报纸成为改造对象的过程,追索新民主主义理论中辍时期中共新闻政策与新闻界知识分子思想互动的情境。研究发现:新民主主义理论的中辍是中共新闻政策从允许多元讨论阶段进入到进行私营报纸改造阶段的转折点。它一旦被放弃,私营报业的存在就受到质疑并走向消亡。中共新闻政策的制定过程中新闻界知识分子对之的干预和影响的能力随着新民主主义理论的逐渐被替代而减弱,其与中共政策制定者协商的空间也因之缩小。     

From Love at First Sight to Soul Mate: The Influence of Romantic Ideals in Popular Films on Young People's Beliefs about Relationships

Despite their popularity, few studies have systematically investigated the content of romantic comedy movies or the effects they may have on viewers. We conducted two studies to address this gap. The first study was a content analysis of the romantic ideals embedded in the top 52 highest grossing romantic comedies from the last 10 years. Results demonstrated that romantic ideals and challenges are prevalent in these films. The second study was a large-scale survey of 335 undergraduate students, who were asked to report on their romantic comedy movie viewing and beliefs about romance. Results showed that individuals who watched these films in order to learn reported stronger endorsement of romantic ideal beliefs than those who did not watch to learn.     

Covering Mindanao: The Safety of Local vs. Non-local Journalists in the Field

ABSTRACT

In this study, I examine the perilous conditions facing Filipino journalists covering the Mindanao region, focusing on differences in threats and dangers faced by those who are local to the region and those parachuting in from Manila. Using a qualitative approach, I have conducted one group interview with two local and two non-local journalists, and five in-depth one-to-one interviews with journalists and expert sources, in 2017. The study additionally draws on interviews with fourteen Filipino journalists and editors from 2014. The journalists perceive that safety differ depending on whether they are local to the conflict they cover or not. Safety issues are significant for the ways in which they operate in the field and decisions they make. Extra-judicial killings and impunity for perpetrators committing crimes against journalists perpetuate dangerous conditions particularly for local journalists, while kidnapping for ransom is among the greatest threats perceived by non-local journalists. In situations which non-local journalists can retreat, their local counterparts stay behind and face reprisals. Ethics is imperative to safety particularly for local journalists. Safety training should be tailored to and differentiate between security challenges. Collaboration between local and non-local journalists may improve their safety altogether, but media organisations must adequately compensate both.