Essentialism, adaptation and justice: Towards a new epistemology of museums

This article treats the prevalent confused mixture of utilitarian, art-and-knowledge-for-their-own-sake and ideological interpretations of the purpose of museums as a problem of epistemology, arguing that that key dimensions of museum knowledge (of objects, visitors, museums themselves, and of society) need to be integrated to achieve coherence. A new object-based, visitor-centred, storytelling epistemology is proposed. This would take an interdisciplinary approach and aim to unleash, rather than mute the real power of objects. It would address human destructiveness, as well as celebrating human creativity and the wonders of nature. It would respect the meaning-making practices of real, as opposed to idealized, imaginary visitors, and promote staff self-awareness in managing bureaucratic drift into introversion and avoidance of difficult issues. Incorporating a theory of justice, it would erode boundaries created by presentation traditions which, though marginal to object experiences, discriminate in favour of specific social groups—often groups with whom staff identify. Providing a museum service on a visibly fair basis is essential for museums to achieve intellectual coherence as well as societal support.     

从面向“受众”到面对“用户”——试论传媒业态变化对新闻编辑的影响

新媒体的崛起与媒体融合的推进改变了传媒业态,也促使新闻编辑面对新的工作环境和工作任务。新闻实践表明,从单媒体内容生产向多种媒体内容生产转移使新闻编辑面对更加细分的用户,大众媒体与社会化媒体的相互嵌入要求编辑重视传播活动中的用户体验。在新形势下,编辑的专业素质和技术能力需要进一步提高。     

Reviving audience studies

Audience measurement data are increasingly central to what many media corporations produce, yet much of these data are inaccessible to scholars. I therefore argue that cultural studies is in need of an audience studies revival. Fan studies continues at strength, but a wider range of audience studies is required to counter and to interrogate the occasional proclamations that companies such as Netflix, Facebook, and Google share with us about audiences and users.     

互联网上的使用与满足——一项关于大学生网络使用的实证研究

“使用-满足”理论是一种强调受众主体性的传播效果理论。通过整群抽样的方式,对南京的大学生进行了问卷调查,结果证明互联网存在着较为明显的“使用-满足”现象。调查对象不但对网络的各项服务功能表现出一定的满足感,在行为上也体现出了对网络的依赖性。调查还发现,老网民时网络的满意度较低。     

浅谈媒介对信息传递的影响

在人类社会发展的不同时期,信息的传递有着不同的方式,不同的传递方式又依存于不同的载体,由于载体的差异性,导致信息传递也有着各自的特点,从而对信息的传递效果产生一定的影响。     

Estimating audiences: sampling in television and radio audience research

Cultural consumption is problematic from a number of different perspectives, but certain responses from producers, regulators and commentators depend on the measurement of consumption according to quantitative and qualitative parameters. The reliability of the data can vary widely, not least because in certain areas consumption is invisible to those who would measure it, and so they must make estimates based on assumptions about methodology and sampling techniques. Whereas in auditoria, turnstiles may quite accurately quantify footfall through the premises, and sale or return inspires high levels of confidence in circulation figures for certain types of publication, broadcasters perform to intangible audiences who can be neither counted nor observed en masse. This article considers the appropriateness of sampling techniques used to produce audience research data for the broadcasting industries, for the programmers and advertisers who need detailed ‘knowledge’ about their audiences. It draws on the contextualization in Cultural Trends 45 (Starkey, 2003), which examined the debate around competing methodologies using either innovatory electronic devices for the measurement of consumption or more traditional human recall. The article raises important questions for those who use sampling techniques in the cultural sector and those who would interpret their data.     

Klansman on the Court: Justice Hugo Black's 1937 Radio Address to the Nation

Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black, known for being a liberal First Amendment absolutist and a courageous defender of individual freedom, is considered one of the best justices ever to serve on the nation's high court. This essay examines the events surrounding Justice Black's controversial nomination to the Supreme Court, focusing on his nationally broadcast radio address on October 1, 1937, to answer charges that the then Alabama Senator was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Utilizing archival research from both the Franklin Roosevelt and Hugo Black papers, the analysis focuses on how Black's rhetorical philosophy and his adaptation to multiple audiences resulted in a remarkable "minimalist" address that, despite first impressions, ultimately contributed to his success in pacifying the situation.     

Research at Arts Council England

Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing public money from government and the National Lottery. The rationale for research at Arts Council England is explained, including the drivers behind a commitment to an increased research capacity. It is summarized how research takes place in the organization, the context in which work is undertaken and the key reporting requirements. Arts Council England works across a broad spectrum of artforms—from literature and the publishing sector, through dance and opera, to visual and multimedia arts. The research addresses all of these artforms as well as cross-cutting agendas such as employment, education and economic impact. Five broad areas are considered: evaluating the impact of Arts Council England's spending; audiences and participation in the arts; cultural employment and the arts economy; tools for the sector; and disseminating findings and informing policy. Details are given of some of the main research projects under each of these areas, and what is known now and where there are gaps in knowledge and challenges for the future are highlighted.     

Public and Popular: British and Swedish Audience Trends in Factual and Reality Television

The research in this article examines audience responses to a range of factual and reality genres. It takes as a starting point that television audiences do not experience news or documentary or reality TV in isolation but as part of a range of factual and reality programmes. Factual and reality programming includes a broad understanding of non-fictional programming on broadcast television, satellite, cable and digital television. The breakdown of factual and reality programming into specific genres includes news, current affairs, documentary, and reality programmes, with further sub genres applied within each of these categories. This article critically examines genre evaluation. The quantitative research in this article is based on two national representative surveys conducted in Britain and Sweden. In both Britain and Sweden, programme makers have moved towards a reliance on popular factual genres. In Britain this is across all channels, and in Sweden this is mainly concentrated on commercial channels. Whilst there is still a commitment to news, there is an increasing use of hybrid genres in an attempt to popularise factual output. The impact of this changing generic environment on audiences is that in both countries viewers have reacted by drawing a line between traditional and contemporary factual genres. It is precisely because of the redrawing of the factual map that viewers rely on traditional ways of evaluating genres as public and informative, or popular and entertaining. The data provides evidence that contributes to existing debate on television genre, public service broadcasting, and media literacy skills. The central argument in this article is that genre evaluation is connected with wider socio-cultural discourses on public service broadcasting and popular culture, and that these are common social and cultural values that are shared by national audiences in two Northern European countries.