Mass Communication and Society 2012 Abstracts

#OCCUPYNEWS: Participatory media, networked movements and change in the media agenda • Jeremy Littau, Lehigh University; Ashley Sciora, Lehigh University • This study examines the extent to which Occupy Wall Street protesters were able to change the media narrative by using income inequality as a lens on coverage over a 180-day period. There was an increase in coverage about the topic in the months following the first protest, with substantial increases in U.S. media. Via agenda-building, we argue OWS changed the media agenda but had less success getting coverage to examine policy, solutions, and consequences.

“Pulling the Plug on Grandma”:  Obama’s Health Care Pitch, Media Coverage & Public Opinion • Shahira Fahmy, The University of Arizona; Christopher McKinley, Montclair State University; Christine Filer, U of Arizona; Paul Wright • This study examined the agenda building process, in which interpretive frames activate and spread from the top level through the news media to the public, in the context of Obama’s health care reform. The authors examined media coverage and public opinion polls from the President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009 to the date the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” was signed into law in 2010.

“The Pictures in Our Heads”: How Typical News Versus Comedy News Might Influence the Transfer of Issue Attributes from the Media’s Agenda to the Public’s Agenda • Jennifer Kowalewski • Scholars showed how typical news influence public opinion formation by focusing on attributes of issues.  But as more people turn to alternative programs, this experimental study investigated how typical news versus alternative programming, comedy news, influenced second-level agenda setting.  The results indicated people who received typical news cited attributes of the issues more, so although comedy news could influence the salience of attributes, typical news programs did so more successfully.

All Things Considered: Trust in NPR • Emily Pfetzer • This paper examines trust in NPR, as it relates to political attitudes.

Another Path to Participation? Digital Literacy, Motivation and Participation: South Korean Case • Sungsoo Bang, University of Texas at Austin • This paper examines the prevalence of content creation and sharing of South Korea, to find whether new opportunities offered by digital media to disseminate one’s creations are distributed equally among users or not. Especially, this research examines particular segment of the population from national data, adults aged over 18, to capture more detailed Internet use and its social consequence within adult group.

Attribution, Credibility, and Conspiracy: Source Attribution and the Credibility of Online Conspiracy Theory Media • Jessica Mahone, University of Florida • The openness of the Internet has given alternative political and social movements greater opportunity to disseminate messages to the mass audience than ever before. Using an online survey experiment with 120 participants, this study explores the effects of four levels of source attribution on the perceived credibility of online conspiracy theory media. Findings suggest that attribution has little effect on credibility, but the content of conspiracy theory messages may influence the credibility of attributed sources.

Beyond Uses and Gratifications: How Context Affects Communicative Decision-making in the Texting Generation • A.J. “Alex” Avila, University of Texas at Austin • Communication scholars in the 21st Century often employ a Uses and Gratifications approach to researching digital communication technology. While widely applicable, U&G is limited in terms of predicting which technology media digital natives are likely to adopt given specific contexts.

Body Talk: Gay Men’s Body Image Commentary on Queerty.com • Joseph Schwartz, Northeastern University; Josh Grimm, Texas Tech University • In this study, we conducted a content analysis of photographic images of men published on the gay male-oriented blog Queerty.com. We also analyzed the user-generated comments that accompanied these images. We found that most images were very thin and very muscular. Additionally, we found that users tended to endorse these images. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Bonding friends, bridging families: How parents share and seek support on Facebook • Bob Britten, West Virginia University; Jessica Troilo, West Virginia University • At the moment, Facebook is the world’s most popular social network, but do users consider it a valid source for parenting advice? This research investigates how individuals’ parenting assets and perceived congruence with Facebook friends’ values relates to the parenting behaviors they employ in that social network. Using a five-part scale developed for this study, we find that both high-congruence and high-asset parents tended to have greater concerns in their perceived advice outcomes and friend group reinforcement.

Building Community among NPR Listeners • Joseph Kasko, University of South Carolina • The radio industry has experienced a great number of changes over the past decade. Traditional radio audiences have waned, as new technology is providing listeners with more options than ever before, and advertising revenue has been in decline. For example ad revenue, the main source of income for terrestrial broadcasters, dropped by 18 percent from 2008 to 2009 (Pew 2010) for traditional radio, as there is now competition for ad dollars from new platforms, including satellite and Internet radio.

Changing Standards for Offensive Language: Gate Widens at The New Yorker • Duane Stoltzfus • This content analysis examines offensive language published in The New Yorker, looking for signs that, as elsewhere in the media, it too has favored free expression over restraint. No one will accuse The New Yorker of prudery. The magazine appears to be doing just what its editor, David Remnick, recommended that The New York Times do: loosen up. In the past decade, the magazine has welcomed the F-word and other taboo terms to its pages.

Children’s Consumption of Fast-Paced Television as a Predictor of Their Vigilance • James McCollum, Lipscomb University • This investigation examined the relationship that pacing and other television viewing characteristics have with children’s vigilance.

Commemorating 9/11 NFL-Style: Insights into America’s Culture of Militarism • Mia Fischer • This paper argues that the NFL’s commemoration ceremonies on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 feed into the expansion of the military-industrial-complex and are largely a spectacle of a culture of militarism, pervaded by militaristic messages functioning to (re)assert national identity through excessive displays of patriotism. Employing a critical discourse analysis exposes the patriarchal, hegemonic portrayals of masculinity and discloses the empty jingoism that saturates these commemorations with its detrimental impact on public discourse.

Comparing Agenda-Setting Roles of Newspaper Columnists and Editorials in Kenya • Kioko Ireri, School of Journalism Indiana University-Bloomington • This research compares the agenda-setting roles of newspaper columnists and editorials in Kenya. It examines whether three newspaper columnists and editorials set the agenda on issues of national importance in 2008 and 2009. This was done by investigating whether there were any associations between issues given prominence in the opinion columns and editorials and what Kenyans, through public opinion polls, considered as the “most important problem” facing the country. The agendas of the columnists and editorials were also compared and investigated.

Confronting Contradictory Media Messages about Body Image and Nutrition:  Implications for Public Health • Maria Len-Rios, University of Missouri – School of Journalism; Kelsey Davis; Alison Gammon; Charnissia Smith; Swearingen Ann; Burgoyne Suzanne, University of Missouri – Columbia • This study uses grounded theory to examine how college-aged women process contradictory media messages about body image and nutrition. Five focus groups (N=35) comprising college-age women, college-age men, and mothers of college-age women show that body image is not closely associated with nutritional intake but is related to engaging in restrictive diets, irregular sleep, over-exercising. Four in-depth interviews with nutritional counselors point to time and the food environment as obstacles to making healthful choices.

Cross-cultural frame analysis of obesity: Comparative cause and solution framing of obesity in individualistic culture and collective culture • Jin Sook Im, University of Florida • This study illustrated cultural differences in the way that newspapers portray obesity, associated with narrative style (episodic and thematic), framing of cause, framing of solution, gender and age. It was noteworthy to compare an individualistic culture (U.S.) and a collectivist culture (South Korea) when they cover obesity.

Cultivating a Dream of Happily Ever After • Minchul Kim, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Youn-Gon Kang, Chung-Ang University • This paper examined influence of genre-specific cultivation on adolescents’ beliefs about romantic relationships. To understand its underlying process, identification with character and perceived relevance are considered to be a mediator and moderator respectively. A total number of 329 female adolescents participated. Using moderated-mediation analysis, we find that genre-specific television viewing cultivates beliefs about idealized romantic relationship. Moreover, this relationship is mediated by identification, and its indirect effect is contingent of the level of perceived relevance.

Disaster in Haiti: Critical Themes in News Coverage of the 2010 Relief Effort • Jared LaGroue; Michael Murrie, Pepperdine University • In 2010, Al Jazeera English reported criticisms of the U.S. military presence in Haiti.  The U.S. State Department denounced this coverage as “unfair” and “unbalanced”. This content analysis was conducted to determine the frequency of critical frames in U.S. media coverage of the U.S. military’s response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and to compare critical themes with those present in Al Jazeera’s coverage.  Findings indicate that the U.S. media dominantly presented military actions without criticism.

Do traditional news outlets matter in the Twitterverse? Agenda-setting and the two-step flow on top microblogs • Jennifer Greer, University of Alabama; Justin Blankenship, University of Alabama; Yan Yang • This study examined top Twitter feeds’ reliance on established news sources for information shared in posts. News outlets and journalists were the most heavily relied upon outside source for content; however, this was mainly driven by practices of the news organizations and journalists themselves. Reliance on news providers was most common for political and economic topics. Results indicate traditional news providers still play an agenda-setting role in this environment, perhaps through the two-step flow of communication.

Does Podcast influence on Twitter and Mainstream media? Intermedia Agenda setting effects in Podcast, Twitter, and mainstream media during 2011 Seoul mayoral by-election • Jin Sook Im, University of Florida; Jihye Kim, University of Florida; Jung Min Park • The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the podcast on mainstream media such as television news and major newspapers and on Twitter during the 2011 Seoul mayoral election. This paper will explore the intermedia agenda setting among podcasts, television news, newspapers, and Twitter. That is, the aim of the paper is to explore whether the podcast influences the agenda of mainstream media and Twitter or whether mainstream media influences the agenda of Twitter.

Emerging public sphere online in China: One public health Crisis, two different voices • Fangfang Gao, Zhejiang University • To understand the emerging public sphere in the Chinese society, based on the agenda setting theory, this content analysis of newspaper, online forum, and blog coverage of the tainted milk formula scandals from 2008 to 2011 examined the differences between the old and new media platforms, analyzing the discrepancies between public discourse in new media and government discourse in traditional mainstream media. The implications of the findings were discussed.

Explaining the decline of media trust from political characteristics: How ideology exerts differential influences on partisans • Yang Liu, City University of Hong Kong • Public trust with mass media has declined dramatically and constantly since 1970s based on the time-series data from General Social Survey 1975-2010. Since mass media in America has long been accused of liberal bias, this paper first examines the role of ideology and partisanship in influencing media trust. Republicans are less confident with mass media than Democrats. Conservatives show less confidence than Liberals.

Explicating the Concept of Journalist: How Scholars, Legal Experts and the Industry Define Who Is and Who Isn’t • Edson Tandoc, University of Missouri-Columbia; Jonathan Peters, U of Missouri Columbia • This paper explicates the concept of journalist by exploring the scholarly, legal and industry domains. For the scholarly domain, we reviewed studies defining journalists. For the legal domain, we reviewed cases and statutes defining journalists. And for the industry domain, we reviewed membership criteria of journalism organizations. We did not intend to devise a normative definition. We intended to explore the dimensions used by others, and to use them to explicate the concept of journalist.

Exploring Message Meaning: A Qualitative Media Literacy Study of College Freshmen • Seth Ashley, Boise State University; Grace Lyden; Devon Fasbinder, University of Missouri • Critical media literacy demands understanding of the deeper meanings of media messages. Using a grounded theory approach, this study analyzed responses by first-year college students with no formal media literacy education to three types of video messages: an advertisement, a public relations message and a news report. Students did not exhibit nuanced understandings of message purpose or sender in any of three types of messages, and had particular difficulty distinguishing public relations and news messages.

Exploring Self-Stability and Dispositional Media Use Motives as a Predictor of Flow and Media Addiction: the Internet, a Mobile Phone and a Video Game • Hyoungkoo Khang; Jung Kyu Kim • This study aimed to explore psychological characteristics of an individual as an antecedent of media flow and addiction, with three prominent media activities, the Internet, video game and mobile phone use. In particular, the study identified two psychological factors, self-stability and dispositional media use motives, which were used to examine their direct or indirect influence on the flow and addiction for the respective medium.

Exploring Youth, New Media Alcohol Marketing and Associated Behaviors • Eric Hoffman, Washington State University; Erica Weintraub Austin, Washington State University; Bruce Pinkleton, Washington State University; Ming Lei, Washington State University • This exploratory study was conducted to determine how youth are consuming new media, interacting with alcohol brands on new media and their associated alcohol beliefs and behaviors. Data show that a pattern of use exists for social media involving alcohol marketing among young adults that is distinct from the use of social media more generally.  Data also indicate that there is an association between exposure to alcohol marketing and young adults’ drinking behaviors.

Facilitating the Egyptian Uprising: A Case Study of Facebook and Egypt’s April 6th Youth Movement • Brian J. Bowe, Michigan State University; Mariam Alkazemi, University of Florida; Robin Blom, Michigan State University • It has been suggested that social media offer important organizing tools for activists in countries where free expression is curtailed and news outlets are handcuffed by government censorship. The 2011 revolution in Egypt offers an opportunity to examine the extent to which social media fulfill the role that free journalism plays in more democratic societies.

Fighting to be Heard: The Homeless Grapevine’s Battle to Provide and Protect the Freedom of Speech for Cleveland’s Homeless Citizens • Lena Chapin, Ohio University • The Homeless Grapevine was an advocacy newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio that published news, issues and opinions surrounding homelessness from 1993-2009. Through fifteen years of reporting The Grapevine fought to bring awareness to the unaware and justice to the impoverished by providing an outlet for the homeless to express themselves. This study provides a brief history of the Grapevine and its struggles and successes with providing an outlet for that voice.

Gates Wide Open: A Systematic Review of Gatekeeping Research • Edson Tandoc, University of Missouri-Columbia; Patrick Ferrucci, U of Missouri • News construction is a saturated area of research and yet the status of gatekeeping as a theory is far from established. First, a simple search for articles that used gatekeeping theory yields a small number compared to framing and agenda-setting studies. Second, even among the limited number of articles that cited gatekeeping there is disagreement on what it is about. In this paper we highlight the trends and issues involved in gatekeeping research.

Individual and Structural Biases in Journalists’ Coverage of the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill • Brendan Watson, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill • This study examines individual-level decision-making and structural biases in Gulf Coast journalists’ coverage of the 2010 BP oil spill. Previous studies have largely concluded that there is not consistent evidence of significant bias in journalists’ coverage, but these studies use aggregate level data that fail to sufficiently link individual journalists’ beliefs and their coverage. This study matches individual journalists’ survey responses with a content analysis of their coverage of the oil spill, along with community-level data.

Influences of Anxiety and Medium on News-based Rumor Transmission • Brian Weeks, The Ohio State University • News organizations often devote significant coverage to public rumors but to date the effects of these stories have been mostly unexplored.  This study experimentally (N=90) examines the influences of anxiety and medium on transmission of rumors reported in the news. Consistent with predictions, results indicate that exposure to television coverage of a rumor story, relative to newspaper coverage, generated greater rumor-related anxiety that subsequently increased participants’ intentions to share the story with others.

International News Attention and Civic Engagement: Disasters and Donations in the Digital Age • Jason Martin, DePaul University • International news is relatively understudied in the realm of media effects, and most of that research has been limited to general measures of news use and potential outcomes instead of empirical data from actual events. This study addressed those research problems by demonstrating the positive effects of attention to an international news event on civic engagement with that same event.

Internet Access Effects in Low and High-Income Rural Residents in Middle America • Adam Maksl, University of Missouri; Esther Thorson, University of Missouri-Columbia; Alecia Swasy, University of Missouri • This study tests income as a predictor of media use and communication behavior among those in the rural Midwest. Among the rural poor, we test the moderating effect of having broadband Internet access on these outcomes. Using two surveys of residents (N1=691; N2=704) in the rural Midwest, we found that the rich and poor differ little regarding these behaviors and that there seem to be nearly no positive effect of having the Internet among the poor.

Interpreting the Nation’s Toughest Immigration Law:  How The Arizona Republic’s Editorials Framed SB 1070 • Carolyn Nielsen, Western Washington University • The debate over Arizona’s SB 1070, the most punitive immigration policy in U.S. history, offered The Arizona Republic’s editorial board many angles from which to shape readers’ understanding of a complex issue. This study found that editorials in the state’s newspaper of record, while opposing the bill, framed the issue first as a political contest and then as a financial debacle, but devoted scant attention to accusations that the bill encouraged racial profiling of Latinos.

Law & Order, CSI, and NCIS: The Association between Exposure to Crime Drama Franchises, Rape Myth Acceptance and Sexual Consent Negotiation Behaviors among College Students • Stacey Hust; Emily Marett, Mississippi State University; Ming Lei, Washington State University; Chunbo Ren, Washington State University; Weina Ran, Washington State University • Previous research has identified that exposure to the crime drama genre lowers rape myth acceptance and increases sexual assault prevention behaviors like bystander intervention. However, recent content analyses have revealed marked differences in the portrayal of sexual violence within individual crime drama programs. Using a survey of 314 college freshman, this study explores the influence of exposure to the three most popular crime drama franchises: Law & Order, CSI, and NCIS.

Media Exposure and Fashion Involvement in the China: A Model of Analysis • Mona Sun, Hong Kong Baptist University; Steve Guo, Hong Kong Baptist University • This study investigates the relationship between media exposure and fashion involvement in Chinese society with a conceptual model of analysis that incorporates aspects of lifestyle, materialistic value, and peer pressure. Analyses of data from an online survey of 485 respondents indicate that fashion involvement is a function of fashion magazine reading and fashion website browsing, achievement lifestyle, perception of success, and peer influence. Lifestyle factors moderate the tie between media exposure and fashion involvement.

Media Stereotypes & the Stigmatization of Mental Illness: The Role of Adjoining and Adjacent Primes • Scott Parrott, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Francesca Carpentier • The general public often endorses negative stereotypes about people with mental illness, perceiving them as violent, unstable, and socially undesirable. The stigma attached to mental illness carries negative consequences, including discrimination in housing, employment, and social settings. The media may influence audience perceptions of people with mental illness. However, the mechanisms by which the effects occur remain unexamined.

Mobilizing or Reinforcing Engagement with Politics?  Impact of Media Voice and Political Talk on Political Engagement of Teens • Eunjin Kim, Missouri School of Journalism; Esther Thorson, University of Missouri-Columbia; Yulia Medvedeva; Margaret Duffy, Missouri School of Journalism • This study examined whether media use and interpersonal communication stimulate adolescents’ engagement with politics or reinforce existing political engagement. Additionally, this study tested if interpersonal communication mediates the effect of media use on adolescents’ political engagement. The results showed that media use and interpersonal communication had a significant direct effect on political engagement. Media use had an indirect effect on political engagement through interpersonal communication.

Modeling Television Viewing: Integrating Motivational and Situational Predictors • Harsh Taneja; Vijay Vishwanathan • This study aims to identify the factors that explain time spent with television content in the contemporary media environment. An integrated framework of television use incorporating both structural and individual determinants is tested on cross platform media use data obtained by following 495 people throughout the day. The findings indicate that even in this high choice media environment, situational factors such as patterns of availability and viewing group moderate the role of individual traits and needs in explaining exposure to content.

Neither Here nor There: The Consumption of U.S. Media Among Pre-adolescent Girls in Ecuador • Guillermo Avila-Saavedra, Salem State University • Through interview research, this paper examines the role of U.S. media consumption in the identity negotiations of pre-adolescent girls in Ecuador. The analysis applies notions of Girls’ Studies and Postcolonial Media Analysis. The informants’ insight reveals two main areas of influence: national identity and gender identity. The study argues that the dominance of U.S. media among this group of upper-middle class informants makes Ecuadorian national identity a highly fragile construct.

News Narratives, Issues Attitudes, and Audience Responses • Fuyuan Shen; Lee Ahern, Penn State; Michelle Baker • This paper examined the impact of narrative news in framing issues. To do that, we conducted a 2 x2 between-subjects experiment whereby news articles on the issue of gas drilling was manipulated by frames (economic gains vs. environmental costs) and news formats (narrative vs. factual news reports ). After reading the news articles, participants reported their issue attitudes, cognitive responses, empathy, and transportation. Results indicated both frames and report formats had significant impact on the dependent variables.

Obamacare in the news: The consequences of national news attention and political knowledge on attitudinal ambivalence towards healthcare policy • Jay Hmielowski, Yale University; Michael Beam, Washington State University; Myiah Hutchens, Texas Tech University • Recently, the concept of ambivalence attracted the attention of scholars across the social sciences (e.g., psychology, political science, and communication). This study contributes to this literature by examining the relationship between national news attention, factual knowledge, and structural knowledge on ambivalent attitudes towards the “Obamacare” policy debate in the US.

Online Deliberation of the Scientific Evidence for Breastfeeding: A Mixed-Method Analysis Using the Integrative Model for Behavioral Prediction • Maria Len-Rios, University of Missouri – School of Journalism; Manu Bhandari, University of Missouri; Yulia Medvedeva • This mixed-methods study analyzes online comments generated by two widely read articles (The Atlantic, n = 326; NYTimes.com, n = 596) challenging the science behind U.S. government breastfeeding recommendations. The analysis focuses on commenter evaluation of scientific evidence, and concepts from Fishbein’s (2009) integrative model (IM) of behavioral prediction. Results demonstrate commenters discussed personal experience more than medical benefits. Regarding the IM, descriptive norms were commented on less often than self-efficacy and environmental barriers.

Parents’ Influence Biases on Children, Their Own and Others • Jacqueline Eckstein, University of Oklahoma; Patrick Meirick, University of Oklahoma • We examine parental third- and first-person perceptions among a demographically diverse sample of American parents and find that parents judge their kids, compared to other children, to be less influenced by violent television advertisements and more influenced by PSAs to stop cyber-bullying. A perception that the comparison group was predisposed toward the behavior targeted in the message helped explain influence biases. Further, perceived effects predicted willingness to restrict and/or expand message access.

Partisans and Controversial News Online: Comparing Perceptions of Bias and Credibility in News From Blogs Versus Mainstream Media • Mihee Kim, University of Maryland; Ronald Yaros, University of Maryland • Based on the theory of hostile media effect (Vallone, Ross, & Lepper,1985), we investigate how partisans (n = 132) assess coverage of controversial news from either a blog or mainstream news source online.  A 2 (partisanship) x 2 (source) x 2 (news valence) factorial experimental design is employed.  Results suggest that perceived reach of a blog appears to also generate a similar hostile media effect as a mainstream news source.

Posed and Poised: The Physical Positioning and Engagement of Models in Advertisements • Sara Roedl, Southern Illinois University • Past research shows that the women featured in advertisements and magazines differ in appearance from most American women and tend to be portrayed as powerless.  Framing describes how body position and technical aspects of photographs can deemphasize the importance of female models.  This study examines the physical position of models and the technical characteristics of the photographs in advertisements to determine how these characteristics portray women.

Predictors of Simultaneous Media Use: The Impact of Motivations, Personality, and Environment • Shanshan Lou; Roger Cooper, Ohio University • In this media convergence world, audience’s media consuming behavior is becoming more complicated than ever before. Previous research has confirmed that simultaneous media use has become the new trend of media usage pattern. However, scholars’ understanding of this audience behavior is limited. This study collected data through both survey and diary to examine different predictors of this media use pattern. Results suggested that instrumental motivation, ritualistic motivation, and group viewing are significant predictor of audience simultaneous media use.

Routinizing a new technology in the newsroom: Twitter as a news source in mainstream media • Soo Jung Moon, University of West Georgia; Patrick Hadley, University of West Georgia • This study examined how news organizations employed Twitter as a news source, based on information subsidy and gatekeeping perspectives. Content analysis of 2010-2011 news stories from seven major media entities demonstrated that journalists maintained conventional newsroom routines in handling this new communication platform. Even when using Twitter as sources, journalists relied primarily on Twitter accounts of official sources. The popularity of a particular Twitter account, as indicated by the number of followers, did not contribute to attracting more attention from journalists.

Seeing the World Through a Filter: How College Students Place Trust in Others • Elia Powers, University of Maryland-College Park; Michael Koliska, University of Maryland • This mixed methods study investigates how college students access news, evaluate news sources, determine credibility and perceive news media outlets in the digital age. Our survey of 135 undergraduate students at a large mid-Atlantic state university and interviews with 20 respondents did not reveal a worrisome sense of cynicism about the American press. Students were largely trusting of the press – in particular established news outlets.

Sharing content among local news stations: A study of the local news pool • Kate West, University of Georgia • In an effort to save time and money, competing television news stations within a single market are sharing resources such as video and interviews.  This study examines how this sharing process is utilized and if stations should find a more efficient means to gather shared content under this new convergence model.

Sports Commentary: Comparing Male and Female Announcers During Women’s NCAA Tournament Games • Katrina Overby, Indiana University; John McGuire, Oklahoma State University • This study examined the differences between male and female play-by-play and color announcers during women’s NCAA tournament games and focused on the tone of the attributes in the commentary between male and female announcers. Male announcers made a higher proportion of positive comments about female athlete’s athletic abilities and team efforts while female announcers made a higher proportion of positive comments about female athlete’s mental abilities. This study advances research on this topic.

Spreading the news: Social news sharing practices among young adults • Kjerstin Thorson, University of Southern California • This paper offers an initial investigation of social news curation practices among young adults. It presents findings from fifteen in-depth interviews with young people (18-30) who share news and political content via social networking sites along with a secondary analysis of survey data.

Studying the effects of online user and expert reviews on participant elaboration of contract documents • Yukari Takata • This experimental study examines how recommendations by experts or laypeople and their level of consensus influence how carefully people process information.  Participants were randomly assigned one of seven online contract documents that had been highlighted by past readers –similar to user recommendation systems such as Diigo.com or Amazon Kindle’s Popular Phrase application. The highlights were attributed to either experts or laypeople and their level of consensus was low (1-3 people), medium (10-30), or high (100-300).

Television Viewing and the Belief in the American Dream • Laras Sekarasih, University of Massachusetts Amherst • Utilizing cultivation as a theoretical framework and nationally representative sample from the General Social Survey as data source, this study examined the association between television viewing and individuals’ belief in the American Dream. Controlling for demographic variables, television viewing by itself did not predict individuals’ belief in the American Dream. The interaction between television viewing and gender was found to be significant, where more television viewing predicted lesser belief in the American Dream among males.

Terror management and civic engagement: An experimental investigation of mortality salience on civic engagement intentions • Jennifer Green; Patrick Merle • Themes of death flood the media. Mortality salience has been shown to increase monetary donations and interest in social causes. Terror management theory may help explain this relationship by positing that mortality salience nonconsciously motivates people to embrace their cultural worldviews (e.g., engaging in volunteerism or politics). Therefore, mortality salience may encourage people to participate in civic engagement behaviors. Moreover, collectivistic, relative to individualistic self-construals have been shown to motivate people to serve others and meet group needs.

The Birthers and Obama: An Analysis of News Media Exposure and Motivated Reasoning • Barry Hollander, University of Georgia • Political rumors and myths swirled about Barack Obama as soon as he began seeking the U.S. presidency.  Among the most persistent of myths was that Obama was born outside the U.S.  Using the theory of motivated reasoning as a framework, this study examines national survey data to confirm the role political predispositions, and in this case racism, play in such misperceptions.  News media use, generally thought to increase political knowledge, did little to moderate belief in the myth.

The Impact of News Text, News Frames and Individual Schemata on News Comprehension • Guang YANG, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University; Steve Guo, Hong Kong Baptist University • This study explicates the news comprehension construct by examining three of its key components: news memory, news knowledge, and news understanding. We treat them as conceptually distinct but operationally related entities and trace their antecedents to framing devices in news texts. Three experiments were conducted. Results show that education, rather than narrative structure of news texts, played an important role in influencing news memory.

The Internet-a Tool for Accessing Sex Related Information: How do Young Adults Use it? • Alice Tunaru, The University of Alabama; Yorgo Pasadeos, The University of Alabama • The current study examined how young adults are using the Internet as a tool to access sex health information and answers to other sex related topics. Results showed that young adults engage in information searching behaviors that focus on source credibility and variety of sources found. Moreover, the current study found that personality factors such as judgment, self-consciousness, adventurousness, and prudence play a role in young adults’ information seeking behavior.

The Knowledge Gap vs. the Belief Gap and Abstinence-only Sex Education • Douglas Hindman, Murrow College of Communication; Changmin Yan, Washington State University • The knowledge gap hypothesis predicts widening knowledge disparities among socioeconomic status (SES) groups. The belief gap hypothesis extends the knowledge gap hypothesis to account for knowledge and beliefs about politically contested issues upon which the scientific community is in consensus. This analysis of three national surveys shows belief gaps developed between liberals and conservatives regarding abstinence-only sex education; SES-based knowledge gaps did not widen. The findings partially support both belief gap and knowledge gap hypotheses.

The Relationship among Media Exposure, Possibility of Event Occurrence, Third-Person Effect and Behavioral Intentions • Xduong Liu, Macau University of Science and Technology; Ven-hwei Lo, Chinese U of Hong Kong • This paper examines the influence of perceived possibility of event occurrence on third-person perception concerning exposure to media coverage of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic and on protective behaviors. Survey results show that people’s concern about the likelihood of the disease spreading in the local community positively predicts perceived media effects on self and on others, but its impact on self-evaluation of media effect is more salient, and thus negatively influences third-person perception.

The Relationship of Critical thinking Toward Alcohol Ads With Perceptions of Message Trustworthiness and Fairness • Erica Weintraub Austin, Washington State University; Lok Pokhrel, Washington State University • A survey of college students (N=472) finds that critical thinking toward alcohol ads is negatively associated with perceptions of fairness, but less consistently associated with trustworthiness, beyond relationships explained by general orientations toward cognition and affect.  We suggest the results demonstrate the potential for increased media literacy education about alcohol marketing strategies to help audience members to approach alcohol marketing messages more skeptically, regardless of personality characteristics that already may motivate thoughtful consideration of information.

The Role of Motivation and Offline Social Trust in Explaining College Student’s Self-disclosure on SNSs • Weiwei Zhang; Peiyi Huang • Links among demographics, motivation for using SNSs, offline social trust and self-disclosure on SNSs were investigated. Results from a sample of 640 Chinese college students showed there was an instrumental orientation of SNSs use among Chinese college students. As expected, motivation and offline social trust were found to play more important roles in predicting levels of self-disclosure than demographics. The findings suggested certain motivation to communication influenced certain outcome of communication behavior such as self-disclosure.

The Two Internet Freedoms: Framing Victimhood for Political Gain • Benjamin W. Cramer, Institute for Information Policy, College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University • This paper will argue that the American political establishment has two vastly different definitions of Internet freedom that lead to contradictory policies in which Third World protesters receive more support for their Internet access than American citizens. For people in countries in which the United States has strategic interests in regime change, Internet freedom has been equated with the fight for political liberty, because free citizens should face no restrictions on Internet usage from any party.

The Unintended Consequences of “Moderate Mitt:” The Ideologies of Mitt Romney & Second-level Agenda Setting • Christopher Vargo, UNC – Chapel Hill; Jaime Arguello, UNC – Chapel Hill • This second-level agenda-setting study suggests that Newt Gingrich’s vocal outbursts on Mitt Romney’s liberalism and moderateness, which were subsequently covered by newspapers, may have not only cost Gingrich votes in the 2012 GOP race but also encouraged moderate, liberal and independent voters to support Romney. This study retrieved newspaper stories from Twitter and performed a content analysis. Combined with Gallup poll data that segmented voters by demographic and ideology, the researchers found sufficient support.

Turn a Blind Eye If You Care: Seeking Political Information Online and Implications for Attitudes • Westerwick Axel; Steven Kleinman; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick • The Internet is often linked to a new era of political diversity and selectivity. A two-session online field study examined impacts of attitude consistency, attitude importance, and source credibility on selective exposure to political messages and subsequent attitude accessibility. The first session assessed attitudes and their accessibility. In the second session, participants browsed online search results that featured attitude-consistent and attitude-discrepant messages associated with either sources of high or low credibility; selective reading was tracked.

Turnoff everything: The challenges and consequences of going on a complete and extended media fast • Lauren Bratslavsky, University of Oregon; Harsha Gangadharbatla; Darshan Sawantdesai • This study draws on uses and gratifications and media dependency to examine media consumption, particularly in media-dependent millennials. Essays written by college students about their experiences during a 48-hour complete media fast are analyzed for patterns that support and extend our understanding of uses and gratifications and media dependency theory. Findings suggest that these traditional theories are supported but can be extended to include emerging themes and issues.

Walk in two worlds: The impact of social media consumption on Chinese immigrants and sojourners’ acculturation to the American culture • Cong Li; Yu Liu • Social media appear to play a more important role in people’s daily life nowadays. In this study, we focused on how social media consumption influenced Chinese immigrants and sojourners’ acculturation to the American culture.

What About Afghanistan? Examining Newspaper Coverage About the War in Afghanistan • Michel Haigh, Penn State University • More than 1,100 articles were examined discussing the war in Afghanistan for a ten-year period. Results indicate articles about the war in Afghanistan had a negative tone and depicted the U.S. military in a negative way. The stories were framed thematically. There were significant differences in print coverage when examining 2001 – 2010. The tone of coverage and depiction of the U. S. military became more negative over time. Frames also varied greatly by year.

What Are We Saying About Sex?  A Content Analysis of Sex Articles in Men’s and Women’s Health Magazine • Kimberly Walker, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis • As Former Surgeon General David Satcher warned, the nation’s sexual health is suffering because it is not being constructively discussed.  According to Satcher, discussion should not be limited to topics of individual dysfunction, but be inclusive of the broad range of sexual topics, including positive ones, and their impact on society.

When Advertisements Make Someone Look Bad (or Better) • Minchul Kim, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee • This study explores effects of advertisement on news interpretation. Applying excitation transfer theory and exemplification theory, this study investigates effects of negative images in advertisement on attribution. The results of a web-based experiment show that indirect effects of exemplars are intensified when advertisement using negative images is presented together. Emotional reactions through attribution were also increased according to the nature of images in advertisements. Implications and suggestions for a future study were discussed.

When Does Multitasking Facilitate Information Processing?: Effects of Internet-Based Multitasking on Information Seeking and Knowledge Gain • Se-Hoon Jeong; Yoori Hwang • This study examines whether internet-based multitasking facilitates knowledge gain by allowing users to seek additional information online. The results based on survey data indicate that TV-internet multitasking increased knowledge, whereas TV-print media multitasking reduced it. In addition, online information seeking mediated the learning effects of internet-based multitasking. The results based on experimental data confirm the effects of internet-based multitasking on knowledge gain. The theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.

Why Kids Become Mobs? An Empirical Analysis of Youth Flash Mobs and Social Media • Hyunjin Seo, University of Kansas; Brian Houston; Alexandra Inglish, University of Kansas • This research examined how teens’ use of social media and psychological variables are related to their intention to participate in flash mobs, a growing cultural phenomenon in the United States and other countries. Based on a survey of teens in a major city in the Midwest, this study found a positive correlation between teens’ social self-efficacy and their intention to participate in a flash mob in the future.

Why Share in the Social Media Sphere: An Integration of Uses and Gratification and Theory of Reasoned Action • Chang-Dae Ham; Joonghwa Lee, Middle Tennessee State University • Given the idea that sharing behavior is critical in understanding the role and influence of social media, the present study  explores why people share the contents on social media by developing four dimensions of sharing motivation: self-definition by others, social conversation, convenience, and self-management. Among the identified dimensions, “convenience” and “social conversation” had significant positive impacts on attitudes toward sharing behavior.

<< 2012 Abstracts

International Communication 2012 Abstracts

Bob Stevenson Open Paper Competition

Gatekeeping & Citizen Journalism: The use of social media during the recent uprisings in Iran, Egypt, and Libya • Sadaf Ali, Wayne State University; Shahira Fahmy, U of Arizona • This critical study focuses on major conflicts involving protests in the Middle East and North Africa: 1) The unsuccessful 2009 uprising in Iran 2) the 2011 successful Egyptian revolution; 3) and the recent successful uprising in Libya. From a theoretical perspective this research expands the study of gatekeeping theory by examining the characteristics of gatekeeping practices by citizen journalists. Overall findings suggest traditional ‘gatekeepers’ continue to maintain the status quo regarding news about conflict zones.

Agenda setting and microblog use in China • Yanfang Wu; David Atkin, University of Connecticut; Yi Mou; Carolyn Lin; Tuenyu Lau • With the proliferation of micro-blogs, micro-blogging has been quickly gaining popularity and become an effective tool of citizen journalists for the quick organization of protests, help/advice, and the sharing information from media sources.  This potential ability to disseminate information among social networks that lie outside the control of institutions such as the traditional media has had a profound impact on traditional media’s agenda setting power immediately after an accident or crisis.

El Salvador and Costa Rica: Two Central American Opposite Cases in Their State-Diaspora Relations • Vanessa Bravo, Elon University • Through a qualitative case study that includes 20 in-depth interviews with key informants, this study compares the state-diaspora relations of two Central American countries, one where the state considers the diaspora a key transnational public (El Salvador), and one where the state basically ignores the diaspora in its policies (Costa Rica).

Media Use and Political Trust in an Emerging Democracy: Setting the institutional trust agenda • Lindita Camaj, University of Houston • This study explores the role of mass media in democratization processes in Kosovo, a post-conflict transitional society in South-Eastern Europe, by examining media effects on citizens’ trust in political institutions. The results confirm general assumptions that in societies undergoing political transitions, a free and plural media system keeps the governing institutions under public opinion scrutiny while contributing to the citizens’ political learning and trust.

Moving images of revolution: Social media and the 2011 Tunisian intifada • Catherine Cassara, Bowling Green State University • It has been called a Facebook revolution, a Twitter revolution, even a Wikileaks revolution. But many factors drove the Tunisian Intifada, and first and foremost what mattered were people protesting for weeks in the streets of cities and towns in the country’s marginalized hinterlands sending cellphone videos of via Facebook to Al Jazeera, the world, and back to the TVs of their neighbor’s and to those protesters in Tunis who would drive out the president.

Mediating the African Message: Social Influences on a Ugandan Newspaper • Steve Collins, University of Central Florida • Using in-depth interviews and participant observation, the author identified numerous factors that influence news production at Uganda’s leading independent newspaper. The factors include ethnicity (of journalists and sources), a pay system that rewards quantity over quality, a reliance on sources willing to “facilitate” reporters, and a newsroom culture that promotes self-censorship. The findings have implications for Gatekeeping Theory and journalism training in developing nations.

Covering news with provincial characteristics?  Comparing health news coverage in China’s Guangdong and Henan provinces • Dong Dong; Qiuyuan Huang; Ziwei Shen; Lingyue Tang; Chenyang Wang • In this research we try to use news coverage on two health incidents as an example to illustrate how the Chinese newspapers at different levels differentiate on news construction. We will compare the contents of news stories sampled from six Chinese newspapers in order to provide empirical evidence to support a recent theoretical call on “scaling” and “rescaling” media in China.

Muslim Bloggers in Germany: An Emerging Counterpublic? • Stine Eckert; Kalyani Chadha, University of Maryland College Park • The Muslim minority in Germany has been historically misrepresented and excluded from the mainstream public sphere. In response, some Muslims have turned to blogs as an alternative space to challenge the dominant public discourse through varied discursive practices. In this exploratory study, we examine these practices through interviews with Muslim bloggers. Applying Nancy Fraser’s theory of counterpublics, we posit that this group, which seeks to challenge mainstream representations and offer oppositional counterdiscourses, represents an emerging counterpublic.

Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya Framing of the Israel-Palestine Conflict During War and Calm Periods • Mohamad Elmasry, The American University in Cairo; Alaa El Shamy, Ain Shams University; Peter Manning; Andrew Mills, Northwestern University; Phil Auter, University of Louisiana at Lafayette • This framing study compared Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict during the 2008/2009 Gaza conflict and one year later, during a period of calm. Findings suggest that both networks used framing mechanisms to highlight Palestinian perspectives over Israeli ones and frame Palestinians as victims of Israeli aggression. The networks regularly described Palestinian casualties and showed images of Palestinian grief, provided more voice to Palestinian sources, and personalized Palestinian deaths.

High Drama on the High Seas:  Peace vs. War Journalism Framing of the Mavi Marmara Incident • Britain Eakin, U of Arizona; Shahira Fahmy, The University of Arizona • Based on Galtung’s groundbreaking concept of peace journalism we content analyzed the extent to which the coverage of the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident used war versus peace frames in online stories that ran in Haaretz, The Guardian, and The New York Times. Results show differences in coverage among the three newspapers. Findings build upon existing literature to further study peace versus war journalism specifically regarding the Israeili/Plaestinian conflict. Finally limitations and future research are addressed.

Domestic, International, and Foreign News Content on ABC, CBS and NBC Television Network News from 1971 to 2007 • Katherine Bradshaw, Bowling Green State University; James Foust • The results of a content analysis show the mean story length and number of international and foreign news stories on network television news decreased steadily from 1971 on, and markedly in the 1990s. Previous content research on this topic is flawed by non-random samples and inconsistent definition of variables. This research is the first to attempt to correct those flaws. It used consistent variable definitions applied to randomly selected content and produced generalizable results.

Availability and Individual Cognitions:  Exploring How Framing Effects Vary Across Cultures • Timothy Fung; Dietram A. Scheufele • The purpose of this research is to explore the role of availability of a value construct in framing process and to delineate how the processes underlying framing effects across cultural groups for whom particular value constructs are more or less available in memory. Using the values of filial piety, independence and elderly care policy as the case study, we conducted two experiments to examine monocultural individuals’ responses to cultural value framing.

Communication Styles: Their Role in Understanding Autism in Korea and the United States • Myna German, Delaware State University; Keonhee Kim • Relying on a contemporary interpretation of hybridity of communication styles in the classroom, this study takes a cross-cultural look at educators in selected inclusive education classrooms in the United States and South Korea. It examines how educators interpret and construct communication with students labeled with autism. The social requirements for, and interpretation of, communicative behaviors differ between the United States, a primarily individualist culture, South Korea, which is primarily collectivist and dominated by a high-context communication style.

How they cover the world: A comparison of news predictors for The Associated Press, The New York Times and Reuters • Beverly Horvit, University of Missouri; peter gade; Liz Lance; Youn-Joo Park, University of Missouri • Logistics variables such as characteristics of the world’s countries and their ties to the United States successfully predict which countries will receive coverage by The Associated Press, Reuters and The New York Times. Economic predictors are more important for Reuters, and U.S. ties are more important for the U.S. news organizations. The analysis is based on regression models using a content analysis of 5,301 news items, paired with a data set for 191 countries.

Manufacturing professional honor: Official journalism award as social control in China • Chin-Chuan Lee, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong; Shunming HUANG, College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University, China • The institution of journalism award in China is a post-Mao cultural phenomenon. This article performs an exploratory analysis of official journalism awards as a mechanism of social control. It first traces the institutional process, then explores the opportunity structure and gatekeeping practice, and finally examines effects on the journalist.

Revolutionary Medium? Portrayals of Social Media in American and Egyptian Newspapers’ Coverage of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution • Margaret A. Fesenmaier, Virginia Tech; Luay Kaloumeh, Università della Svizzera italiana; Yuxi Zhuang, Virginia Tech; James Ivory, Virginia Tech • To examine whether widespread speculation in the U.S. press about the role of social media in the 2011 Egyptian revolution was consistent with Egyptian coverage, a content analysis compared portrayals of social media and protestors in articles (n = 300) from major Egyptian and U.S. newspapers.  U.S. articles mentioned social media and described social media as contributing to the revolution more frequently than Egyptian articles.  Portrayals of protestors were similar between U.S. and Egyptian newspapers.

Cultural Imperialism Revisited: Empirical Determination of the Role of Superstructures on Internet Searches of International Issues • Mia Kamal; Yongick Jeong • By content-analyzing public searches on international issues, this research conducted two studies to empirically determine the role of superstructures on overall cultural imperialism, cultural imperialism by U.S. and that by other nations. The results indicate that Internet searches for international political, entertainment, education, and non-contact sports issues were significantly influenced by each country’s distinct superstructure. This study also found a different pattern in searching U.S. issues from non-U.S. issues.

Internet Addiction among Young People in China: Internet Connectedness, Online Gaming, and Academic Performance Decrement • Qiaolei Jiang, Nanyang Technological University • Internet addiction has become a prominent issue in China, especially among the young. This study is among the first few focusing on the Internet-dependent young people in China. Based on data collected in one of the earliest and largest Internet addiction clinics in Mainland China, this study investigated the interrelationships between Internet connectedness, online gaming, Internet addiction symptoms, and academic performance decrement. The findings showed that Internet connectedness and online gaming are positively associated with Internet addiction symptoms.

Online Social Networking Profiles and Self-presentation of Indian Youths • Peddiboyina Vijaya Lakshmi, Sri Padmavati  Mahila Visvavidyalayam; Sagar Atre, Ohio University, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism; Yusuf Kalyango, Ohio University • This central aim of this study is to determine whether online social interactions, online postings and self-presentations in profiles of Indian teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 years conform to the previously well-guarded culture and traditional norms of India. It is based on the analysis of user profiles on ten social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Hi5, Orkut, Ibibo, Perfspot, Google+, LinkedIn, Bharatstudent and Twitter.

‘My Little Girl’: The Ethics of News Coverage of an Intersex South African Athlete • Rick Kenney, Florida Gulf Coast University; Kimiko Akita, University of Central Florida • South African sprinter Caster Semenya’s victory in the 2009 track World Championships set off a firestorm of controversy over whether she was a woman—by sex, not gender. Competitors claimed she was a man, and the sports’ governing body conducted sex-verification tests on Semenya without her knowledge.

Gender Digital Divide? Facebook Uses and Gratifications Among Kuwaiti College Students • Anastasia Kononova, American University of Kuwait; Saleem Alhabash, Michigan State University • A cross sectional survey (N = 169) of Kuwaiti college students explored the uses and gratifications of Facebook as a function of gender. Results showed that respondents, in general, were mostly motivated to use Facebook for social connectivity and posting and following status updates. Results also showed that a greater proportion of male respondents reported having a Facebook account compared to their female counterparts.

Creation of transnational media culture in a digital diaspora space: Analysis of media sharing web board of an online community of female Korean im/migrants in the U.S. • EunKyung Lee, Rutgers University • This study explores an online community (www.MissyUSA.com) formed among female Korean im/migrants in the U.S. as an example of a digital diasporic space in the new media age. Employing multiple research methods including in-depth interviews, textual analysis, and grounded theory this study examined the media culture on a media sharing web board of the online community.

Effects of Real and Fictional Presidential Debates on the Perceived Importance of Issues • Jeongsub Lim • This study investigates how real and fictional presidential debates influence individuals’ perception of the importance of issues by considering the following three main independent variables: need for orientation, emotional arousal, and the credibility of real and fictional presidential candidates. The results of a controlled experiment using a sample of students indicate that older participants who had a need for orientation toward key issues and believed real presidential candidates were more likely to be concerned about the issues discussed by the candidates.

Educating Globally Aware Journalists: What Is It, Why Does It Matter and How Do We Prepare Our Students • Scott Winter, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; R. Bruce Mitchell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Nancy Mitchell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln • This paper investigates how we prepare students to be globally aware journalists – what it is, why it matters and how educators can foster such learning. Using a case study approach, the authors argue that helping students achieve global competency requires a complex set of outcomes accomplished by multiple media experiences attained domestically and/or abroad, and that the best intercultural learning situations feature cultural mentors who help students reflect on their experiences.

A Framing Analysis of U.S. News Coverage of Diplomatic Relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela • Victor Oliveira Bonomi, Arkansas State University; Po-Lin Pan, Arkansas State University • This study explored U.S. news coverage of the diplomatic relationship between the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in three U.S. newspapers—the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor. Using media framing theory, this content analysis was conducted over two distinct periods that represented the first hundred days of the first and second presidential periods of Hugo Chavez.

The Press-Enabled Rise of Two Two-Term Presidents: Brazil’s Popular Lula and the US’s Unpopular Bush • Tania Rosas-Moreno, Loyola University Maryland • This qualitative content analysis compares how two democratic countries’ newspapers of record first mythogolized their winning presidential candidates, resulting in two two-term presidents: unpopular Bush and unprecedently popular Lula. The New York Times and Folha de São Paulo candidate mythogolizations occurred within seven myth categories: ideal, experience, leadership, favored, fear, folksy and campaign practicalities. In brief, cross-cultural comparisons analyzing the relationships among national media practices during presidential elections provide insight into journalistic practices.

Examining Traditional and New Media Credibility in Pakistan • KyuJin Shim, Syracuse University; Anita Day, University of South Florida; Guy J Golan, Syracuse University; Sung-Un Yang, Indiana University at Bloomington • Based on a random survey sample, the current study examined audience assessments of different media platforms in Pakistan. Results provide empirical support for a significant relationship between such demographic variables as age, gender, religiosity and ethnicity and overall assessments of either traditional or new media credibility. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that reliance on traditional media was positively associated with assessments of traditional media credibility while reliance on new media was positively associated with assessments of new media credibility.

Framing Tibet:  A Comparative Study of U.S. and Chinese Newspapers, 2008-2011 • Xiangyi Shou, Iowa State University; Gang (Kevin) Han, Greenlee School/Iowa State University; Lulu Rodriguez, Iowa State University • The Chinese take-over of Tibet has become an irritant in the relationship between the U.S. and China. This study identifies the visibility of news frames in the coverage of this issue by the elite newspapers of the two countries from 2008 to 2011. Results show that human rights was the most prominent frame in New York Times while attribution of responsibility and human interest were most observed in the People’s Daily.

A Cross-National Comparison of Russian and U.S. Newspaper Coverage of Iran’s Nuclear Program • Diana Sokolova; Carol Schwalbe, School of Journalism, University of Arizona • A content analysis of 318 articles revealed differences in the textual and visual framing of Iran’s nuclear program in two U.S. newspapers and two Russian newspapers during the presidency of George W. Bush (2002-2009). Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times presented Iran as an enemy and a threat to U.S. security, thus reflecting the Bush administration’s fear that Iran was building an atomic bomb.

Early Global Media in the Indian Ocean Rim: The Telegraph and Colonial Britain • Sujatha Sosale, The University of Iowa • In this paper, through an initial analysis of archival data, I trace some political and economic questions and challenges faced by colonial Britain in networking the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) through the telegraph. In the process, I hope to demonstrate that a communication medium contributed to the definition of the IOR as a geographical entity, much of which constitutes the global South today.

Race and Masculinity: A comparison of Asian and Western Models in Men’s Lifestyle Magazine Advertisements • Ping Shaw; Yue Tan • This study examines how men of different races are displayed in terms of masculinity types and product types by analyzing the content of 636 ads collected from the three most popular men’s lifestyle magazines in Taiwan, China, and the United States between 2008 and 2010. Each country was found to have multiple types of masculinities displayed by male models from different racial groups.

Uni-Dimensional Framing of a Multi-Dimensional Organization: Newspaper Frames of Hizbullah • Rebekah Husted; Maureen Taylor, University of Oklahoma; Peter Gade • This article examines how four newspapers framed Hizbullah in its roles as a multidimensional political, humanitarian and terrorist organization. The terrorist frames did not decrease even when the organization became a leader in the Lebanese government. The findings suggest that three-quarters of the articles used some kind of terrorism frame to refer to Hizbullah and 42% of the articles linked it to other terrorist organizations such as Hamas.

Resisting or Reinforcing Western Stereotypes? Queen Rania of Jordan on YouTube • Melissa Wall, California State University-Northridge • This paper explores our understanding of participatory media uses by non-Westerners, particularly Middle Easterners, through a critical discourse analysis of Queen Rania of Jordan’s YouTube channel and its proclaimed mission to combat stereotypes of Muslims and the Middle East. Postcolonial theory is employed to assess the ways in which her videos can provide a means of creating different discourses about Islam and the Middle East and, at the same time, reinforce Western norms and values as well as Middle Eastern elites’ legitimacy and credibility.

Foreign News as Marketable Power Display: Reporting Foreign Disasters by the Chinese Local Media • Haiyan Wang; Francis L. F. Lee, 3303376; Yue Wang • As Western media are cutting back expenditures on foreign news reporting, news organizations in China – both national and local ones – have been investing more resources into international news in recent years. This article provides a critical assessment of foreign news reporting in local Chinese media. Focusing on the Southern city of Guangzhou and using the March 2011 Japanese earthquake as an entry point, this article analyzes the motivations behind and the practices of foreign news reporting at two major Guangzhou newspapers.

Green Sells – Effects of Green Visuals in Advertising on Chinese Consumers’ Brand Perception • Fei Xue, University of Southern Mississippi • The current study examined the effects of green visuals in advertising on Chinese consumers’ perception of the brand’s eco-friendliness, attitude-toward-the-ad, brand attitude and purchase intention, and the possible moderation role of product involvement. Results showed green visuals were the determining factor in consumers’ perception of the brand’s eco-friendliness, but if no visual information was available, the use of verbal environmental claims could generate more positive perception of the brand’s eco-friendliness.

Media Salience and Framing: Sources as a New Dimension of the Frame-Changing Model as Applied to Coverage of the Saddam Hussein Trial • Jin Yang, University of Memphis; Padmini Patwardhan • This study conceptualized a new sources dimension in Chyi and McCombs’ original frame- changing model of time and space to track the appearance, peak, and decline of a news event on the media agenda. With three continua of time, space and sources, the study found that the Saddam Hussein trial was consistently covered in the present tense, oriented toward individuals and alternated between government sources and individual sources.

Nepalese Journalists After the Interim Constitution in 2007: A Survey of Their Profile, Work Condition, and Job Perception • Deepak Neupane; Lily Zeng, Arkansas State University • Media professionals in Nepal have been facing a wide range of threats in recent decades as a result of the political turmoil. In 2007, an interim constitution was finally introduced, which states that the freedom of news and communication is protected in Nepal. This study examines the condition of journalists through a survey of practicing Nepalese journalists from all five regions of this mountainous country.

Audience Speaks Out: Minkaohan Uyghur Response To The Representation Of Uyghurs In Chinese State Media • Liang Zheng • This paper examines media and Chinese ethnic minorities in the context of Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people who reside in China’s far west Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Based on eighteen in-depth interviews conducted with Minkaohan Uyghurs, a sub-group among Uyghurs who were educated in Mandarin schools, where the primary language of instruction is Mandarin Chinese. This paper focuses on Uyghur audiences’ response to the representation of Uyghurs in China’s state media.

Public Trust: A Comprehensive Investigation on Perceived Media Credibility in China • Hongzhong Zhang, Beijing Normal University; Shuhua Zhou, University of Alabama; Bin Shen • The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive investigation on perceived media credibility in China. In order to assess people’s attitudes toward six media channels (television, newspapers, radio, magazines, websites and mobile devices), a series of surveys were conducted to a random sample of 5,807 residents in ten cities in China: Beijing, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Wuhan.

Markham Student Papers

Press censorship of the Indian Emergency of 1975-1977: The response of the underground movement • Sagar Atre, Ohio University, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism • The Indian Emergency of 1975-77 was the first and only time in the history of Indian democracy when press freedom and civil liberties were suspended. This study predominantly outlines the nature of the press censorship, and the response of the underground press. Through a well-connected network of underground volunteers, this nationwide movement established a parallel system to disseminate news and information about the happenings in government and elsewhere in India through letters, bulletins and pamphlets.

Social Media, the Arab Revolution, and Media Frames: A Cross-national Study of Western and Arab Newspapers • Fatima Alsalem, Indiana University; Jihyang Choi, Indiana University; Shuo Tang, Indiana University • The present study compares how social media and the Internet were framed by major Western and pan-Arabic newspapers in their coverage of the Tunisia and Egypt revolutions. In exploring both views from the Outsiders and the Insiders, the study aims to answer the question of whether cultural differences affect media frames, the global public sphere and the flow of international news.

Why do direct quotations matter in South Korean newspaper headlines? • Jiyoung Han, University of Minnesota • Journalism scholars have argued that South Korean newspapers take advantage of quotations-embedded headlines to editorialize the news. As an exemplar of good journalism, they have referred to The New York Times, which never uses direct quotations in its headline. However, as opposed to their claim, The New York Times places direct quotations in its headlines with single quotation marks.

Kenyan Journalists: A Study of Demographics, Job Satisfaction, News Values and Perceived Autonomy • Kioko Ireri, Indiana University-Bloomington • This study strived to examine the situation of Kenyan journalism in the 21st century. A total of 96 Kenyan journalists were surveyed so as to understand their demographic backgrounds, job satisfaction, working conditions, and the use of technology. Their perceptions on journalistic ethics, journalistic freedoms, and forces which influence their work were also explored. Results show that 69.7% of those surveyed were satisfied with their jobs, with income being the main predictor of job satisfaction.

News From Tripoli, Benghazi, Brega and Misrata: How Al-Jazeera and BBC Online News Framed The Libyan Revolution • Kioko Ireri, School of Journalism Indiana University-Bloomington • The purpose of this research, which focuses on the framing of the 2011 Libyan Revolution on Al-Jazeera and BBC online news, is fourfold. First, it examines the use of the human interest frame on BBC and Al-Jazeera English news sites before and after the adoption of Resolution 1973, which paved the way for military intervention in the Libyan crisis.

Where are NGOs in the Global Network Society? An Analysis of Organizational Networking Patterns for Freedom of Expression • Sun Ho Jeong, University of Texas at Austin • The multidimensional nature of globalization, including its effects on politics, economy, society, culture and media, brought notable changes in the international system in many respects. Noting the importance of international cooperation among different forms of institutions, this study attempted to further understand and explain the notion of emerging global civil society by analyzing organizational networking patterns among governmental, inter-governmental, non-governmental, and media organizations focusing on the issue of freedom of expression.

Frames and Fronteras: U.S.-Mexico Migration/Immigration News Coverage on Both Sides of the Border • Christian Kelleher, University of Texas at Austin • Much literature has examined news media framing of migration/immigration issues in the United States, and some in Mexico, but very little has explored the cross-border context. Through a comparative content analysis of common generic and issue-specific news media frames, this study finds that the Mexican press presents more coverage and more positive coverage of migration/immigration than the U.S., and that Mexican framing is universalist compared to the U.S. particularist framing of the issue.

Putting Community First: Mainstreaming CSR for Community Building in India and China • Sarabdeep Kochhar • Community building is studied as the multidimensional process that leads to sustainable improvements in the well-being of individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole. The study looks at the role organizations play in developing countries as an integral function of inter-connectedness between organizations and community as a whole. A total of 100 Indian and Chinese organizations were analyzed for the available CSR information and initiatives using quantitative content analysis.

Amount of coverage, framing, and dramatization in news articles about natural disasters: a content analytical study of the difference in coverage of developed and developing countries • Katharina Lang • This study examined amount of coverage and framing of articles about natural disasters in developing and developed countries. This study found differences in framing of the disasters, with articles about earthquakes in developing countries being more frequently framed with poverty and inefficiency, whereas natural disasters in developed countries included a larger number of frames of tragedy, wealth, and efficiency. Furthermore, articles about natural disasters in developing countries were more often dramatized.

Serving the Party or the Market:  Front Page Photos in People’s Daily and Its Commercial Offspring • Zhaoxi Liu, University of Iowa • Through a content analysis of front-page photos of the People’s Daily and its market-oriented offspring, the Shi Chang Bao, this study found that, throughout more than two decades, while the People’s Daily constantly focused on top political leaders, the Shi Chang Bao focused on consumer activities. Such a contrast illuminates a unique character of China’s press system: its need both to remain as the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, and to cater to the market.

The Framing of European Debt Crisis in the Chinese Press: Rethinking Global Risk and Cosmopolitanism • Zhifei Mao, The Chinese University of Hong Kong • This study examined how Chinese media framed the European debt crisis to see whether a state with a strong tradition of nationalism allowed any room for cosmopolitanism when facing international and global risks. It content analyzed 256 news articles from two important Chinese newspapers and found the responsibility frame and economic consequences frame were dominantly used and closely related to cosmopolitanism. Orientations of newspapers and the national interests may also influence the construction of cosmopolitanism.

Military Affairs in Korean News as Media Spectacle: A case study of ROKS Choenan and Yeonpyeong Island Events • Soo-Kwang Oh, University of Maryland • The study applied the theory of media spectacle on a case study of South Korean media coverage of two recent events: 1) The sinking of ROKS Choenan and 2) the bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island by the North Korean Army. The framing analysis approach was used to understand whether such coverage can be called a spectacle as defined in the study. The cases were looked at three different contexts: historical, cultural, and technological.

Framing news across borders:  Newspaper coverage of the U.S. immigration debate in U.S. and Mexico from 2004 to 2007 • Paola Pascual-Ferra, University of Miami • Framing analysis compared news coverage of the U.S. immigration debate in U.S. and Mexican newspapers from 2004 to 2007. Patterns of attention, main actors, key frames, and key narratives were identified. Frames used by Mexican news media and state actors supported migration and encouraged political participation of Mexican communities in the U.S. Implications are discussed along with future research directions, including what role, if any, news media across the border play in encouraging U.S. immigration.

Life is Elsewhere: The Use and Effects of the Homeland Media among the Digital Sojourners • Jie Qin; Jie Gao • Given that temporary migrations boom and the global reach of Internet facilitates the continuous use of homeland media, the purpose of the research is to aims to answer what patterns of media use (homeland, ethnic, and host media) do the digital sojourners have, and explore the relationship between the media use patterns, immigration perception, and immigration intention. We found that the global reach of the Internet has facilitated the path dependence in media use.

Power Distance and Trust in News Media: A Comparative Study of America and China • Ivanka Radovic, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Rachel Rui • This study examined the relationship between power distance and trust in news media in China and America using a sample of 620 participants. The findings showed that the two countries are getting closer on the power distance index, and that the relationship between power distance and trust in media is opposite to one found in the literature. The results are interpreted in light of possible changing trends among Chinese youth and differences in measurement methods.

Youth Digital Cultures in Small Town and Rural Gujarat • Manisha Shelat; Cathy DeShano • The paper examines youth digital cultures in rural/ small town Gujarat, India and brings forth a perspective from Global South in understanding the Net generation. We examine how the location and dominant discourses intersect with digital technologies and re-configure aspects of daily lives, such as study, leisure, and friendship; how youth negotiate their interactions with digital media as one aspect of their larger lifeworlds; and how these negotiations influence cultural practices within structural environments.

What’s the bandwidth for democracy?  Deconstructing Internet penetration and citizen attitudes about governance • Elizabeth Stoycheff • Empirical studies that closely examine the democratizing potential of the Internet remain underdeveloped.  This paper examines how both individual Internet use, when coupled with national Internet penetration, promotes pro-democratic attitudes in citizens in 34 developing countries.  Results indicate individual Internet use, as well as the diffusion of Internet hardware and bandwidth, are important for democratic development.

Displacing the Displacement Hypothesis? Does the Internet Really Displace Traditional Media? • Edson Tandoc, University of Missouri-Columbia • Using national surveys in the Philippines in 2003 (n = 76,100) and 2008 (n = 60,817), this study revisits the media displacement hypothesis. It looks at the proportions of media use devoted to traditional media (newspaper, magazine, movies, radio and television) and to the internet. The proportions devoted to newspaper, magazine and radio use decreased while internet increased. But those for movie-going and television also increased.

The Image of the Nation-Brand of the Country of Georgia as Presented by Major American Newspapers between January 1 and July 1, 2010 • Giorgi Topouria, Missouri • Using content analysis of coverage of country of Georgia by major US newspapers in the specified period, this study develops an approach to measurement and analysis of one of the perspectives of nation-brand image and sets ground for further more comprehensive study of nation brand image and relationships between its various perspectives. The study identifies weaknesses of the Georgian nation-brand, suggests ways for improvement and outlines directions for future research.

Not just a pretty face:  Changing K-pop idol imagery from 2005 to 2012 • Quan Xie, Ohio University; Mark Walters, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This study explored the shifting media images that Korean pop music (K-pop) idol groups employed from 2005 to 2012.  The researchers conducted a content analysis of the universe of album covers of 20 representative K-pop groups during this period of time. Five hypotheses were proposed to answer how groups’ dominant images changed from the mid-2000s to convey attractiveness to a transnational audience. The results shine a light on Westernization, Asianization, and gender presentations.

Invisible Colleges within Chinese Communication Community: Patterns and Trends of Co-authorship in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, 2006-2011 • Mengmeng Zhao, The Chinese University of Hong Kong • This study examined the co-authorship in Chinese communication research community during 2006-2011. A content analysis of seven top Chinese communication journals selected from CSSCI, SSCI and TSSCI sources was conducted to compare collaboration patterns and co-authorship trends in three “sub-communities” including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Analysis was based on various dimensions including authors’ gender, academic rank, discipline, affiliation and geographical location, providing a comprehensive picture of “invisible colleges” (Crane, 1972) in Chinese communication scholarship.

<< 2012 Abstracts

Communicating Science, Health, Environment, and Risk 2012 Abstracts

Faculty

In Her Own Voice: Women Scientists’ Identity Centrality and Perceptions of Workplace Climate • Jocelyn Steinke, Western Michigan University • Social identity theory offers a useful perspective for understanding women scientists’ perceptions of the gendered workplace cultures they encounter. This study of women scientist blogs found that women scientists regardless of whether they exhibited work identity centrality or family identity centrality experienced identity interference related workplace climate perceptions of job opportunities, workload, research funding, resources/equipment, networking opportunities, professional recognition and respect, and work-family balance. Implications for policy, practice, and social change are discussed.

Brochures as Potential Initiators of Change: Study of STD Brochures Available to Native American Youth • Marilee Long, Colorado State University; Donna Rouner, Colorado State University; Roe Bubar, Colorado State University; Irene Vernon, Colorado State University; Greg Boiarsky; Jennifer Walton, NEON • This study investigated whether STD prevention brochures (N = 61) available at six Indian Health Service facilities contained information that would encourage Native American youth and young adults to adopt STD prevention behaviors. The study drew upon three theoretical perspectives: health belief model, social norm concept, and elaboration likelihood model. Results indicate that the brochures will not be effective in helping cut the high rate of STD infections among Native American youth and young adults.

Can Media Literacy Change Children’s Attitudes and Preferences for Sugary Drinks and Fast Foods? • Yi-Chun (Yvonnes) Chen • The goal of this study is to contribute empirical research findings to the lack of intervention research in the area of childhood obesity. This study compared the efficacy of a knowledge-only curriculum (control) to a nutrition + media literacy enhanced curriculum (treatment) to promote desirable food choices among 3rd graders in a Title 1 School in Southwest Virginia (n=119).

Risk in risk: Exploring effects of multiple health risk situation, risk scale and risk origin upon public’s perceived health risk in news • Gang (Kevin) Han, Greenlee School/Iowa State University; Juyan Zhang, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Halli Trip, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Paul LeBlanc, The University of Texas at San Antonio • This study uses an experiment to examine the effects of three factors, namely multiple (two)-risk situation, media representation of risk scale and origin of risk, upon the transference of attribute salience of disease information from media to the audience. Agenda setting, second-level agenda setting, issue obtrusiveness and impersonal influence serve as the theoretical frameworks. Findings suggest that the proximity of health risk significantly affects perceived severity. Risk scale matters when diseases are of international origin.

More is less: Gatekeeping and coverage bias of climate change in US television news • Lee Ahern, Penn State; Melanie Formentin, The Pennsylvania State University • Past research supports the notion that Fox News is more dismissive of global warming than other news outlets. Ironically, Fox covers the issue much more often. A content analysis indicates that, overall, coverage of the issue relies on traditional news values such as political-elite cues and event magnitude. Fox, however, exhibited a news agenda biased toward excessive coverage, and co-opted the issue as an exemplar of “political correctness” and of the excess of political progressivism.

Glamorization or Cautionary Tale? Comparing Episodes of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and the Mediating Role of Outcome Expectations on Pregnancy Beliefs and Aspirations • Autumn Shafer, Texas Tech University • In 2009, MTV began airing a documentary-style reality television show titled 16 and Pregnant. The series follows one pregnant teen per episode pre/post birth, and focuses on the consequences of teen pregnancy. Millions of teens nation-wide have seen the episodes of 16 and Pregnant, now in its third season. Without an empirical evaluation, it is not clear that such viewing is actually beneficial in shifting teens’ perceptions of the realities of teen pregnancy and parenting.

Synthetic Biology, Real Issues: U.S. Media Coverage of Synthetic Biology • Marjorie Kruvand • Synthetic biology is an emerging field that aims to design and build novel organisms by engineering man-made sequences of genes and assembling them in new combinations. While synthetic biology offers promise for developing cleaner fuels, creating pharmaceuticals, cleaning up pollutants, and fixing defective genes, it has been accompanied by environmental, ethical, and philosophical issues.

Seeking Information about Climate Change: Attention to News Media, Objective Knowledge, and Other Antecedents in an Augmented PRISM • Shirley Ho, Nanyang Technological University; Benjamin Detenber, Nanyang Technological University; Sonny Rosenthal, Nanyang Technological University; Edmund Lee, Nanyang Technological University • This study extends the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM). Survey data from 902 Singaporeans showed that past attention to climate change in the media significantly predicts objective knowledge, risk perception, and affective response related to climate change. In addition, objective knowledge was a weak predictor of seeking intention and was related positively to perceived seeking control and negatively to seeking-related subjective norms. These findings highlight the important role of media depictions of climate change.

A U.S. – China comparison of information-seeking intent about climate change • Z. Janet Yang, SUNY at Buffalo; Lee Ann Kahlor; Haichun Li, Beijing Normal University • We examined risk information seeking intentions related to climate change in U.S. and Chinese samples. Our model accounted for less variance in the Chinese sample and seeking intentions were less influenced by ecocentric attitude, risk perceptions, information insufficiency, and behavioral beliefs. Across the two samples, negative affect and subjective norms had similar impacts. Cultural differences are discussed. Overall, the model has cross-cultural validity and applicability in accounting for risk communication behaviors related to climate change.

Hard times in the heartland: How metropolitan Midwest newspapers cover rural health • Julie Andsager, University of Iowa; Petya Eckler, University of Iowa • Rural health is a public health problem, but little media research has studied it. This content analysis sought to determine how Midwestern, metropolitan newspapers define rural communities, people, and health concerns. Space and time frames were included in the analysis. The six newspapers published relatively few stories on rural health, but the health concerns accurately depicted rural problems. Amount of coverage was positively related to the states’ rurality. Rural residents were rarely included.

Use of Social Media by U.S. Hospitals: Benefits and Challenges • Petya Eckler, U of Iowa; Rauf Arif, University of Iowa; Erin O’Gara, U of Iowa • The study seeks to examine how U.S. hospitals use Facebook and Twitter. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 public relations representatives of U.S. hospitals which use both social media platforms. Nine themes emerged as dominant: incentives/benefits, challenges, overall response by the public, patient health, community engagement, social media as targeted communication, reaching various demographics, how social media is used, and health literacy.

Media Use and Interpersonal Communication Following a Disaster: The May 22, 2011 Tornado in Joplin, Missouri • Brian Houston • On May 22, 2011, “one of the deadliest tornadoes in the United States history” occurred in Joplin, Missouri (National Weather Service, 2011, p. ii). News coverage of disasters like the Joplin tornado have captured the American public’s attention more than any other issue; however, surprisingly little is known about how individuals living in a community affected by a major disaster use media and interpersonal communication sources following a disaster.

Testing The RISP Model: Cell Phone Users and The New “Possible” Risk of Brain Cancer • Ronald Yaros, University of Maryland • The primary goal of this study was to test and extend the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) with an online pre and post survey about the World Health Organization’s “possible” category for brain cancer from cell phones. Analyses of participants’ responses to the 2011 WHO announcement included affective response (worry) and perceived information insufficiency associated with a common everyday activity such as cell phone use.

Mediating Trust in Terrorism Coverage • Kirsten Mogensen, Roskilde University • Mass mediated risk communication can contribute to perceptions of threats and fear of “others” and/or to perceptions of trust in fellow citizens and society to overcome problems. This paper outlines a cross-disciplinary holistic framework for research in mediated trust building during an acute crisis. While the framework is presented in the context of television coverage of a terror-related crisis situation, it can equally be used in connection with all other forms of mediated trust.

The climate change blame game: U.S. elite newspaper coverage of climate change • Z. Janet Yang, SUNY at Buffalo; Anthony Dudo; Lee Ann Kahlor; Ming-Ching Liang; Jenny Allen Catellier; Weiai Xu; Jonathan Mertel • This content analysis reveals the general pattern in elite U.S. newspaper coverage of climate change from 2007 to early 2011, which largely coincided with major international negotiations and report releases. Newspaper coverage primarily portrayed other countries, especially China, as contributing to climate change, but portrayed the U.S., as taking the responsibility for finding solutions for climate change, especially when no severe impact of climate change was mentioned in the articles.

Metaphors in Science Communication: The Influence of Metaphors on the Public Perception of Introduced Species • P. Sol Hart, American University; Lauren Krizel • Drawing from the literature on framing processes, the present study examines how using different metaphors to describe introduced species may influence both the public perception of these species and willingness to spend resources to remove them. Using an experimental investigation, this study finds that individuals are more concerned about introduced species when they are described with the metaphor of invaders compared to the metaphors of piggy backers or providers. Implications for science communication are discussed.

Resistance, ethnicity and health: Designing messages that reduce reactance for Hispanic and non-Hispanic diabetics • Liz Gardner, Texas Tech University • An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of ethnicity and two particular message strategies on psychological reactance felt by adult diabetics (N=111) in response to controlling health messages. This 2 (testimonial/informational) x 2 (other-referencing/self-referencing) x 2 (Hispanic/non-Hispanic) experiment, which also included message replication and order factors, tested the influence of the predictors in the context of messages encouraging healthy diet and exercise for adult diabetics.

Join the conquest: Developing a campaign to increase clinical research participation in North Carolina • Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, UNC-Chapel Hill; Jessica Willoughby; Dana McMahan, UNC-Chapel Hill • Clinical research is necessary to develop life-saving medications and treatments, but the clinical research enterprise in the United States is in a state of crisis, largely due to an inability to enroll enough participants in studies. This paper chronicles formative research and message-testing research associated with the development of a local, branded campaign to raise awareness and stimulate interest in clinical research participation, largely among healthy volunteers.

Barriers to Medical Research Participation as Perceived by Clinical Trials Investigators: Reaching out to Rural and African American Communities in XXXXXXXX • Andrea Tanner, University of South Carolina; Sei-Hill Kim; Daniela Friedman, University of South Carolina; Caroline Foster, University of South Carolina; Caroline Bergeron, University of South Carolina • Clinical trials help advance public health and medical research on prevention, diagnosis, screening, treatment and quality of life. Despite the need for access to quality care in medically underserved areas in the state of xxxxxxxx, clinical trial participation remains low among individuals in rural and African American communities.

A “Hopeful Transition to Parenthood”: Metaphoric Mobilization in Web Framing of Fertility Clinics • Orly Shachar, Iona College • Today, 96% of the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) member clinics have a web site and nearly 75% of member clinics have engaged in social media. As their presence on the web increases, fertility clinics’ promotional strategies have come under scrutiny. Paramount to their discourse is the language clinics employ on their homepages to frame their services and staff. This study draws on a top recommended clinics’ list, published by a leading parenting web portal.

The Effects of Graphic Messages Embedded in an Anti-smoking Videogame on Knowledge Improvement and Attitudes toward Smoking • Hyo Jung Kim, Nanyang Technological University; Joung Huem Kwon • This study explored the potential of serious videogames as new venues for effective health preventions. Researchers developed a videogame for anti-smoking prevention: Smokey Dude, a Flash based Super Mario kind of action-adventure game. Two versions of this videogame were created to examine the effects of graphic images, commonly adopted in anti-smoking prevention in traditional media in the context of a videogame.

Partisan Media and Healthcare: Conditional Indirect Effects of Ideology and Ambivalence on Structural Knowledge • Myiah Hutchens, Texas Tech University; Jay Hmielowski, Yale University; Michael Beam, Washington State University • Examining various media sources and their impact on knowledge has a long tradition in political communication. While the majority of research focuses on the impact of traditional media on factual knowledge, research is expanding to examine the role of a variety of forms of media and multiple dimensions of knowledge. Additionally, scholars’ focus is shifting from examining simple direct effects to understanding the process that better explains relationships between those variables.

The Effectiveness of the Entertainment Education Strategy in Sexual Assault Prevention: A Field Experiment in a College Campus Setting • Stacey Hust; Paula Adams; Chunbo Ren, Washington State University; Ming Lei, Washington State University; Weina Ran, Washington State University; Emily Marett, Mississippi State University • Sexual assault is a serious problem on college campuses across the United States, and first-year college students living on campus are particularly at risk for sexual assault. Among existing safety-related education programs that addressed sexual assault on college campuses, very few prevention programs have used mass media communication strategies designed to simultaneously entertain and educate, so that audience members choose to attend to the materials.

Postdoctoral Fellow • Predicting Cancer Information Seeking and Cancer Knowledge: The Role of Social and Cognitive Factors • Shelly Hovick, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Ming-Ching Liang; Lee Ann Kahlor • This study tests an expanded Structural Influence Model (SIM) to explore how social and cognitive factors contribute to cancer communication disparities. This study employed an online sample (N=1,007) of African American, Hispanic and White adults. The addition of cognitive predictors to the SIM substantially increased variance explained in cancer information seeking and cancer knowledge. Subjective norms and perceived seeking control were shown to be important mediators of the relationships between social determinants and communication outcomes.

The impact of HIV PSAs on attitudes, behavioral intentions and risk perception as a function of evidence form, argument quality, personal relevance and gender • Jueman (Mandy) Zhang, New York Institute of Technology; Makana Chock; Gina Chen; Valerie Schweisberger; Yi Wang • This study examined the combined effects of evidence form, argument quality, personal relevance and gender on attitudes towards and intentions of condom use with a primary and a non-primary partner as well as on risk perception at personal and societal level among heterosexually active young adults. Argument quality had the greatest impact on the attitude that condom use is effective regardless of partner type. Personal relevance enhanced the effective feeling regarding primary but not non-primary partners.

If they can’t help me, can I help myself? Institutional trust and self-efficacy in eco-label use • Lucy Atkinson, University of Texas at Austin; Sonny Rosenthal, Nanyang Technological University • This study employed latent factor interaction analysis to assess how environmental self-efficacy interacts with three forms of institutional trust—government, manufacturers, and advertising—to affect eco-label awareness and attention. Analyses revealed several main effects and two interactions. Government trust and eco-label awareness related negatively among high-efficacy respondents and positively among low-efficacy respondents. Advertising trust and eco-label attention related negatively among high-efficacy respondents and positively among low-efficacy respondents.

An Evaluation of Church-based Public Engagement on Nanotechnology • John Besley, University of South Carolina; Sang Hwa Oh, University of South Carolina • The current study explores the impact of public engagement on views about nanotechnology risks and benefits, decision-makers and knowledge. Using pre- and post-tests, it finds that, while views about decision-makers stayed stable, scores on a short knowledge quiz increased alongside both risk and benefit perceptions (n = 65). Additional multivariate analysis suggests that change in knowledge is associated with both positive changes in views about decision-makers’ fairness and post-intervention views about decision-makers.

Individual and Community Empowerment through a “Higher Power”: An Exploration of Rural Appalachian Women’s Communication about Health, Religion, and Empowerment • Lucinda Austin, Elon University • Through 41 qualitative, in-depth interviews with women residing in a small rural Appalachian community, this study questions how rural women make meaning of religion, empowerment, and health. This research study explores how religion affects women’s empowerment and how religion can be incorporated as an element of health communication campaigns to positively affect rural women’s everyday health activities.

How do Korean Senior Immigrants Use the Internet for Health Communication in the U.S.? • Jae Park, University of North Florida; Eric Haley, University of Tennessee • As long as the internet is the medium that delivers a tremendous amount of information, the number of senior citizen American immigrants that seek personal health information through the internet has rapidly increased. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten participants in order to answer the question, “How do Korean senior immigrants use the internet for health communication in the U.S.?”

Protection Motivation Theory and Trait Anxiety: Protecting Children’s Dental Health • Kimberly Walker, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis • Protection motivation theory of fear appeals and attitude change (PMT) has been used with adults to motivate them to protect their health over a wide range of behaviors. It has been used rarely with children. This experiment applied PMT to children to determine how PMT’s two constructs—threat and coping—worked best in a communication message to motivate them to floss.

Ten years of News Coverage of Nanotechnology in Taiwan: Toward a revised model of mediated issue development • Tsung-Jen Shih, National Chengchi University • The model of mediated issue development suggests that an issue can receive widespread media attention if it is discussed in the political arena, covered by political journalists, portrayed with dramatic terms, and had fewer competing issues in the environment. This study argues that, in addition to these factors, the inclusion of sources representing different stances in the news stories is also a necessary condition for an issue to catch both media and public attention.

Student

Newspaper portrayals of climate-friendly plant-based food practices: The New York Times and The Australian • Radhika Mittal •This paper examines whether mainstream newspapers – The Australian and The New York Times – situate plant-based food practices in the context of anthropogenic climate change. A qualitative content analysis reveals distant, conflicting, compromising and insincere coverage of climate-friendly, plant-based food practices over a period of two years in the newspapers studied. The communication of risk is an important aspect of media engagement with scientific issues, especially when pertaining to urgent, global concerns such as climate change. This study points to a lacuna in these prominent papers’ coverage of an important measure in mitigating climate change.

Fitter with Twitter? The Direct and Efficacy-Mediated Effects of Reading, Writing, and Tweeting Health Messages Online • Rachel Young, University of Missouri School of Journalism • Online social network users regularly compose messages about health-related goals and post them to an audience of friends and followers. However, the psychosocial effects of writing and posting health messages via this platform have not yet been explored in depth. In a controlled experiment, this study examines the psychological and behavioral consequences, both direct and mediated by self-efficacy, of consuming, creating, and transmitting messages regarding physical activity via the social networking and microblogging site Twitter.

Patients or Polar Bears? Framing the Public Health Implications of Climate Change • Justin Rolfe-Redding, George Mason University • This study tested three framings of climate change—as an environmental, health, or security issue—with a spectrum of audience segments, with political advocacy (likelihood of writing the President) as the outcome variable. Results indicate these frames may actually have had the opposite effects from those expected. Moderately engaged segments were relatively less likely to engage in advocacy when viewing the health frame, and skeptical segments were relatively less active when viewing the security frame.

Examining News Coverage and Framing: The Case Study of Sea Lion Management at the Bonneville Dam • Tess McBride, Portland State University; cynthia coleman, portland state university • The current study examines how the construction of news stories frames information in ways that promote stakeholders’ platforms over the course of an environmental, scientific, social, political and legal conflict. Our examination of coverage of management of salmon populations and the encroachment of sea lions at Bonneville Dam in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States illustrates how the use of such frames as blame, solution and failure characterizes the mediated discourse.

Heightening uncertainty around certain science: Media coverage, false balance, and the autism-vaccine controversy • Graham Dixon, Cornell University; Christopher Clarke, Cornell University • To investigate how balanced reporting of the autism-vaccine controversy influences judgments of vaccine risk, we randomly assigned 327 participants to read news articles that presented either balanced claims both for/against an autism-vaccine link, anti-link claims only, pro-link claims only, or non-health related information. Readers in the balanced condition were less certain that vaccines did not cause autism and more likely to believe experts were divided on the issue. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Expression and Reception of Emotional Support Online: Mediators of Social Competence on Health Benefits for Breast Cancer Patients • Woohyun Yoo, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Kang Namkoong; Mina Choi; Dhavan Shah, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Michael Aguilar, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Stephanie Jean Tsang; Yangsun Hong, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dave Gustafson, University of Wisconsin-Madison • This study examines the mediating role of computer-mediated social support (CMSS) group participation, specifically the expression and reception of emotional support, in the relation between social competence and beneficial health outcomes for breast cancer patients. Participation in a computer mediated social support (CMSS) group was assessed by tracking and coding 237 breast cancer patients’ actual discussion participation and their expression and the reception of emotionally supportive messages.

Seeking information about complex science: The interplay of risk-benefit perceptions and prior knowledge • Leona Yi-Fan Su, 6087729806; Nan Li; Dietram A. Scheufele; Dominique Brossard; Michael Xenos • This study examines the roles of perceived risks and benefits and knowledge level in predicting scientific information seeking behaviors. The findings show that both perceptions of risks and benefits positively relate to information seeking. Moreover, respondents with higher level of factual knowledge in nanotechnology tend to seek more information when perceiving both high risks and benefits. However, respondents with lower knowledge levels are motivated to seek information when high benefits but low risks are perceived.

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Explain Green-Buying, Recycling, and Civic Engagement Behavioral Intentions • Youqing Liao; Sonny Rosenthal, Nanyang Technological University; Shirley Ho, Nanyang Technological University • Expanding on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study incorporates and examines the effects of media attention, media dependency, and perceptions of personal and impersonal risk on three types of proenvironmental behaviors: recycling, green-buying and civic engagement. Regression analysis of a nationwide cross-sectional survey of Singaporeans (N = 1,168) yielded support for the original TPB model. Media attention significantly predicted green-buying and civic engagement behaviors, while interpersonal communication was significantly associated with all three types of proenvironmental behavior.

Science News Media Use, Institutional Trust, and South Koreans’ Risk Perception of Genetically Modified (GM) foods • Sang Hwa Oh, University of South Carolina; Sei-Hill Kim • The current study explores the role of science new media in shaping trust in science-related institutions and the relationship between institutional trust and risk perception of emerging technology. Using a controversial science issue in South Korea, the use of genetically modified (GM) foods, we fist examine whether institutional trust is negatively related to perception of GM foods risks. We then analyze the relationship between three different types of science media use (newspapers, television, and the Internet) and institutional trust.

Health Self-Efficacy and Health Information Seeking: Exploring Relationships between Source Utilization, Source Trustworthiness, Health Behaviors, and Demographics • Ho-Young (Anthony) Ahn, University of Tennessee; Nathaniel Evans, University of Tennessee; Tatjana Hocke, James Madison University; Elizabeth Avery, University of Tennessee • This study analyzes results from a representative nationwide telephone survey with a random sample (n=300) to examine how demographic variables influence health self-efficacy and how self-efficacy relates to health information seeking, health behaviors, and trust in seeking health information from different sources. No demographics were found to exert a unique influence on health self-efficacy, but the findings suggest health self-efficacy can be useful to predict health behaviors, although not be the best predictor of health information source choice and trust.

Do Online Health-related Behaviors Lead to Being Helped? • Hui Zhang, Colorado State University • The current paper examines what online health information seeking behaviors predict oneself or another being helped by following online health information. Prior studies have primarily focused on evaluation of information quality, credibility of information sources, seekers’ trust in online information, and implication of people’s health status on the types of information they seek.

A dangerous neighbor: The news frames of the radiation effects from the Fukushima nuclear accident • Junga Kim, University of Florida; Bijie Bie • This paper examined how U.S. newspapers conveyed radiation-related health information in coverage of the Fukushima nuclear accident. News articles from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today were used in this study. A quantitative content analysis of 277 news articles and a qualitative framing analysis of 60 news articles were conducted.

A Look at Nature: The Visual Representation of Environmental Affairs on the Covers of Time • Bruno Takahashi, SUNY ESF; Mark Meisner, International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) • This study focuses on nature and environmental affairs on the cover of Time magazine. Through content and critical analyses, we reviewed the covers from 1920s to 2011. The results show a subtle trend towards increasing the representation of environmental affairs; an emphasis on dramatically visual issues, and an inattention to less spectacular ones; the difficulty of visually representing certain issues effectively; and the need for more attention to the potential incongruities between text and image.

Commenting on health: A framing analysis of user comments in response to health articles online • Avery Holton, University of Texas – Austin; Na Yeon Lee, University of Texas – Austin; Renita Coleman, University of Texas-Austin • Public health officials have continually urged journalists and other members of the news media to ease off health frames that focus on individuals and to promote broader societal frames instead. While some scholarly research has reinforced these pleas, none have examined the interplay between frames of health news coverage and resulting public comments. The current online environment invites such an analysis, allowing news organizations to post articles online and the public to comment on those articles.

Feast or famine: Acceptability of GM foods for prevention of plant disease • Joseph Steinhardt, Cornell University; Katherine McComas; John Besley, University of South Carolina • This study examines factors influencing public acceptability of genetically modified (GM) foods when situated within the context of preventing “late blight” plant disease, which caused the Irish Potato Famine and still results in substantial crop loss today. It also examines how the perceived fairness of decision-makers influences levels of support for GM foods. The results of a national survey (N=859) found that context mattered little in public acceptability of GM foods whereas perceived fairness predicted support.

To Green or Not To Green: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Impact of Product-Green Claim Congruity • Eunice Kim, University of Texas at Austin • This research examines the effects of product-green claim congruity on consumer responses in green marketing context. The results demonstrate that a product that is congruent with its green claim is evaluated more positively than an incongruent product. More interestingly, the product-green claim congruity effects are found to be more evident in the U.S. than in Korea, indicating the importance of product-claim congruity in Western cultures than in East Asian cultures.

News Media’s Framing of H1N1 and its Effect on Public Perception • Eun Hae Park, University of Missouri, Columbia • This study investigated the types of news frames used in reporting of the H1N1 virus, and also explored risk levels involved. A sample of three different newspapers—The New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today—was used. Framing categories included action, economic consequence, social impact, uncertainty and risk assessment. Risk assessment and social impact were the most commonly used frames.

For Fit’s Sake: A Norms-based Approach to Healthy Behaviors through Influence of Presumed Media Influence • Kaijie Ng; Grace Leong; Tiffany Tham; Shirley Ho, Nanyang Technological University • This study uses the influence of presumed media influence (IPMI) model as the theoretical framework to examine the normative influence of healthy lifestyle media messages on healthy lifestyle behavioral intentions. We included the differentiated social norms (i.e., proximal and distal injunctive norms), and personal norms variables in an extended model. Our results from a representative survey of 1,055 Singaporeans suggest that social distance and personal norms could be integrated into the IPMI theory.

The Effects of Press Freedom and Biotech Policy on Southeast Asian Newspapers’ Coverage of GM Crops • Ruby Asoro • Does a country’s degree of press freedom and national biotech policy influence its newspapers’ performance in reporting about GM crops? A content analysis of articles from six Southeast Asian newspapers reveals that a freer press status fosters more stories and use of frames while a precautionary biotech policy favors the citing of more sources. The diversity of sources, however, produced a more polarized coverage that tended to be negative toward this innovation.

Framing Responsibility in Climate Change: Ethnocentric Attribution Bias, Perceived Causes, and Policy Attitudes • Seung Mo Jang • Although the public’s perception that climate change is caused primarily by humans rather than nature is a key predictor of public engagement with the issue, little research has examined the way through which climate change communication can influence the perception of the cause. The present study seeks to explore how applicable existing research on attribution theory from social psychology is to public understanding of climate change.

From rangers to radio: The role of communication in the development of sense of place • Laura Rickard; Richard Stedman • While considerable scholarship in sociology and environmental psychology has demonstrated that the tenure and quality of our experiences, as well as the physical characteristics of the setting predict sense of place (SOP), less research has examined the role that communication about a place may play.

Concern about Climate Change: A Cross-National Analysis of Political, Cultural, and Media Influences • Heather Akin • This study analyzes the relationship among individual and country-level characteristics on individuals’ concerns about climate change in 24 nations. Using individual-level data on media use, education, and values and country-level data on political structure, economic status and environmental performance, this study analyzed these relationships using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). Results indicate that characteristics of nations, particularly status as a democracy, national wealth, and environmental commitment significantly influence citizens’ concern about climate change. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Anatomy of a Gaffe: Examining Print and Blog Coverage of Michele Bachmann’s HPV Vaccine Controversy • Robert Zuercher, University of Kentucky; Adam Parrish, University of Kentucky; Elizabeth Petrun, University of Kentucky • This study explores the nuances of blog and print channel coverage of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s statement that the HPV vaccine caused mental retardation in a supporter’s daughter. The authors conducted a content analysis of both blogs and newspapers to examine differences in sourcing and commentary within blog and print coverage. Finally, a thematic analysis of identified content reveals how Bachmann was framed as a dishonest martyr who served to exacerbate a growing anti-vaccine movement.

<< 2012 Abstracts

Law 2000 Abstracts

Law Division

Determining Fame under the Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 • Sue Westcott Alessandri, North Carolina • Because of the law’s newness, the true effect of the Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 has yet to be seen. The small body of precedents, however, may serve to guide corporations required to provide evidence on the “fame” of their trademarks in FTDA cases. An analysis of the five reported cases heard thus far by the U.S. Courts of Appeals – and specifically two circuits’ decisions in determining the fame of a trademark – shows that advertising history, expenditures and market research may be the best evidence corporations can present.

Broadening the Scope of the Newsgathering Privilege to Protect Nontraditional Journalists: A Definitional Dilemma • Laurence B. Alexander, Florida • This paper explores the statutory and common law development of the journalist’s privilege, giving special attention to the parameters drawn to limit protection only to those who work in traditional roles in traditional news organizations. It also examines the widely accepted “checking value” theory of Vincent Blasi on the role that news-source confidentiality plays in serving as an additional check on abuses of government power. This underlying theory is considered in determining whether the journalist’s privilege should be expanded beyond its current scope.

The First Amendment & Postmodern Tendencies in Cyberspace • Justin Brown, Penn State • To address the possibilities and difficulties of expression on the Internet, legal scholars and courts have been articulating jurisprudence. While many have been boastful of a robust marketplace of ideas, missing from the discourse has been an examination of the postmodern tendencies of cyberspace. This paper reviews developing jurisprudence and offers a unique perspective of how the First Amendment may protect expression in the cultural environments of converging and evolving media.

The “Enticing Images” Doctrine: An Emerging Principle in First Amendment Jurisprudence? • Clay Calvert, Penn State • The split of authority among the federal appellate courts that emerged in 1999 concerning the Child Pornography Prevention Act’s prohibition of “virtual” child pornography presents a propitious opportunity to examine the emergence of a nascent principle in First Amendment jurisprudence • the enticing images doctrine. Under this doctrine, otherwise lawful images of fictional content can be prohibited because they “entice” or “seduce” minors to engage in illegal conduct. The roots of the doctrine take hold in more than just the CPPA.

Silencing Foreign Voices: Restrictions on Alien Ownership of Broadcast Stations • James V. D’Aleo • North Carolina • Broadcast ownership provisions have been present in American society in some form or another since 1912. The time has come for these restrictions to be lifted. The current provisions have been in place, with little variation, since the Communications Act of 1934. This paper argues that the original reasoning for these provisions no longer hold true in today’s society, indicating that foreign ownership restrictions should be lifted or relaxed.

First Amendment Rights of Non-Citizens In Light of Reno v. Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee • Irina Dmitrieva, Florida • The article argues that in a recent case, Reno v. Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, the U.S. Supreme Court de facto denied the First Amendment rights to non-citizens in the immigration context. The article argues that denial of free speech rights to aliens robs this country of the valuable source of new ideas and beliefs, and impedes the process of cultural exchange among U.S. citizens and immigrants.

State Protection of Copyright Interest In Primary Law Materials • Irina Dmitrieva, Florida • The article demonstrates that at least half of 50 states claim copyright interest in their primary law materials, such as state statutes, court reports, and administrative regulations. At the same time, state control over primary law materials may restrict public access to legal documents of vital importance. The author suggests changes in the United States copyright law that would deny copyright protection to the texts of state statutes and judicial opinions.

Contracting the News: A Study of Online News User Agreements • Victoria Smith Ekstrand, North Carolina • The terms of user agreements on news Web sites represent a new paradigm in the sale of news. Rather than selling the news, today’s online publishers provide content in exchange for agreement to the conditions of user agreements. This study examines the provisions in online news user agreements. It finds that such agreements duplicate or exceed protections provided by existing law and will be strengthened by new Uniform Commercial Code legislation.

The Lochner Monster Redux: Buckley and The Path of Legal Realism in Today’s Campaign Finance Jurisprudence • Emily Erickson, Syracuse • This paper examines the parallel often drawn between Buckley v. Valeo and Lochner v. New York, exploring the progressive legal realist agenda that helped end the Lochner era and recent attempts by the Supreme Court to both escape and hide within the bowels of its own “Lochner monster,” Buckley. It then looks at the most recent campaign finance precedents, including January’s Nixon v. Shrink decision, to discern whether today’s Court seems able and willing to slay Buckley.

Reconsidering the Federal Journalist’s Privilege for Nonconfidential Information: Gonzalez v. NBC • Anthony L. Fargo, Rhode Island • In 1998, the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Gonzalez v. NBC ruled that there was no federal journalist’s privilege for nonconfidential information. The case appeared to go against precedent in the Second Circuit and appeared to be a serious blow to journalists’ efforts to expand the privilege to other circuits. However, a year later, the Second Circuit reconsidered Gonzalez and held that there was a privilege for nonconfidential information.

The Supreme Court’s Heavy Hand: The Reversal of Libel Decisions • Mike Farrell, Kentucky • The Supreme Court has near-total control of its docket, each year considering less than 100 of the seven thousand appeals it receives. When the Court grants certiorari, it is a signal the justices are more likely to reverse the decision of the lower federal court or the state court. An earlier study found the Supreme Court reversed the lower court in more than 60 percent of the cases it decided between 1953-90.

The Malice Muddle: The Changing Definition of Malice And Its Threat To The Fair Report Privilege • Deborah Gump, North Carolina • Suppose a mayor accused a councilmember at a town meeting of selling drugs. Next, suppose the reporter from the Daily Banner was told by his editor to forget about the accusation because the mayor’s libel suit would bankrupt the paper. Wouldn’t happen, you say? Under new court interpretations of the fair report privilege, it might. The privilege protects reporters from libel suits if they cover official proceedings accurately, fairly, and without common law malice.

Policy of Secrecy, Pattern of Deception: How the Government Tried to Undermine Press Freedom and the Right to Know During the Federalist Period • Martin E. Halstuk, Nevada-Las Vegas • The Supreme Court has consistently rejected arguments that the First Amendment provides the press with any rights not also afforded to the general public. The purpose of this paper is to explore the question of whether there is an historical basis to argue for constitutionally protected newsgathering privileges for the press. To illuminate this issue, this examination focuses on several events that took place between 1787 and 1798.

Circumventing Copyright with Controlling Technology • Matt Jackson, Penn State • The Digital Millennium Copyright Act added a new chapter to Copyright Act that protects the anti-circumvention technology used by copyright owners to restrict access to their content. In Universal City Studios v. Reimerdes, the first case involving these new provisions, the district court held that traditional defenses to copyright infringement did not apply to some violations of the anti-circumvention provisions. The DMCA and the Reimerdes case is evidence of a paradigm shift in copyright from a legal concept to a technological concept.

Libel in 48 Points: How Courts Have Ruled since Sullivan on Allegedly False and Defamatory Headlines Atop Accurate Stories • Susan Keith, North Carolina • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled in late 1999 that a headline could be actionable for libel on its own, even when the story to which it referred was substantially accurate. This no doubt pleased the plaintiff in the case, actor Brian “Kato” Kaelin, who had sued the National Examiner, a supermarket tabloid, over the headline “Cops Think Kato Did It.” However, the ruling also brought to the forefront the fact that some courts consider allegedly libelous headlines in context of the accompanying stories while others do not.

Web Site Framing: Copyright Infringement Through the Creation of an Unauthorized Derivative Work • Greg Lisby, Georgia State • The technological explosion and convergence that are the Internet and the World Wide Web • increasing amounts of information from a variety of sources, coupled with the accelerating change in the form of that information, from discrete media into one constant barrage of digitized bits • have posed new problems for copyright that promise to shake the law to its 300-year-old print media foundations. Take framing, as an example.

Hands in the “Cookie” Jar: Disclosure of Internet Transaction Generated Information under State Public Records Law • Harlen Makemson, North Carolina • This paper analyzed whether Internet transaction generated information such as cookie files are subject to disclosure under state freedom of information statutes and whether such information could fall under trade secret exemptions. For states that define public records as those made in connection with public business, disclosing cookies makes intuitive sense and is consistent with the legislative intent of broad access. Current laws leave courts ill-equipped to rule on the disclosure of cookie files.

Journalists on Journalistic Conduct in the Law of Libel • Tracie L. Mauriello and Thomas A. Schwartz, Ohio State • The U.S. Supreme Court’s requirement that libel plaintiffs show fault on the part of defendants has generated a body of law that examines journalistic conduct. Some see this as a threat to press freedom. After analyzing the responses of journalists to two libel case scenarios, this paper finds that journalists have higher standards for the practice of journalism than those of the Court and that they expect to be held legally accountable for journalistic malpractice but that they are unable to articulate a sense of proper journalistic conduct.

A Safeguard for National Security or a Wall of Secrecy Protecting Government Agencies? • Nelson Mumma Jr., North Carolina • The Freedom of Information Act was created to ensure that ordinary American citizens have access to government agency documents. This is important because it theoretically keeps the government accountable and allows individuals to access information they might need to knowledgeably vote and participate in the democratic process. However, Congress created nine exemptions to the FOIA, which allow government agencies to withhold information under certain conditions. Exemption 1 allows agencies to withhold documents if the release of these documents could harm national security or foreign relations.

Violence against the Press in Latin America: Protections and Remedies in International Law • Michael Perkins, Brigham Young • This paper analyzes recent cases decided by international human-rights tribunals that found attacks against journalists to be violations of the free-expression guarantees of the American Convention on Human Rights, the western hemisphere’s leading human-rights treaty. This study argues that the American Convention’s guarantees are being interpreted as demanding strict accountability from governments for investigating complaints of violence against the press, punishing journalists’ assailants, and indemnifying their survivors.

William Lloyd Garrison, Bejamin Lundy & Seditious Libel • Amy Reynolds, Oklahoma • This paper explores early attempts to suppress abolitionist speech and discusses how those attempts helped shape the views of two leading abolitionist figures. In response to efforts to suppress their speech and presses, Garrison and Lundy began to raise questions about what free speech and free press meant and brought public attention to issues of free expression. They also illustrated the power the press had to illuminate these issues.

Counter Speech 2000: A New Look at the Old Remedy for “Bad” Speech • Robert Richards and Clay Calvert, Penn State • The doctrine of counter speech was firmly implanted in First Amendment jurisprudence by Justice Brandeis nearly three-quarters of a century ago. This article revisits this well-worn doctrine. In particular, it analyzes its strengths and weaknesses through the prism of an eclectic collection of five very recent controversies in which counter speech has been employed as an antidote to “bad” speech. The medium and the message in each case is different, stretching from messages of tolerance on billboards to counteract the effects of hate speech to videos available on the World Wide Web to ward off the effects of an allegedly negative television program.

Reno v. Condon: Regulating State Public Records as Commodities in an Information Marketplace • Joey Senat, Oklahoma State • In upholding the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, the Supreme Court granted Congress the constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to override state FOI laws in order to restrict disclosure of drivers’ license data. The Court treated states as database owners and public records as commodities in interstate commerce. This paper argues that the Court should have adopted the reasoning of those lower courts that struck down the statute as a federal infringement upon states’ rights.

Defining the Concept of “Harmful to Minors “ in the Age of the Internet • Barbara Smith, Florida • For over 150 years, the United States government has emphasized the importance of protecting children from harm, especially in the area of sexually explicit material. However, society’s definition of pornography and determinants of harm have changed over time. Moreover, the emergence of the Internet has posed a challenge for government regulators. This paper proposes solutions to ensure that the government’s interest in protecting minors from Internet content is carried out in the least restrictive manner.

Freedom of the Private-University Student Press: A Constitutional Proposal • Brian J. Steffen, Simpson College • While the First Amendment protects public-university student journalists from censorship by the state, students at private universities are without constitutional protection from censorship. Courts usually have been unwilling to recognize First Amendment rights on the private campus, partly because most advocates of free-press rights have argued that the Constitution should apply with equal force on public and private campuses. This paper calls for a balancing of the First Amendment interests of the students against the pedagogical and philosophical interests of the private institution.

Tainted Sources, Matters of Public Concern: Applying the Wiretapping Laws to Media Disclosures • Josie Tullos, SUNY-Brockport • The ease of electronic eavesdropping has again raised the troublesome problem of balancing the tension between the First Amendment and personal privacy. That tension seemed overwhelming in two recent cases involving disclosure penalties in wiretapping statutes. The cases left Circuits divided and indicate that closer attention needs to be paid to the privacy concerns underlying the statutes. This paper suggests that a better approach is to look at privacy law as an aspect of community.

Pleading the Fifth: Media Economics, Free Air Time, & the Fifth Amendment • Glenda C. Williams, Alabama • Campaign finance reformers often use the concept of “free air time” as an incentive for voluntary compliance (compelling television stations to provide free advertising time for federal candidates). This paper outlines arguments from both proponents and opponents of free air time, with special emphasis on the two interpretations of “public interest.” Media economic theory is then used to support the argument that free air time would indeed take the property created by broadcasters: their audience.

<< 2000 Abstracts

International Communication 2001 Abstracts

International Communication Division

Advertising And The Construction Of Beauty: The Impact Of Economic Liberalization And Globalization On Advertising Formats In India • Katyayani Balasubramanian and K. Viswanath, National Cancer Institute • no abstract

The Subversion In The Age Of Digital Information • Ivo Belohoubek, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville • Author examines the dynamic relationship between the new digital media and the discourse of contemporary global activism. He proposes that for global activism, characterized by intense communication and a for its particular discourse, shaped by the specific technological setting – the digital network, neither Marxism as an ideology, nor structuralism and semiology as a method, are sufficient explanatory tools. His analysis includes postmodern interpretation of Marshall McLuhan’s and Jean Baudrillard’s Medium theory as well as various inputs from poststructuralism. He concludes that the new media significantly change not only the means of subversive communication, but also an ideology and philosophy of global activism and relate directly to such phenomena, as the mass protests against economic globalization, which we could have witnessed the world over during the last decade.

Readers’ grievance columns as aids in the development of India • David W. Bulla, Indiana University • Citizens of India have a unique opportunity to participate in the development of democracy in their nation by giving feedback to the government and corporations through grievance columns in daily newspapers. These complaint columns – separate from letters to the editor – help make powerful institutions accountable for their actions and inactions. This paper examines public feedback and institutional response in three Indian dailies. Its major finding is that most complaints deal with communication and transportation issues, and that public responsiveness by government and corporations is minimal. It also maintains that grievance columns act as an instrument of a particularly Indian civic journalism since editors get story ideas from the complaints. In essence, readers’ grievances help determine newspapers’ agenda.

Revisiting the “Determinants of International News Coverage in the U.S. Media”: A Replication and Expansion of the 1987 Research on How the U.S. News Media Cover World Events • Kuang-Kuo Chang, Michigan State University and Tien-Tsung Lee, Washington State University • This paper is a replication of a significant study in international news coverage published in 1987 by Chang and colleagues which examined the selection criteria of world news events by the U.S. news media. With more recent data, the present study concludes that the once highly significant variable of normative deviance has diminished in its predicting power. U.S. involvement and threats to the U.S. became the two strongest predictors for coverage in both newspapers and TV network broadcasts. Press freedom has emerged as a strong predictor for TV news coverage. Additionally, an eventdriven perspective appears to be more important than context-driven perspective as world news determinants. The findings suggest a swift in how U.S. news media cover international events over time.

‘News aid’, the new aid: a case study of Cambodia • J.L. Clarke, Hong Kong Baptist University • Aid to the news media has recently become an important feature of aid programmes to formerly communist countries. This paper examines criticisms of aid in general and of media aid in particular and surveys the case of Cambodia. It finds that many criticisms are relevant but being dealt with. The underlying problem of whether the aid imposes a Western view of the world remains unresolved because there is little opportunity to experiment with other approaches.

THE DEATH OF DIANA: A MULTI-NATION STUDY OF NEWS VALUES AND PRACTICES • Anne Cooper-Chen, Ohio University • Princess Diana’s death, ranked as the top news story of 1997, presents a perfect case study for comparing various countries’ treatment of news. This study looked at front pages of two newspapers each from Brazil, Finland, Japan, New Zealand and the United States from Sept. 1 (the first day of coverage) to Sept. 7 (the day of the funeral). It found deviance but not geographic proximity to be a universal news value (distant Brazil’s coverage far outstripped nearby Finland’s). It argues that affinity between a nation’s culture and an event’s intrinsic nature can explain coverage.

In search of truth: The TRC and the South African press – a case study • Arnold S. de Beer and Johan Fouche, Potchefstroom University • The demise of apartheid and the first democratic elections in 1994 ushered in a new epoch making era in South African history. This paper deals with one element of these changes in the form of a case study: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s media hearings, and more specifically, the issue of the Afrikaans press and its activities during the apartheid years (1960-1994). The circumstances preceding the media hearings, the hearings and the aftermath are discussed.

Images of the Other: A Cross-Cultural Content Analysis of Coverage of Muslims and Mormons in Bulgarian and United States’ Popular Newspapers, 1996-99. • Maria Deenitchina, Sofia University; Peter Kanev and Byron Scott, University of Missouri-Columbia • This content analysis uses the concept of “otherness” to delineate similarities and differences in media characterizations and stereotypes of Muslims and Mormons in newspapers of two nations. In Bulgaria, newspapers appeared to cover Muslims in a broader, more balanced manner than Mormons. Articles in U.S. newspapers over the same period showed opposite results. Historical, cultural and professional differences may account for the differing patterns of coverage, including audience familiarity/unfamiliarity with the two religions.

Perceptions of Advertising in the Newly Independent States: Kazakstan Students’ Beliefs About Advertising • Jami A. Fullerton and Tom Weir, Oklahoma State University • This study attempts to answer Andrews’ (1991) question, do perceptions of advertising in general vary cross-culturally? Eighty-two students from the former Soviet Union republic of Kazakstan were questioned about their beliefs about advertising. The analysis revealed predominantly negative feelings toward advertising in general. Findings indicate unfamiliarity or general distrust of advertising and uncertainty about the role and potential of advertising to improve the quality of life in the country. A discussion about advertising in Kazakstan’s emerging capitalist economy is also included.

Increasing Circulation? A Comparative News-Flow Study of the Montreal Gazette’s Hard-Copy and On-line Editions • Mike Gasher and Sandra Gabriele, Concordia University • International news-flow research has noted a significant imbalance in the global exchange of news. Drawing on this research tradition, this paper explores the way one daily newspaper, the Montreal Gazette, occupies the geography of the Internet with its on-line news operation. The paper will report on a six-week comparative news-flow study of the Gazette’s hard-copy and on-line editions to determine whether on-line publishing has allowed the Gazette to alter the boundaries of its coverage and its distribution.

Going Global: Choosing the Newspapers We’ll Need to Read in the Digital Age • Richard R. Gross, University of Missouri • Author reviewed surveys of elite newspapers and gathered new data from international journalists regarding which newspapers are regarded as the current “elite.” Respondents were queried regarding criteria for their choices. Respondents were also surveyed regarding the quality of online versions of newspapers and credibility of the medium in the first known survey of its kind. The findings reveal some shifts in newspaper preferences, large differences in criteria from landmark surveys and ambivalence toward online newspapers.

DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BROADCASTING IN POST-COMMUNIST ESTONIA: 1991-1996 • Max V. Grubb, University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale • The world in the last decade experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union and the demise of communism in Eastern Europe. This research utilized a case study and historical approach to examine the development of independent broadcast media in post-communist Estonia. The implications drawn from this study are that post-Communist broadcast system transformations are complex, particularly when the developing private broadcast system has to compete with the public system for audiences, advertising revenue, and programming.

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: A WORLD SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE • Shelton A. Gunaratne, Minnesota State University-Moorhead • The world system theory can provide a refreshingly different perspective of global press freedom. The starting point of assessing press freedom should be the world system, not the “atomistic” nation-state, because one cannot understand the part without knowing the whole, which is more than the sum of the parts. This essay proposes the application of a revised formulation of the world system theory-which presumes a capitalist world-economy dominated by three competing center-clusters each associated with a dependent hinterland of peripheral economic clusters-to examine global press freedom. It proposes a three-tiered typology for measuring press freedom at the world system, state, and individual levels. It suggests that press freedom indices should factor in the power of the center clusters, themselves led by a hegemon cluster, to flood the hinterlands technologically with a barrage of information-communication.

Propaganda in the U.S. and Russian Press: An Analysis of Coverage of the Kursk Submarine Disaster in American and Russian Wire Services • Elaine Hargrove-Simon, University of Minnesota• This paper examines U.S. and Russian coverage of the Kursk submarine disaster from the theoretical perspectives of framing and propaganda. The paper goes on to present a content analysis of Associated Press and ITAR/TASS coverage of the disaster in the weeks following the event. As hypothesized, the U.S. coverage was markedly more negative that the Russian coverage.

GROWING UP IN POST-COMMUNIST POLAND: THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN DEVELOPING POLITICAL ATTITUDES • Edward M. Horowitz, University of Oklahoma • Since the fall of communism researchers have viewed Central and Eastern Europe as a natural laboratory to see how young people develop the political attitudes, knowledge, and behavior to fully participate in democratic society. Corning out of a 40-year communist legacy and with the variability of the current political and socio-economic conditions, there have been concerns that young people would not develop democratic attitudes. In addition, changing mass media conditions have led to an explosion of broadcasting channels, as well as a wide variety of periodicals. A survey of Polish adolescents (N=1480) finds evidence that certain aspects of political socialization are occurring in Poland: adolescents’ political knowledge is high, increasing with age, and influenced by news sources. Intention to vote is similarly high. The role of the media is seen to be an important part of this socialization process. Implications for the future of Poland’s democracy are discussed.

Redefining Local News: How Daily Newspapers Reflect Their Communities’ International Connections • Beverly Horvit, Winthrop University • Because more than 10 percent of those living n the United States were born elsewhere, one might think it easy to show readers how international news affects their lives. This content analysis examines the cover-to-cover content of 10 newspapers from June 29-July 26, 1998, to determine if the content reflects their communities’ global ties. On average, the newspapers ran less than one international-related story a day that offered readers information on their community’s global connections.

Media, Popular Writings and the Rise of Chinese Nationalism in the 1990s • Yu Huang, Hong Kong Baptist University • The media in mainland China today has found itself in a winning position. Whilst still required to deliver to Party authority it has created an illusion of a more liberal and investigative media through altering its style to become increasingly populist, influential and commercially attractive in an expanding market environment. Much of this can be explain by the media and popular journalistic writings’ increasing adoption of a nationalist news frame; an allegiance with the unifying theme of nationalism that has become perhaps the most important officially-endorsed political development in China throughout the 1990s. This study attempts to trace the developments of this phenomenon, from the media’s pro-westernist stance during the 1980s to its anti-westernist position in the 1990s. Through the detailed analysis of the various media-adopted nationalist themes during the 1990s this study identifies (theorizes) a number of different patterns and strategies that have been endorsed by the media to project its news-frame through a nationalist framework.

WHAT IS THE STATE OE THE EMPEROR’S CLOTHES? AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CHINESE NEWS AS THE MOUTHPIECE OF THE PARTY AND GOVERNMENT • John Jirik, The University Of Texas-Austin • This paper investigates the CCTV (China Central Television) English news and determines that this example of the Chinese media cannot be considered a simple policy transmission instrument of the communist party and government. This problematizes the assumption that the Chinese media play a mouthpiece role. The paper draws on original research conducted throughout 1999 in an ethnography of the CCTV English newsroom, coupled with content analysis of output.

Attitudes toward Democracy among Journalism Students in Kazakstan • Stanley Ketterer and Maureen J. Nemecek, Oklahoma State University • Since the country’s independence in 1991, Kazakstan’s journalism has followed a jagged course of reversal from a relatively free atmosphere to a near consolidation of state control of information and the suppression of independent media. In this survey of Kazakstani journalism students, they reported they used traditional media, mainly broadcast, the most. They perceived individual human rights, free and fair elections, rule of law, and free speech and assembly as most important in a democracy. About half as many students strongly agreed that these principles were evident in Kazakstan.

National Interest or Global Perspectives? International News in the Korean Television Networks • Hun Shik Kim, University of Missouri-Columbia • This attitudinal study explores the perceptions of Korean television journalists toward international news and examines their selection criteria. Q factor analysis of 38 Korean broadcasters from television networks produced three factors: Realist Traditionalists, Reform Facilitators and Global Communicators. The results show that Korean journalists are driven by national interest concerns, and tend to select stories that reflect Korea’s close ties with certain countries. Apart from demonstrating an awareness of the imbalanced global news flow, the Korean broadcasters are also strongly opposed to media control by government and corporate advertisers.

Kicking off the New Millennium: News Frame Analysis on Korea and Japan’s Co-Hosting of the World Cup 2002 • Kihan Kim, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Jongmin Park, Pusan National University • On May 31, 1996, the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) announced that the World Cup 2002 will be co-hosted by Japan and the Republic of Korea. This will be the first World Cup hosted by more than one country and also the first to be held in Asia. Newspaper coverage of World Cup 2002 by Japan’s and Korea’s most prominent newspapers, The Daily Yomiuri and Chosun Ilbo, is analyzed quantitatively to understand their frames. This analysis eventually revealed the fact that both countries’ newspapers showed different frames of news based upon their own “national interest,” even in the absence of significant statistical difference in certain topic areas. Both Japan’s and Korea’s newspapers showed a negative attitude toward their counterpart’s “nationality.” However, each country’s news coverage dealt positively with its counterpart’s “preparation” for the World Cup 2002. In addition, each country’s newspaper highlighted issues that had more influence upon its own country. For example, Korea emphasized economic issues and Japan emphasized Japan’s soccer team, which is a reflection of the current issues and matters of concerns of each country: the economic crisis in Korea and the lack of World Cup experience and the diminishing interest in soccer in Japan.

REVEALING AND REPENTING SOUTH KOREA’S VIETNAM MASSACRE: A FRAME ANALYSIS OF A KOREAN NEWS WEEKLY’S ENGAGEMENT IN PUBLIC DELIBERATION • Nam-Doo Kim, University of Texas-Austin • A Korean weekly Hankyoreh21 ran an apology campaign after it uncovered South Korean army’s civilian killings in Vietnam War. This paper compares between the anti-campaign public discourse and the weekly’s media discourse through frame analysis. Based on a distinction between a core theme and criterion sub-themes, I identified the opposition between core themes of dishonored veterans and victims’ eyes. Specifically, a set of duels between the sub-themes anchored in specific value criteria were found. Further considerations to the symbolic resources employed and their implications are given.

Echoes in Cyberspace: Searching for Civic Minded Participation in the Online Forums of BBC Mundo, Chosun Ilbo, and the New York Times • Maria E. Len-Rios, Jaeyung Park, and Dharma Adhikari, University of Missouri-Columbia • This paper examines whether media-sponsored online discussion forums contribute to civic-minded participation, utilization of personal and community knowledge, and whether participation is related to the structure of the forum and interactivity. Content analysis of The New York Time’s Abuzz (U.S.A.) forum, BBC MUNDO’s “Foros” (U.K.) and the Chosun Ilbo’s Forum Chosun (South Korea) showed that participation is related to the structure of the forum, and that media-sponsored online forums do not appear to contribute to civic-minded participation, or to the utilization of common knowledge.

Supreme Court Obscenity Decisions in Japan and the United States: Cultural Values in the Interpretation of Free Speech • Yuri Obata and Robert Trager, The University of Colorado-Boulder • Although U.S. and Japanese constitutions guarantee freedom speech, obscenity is not protected in either country. However, how the two countries’ courts define “obscenity” and the values the use to decide if sexually explicit material is protected differ markedly. This paper discusses the differences in obscenity decisions between the U.S. and Japan, focusing on the Japanese cultural context, to consider how societal traditions influence, create and become manifest in different interpretations of freedom of expression.

Mirror or Lamp: Ethnic Media Use by Korean Immigrants in the U.S. • Hye K. Pae, George State University • This study uncovers factors influencing adaptation in relation to media use. Korean immigrants showed successful adaptation to the American society in terms of structural conglomeration by penetrating into the White residential area, and at the same time they showed high degree of ethnic attachment. A path analysis indicated that length of residence, host communication competence, and education were important factors influencing Korean immigrants’ adaptation. To the contrary, heavy viewing of Korean videotape and high degree of ethnic attachment served as negative factors in the course of adaptation.

Looking East, Looking West: International News Flow into Turkey via the Daily Press. • Yorgo Pasadeos, University of Alabama • no abstract available

The Use of Inoculation in International Political Campaigns-2000 Presidential Election in Taiwan • (Dennis) Weng-Jeng Peng, National Taiwan University and (Wayne) Wei-Kuo Lin, Chinese Culture University • Inoculation theory posits that through cognitive processing the likelihood of resistance to attitude change can be enhanced by applying inoculation treatments containing threat components that motivate individuals to generate counter arguments. The study employed inoculation strategies with a method of field experiment in an international context to examine the efficacy of inoculation. Major hypotheses of this study were supported by empirical data. People received inoculation pretreatments conferred more resistance to attitude change following exposure to a political attack message. Moreover, people who have higher strength of support for candidates are more resistant to counterattitudianl attacks. The nuances of inoculation theory and applications were further assessed and discussed.

Criss-Crossing Perspectives: Assessing Press Freedom and Press Responsibility in Germany and the United States • Horst Pottker, University of Dortmund and Kenneth Starck, The University of Iowa • This paper presents views of two media scholars—one from Germany, one from the United States—on press freedom and press responsibility. The goal was to make an assessment of their own press systems but also to attempt to learn from the other. The German perspective argues for more press freedom in Germany; the North American perspective maintains the need for more press responsibility in the United States. Authors conclude that insights about one’s own press system can be gained from considering factors in other systems.

The Private and Government Sides of Tanzanian Journalists • Jyotika Ramaprasad, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale • Against the backdrop of the evolution of Tanzania’s political and economic systems from the controlled to the liberal, this paper presents the concomitant evolution of Tanzania’s media from colonial and indigenous government control to private ownership. Using type of ownership (private, party or government) as a classifying variable, the paper then captures Tanzanian journalists’ current demographic, work related, and opinion profile with regard to the importance of their jobs, their journalistic freedom, and private and government media traits. The historical influences on Tanzanian media are apparent particularly in journalists attribution of traits to government and private media: the former will unify and develop the country, the latter will develop an informed citizenry but also be sensationalistic and unethical. Interestingly, the traits ascribed to government and private media were related to ownership of place of employment of the respondents.

Rooted in nations, blossoming in Globalization? A fresh look at the discourse of an alternative news agency in the age of interdependence • Jennifer Rauch, Indiana University – Bloomington• This paper compares, through qualitative methods, the discourse produced by Inter Press Service and the Associated Press on two globalization issues. The IPS mission of balancing international news flows is placed in the context of both interdependency and previous studies of wire service content. The finding of this study that these IPS texts differ meaningfully from the dominant agency’s – is discussed in relation to the larger challenge of informing the North of events in the South.

The Shrinking World of Network News • Daniel Riffe and Arianne Budianto, Ohio University • Analysis of 1970-2000 international news on ABC, CBS and NBC nightly news. Using four constructed weeks per year and the Television News Index and Abstracts, the study coded 24,794 news items. Trend analysis (Spearman’s rho) demonstrated that all three networks exhibited significant trends toward: fewer discrete news items per newscast, decreased international coverage, increases in “soft” and “bad” international news, decreased attention to developing countries, but increases in bad news from those countries.

Who Controls “Crtl + C”: A Study of the Effects of Media Ownership and Media Type in China • Lu Shi and Xueyi Chen, Syracuse University • This project is aimed at examining the influence of media ownership (state-owned media vs. privately-owned media) and media type (traditional media vs.on-line media) on media degree of conformity to official Party ideology in China. A content analysis of four media -the Bejing Youth Daily, 21dnn.com, Phoenix Satellite TV, and sina.com—shows that neither media ownership nor media type had any independent effect on media’s degree of conformity; only the interaction effect between these two variables was found significant. Meanwhile, sina.com, a privately-owned on-line medium, was shown to be significantly more deviant from official Party ideology than the other three media. The distribution of news sources and that of deviant news in relation to news type in all the four media were also investigated. Results suggest that by strategically and selectively using “CtrI+C” citing sources other than the Party’s mouthpiece and covering local news, where state control is more relaxed, sina.com achieved a higher level of deviation. The findings are also discussed within the framework of the symbiotic relation between the state and the business elite in China.

Cyber-Globalization: Media Framing on Short-Term Global Capital • Young Jun Son, Indiana University-Bloomington • Seven prestigious newspapers of four countries were content analyzed focusing on their news frames on short-term global capital flow. The newspapers of the United States and Singapore, in which financial policies are highly free and largely unrestricted, dominantly framed for free flow of speculative capital and great openness in global financial markets. However, the newspapers of Thailand and South Korea, in which financial policies are moderately free and which have both suffered recent economic crises, are more concerned about the control for speculative capital than those of the United States and Singapore.

Not another Chernobyl: Evidence of Russian candor during the sinking of the submarine Kursk • Stacy Spaulding, American University • In the confusion surrounding the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk, many U.S. newspapers were quick to declare a return to Soviet-era standards of secrecy because of conflicting and sometimes false information. But by examining coverage of the accident in three leading U.S. newspapers, this study found evidence that there was more openness than U.S. journalists recognized In particular, Russian sources figured more Prominently than U.S. sources in breaking news stories. Page one stories were also more likely to quote Russian sources than U.S. sources, and named Russian sources were quoted more often than named U.S. Sources, anonymous U.S. sources or anonymous Russian sources. This study examines the implications of these findings, drawing on a comparison to the Chernobyl disaster, and calls for a more nuanced understanding of contemporary Russian communication.

International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy • Joseph D. Straubhaar, University of Texas-Austin and Douglas A. Boyd, University of Kentucky • From the 1920s until 2001 international broadcasting has expanded to include television, not just the traditional form of long-distance electronic communication: mediumwave and shortwave radio. Traditionally done by governments and public corporations, international radio, and especially satellite-delivered television are increasingly commercial ventures, with CNN International and the BBC’s World being the most well known examples. This paper traces the evolution of international electronic communication in light of its present-day role in public diplomacy.

The Global News and the Pictures in Their Heads: A Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Foreign Media Coverage • Zixue Tai and Tsan-Kuo Chang, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities • News as a special kind of social product requires something to have taken place in the first place, to be captured by news people and published by the media, and ultimately to be consumed by the audience. Every stage is crucial for the news manufacturing process. This is especially true in international communication. This study examines the triangular relationship among what editors think as important news, what the audience likes, and what the U:S. and foreign media actually cover. The convergence and divergence of opinions from the audiences and the editors found in this study and media performance in coverage of some specific types of stories in the global context have important implications for better understanding of the processes and structure of international communication in society.

Press Freedom in Jamaica: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Government and Media Debates, 1990-2000 • Grace Virtue, Howard University • The Jamaican media industry has undergone profound changes in the past decade with growth in radio, television and print. With an often-fractious socio-political climate and traditions framed by slavery, colonialism and poverty, there is ongoing debate over how the society is being impacted by the media. This study is an attempt to determine how freedom of the press is conceptualized in Jamaica. A qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles and government documents were used for the study.

Coverage of International Elections in the U.S.: A Path Analysis Model of International News Flow • Wayne Wanta, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Guy Golan, University of Florida • A path analysis examined filters that may influence media coverage of international elections in the U.S. Western industrialized nations and U.N. Security Council members formed a core that received more coverage than peripheral nations. International interactions – trade with the U.S. and number of ancestors in the U.S. -transformed some nations into “semi-peripheral” nations, which received more coverage than other countries. Finally, international attributes – e.g., presence of nuclear weapons and gross domestic product – led some peripheral nations to receive coverage.

Cultural Differences in the Responses towards Offensive Advertising: A Comparison of Koreans, Korea-Americans, and Americans • Tae-Il Yoon, University of Missouri-Columbia and Kyoungtae Nam, University of Tennessee-Knoxville • This research reports on a cross-cultural study about the cultural differences in the affective responses toward offensive advertising. The research examined the issue by testing the reactions toward the controversial Benetton ads among three different groups (Korean, Korean-Americans, and Americans). The empirical data demonstrated that there were significantly cultural differences for non-offensive ad as well as for offensive ads. The results suggested that affective responses to advertising might be more culturally bounded than as expected. Its theoretical and managerial implications were discussed.

Four Effects in the Professionalization Process: A Study of Chinese Journalists in the Reform Era • Yong Zhang, University of Minnesota • Analyzing data from a nation-wide survey (n=1 ,649), this paper examines professional orientations of Chinese journalists in the reform era. Four major factors are found to influence the emergence of journalistic professionalism. They are historical experience represented by age cohort, communist party membership, one’s career path and experiences in professional improvement. Among these competing influences, journalists’ experience in professional improvement is found to be the most powerful predictor of accepting the general ideas of professionalism. The results are interpreted in light of the changing political, economic, and cultural milieu in China’s media reforms.

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Faculty Papers
Reflection of Cultural Values in Internet Advertising in Korea and the U.S.: A Theory-based Content Analysis • Daechun An, Ball State University • A content analysis of 600 advertising websites was performed to examine cultural values reflected in Internet advertising in Korea and the U.S. By employing Hall and Hofstede’s cultural values as theoretical frameworks, this study found a clear pattern of dissimilarities in the use of information cues and creative strategy, supporting the idea that the observed between-country differences were attributable to between-country differences in cultural values. In addition, this study demonstrated the effectiveness of the theoretical framework and their linkage with advertising appeals in visualizing a broad representative picture of cultural differences in Internet advertising.

Manufacturing Dislike: The Influence of Direct and Indirect Contact on Stereotypes of Foreigners • Christopher E. Beaudoin, Indiana University at Bloomington • Via a national telephone survey of 467 adults, the current study examines the influence that direct and indirect contact with foreigners has on stereotypes of foreigners. Direct contact with Chinese positively influenced stereotypes of Chinese people while international news attention (a form of indirect contact) negatively influenced stereotypes of Chinese people. International news attention and direct contact did not have significant influence on stereotypes of British. The effects of international news attention on stereotypes of both Chinese and British were more negative for respondents with low levels of direct contact than for respondents with high levels of direct contact.

The Rise of Anti-Americanism in India: A Case Study • Kalyani Chadha, University of Maryland • Widely manifest today, anti-Americanism is frequently sought to be explained in terms of broad generalizations as an ideological phenomenon rooted in opposition to American political and cultural values. This paper argues instead that anti-Americanism is more fruitfully analyzed as a contextual phenomenon and seeks to study it in the case of India, finding recent anti-Americanism within the middle class, to be rooted not in opposition to America’s values but to its foreign policies.

Accuracy and Fairness in News Reporting: How Foreign Newspapers Covered the 2004 Pre-Election Eve Shooting of the Taiwanese President • Kuang-Kuo Chang, Waipeng Lee, and Wenli Chen Nanyang Tehcnological University • Accuracy and fairness are two important journalistic values. However, international journalists have difficulties upholding them in news-breaking episodes. This study examines news coverage of the shooting of the President of Taiwan immediately before his recent reelection in major English-language newspapers. Sixty articles, representing newspapers from eight countries, were analyzed. Results show that journalists made factual mistakes and gave unfair prominence to the “Pan-Green” camp in Taiwan (i.e., the incumbent President, his allies and supporters).

The Influence of Contextual Factors on the Selection of News Frames: A Cross-National Approach to the News Coverage of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) • Kuang-Kuo Chang, Nanyang Tehcnological University; Charles T. Salmon, Byoungkwan Lee, Jounghwa Choi, and Geraldine Marie Zeldes, Michigan State University • SARS became the focus of massive news coverage throughout the world in 2003, riveting the attention of travelers, business owners and politicians alike. This paper reports a content analysis of SARS coverage in six nations directly affected by SARS, but to varying degrees. In particular, this paper examines the role of context-related factors in influencing media frames about the SARS epidemic. Implications of these and other findings are discussed in terms of journalistic practices and cultural factors.

A China without AIDS: A Longitudinal Study of AIDS News in People’s Daily, 1986 – 2002 • Dan Chen, Fudan University; Tsan-Kuo Chang and Dong Dong, University of Minnesota • News media seem to employ a different way to define AIDS and to represent people with AIDS (PWAs). In this longitudinal study, we try to outline the discourses surrounding HIV/AIDS in Chinese news media, discover the major news foci, and discuss the perceived outcomes resulted from the media’s representation and construction of AIDS in contemporary China. We find that driven by a predominant ideology of modernization, AIDS is regarded a social problem that might postpone or deter China’s fast pace toward modernization. Hence, People’s Daily, the most important Chinese Party organ, tries to make this issue invisible to the public.

The Perception of newsworthiness in ten countries: Journalists, public relations practitioners and news consumers • Akiba A. Cohen, Tel Aviv University; and Pamela J. Shoemaker, Syracuse University • Using a simulated newsroom selection task, the study found that across countries there was a positive relationship among how journalists, public relations practitioners and news consumers ranked the newsworthiness of newspaper items, that there was a positive relationship between how these people ranked stories and how prominently their newspapers actually presented them, and that the ranking of stories were more similar to each other than to their actual rankings in the newspapers.

Is it right, wrong, or different? Exploring the impact of cultural factors in validating research. • Barbara J. DeSanto, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; William Thompson, University of Louisville; and Danny Moss, M.A. Hons, Manchester Metropolitan University • Scholarship is an established resource providing practitioners and educators with knowledge to improve communication from business to academia. As communication explodes globally, the importance of sharing diverse cultural scholarship from around the world is critical to creating equal global understanding. This pilot study develops a framework to assess how the dominant paradigm of U.S.-based journals includes or excludes the diverse cultural scholarship of global scholars and suggests ways to further study international journal publication values.

The Text is the Vortex: Three African Newspaper Cartoon “Re-Presentations” of President, Press and International Lending Institutions in the Post-Cold War era • Lyombe Eko, University of Iowa • This study analyzed the “re-presentation” of African presidents, the African press and the international lending institutions (the IMF and the World Bank) in the cartoons of two independent African satirical newspapers, Le Cafard Libéré of Senegal, and Le Messager Popoli of Cameroon. The cartoons of a mainstream newspaper, The Daily Nation of Nairobi, Kenya were added for purposes of linguistic and regional balance. The analysis was carried out within the framework of Legrand’s “re-presentation,” and Deleuze and Guattari’s “deterritorialization” Perspectives.

The View From Here: A News-flow Study of the On-line Editions of Canada’s National Newspapers • Mike Gasher, Concordia University • Employing a methodology adapted to the anaylsis of newspaper sites on the World Wide Web, this paper reports on an international news-flow study of the on-line editions of Canada’s three national newspapers: the Globe and Mail, the National Post and Le Devoir. If the Internet provides the technological capacity for newspapers to expand their news geography beyond conventional borders, this paper seeks to determine whether there is any evidence that newspapers are doing so.

News about the EU Constitution: Journalistic challenges and media portrayal of the European Constitution • Martin Gleissner and Claes H. de Vreese, University of Amsterdam • This multi-method study investigates how news media in Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands covered the European Union Constitution. The study draws on interviews with Brussels correspondents and a content analysis of television news and national newspapers. Results show that the Constitution entered and vanished from the media agenda, the tone of the coverage was predominately negative, and the issue was reported from a European angle. Explanations of these results come from journalists’ relation with EU institutions, their home news organizations, and their perception of the audience.

A Descriptive Analysis of Family Interactions in the Television Daily Drama in Korea: Cross-cultural Approach • Jong Won Ha, Sun Moon University • Many television dramas have featured families as the primary story vehicle. This paper aimed to analyze the family interactions focusing on the power process across family roles in Korean daily drama in comparison with American drama. The interactions between family members were characterized by conflicts of female members with the exception of wives. Mothers, daughters, sisters, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were arranged at the core of conflicts and struggles in contrast to their counterparts: fathers, sons, brothers, fathers-in-law and sons-in-law, namely men. It was dissimilar to those of American drama.

Who dominates the debate? Five news agencies and their sources before the U.S.-Iraq war • Beverly Horvit, Texas Christian University • A stratified random sample of 321news articles related to the U.S.-Iraq conflict from Jan. 31, 2003, to Feb. 18, 2003, was selected from five news agencies – AP, Agence France Presse, Xinhua, ITAR-TASS and Inter Press Service. U.S. official sources were the most frequently used, and only ITAR-TASS — showed nationalistic bias in its sourcing. However, the non-Western news agencies offered readers more diverse sourcing in their coverage of the debate leading up to the war.

Gratifications Sought from New Technology: Cellular Telephones in the Lives of Japanese Youth • Hiromi Kondo and Tony Rimmer, California State University • Uses and gratifications theory was used to explain why young people use cellular telephones to satisfy their social and psychological needs. A summer 2003 survey of 1,292 high school and college students in Japan found very high levels of cell phone ownership and use. A cellular phone was seen by respondents as an important medium for maintaining relationships with peers. But beyond just talk, cell phones fulfilled socialization desires for Japanese young people. Use of other mass media by young people was not related to cell phone use.

The Contextual Effects of Gender Norms, Communication, and Social Capital on Family Planning Behaviors in Uganda: A Multi-Level Approach • Byoungkwan Lee, Charles T. Salmon and Kim Witte, Michigan State University; and Hye-Jin Paek, University of Wisconsin-Madison • This study hypothesized a multi-level model to examine the contextual effects of gender norms, exposure to health-related radio programs, interpersonal communication, and social capital on family planning behavior in Uganda. The results of HLM showed that all of the four variables were marginally significant predictors of family planning behavior. We found that gender norms as a contextual factor significantly interacted with the individual-level perceived benefit. The significant cross-level interaction between the contextual variable of exposure to a health-related radio program and the individual-level variable of interpersonal communication was also found.

National Interest and Source Use In the Coverage of U.S.-China Relations: A Content Analysis of The New York Times and People’s Daily 1987-1996 • Xigen Li, Arkansas State University • This study examined relationship between national interest and source use in the coverage of U.S.-China relations in their respective elite newspapers of record, The New York Times and People’s Daily. The findings provided support to source dependency in international news coverage and impact of national interest on news content. The findings suggest the relationship between national interest and source use was decided by what was the central interest of the respective country in bilateral relations and how the issues involving national interest was presented by the newspapers.

The Framing of SARS: An Analysis of News Coverage in China and in the United States • Catherine A. Luther and Xiang Zhou, University of Tennessee • This research study examines how the press in the United States and in China framed the story of SARS. While showing that the news frames of economics, responsibility, and human-interest, previously established in other studies were also present in the U.S. and Chinese press coverage of SARS, it also identified a new frame, leadership. How these frames were presented differed depending on the origin of the newspaper.

Confronting gazes: Framing of Saudi women in the American press and American women in the Saudi press • Smeeta Mishra, University of Texas at Austin • This paper analyzes framing of Saudi women in the American press and compares it with representations of American women in the Saudi press by using an empirical ‘list of frames’ approach and drawing upon the critique of Orientalism, second level agenda setting and framing, and feminist critical analysis. Results show that the American press emphasizes restrictions on Saudi women over all other aspects of their lives. The Saudi press highlights ‘questionable values and superficial freedoms’ of American women among other frames.

Crime, Violence and Implications to HIV/AIDS Prevention: Challenges for Behavior Change Communication for in Jamaica • Nancy Muturi, University of the West Indies • Behavior change communication is an effective intervention in HIV/AIDS prevention but faces many challenges particularly in resource poor countries where socio-cultural and economic factors mitigate behavior change. This paper examines the impact of sexual violence on HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, which the author contends, is contributing to the HIV/AIDS infection ranking the Caribbean only second to sub-Saharan Africa. Data for the study are gathered through a combination of participatory research methods in Jamaica.

“Nobody came to tell us how to live but how to die”: A HIV/AIDS focus group in sub-Sahara Africa • Emanuel Nneji, Utah State University • This study examines and compares the perceptions of two cohorts of indigenous communities in Nigeria and Botswana, in relation to their participatory communication experience in HIV health-related programs and considers appropriate ways of effectively involving them in such programs. Based on focus group discussions carried out by the author in Nigeria and Botswana in 2002, it is found that none of the focus group participants in either country had any full participatory experience.

International Students in the United States: Sojourners Using Home Country Media • Prajakta Paranjpe Mumbai India; and Jyotika Ramaprasad, Southern Illinois University • Set within the context of sojourning literature as well as uses and gratifications theory, this study examined how international students in the United States used home country mass media to satisfy their needs for information, integration with co-nationals, and familiarity. International students had relatively high use of home country media and above average needs for information, social integration, and familiarity. Their English competency, intention to return home, level of adjustment to the host culture, and needs predicted home country media use either or both in terms of time spent on and attention paid to home country media.

Internet Dependency Relations in Cross National Contexts: A Study of American and Indian Internet Users • Padmini Patwardhan, Texas Tech University; Jyotika Ramaprasad, Southern Illinois University • This study of American and Indian Internet users is one of the first to conduct a cross-country investigation of user-Internet connections within a micro-analytic Media System Dependency (MSD) framework. Using the term Internet Dependency Relations (IDR) to describe these relations, the study investigated 1) overall IDR intensity and intensity of IDR for six goal dimensions specified by MSD theory (social & self understanding, action & interaction orientation, and social & solitary play) and 2) demographic, geographic, and Internet use-related predictors of IDR. Data were collected through a cross-sectional online survey administered to a non-probability sample of American and Indian Internet users (n = 700).

Hybridity and the Rise of the Korean Media in Asia • Doobo Shim, National University of Singapore • A newly-coined phrase Korean wave, which refers to the Korean media culture enjoying popularity across East and Southeast Asia, is representative of the recent regional media development. This paper, by examining the recent big leap of the Korean media industries, argues that the U.S. dominance thesis of the globalization is not entirely justified. Although popular entertainment forms such as film and television are Western invention, Koreans have provided their own twists to the media by blending indeigenous characteristics and adding their unique flourishes in often innovative ways.

Libel Law In India: Following In Sullivan’s Footsteps • Robert L. Spellman, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale • New York Times v. United States revolutionized the law of libel in the United States. It eliminated the harsh strict liability regime of the common law of libel. Sullivan and its progeny held that the First Amendment did not permit public officials and public figures to collect damages for libel unless they proved knowing falsity or reckless disregard of truth or falsity. Other common law nations have rejected Sullivan. The one exception is India. In Rajagopal v. Tamil Nadu the Supreme Court of India adopted a Sullivan-like rule for public officials or public figures to collect libel damages.

Bias in International Coverage? Two U.S. Newspapers’ Treatment of the Venezuelan Political Crisis in 2002-2003 • Kristen Stevens, Natalia Matukhno, Julie Shaw, and Jose Benítez, Ohio University • The focus of this content analysis is to investigate how two major U.S. newspapers—the New York Times and the Washington Post—covered the political crisis in Venezuela from February 2002 through January 2003. This study analyzes the coverage by these newspapers of political, social, and economic discord in Venezuela during a time when U.S. policy was directly opposed to President Chåvez.

Improving internal relationships in South African newsrooms: the need for managerial competencies • Elanie Steyn and TFJ Steyn, North-West University; and Arnold S de Beer, University of Stellenbosch • The Sanef 2002 National Journalism Skills Audit found that bureaucratic managers could not understand today’s young people (having) no respect for or loyalty to the … organization. However, participatory managers reported improved staff loyalty and output. South African media managers witness employees demanding more inclusion in decision-making. This paper investigates whether managerial competencies of communication, planning and administration, teamwork, strategic action, global awareness and self-management might improve newsroom management, and ultimately journalism output in the country. This is also the focus of a second Sanef Audit currently underway.

Our brothers’ keeper: An analysis of media coverage of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1981-2002 • Dulcie M. Straugham, North Carolina at Chapel Hill • This content analysis study of network evening news coverage of the AIDS crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past 21 years examines the scope of topics covered, the sources used in news stories frames employed by the media to talk about AIDS. Findings suggest that although coverage of the issue is slim, there has been an increase recently. Frames identified are similar to those found in earlier studies of coverage of the AIDS crisis in the United States.

The Influence of Cultural Parameters on Videostyles of Televised Political Spots in the U.S. and Korea • Jinyoung Tak, Keimyung University; Lynda Lee Kaid and Hyoungkoo Khang, University of Florida • Considering cross-cultural aspects of political communication, this study explored how political advertising plays a conspicuous role as an indicator of cultural orientations by comparing and contrasting videostyles of the televised political spots between the United States and Korea since the presidential elections in 1992. A content analysis of verbal, nonverbal, and production components of the videostyles shows that televised political spots were highly reflective of the respective cultural values with regard to high-low context communication, degree of uncertainty avoidance, nonverbal expressions, and the social aspect of Che-Myon.

HIV/AIDS as News: A Case Study Analysis of the Journalistic Coverage of HIV/AIDS by an African Newspaper • Nelson Traquina, New University of Lisbon • When is HIV/AIDS selected as news? This paper is a case study analysis of the news coverage of HIV/AIDS in an African country, Angola that has been ravaged by a civil war since independence from Portuguese rule in 1975 until a cease-fire in 2002. The coverage by Angola’s only daily newspaper, Jornal de Angola, is compared with coverage provided by two Portuguese dailies, Diário de Notícias and Correio da Manhã, in similar years, namely, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1998 and 2000.

Renegotiating Media in the Post-Soviet Era: Western Journalistic Practices in the Armenian Radio Program Aniv • Gayane Frunze Torosyan and Kenneth Starck, University of Iowa • This study explored the interplay of Soviet-style and Western journalistic conventions by examining an Armenian commercial radio news program, Aniv, which is broadcast nationally and produced through an American-funded non-governmental organization, Internews. Six issues guided the inquiry: (1) Objectivity, (2) Newsworthiness, (3) Social Role of Journalism, (4) Competition, (5) Professional Values, (6) Education and Employment. Results of personal interviews and observations indicated that success in promoting societal discourse is dependent on adapting imported practices to local circumstances.

The Cross-cultural Effects of American TV Programs on Nigerian Audiences • Chioma Ugochukwu, University of South Carolina • This experimental study investigates the effects of American-produced entertainment programs on Nigerian audiences’ knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and values, using the cultural imperialism theory as a framework. The subject pool for the experiment consisted of 482 senior secondary school boys and girls from Nigeria, who are representatives of the three major ethnic/religious groups in the country.

“Robed Revolutionaries:” Internet and Television Usage by Students in the UAE • Tim Walters, Zayed University; Lynne Masel Walters, Texas A&M University, Fatma Abdulrabam Mohamed Abdulraham • The students of the title are 20-ish, female Emirati students at Zayed University who move back and forth between the traditional Islamic culture of their families and the modernized Western culture they experience through the media and on the campus. This paper looks at the when, where, and how the use television and the Internet and what they are looking for as they use it. This paper seeks to answer some of these questions and frame further discussion of media use in the modern Middle East.

Newsgathering Practices: How Hong Kong Journalists Operate in the Newsroom • Doreen Weisenhaus, University of Hong Kong • There has been a dramatic rise worldwide in concern over journalistic practices. These issues are considered particularly relevant in Asia as the media play increasingly important roles in fledgling democracies such as Hong Kong, emerging market-oriented systems such as mainland China and more established but politically volatile democracies such as Thailand. This study looks at actual newsroom practices in Hong Kong through the results of a survey of 422 journalists and considers some of the implications of their use.

Shock and Awe: Media Impact on Anxiety and International Support for the Iraq War • Lars Willnat, George Washington University • This study investigates the impact of news coverage about the prelude to the Iraq War on people’s emotional reactions to the war and their international support for the Iraq War. The analysis is based on a survey conducted before and after the start of the war among 2,286 university students from seven countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. The findings indicate that exposure to war coverage is associated with more fear of terrorism, higher levels of war anxiety, and less support for the Iraq War in general.

Ideologies of Crime Coverage in Chinese Media: A Case Study of Chinese Commercial Portals’ Newscontent and Interactivity • Li Xiao and Judy Polumbaum, University of Iowa • Analyzing news stories, commentaries, and readers’ discussions of a sensational serial murder case on China’s two most popular commercial online portals, this study examines how the Internet’s medium-specific characteristics of unlimited space and interactivity facilitate both reinforcement and challenges to dominant ideologies of crime coverage. Textual analysis yields four themes in the news coverage and three themes in readers’ discussions suggesting that both process are underway simultaneously.

Examining the Cultural Paradox Hypothesis on Commercial Websites • Tae-Il Yoon, Hallym University; and Esther Thorson, University of Missouri at Columbia • This study attempts to examine how consumers from different cultural backgrounds respond to visual cues (advertising models) and verbal cues (language) embedded in commercial websites. The results of a web-based experiment confirmed de Mooiji’s (1998) cultural paradox hypothesis. The participants belonging to an Eastern culture were more likely to favor the visual/ verbal cues featuring Western culture, whereas the participants of a Western culture responded more favorably to the visual cues representing Eastern culture.

Changes in Chinese JMC Schools’ Curricula Since China’s Media Reform and Entry into WTO • Ernest Zhang, Fritz Cropp, and Wayne Wanta, University of Missouri at Columbia • This study investigated changes to the curricula of the Chinese schools of journalism and mass communication (JMC) since China’s media reform and entry into the World Trade Organization. Guided by the diffusion of innovations theory, this study discovered the current Chinese curricula, which were inspired by the American curricula, have become more business-related and mass communication-oriented.

Student Papers
Identity via Satellite: A Case Study of the Kurdish Satellite Station Medya TV • Andrea E. Allen, University of Texas at Austin • The content of the Kurdish satellite television station Medya TV was intended to appeal to all Kurds regardless of whether they lived in the Middle East or diaspora. This qualitative study of the station’s goals and programming reveals that while Medya TV produced diverse content to appeal to a variety of Kurdish experiences, the station still privileged a “modern mentality.” This raises questions about the hegemony of values in diasporic media organizations.

The African Hunger Fad: Once in Vogue, Now Out of Style? An Analysis of ABC, CBS and NBC News Networks August 1968-August 2003 • Rucha Chitnis, Ohio University • In the 21st century, researchers suggest that famines have largely prevailed in Africa, although risks continue in other nations. This study examined ABC, CBS, and NBC’s coverage of famines that have struck the African continent. The results of this study showed that TV news networks’ coverage of hunger places prominence on the food crisis in very few countries. The media have largely failed in bringing African famines to the attention of viewers in its earlier stages. The media also use standardized sources in the famine coverage. Famines when packed with other newsworthy or entertaining elements receive more coverage.

Failing Hegemony: A Comparative Content Analysis of the Coverage of the Lead-up to the Attack on Iraq in 2003 in the World Media • Erin Collins, Martin Jensen, Peter Kanev, Matt MacCalla, Aalborg University, Denmark • The media in a hegemonic system follow and reinforce the ‘spin’ of the political elites. This ability of the powerful to enlist the media in their campaigns against enemies, real or imagined, is an indicator of the elites’ power to convince and to define the limits and flow of the public discourse. The US-led war against Iraq in the early 2003 was preceded by a media debate, which demonstrated that global media are breaking new ground. News outlets from around the world challenged the dominant news frame of the United States. While in a similar conflict 12 years earlier the world the news outlets of 2003 did not buy into the story of the ‘Coalition of the Willing.’ This implies a serious challenge of the global hegemon’s ‘soft power’ to convince and to conduct policy without resorting to coercion.

Content Analysis: A Study of the Top Frequently Visited Web Sites in the United States, China, and Korea • Corie Forrest, Gennadi Gevorgyan, Cong Li, and Youjeong Kim, Kansas State University • The current study identifies the relationship between cultural variability and online communication. Hofstede’s model of cultural variability is used as the theoretical framework to compare the Web site design in the United States, China, and Korea. The results of the study suggest that the four cultural dimensions examined (collectivism, power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance) in the context of Web site design demonstrate different levels across cultures. The implications of cultural variability are discussed.

My news or your news? CNN Interactive’s regionalization policy • Margaretha Geertsema University of Texas at Austin • Based on theories of globalization, a content analysis of CNN Interactive’s regional Web sites were conducted in 2002 and 2003 to determine whether CNN is indeed targeting regional audiences with these sites. The study shows not only that CNN successfully regionalizes its stories, but that it refined its regionalization strategy over the last two years. However, CNN lacks in original content on the pages for Africa, the Americas and the Middle East, and these regions remain undercovered.

“We Are What We Watch” A Media Ethnography of Hybridity, Acculturation, and Ghorba Among Arab-Canadian Families • Adel Iskandar, University of Kentucky • This paper is an ethnographic study of the processes by which Arab immigrants in Canada contest their identities and how their consumption and negotiation of mass mediated narratives from national and transnational satellite television both assist and resist the process of acculturation into Canadian society. By employing exploratory focus groups and extended participant observation among immigrant families, this study showcases the strategies by which these families articulate their Arab and Canadian identities. The study also reveals and explicates the term Ghorba as a conceptual tool to assist in the examination of the contrasting forces and pressures affecting social and cultural assimilation.

Blacklisted and Defiant: Voices of Middle Eastern Political Struggle in Cyberspace • Amani Ismail, University of Iowa • Cyberspace’s capacity to communicate messages across various entities distinguishes this medium from others. It allows messages of those stigmatized by society and mainstream media to be conveyed. The stigmatized include political violence groups, sometimes called “terrorists.” Textual analysis of web sites of two organizations classified as “terrorist” by the U.S. government examines how cyberspace allows them to deliver their ideologies. Findings suggest that the Internet may be empowering for them, contrary to mainstream media’s representation.

Exploring Influential Factors on Music Piracy across Countries • Eyun-Jung Ki, Byenghee Chang and Hyoungkoo Khang, University of Florida • This study explored various determinant factors influencing music piracy rates across countries. The results of regression analysis showed that GDP, Individualism, Intellectual property protection and size of music market has significantly associated with the music piracy rates across the globe.

Reporting Al-Jazeera’s Close Encounter With U.S. Militarism: A Comparative Content Analysis Of American And British Newspapers’ Post-9/11 Wartime Journalism • Nam-Doo Kim and Seckjun Jang, University of Texas at Austin • Given the recent repercussions of Arab network al-Jazeera’s wartime prominence, we conducted a comparative content analysis of the New York Times and the Guardian to examine their uses of al-Jazeera-sourced information and voices, portrayals of the Arab medium and related issues, and presentations of al-Jazeera-sourced Osama bin Laden’s statements. We predicted that the British newspaper would be more active in use of the media source, more favorable in description of the Arab medium, and more serious treatment of the terrorist messages than the American counterpart.

News Coverage of U.S. War in Iraq: A Comparison of The New York Times, The Arab News, and The Middle East Times • Changho Lee, University of Texas at Austin • This study investigated how The New York Times, The Arab News, and The Middle East Times reflected their national interests in their coverage of the Iraqi War. Overall, The New York Times emphasized U.S. war efforts, citing primarily U.S. officials while the Arab newspapers devoted more space to antiwar voices, citing primarily Arab sources. Thus, national interest became an important factor influencing media coverage of conflicts. Considering overall findings, The New York Times followed the interests of an attacking country whereas Arab newspapers reflected the interests of an attacked country.

Do You Mirror Me? – Intermedia Agenda Setting Effects among 8 Online Media in Korea • Gunho Lee, University of Texas at Austin • This study explores the intermedia agenda-setting effects among 8 Korean online newspapers, 5 of which are online extensions of traditional media; one is an online edition of a wire service, and the other 2 are “original” online newspapers, which were born on the Internet. Rank order correlations revealed that some of the traditional media’s online siblings influence others of the same kind, while they have no such effect on the original online newspapers. Original online newspapers and the wire service showed weak agenda-setting effects on the traditional media’s online counterparts, but they do not have any agenda-setting effects on original online newspapers.

Standardized, Localized, or Glocalized Programming?: An Analytical Study of MTV’s Programming Strategy in Japan • Goro Obo, University of Florida • Glocalization, characterized by cultural fusion as a result of adaptation of foreign products to suit local tastes and needs, is an omportant strategy used by many transnational media corporations. This study examined how glocalized television programming works, taking MTV Japan for example. It was discovered that glocalized programming was prominent, occupying 63 percent of the programming schedule, provided the network had a comparative advantage in the industry, and met viewers’ demands for local and foreign music.

World AIDS Day and Relevant Campaigns: How They Affected the International Media Coverage of AIDS • Qi Qiu, University of Missouri at Columbia • This study examined the role of World AIDS Day and campaigns around it in setting media agenda. Content analysis of worldwide print media coverage of AIDS during and outside the World AIDS Day 2003 period indicated that AIDS Day affected the media agenda by boosting coverage of AIDS. Additionally, the study found that campaign scale rather than real world factors was a strong predictor of media coverage of AIDS, as suggested by information subsidy theory.

President Bush Visits Africa: An analysis of Botswana’s Daily News and South Africa’s Mail & Guardian • Denise St. Clair, University of Wisconsin at Madison • Using framing as both theory and method, this paper evaluates how two key African newspapers — one from Botswana, the government owned Daily News, and one from South Africa, the independent Mail & Guardian—covered President Bush’s July 2003 trip to Africa. This study builds on Entman’s work on framing, and seeks to see if Entman’s hypothesis that newspapers support the dominant ideology of their government holds true in international settings.

An Islamist Newspaper Faces West: Commentaries in Zaman’s English and Turkish Editions
During a Seismic Year • Kristen S. Stevens, Ohio University • This study analyzes Turkish commentaries translated for an online English edition, Zaman, between March 2003-March 2004, and compares coverage between Zaman’s Turkish and English language editions surrounding the November 2003 terrorist attacks in Istanbul. An analysis of the primary topic selection in moderate Islamist Zaman’s articles and commentaries revealed that there has been a change in its coverage since the attacks in November 2003 – and some surprising substantial ideological consonance between the different language editions.

Chinese National Identity with Global Characteristics: A Look at Hollywood Films Reception by Popular Cinema • Weiqun Su, University of Minnesota • Hollywood films, from the perspective of cultural studies scholars, are seen as having been actively advocating the American way of life and American values. However, China’s case is very unique in the sense that its reception of Hollywood films changes with the drastic change in its internal politics: from seeing Hollywood films as reinforcing the traditional Marxist vision of evil capitalism, to seeing Hollywood films as the manifestation of the American way of life and to the celebration of the ethos of film stars.

China’s Image of Japan: Framing in Chinese Media, 2002 • Xiaopeng Wang, Ohio University • A poll conducted in 2002 indicated that anti-Japanese sentiment was rising in China. Critics argued that negative coverage of Japan greatly affected people’s attitudes. This study analyzes Chinese Global Times, one major newspaper mainly covering world news in China, and finds that Japan was framed as an economical partnership and a historical foe of China. However, no significant correlation was found between media frames and people’s perceptions of Japan.

Reflecting The Caribbean: A Content Analysis of the BBC’s Online News Coverage of Four Caribbean Countries • Kallia Wright, Ohio University • This paper explores the amount of coverage the British Broadcasting Corporation’s news website allocates to four Caribbean countries, Haiti, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in terms of stories on conflict and resolution. The research exposed that over a five-year period over 75% of the online stories posted by the BBC on the countries focused on conflict. Additionally, no attention was given to Haiti’s bicentenary independence celebrations in comparison to the amount of coverage the country’s conflicts received.

Bicultural identity and its effects on fear appeal perception for health messages • Cui Yang, University of Minnesota • This research project is to determine under what condition, how cultural identity may impact the persuasion of fear appeals, particularly in the domain of individuals’ decision making to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), among biculturals with both Chinese and American cultural backgrounds. This study found evidence that the effect of cultural situation cues and health message content are moderated by dual cultural identity, or the perceived compatibility or opposition between ethnic and mainstream cultures. Findings suggest that in health campaigns, it is important to understand how cultural frame switching facilitates or hinders the processing of health information.

Imported American Television Programs and Viewers’ Satisfaction with Personal Life and Society in South Korea • Hyeseung Yang, Pennsylvania State University • This study explored how the values and images embedded in exported “mainstream” U.S. media may function as a catalyst that deteriorates individuals’ subjective well-being in developing, “marginalized” countries. The survey results show that heavy viewing of American television programs among people living in South Korea is associated with amplified estimates of Americans’ affluence and consequently lower satisfaction with Korean society. Implications of findings in terms of international cultivation research are discussed.

Their Word against Ours: News Discourse of the 2003 Gulf War Civilian Casualties in CNN and Aljazeera • Mervat Youssef, University of Iowa • In times of war the reporting of casualties becomes one of the most controversial issues. Journalists have to walk the fine line between reporting the suffering of civilians and avoiding accusations of being mouthpieces of the enemy. Textual analysis of news reporting Iraqi casualties on both CNN and Aljazeera suggests that both news outlets disseminated propagandistic messages as they downplayed casualties. In either case, propaganda served a different and distinct sociological function.

The Ecology of Games Shaping China’s Television Broadcasting Policy: Analysis of the conditional broadcasting licenses to foreign cable TV • Jia Zhang, University of Washington • October 2001 marked a breakthrough for western television broadcasters that AOL Time Warner first reached a cable carriage agreement with the Chinese government. This paper employs an ecology of games as an analytical approach to study this conditional broadcast licensing policy, providing explanations about the context, the actors and their behaviors in the policy-making process. The analysis also suggests certain features that are characteristically Chinese about the ecology of games shaping the television broadcasting policy.

The U.S. News Coverage of China Related to WTO Membership in the Pre-WTO Eras • Miao Zhang, Ohio University • This study analyzed four US newpapers, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, to explore how US news media covered China and its WTO membership in the pre-WTO eras. Findings show that US news coverage of China and WTO membership is much less in the post-WTO era than in the pre-WTO era, and that news focus and countries discussed changed significantly. However, non-Chinese sources remained dominant in news coverage.

Effect of Chinese Cultural Ties in Chinese National’s Media Use • Ting Maggie Zhang, Syracuse University • This paper examines the relationship between the strength of Chinese national’s cultural ties and their use of Chinese-language media and English-language media in the United States. It uses acculturation/adaptation theory and sees Chinese cultural ties as a reverse process of acculturation. A survey method is employed at the individual level to study the topic.

Shenbao: Cultivating a Modern Chinese Public Sphere, 1872-1889 • Xiang Zhou, University of Tennessee at Knoxville • This exploratory study examines the Shenbao, an influential daily Chinese-language newspaper published by a British merchant in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1872, highlighting its editorial efforts in bridging communication between the Chinese and Western communities and helping cultivate a modern society in the important transformation period of China. This study may help readers become aware of the political and moral implications of the debate about the role of the foreign communities in China’s development.

<< 2004 Abstracts

Minorities and Communication 2011 Abstracts

African-American Students’ Perceptions of Public Relations Education and Practice: Implications for Minority Recruitment • Kenon A. Brown, The University of Alabama; Candace White, University of Tennessee; Damion Waymer, Virginia Tech University • In-depth interviews were conducted with African-American public relations students to explore their perceptions of public relations and the role race may play in their career success. The motivations for pursuing public relations and perceptions of the field are not different than those of other groups of students found in previous studies. However, the findings provide insights that are helpful in recruiting African-American students, and also in retaining them in the major. Central themes that emerged from the data are that it is important to have African-American role models, and that students’ view race as a fact of life that can be both a barrier and an asset.

What Y’all Laughin’ At? Humor Theory in Tyler Perry’s Sitcoms • Teddy Champion, University of Alabama • This paper examines a sample of content from Tyler Perry’s two television shows, House of Payne and Meet the Browns, in order to scrutinize specific joke types from a creative voice that has dominated film and television for the past five years. Analysis incorporates both cultural and psychological aspects of the characters and of the audience using two major theories of humor: misattribution and superiority. References to other sitcoms give a context for Perry’s comedy, noting comparisons to other black and non-black artists or characters, with the goal of defining how Perry’s agenda may affect audiences.

Expanding the Parameters of Research on the News Media & the Other: The Faisal Shahzad Case Study and ‘Homegrown’ Terrorism • Angie Chuang, American University School of Communication; Robin Chin Roemer, American University Library • Research on news media representations of the Other has generally addressed racial minorities, immigrants, and Muslims as often-disparate areas of study with some similarities but few overlaps. In particular, since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the question of Muslim Americans as an identity group has at times been viewed through the scholarly lens of race and, more often, through assessments of coverage patterns of terrorism. This case study focuses on the Pakistani American perpetrator of the 2010 attempted Times Square bombing. It contextualizes newspaper coverage of Faisal Shahzad with existing research on Orientalism and Other identity, as well as on media representations of black, immigrant, and Muslim Americans. The findings include that in constructing Shahzad as a new kind of “homegrown terrorist,” newspapers deviated from historical representational patterns of immigrant Americans observed in previous scholarship on the general topic. The papers gave near equal emphasis to Shahzad’s “normal American” characteristics as they did to his alien, foreign, Other ones.

Sources of health information for American Indians in the Midwest United States • Mugur Geana, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas; Allen Greiner, Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas; Angelia Cully; Myrietta Talawyma, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health KUMC; Christine Makosky Daley, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health KUMC • American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) have significantly higher rates of tuberculosis, alcoholism, diabetes, death by traffic accidents and suicide compared to the general population; American Indians show poor results on other health outcomes and are near the top of the list for unhealthy behaviors, such as obesity and smoking. Providing target audiences with accurate and culturally tailored health information has been shown to influence health attitudes and behaviors. The present study explores sources of health information for American Indians from the Midwest United States, their preferences for information presentation, and their use of health information during the medical encounter. We conclude that campaigns targeting Natives should be narrow focused and be community driven or employing community resources. American Indians use a diversity of media sources to obtain health information, with Internet being an underutilized, but highly regarded source. Partnership with the IHS providers and pharmacists may offer the “expert” advice needed to enforce attitude or behavioral change.

“To Plead Our Own Cause”: How Citizen Journalism Served as a Vehicle for Racial Equality in Austin, Texas, Post 1968 • Dean Graber, University of Texas – Austin • Sociologist Anthony M. Orum (1987) has described the history of Austin, Texas, as a series of struggles between capitalism and democracy, and a set of conflicting visions over the city’s growth. Early in the 20th century, a core group of Austin leaders envisioned a metropolis built on industry, wealth, and private property. However, other Austinites—many concentrated in the East Side, home to large Black and Mexican American neighborhoods—imagined a city in which greater numbers of people share the benefits of growth and take part in defining the city’s future. Orum identifies Austin’s daily newspapers as key promoters of the capitalist vision. In contrast, this paper presents the trajectories of three East Austin publications produced outside traditional settings in 1968–1982, the period when the civil rights movement turned to focus on matters of desegregation. I use a comparative-historical method described by sociologist Mounira M. Charrad as “examining how long-term trajectories combine with short-term developments at critical historical moments to lead to different political outcomes.” The publications are presented as emerging at crucial moments in Austin’s history and combining with long-term legacies of inequality and discrimination. The resulting media demonstrated a varied mix of ideologies, objectives, and practices toward achieving equal citizenship. I argue that the small-scale newspapers form a history of citizen journalism that pre-dated the Internet by several decades, and that journalism discussions that emphasize Internet-based media as catalysts for “citizen media” should

Covering Immigration: Journalists’ Perceptions of Geo-Ethnic Storytelling • Josh Grimm, Texas Tech University • In 2006, millions of immigrants protested in cities around the nation against H.R. 4437, a new bill in Congress that threatened to treat undocumented immigrants as felons. I interviewed editors and reporters at California newspapers about the debate surrounding this bill to determine the presence and/or prevalence of geo-ethnic storytelling, which posits that racial and geographic location of a particular community creates a unique network for telling and understanding stories. These results suggest that editors acknowledge the importance of race and community, but that these factors do not influence news coverage of immigration issues.

Story-Chatterers Stirring Up Hate: Racist Discourse in Reader Comments on U.S. Newspaper Websites • Summer Harlow, University of Texas – Austin • This content analysis of online comments explores how readers discuss race in online newspaper forums, and provides insight for editors struggling to meet the Kerner Commission’s objectives. Results show that reader comments included racial terms, even when the article did not. Further, reader comments that mentioned race tended to reiterate stereotypes. This study suggests newspapers eliminate anonymous comments and “color-blind” policies that ignore race, and make a concerted effort to publish more race-related articles.

Tarred With the Same Brush? African-American Journalists and Memories of Janet Cooke and Jayson Blair • Mary Hill-Wagner, member at large (University of Southern California) • This study examines how African-American reporters view the workplace narratives of Janet Cooke and Jayson Blair. This analysis, based on interviews, employs the theory of narrative inquiry from the field of communications. In the study, African-American reporters believe the scandals created by two black reporters, Blair and Cooke, had an adverse impact on the careers of other African-American journalists.

The Little Smith Act: Application of the Smith Act to the Pro-Independence Movement in Puerto Rico • Myrna Lebron, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville • This historical analysis compares use of the Smith Act by the Puerto Rican authorities to its application by the American legal system. Ley 53 trials are also examined, including Pueblo v. Pedro Albizu Campos (1951), the case against the leader of the PRNP. Specifically, the study contributes to the literature of First Amendment rights in the understudied context of Puerto Rico’s struggle for independence during the first half of the twentieth century.

Latino Youth as Information Leaders: Implications for Family Interaction and Civic Engagement in Immigrant Communities            Mike McDevitt, University of Colorado; Mary Butler, University of Colorado • This study contemplates implications of Latino adolescents acting as information leaders in immigrant families. We highlight the heuristic value of thinking about the family as a venue for information exchanges that engender civic inclinations. This framework is refined by insights obtained from a survey and focus groups conducted in northern Colorado. We find that assimilation is both embraced and resisted in family communication, as parents and children work out tensions between Latino and Anglo values.

To Protest a Cause but Dismantle a Company: Newspaper Framing of the Montgomery Bus Boycott • Felicia McGhee-Hilt, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga • The Montgomery Bus Boycott is seen as a catalyst in the Civil Rights Movement. The success of this 381-day boycott forced the city to integrate the Montgomery bus system. The purpose of this study is to show how the bus company, The Montgomery City Bus Lines, was framed during the course of the boycott thus becoming the voice “caught in the middle.” The method used was a content analysis of 311 articles from the Montgomery Advertiser to determine how the bus company was framed in the local newspaper, along with an analysis of the bus boycott trial transcript. Findings indicate that the bus company suffered a severe loss of revenue, and as a result the company was forced to discontinue routes, lay off employees, and double the cost of fares. This study is important because it demonstrates how the company suffered a financial quandary by no fault of its own. The company could not change the segregation laws, but nevertheless, was the focus of a widespread boycott. Also, for contemporary scholarship, the results of this study could be applicable in regards to current boycotts of businesses. Lastly, this analysis provides a deeper understanding of the historic boycott and its reach into the business community.

Differences in Editorial Coverage of Jeremiah Wright in the Minority and Mainstream Presses • Mia Moody, Baylor University; Amanda Sturgill, Elon University • This article looks at how the black and mainstream press’s editorials framed the Rev. Jeremiah Wright scandal during the 2008 presidential primaries. Findings indicate the two presses differed significantly in most areas, except sources. Regarding media frames, the presses were particularly different on religious issues, with the black press significantly more likely to include a frame of Wright’s comments being appropriate within the church with the idea that his quotes were taken out of context. This fits within Blinder’s (2006) idea of the black press representing a ‘separate public sphere,’ wherein the religious issues might be discussed as a part of the process of educating audiences. It also suggests that while both newspaper types remained true to their missions, black press was more steadfast in its aim to provide the black perspective for its readers.

Online Social Networking and Socialization Among Hispanic College Students • David Park; Homero Gil de Zuniga, University of Texas – Austin; Oleg Mironchikov; Maria Cedeno • This study examines relationships between socialization and online social network (SNS) use among Hispanics. Respondents were placed in “high” and “low” groups based on the number of online friends within their SNS networks. Our results indicate that among Hispanics, the larger the SNS network, the more likely the user is to report having fewer “real” friends, the more likely he or she will be younger, and the more likely he or she will prefer to communicate through mediated methods rather than in person. In this context, our study confirms and adds to previous studies by indicating heightened participation with online social networking appears to hamper face-to-face socialization among Hispanic SNS users.

Pushed to the Periphery: Incivility in Online Newspaper Readers’ Comments • Arthur Santana, University of Oregon • Reader comment forums in online newspapers have been called spaces of public deliberation, but the forums are also widely seen as sites of pervasive incivility. Analyzing reader comments from three border state newspapers, this paper aims to quantify and contextualize anecdotal evidence from reporters around the country that Latinos are regularly debased, stereotyped and cast as subhuman in the forums by anonymous commenters, especially following immigration stories.

“What Are You Talking About?” Differences in Twitter Uses and Gratification Between Black and White Twitter Users • Christopher Saunders, University of Missouri, School; Saleem Alhabash, University of Missouri; Cynthia Frisby, University of Missouri • A survey of Black and White Americans (N = 223) explored the differences in their motivations to use Twitter and patterns of using this site. Results showed that compared to Whites, Black users significantly spend more time on Twitter, reported having more followers, higher intensity of use, and higher likelihood of using Twitter to communicate with their offline friends. When it comes to motivations of using Twitter, both Black and White participants were equally motivated to use Twitter to express themselves. However, White participants rated the motivation to us the site for information sharing higher than Black participants, who in turn reported higher levels of motivation to use the site for social interaction and entertainment motivations. Results are discussed in light of the uses and gratifications theory and other sociological approaches to racial and ethnic differences in media use.

African American Cartoon Characters: An Analysis of The Proud Family • Adrienne Smith, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville • The purpose of this research is to examine the portrayals of the African American cartoon characters in the Disney Channel series The Proud Family (2001) and demonstrate the implications of those portrayals concerning race and representation. A textual analysis was used to address the following research question: How do the African American cartoon characters in The Proud Family television series relate to Stuart Hall’s three tropes of blackness (the slave, the native, the clown/entertainer)?

Charting the future of journalism education at HBCUs: Finding a place for convergence in the curriculum • Kim Smith, North Carolina A&T State University • A survey of 240 journalism educators and their department chairs at 51 Historically Black Colleges and Universities was taken to learn how they were coping with possible changes in their journalism curriculum as a result of the growing popularity of convergence journalism. Ninety seven percent of respondents agreed that all students in a journalism program should be required to take convergence courses. But they disagreed over who should take the lead for making curriculum changes. Other obstacles included (a) lack of faculty training in convergence (multimedia) techniques, and (b) lack of financial resources to buy and maintain the equipment needed to teach convergence. The study also compared obstacles HBCUs face in adding convergence to the curriculum to studies that examined the stumbling blocks predominately white colleges and universities (PWCUs) have faced in adding convergence to their journalism curriculum.

Reporting Health to Minority Populations: A Content Analysis of Localized News Reporting • Ye Wang, University of Missouri; Shelly Rodgers, University of Missouri • The purpose of this study is to examine localized news reporting in minority newspapers and compare localized news reporting in minority newspapers and local general readership newspapers. Localized news reporting is based on the news value of proximity and targeted messages, which can potentially improve health communication through media channels targeting minority populations. To inform health journalists about the practice of localized news reporting in health reporting targeting minority populations, a content analysis was conducted to examine local news, local sources, localized information, and localized statistics in health news sampled from Hispanic, Black, and general readership newspapers in five areas in California. The results showed that local sources were most frequently used while localized statistics was least used in health reporting. Hispanic newspapers were most likely to use localized information in health news reporting, and Black newspapers were least likely to report local health news. The results suggest that Hispanic newspapers better serve the health informational needs of the local Hispanic communities. The discussion suggests that which tactics of localized news reporting will be used in health reporting depends upon a number of factors including newsroom resources.

Mass Media and Perceived and Objective Environmental Risk: Race and Place of Residence • Brendan Watson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Lynsy Smithson-Stanley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Daniel Riffe, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Emily Ogilvie, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Framed in an environmental justice context, this study using statewide telephone survey data (N=406) shows that nonwhite residents of North Carolina perceive greater environmental risk where they live than do whites, but the hypothesized additional effect of rural residence was generally not supported. Perceptions, however, may not reflect objective health risks. Race (being nonwhite), residence (urban), and watching local and national TV news predicted overall environmental risk perceptions, but county-level health measures did not.

Headline Hawai`i: Racial Aloha in Kama`aina News • Cory Weaver, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University • The front page of Hawai`i’s largest-circulated newspaper – The Honolulu Star-Bulletin – was reviewed for a three-month period: March 1, 2008 – June 1, 2008, to examine representations of race in a media market where Caucasian individuals are the minority. Analysis of the data collected determined that there is an extremely large gap between quality of coverage for different ethnic groupings, with Caucasian individuals shown much more positively than people of color.

Quality of minority health communication: An analysis of Hispanic-targeted health websites • Emma Wertz, Kennesaw State University; Sora Kim, University of Florida • The Internet has become one of the most used forms of health communication media. Using the Health on the Net code of conduct, this study examined the quality of health information available on the Internet for one of the United State’s fastest growing minorities, Hispanics. When comparing Hispanic-targeted websites with those that target the majority population, this study found significant differences with respect to quality. Specifically, sites targeting Hispanics had a lower level of quality than those that targeted the majority population.

Americans Misbehaving: Anti and prosocial behaviors on minority vs. mainstream television networks • Sherri Williams, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University; Cory Weaver, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University; Lynessa Williams, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University • Researchers conducted a content analysis of prosocial and antisocial behavior on three networks: CBS, the number one mainstream television network; Black Entertainment Television, geared toward African-Americans and LOGO targeted toward gays. Results show antisocial behavior occurred most prevalently on CBS. BET had the most prosocial acts coded. Niche networks that showcase marginalized communities exhibited more prosocial behavior, which goes against traditional stereotypical television portrayals of socially maligned groups.

<< 2011 Abstracts

Communication Technology 2011 Abstracts

Open Competition

Exploring the Motivations of Online Social Network Use in Taiwan • Saleem Alhabash; Hyojung Park, University of Missouri, School of Journalism; Anastasia Kononova, American University of Kuwait; Yihsuan Chiang; Kevin Wise, University of Missouri, School of Journalism • The current study explores the motivations of online social network use among a sample of the general population in Taiwan (N = 4,105). The study investigated how seven different motivations to use Facebook predicted the intensity of Facebook use, specific content generation behaviors on Facebook, and other indicators of Facebook use. Results showed the motivation to use Facebook for updating one’s own status and viewing other peoples’ status updates was the strongest predictor of the intensity to use Facebook, followed by four other motivations as significant predictors. The motivation to view, share, tag and be tagged in photographs was the strongest predictor of content generation behavior on Facebook, followed by five other motivations as significant predictors. Results are discussed in terms of expanding motivations to use Facebook to the study of social networking sites and other new and social media.

Body by Xbox: The Effects of Video Game Character Body Type on Young Women’s Body Satisfaction and Video Game Enjoyment • Vincent Cicchirillo, University of Texas at Austin; Osei Appiah, The Ohio State University; Whitney Walther, The Ohio State University; Christopher Brown, The Ohio State University; Kristen Carter, The Ohio State University • Numerous studies have examined the relationship between women’s body satisfaction and their exposure to thin women in the media. However, few if any studies have examined women’s body satisfaction after exposure to female video game characters.  This study looks at the influence of different female body shapes (i.e., thin, average, and overweight) within a video game on outcomes related to identification, enjoyment, and body satisfaction among women video game players. Two-hundred twenty-two young women played a third-person shooter game on Xbox featuring female characters that consisted of one of three different body sizes (skinny, average, or overweight). The findings indicate female participants who played as either a skinny or average sized female character reported greater body dissatisfaction than participants who played as an overweight female character. Additionally, results show participants were more likely to identify with and perceive similarity to skinny and average female characters than they were the overweight female characters. These results support upward comparison of social comparison theory.

Motivational Influences of Linking: Factors guiding behaviors on Facebook • Kanghui Baek, University of Texas at Austin; Avery Holton, University of Texas-Austin; Dustin Harp, University of Texas School of Journalism; Carolyn Yaschur, University of Texas at Austin • More than 600 million people currently use the social network site Facebook, which allows for multiple forms of interaction. Noting the importance of sharing links to news and information &#8722; a key function of Facebook – this study determined user motivations for linking, the influence of those motivations on linking frequency, and the content of those links. Building upon uses and gratifications theory, this study found the need for sharing information, convenience and entertainment, to pass time, interpersonal utility, control, and promoting work contributed to the propensity to share links. Information sharing also predicted the frequency of linking. Further, this study found that motivations for linking influenced the types of links posted. Higher educated individuals who desire to share information were more likely to post news links. Those who did not seek to control others posted more entertainment links. Users interested in promoting their work posted job-related content. The findings of this study and their implications are discussed.

Does Negative News Have Positive Effects? The Influence of Blog Posts and Comments on Credibility • Elizabeth Bates, Baylor University • The blog poster, level of company guilt in blog post, and ratio of company-supportive to company-critical blog comments were varied to determine how each affected perceptions of company and source credibility. Data suggests public relations practitioners are less trustworthy than journalists. However, the company and its public relations practitioner are more credible when the dominant opinion in the blog, particularly in the blog comments, suggests the company is not guilty.

Examining the relationships of smartphone ownership to use of both legacy and new media outlets for news • Clyde Bentley, University of Missouri; Kenneth Fleming, University of Missouri-Columbia • The overriding research question of the study is to see if ownership of mobile phone would affect use of both traditional and new media outlets for news. Analyses of a national survey (n = 496) in early 2010 show that ownership of mobile phone was a significant factor in explaining use of mobile phone, online media, and newspaper’s website for news; it had no impact on readership of print daily or weekly newspaper and watching news on television, after age, gender, education, and income were statistically controlled. In addition, age was significantly and positively associated with use of traditional news media, and negatively associated with use of online media and mobile phone for news. On average, smartphone owners were significantly younger than those who had either simple cellphone or no cellphone at all.

The hyperlinked world: A look at how the interactions of news frames and hyperlinks influence news credibility and willingness to seek information • porismita borah, Maryville University • Prior research has already identified the influence of using hyperlinks in online information gathering. The present study attempts to understand first, how hyperlinks can influence individual’s perceptions of news credibility and willingness to seek information. Second, the paper extends previous research by examining the interaction of hyperlinks with the content of the story. And in doing so, the paper examines the influence of hyperlinks on communication concepts such as news frames. The data for the study were collected using an experiment embedded in a web-based survey of participants. Findings show that hyperlinks in news stories can increase perceptions of credibility as well as willingness to seek information. Results also reveal the interaction of news frames in the process, for example participants’ perception of news credibility increases in the value framed condition. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Great Expectations: Predicted iPad adoption by college students • Steven Collins; Tim Brown • While the iPad has been popular, newspaper and magazine publishers have not had the same fortune in drawing people to their applications for the device. A longitudinal study of college students, future news consumers, shows that interest in adopting the iPad has grown over two points in time. However, among potential adopters, interest in paying for digital newspaper and magazine iPad content has not grown. However, data do show that those with smartphones are much more likely to adopt the iPad and other tablets. In addition, the influence of change agents on adoption intent is confirmed and seems to indicate that the iPad has moved beyond the critical mass phase.

Mobile News Adoption among Young Adults: Examining the Roles of Perceptions, News Consumption, and Media Usage • Sylvia Chan-Olmsted; Hyejoon Rim, University of Florida; Amy Zerba • Using the frameworks of innovation diffusion and technology acceptance model, this study examines the predictors of mobile news consumption among young adults. Survey findings showed the perceived relative advantage of mobile news is positively related to its adoption and willingness to pay for mobile news services. Perceived utility and ease of use play significant roles in mobile news adoption. This study validates the importance of examining the adoption process from multiple perspectives.

Deciphering Blog Users: Personalities, Motivations, and Perceived Importance of Blog Features • Szu-Wei Chen, University of Missouri-Columbia; Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz • Different from many past studies that mainly focused on bloggers, this research aimed to explore how general blog users browse, read or comment on others’ blogs. More specifically, we employed the uses and gratifications framework to link blog users’ personality traits (the Big Five inventory), motivations to use blogs (entertainment, information seeking, social interaction, and personal identity) and perceived importance of various blog features (e.g., content and source credibility, hyperlinks, ease to use, interactivity, author anonymity, popularity and reputation). A pilot study was first conducted to clarify whether participants have a consistent understanding of what a blog is. Then, 341 participants were recruited to fill out a self-administered online survey. A two-step structural equation modeling approach was used to test the proposed model. The results not only helped clarify several inconsistent findings in the past, but also provided insightful directions for future research.

Determinants of Intention to Use Smartphones: Testing the Moderating Role of Need for Cognition                  • Hichang Cho; Byungho Park • By integrating the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989) with the need for cognition (NFC; Cacioppo & Petty, 1982), we aimed to specify the conditions under which different internal beliefs (e.g., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and social influence factors (e.g., subjective and descriptive norms) are important in determining behavioral intention to use smartphones. The results based on survey data (N =172) provided support for our hypotheses that NFC is an important motivational construct that moderates the linkages between cognitive instrumental beliefs, social influence factors, and behavioral intentions (BI). Specifically, perceived usefulness had a stronger effect on BI for high NFC people, whereas perceived ease of use and subjective norms had stronger effects on BI for low NFC people. The findings reveal possible important variations in technology acceptance and the role of NFC in governing these alternative processes.

Social Networking in Higher Education: A Collaboration Tool for Project-Based Learning • Amy DeVault, Wichita State University; Lisa Parcell, Wichita State University • This case study explores the use of social networking to enhance project-based service-learning. The researchers found that the student group used social networking, specifically Twitter and Facebook, for collaboration among group members to complete this project-based objective, to build a community of practice with local communication professionals, and ultimately to successfully promote their event.

Hiding or Priding? A Study of Gender, Race, and Gamer Status and Context on Avatar Selection • Robert Dunn, East Tennessee State University; Rosanna Guadagno, University of Alabama • We conducted an experiment to determine the effects of gender, race, online gamer status and game context had on avatar selection, based on eight metrics. As predicted, online gamers selected avatars that were taller, thinner, and more attractive than participants who did not play online games. Non-white participants selected avatars with lighter skin-tones, whereas white participants selected avatars with darker skin-tones. Contrary to predictions and previous research, male participants selected shorter avatars than female counterparts.

My Students will Facebook me but Won’t Keep up with my Online Course • Francine Edwards, Delaware State University • An examination of the current body of literature has found that despite the interest in transforming education to fit a growing body of technologically astute students, few studies have investigated the characteristics or competency of that population and their ability to meet with academic success in this digital era or an informational age.  However, what has been revealed in the research is that assumptions about digital natives (students from grade K through college who represent the first generation to grow up with this new technology) may not be correct and that a focus on digital immigrants (individuals that did not grow up in this generation) face a similar set of challenges.  While today’s college students are immersed and fluent in social media, consumer electronics and video games, they are not nearly as proficient when it comes to using digital tools in a classroom setting – thus countering the myth that academicians are dealing with a whole generation of digital natives.  Other studies that have investigated the extent and nature of college students’ use of digital technologies for learning have found that students use a limited range of mainly established technologies and that use of collaborative knowledge creation tools, virtual worlds, and social networking sites was low.  This study investigates the ability of digital natives to incorporate new technologies in the academic process and the challenge that digital immigrants as instructors face.

Live Tweeting At Work: The Use of Social Media in Public Diplomacy • Juyan Zhang, University of Texas at San Antonio; Shahira Fahmy, University of Arizona • This study used a survey to examine factors that affect adoption of social media in public diplomacy practice by foreign diplomatic practitioners in the United States. Results showed the key factors identified in the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) framework: Effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence and attitudes, facilitating conditions, in addition to perceived credibility had positive influences on the adoption process. Findings also showed respondents most often used social networks (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) followed by video sharing sites, intranet, blogs, video conferencing, text messaging and Wiki. Further more women reported the use of social media than men, but on average, men used more different types of social media than their female counterparts. Finally gender, age and level of gross national income (GNI) appeared to have significant moderating effects on the adoption of social media in the context of public diplomacy.

Who are the heavy users of Social Network Sites among College Students? A Study of Social Network Sites and College Students • Ling Fang, Bowling Green State University; Louisa Ha, Bowling Green State University • The indulgence in social networking sites (SNS) among college students has drawn scholars’ attention and research interest.  But who the heavy users of SNS among college students are and how SNS use in relation to cellular phone text messaging use, another popular medium, has not been studied.  Based on a survey on 476 college students from 24 classes in a public university, this study focused on sociability gratifications and information searching gratifications with behavioral indicators as predictors of SNS use and examined their relationship between SNS usage and with text messaging use. Specifically, this study examined (1) the demographic predictors of college students’ SNS usage, (2) how sociability gratifications and information seeking gratification contribute to college students’ SNS usage, and (3) the relationship between college students’ cell phone usage and SNS usage. Results show a complementary relationship between SNS use and text-messaging use.  Heavy users of SNS are most likely to be females and minority students and those who relied on SNS as a news medium.

Measuring, Classifying and Predicting Prosumption Behavior in Social Media • Louisa Ha, Bowling Green State University; Gi Woong Yun, Bowling Green State University • This paper compares college students’ and general population’s prosumption behavior in social media and proposes a set of measures of prosumption in online media settings with special emphasis on social media including a prosumption index which can be used in future studies on prosumption. We classify prosumption behavior in a quadrant of four main types along the two dimensions of production and consumption. A polarized trend of prosumption was observed.

How the Smartphone Is Changing College Student Mobile Usage and Advertising Acceptance: A Seven-Year Analysis • Michael Hanley, Ball State University • This study employs online surveys conducted between 2005-2011 to investigate college student smartphone versus feature phone content usage, and acceptance of mobile advertising. Ad acceptance is measured using six mobile advertising acceptance factors from the Wireless Advertising Acceptance Scale (Saran, Cruthirds & Minor, 2004). Results show that incentives are a key motivating factor for advertising acceptance, but the perceived risk associated with receiving mobile ads could become a significant barrier to ad acceptance.

Play global, cover local: News media, political actors and other Twitter users in the 2010 US Elections • Itai Himelboim, University of Georgia, Telecommunications; Hansen Derek, College of Information Studies/University of Maryland; Anne Bowser • In times these challenging times for traditional media, news organizations join social media platforms such as Twitter to attract new and existing audiences.  On this field, they compete for attention against millions of users.  This study examines the use of Twitter in four gubernatorial races by news media, political candidates and the general public of Twitter users.  Examining patterns of follow relationships indicate two types of clusters.  The local clusters include a subgroup of more densely interconnected users, in which local news media on Twitter and political candidates became hubs. The national clusters include a subgroup of more sparsely interconnected users, in which national media and online-only news sources play as hubs.  Theoretical and practical implications for news media and political candidates are discussed.

The Real You?: Visual Cues and Comment Congruence on Facebook Profiles • Seoyeon Hong, University of Missouri; Edson Jr. Tandoc, University of Missouri-Columbia; Eunjin (Anna) Kim, University of Missouri; Bo Kyung Kim, University of Missouri, Missouri Journalism School; Kevin Wise, University of Missouri, School of Journalism • Despite current extensive interdisciplinary research, the impact of Facebook profiles has been the subject of little systematic study, though investigators have explored with other forms of social networking sites. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social cues in self-presentations and the congruence of other-generated comments with the self-presentation in people’s evaluations of a profile owner. A 2 (level of social cues; high vs. Low) X 2 (congruent vs. incongruent) X 2 (order) X 2 (messages) mixed-subject design was conducted with 106 college students as participants. The results showed that a profile owner was perceived less socially attractive when other-generated comments were incongruent with the profile owner’s self-presentation. Also, the profile owner was perceived to be more popular when there were more social cues available than when there were fewer social cues. Interestingly, an interaction effect between congruence and level of social cues suggested that perceived popularity was low in the incongruent condition regardless of level of social cue. This is consistent with the warranting theory that emphasized the significant role of information from the others in people’s judgment of self-presentations online. That is, no matter how people package themselves with extravagant self-presentations, it cannot be very successful without validation from others. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.

Red-Hot and Ice-Cold Web Ads: The Influence of Warm and Cool Colors in Web Advertising on Click-Through Rates • Kimberly Sokolik, Virginia Tech; James D. Ivory, Virginia Tech • Previous research has examined responses to advertisements featuring warm and cool colors, but such research with web advertisements is limited and consists of laboratory experiments rather than studies using natural data and actual consumer activity.  This study compared the click-through rates of “”box”” and “”banner”” web ads with red and blue color schemes using data from more than 1.5 million ad impressions from 12 months of traffic on a popular news web site.  Ads with red color schemes generated substantially higher click-through rates, particulary for box ads, though the effect of color was reduced in the case of banner ads.

Having a Blog in this Fight:  Testing Competing Models of Selective Exposure to Political Blogs • Tom Johnson, University of Texas; Weiwu Zhang, Texas Tech University • This study tested two competing theories of selective exposure, the “”anticipated agreement hypothesis”” that suggests people will seek information about candidates they agree with and avoid contact with ones they disagree with and the “”issue publics hypothesis”” that asserts that voters consume information on issues they consider personally important. The study found indirect support for the anticipated agreement hypothesis as partisans relied heavily on candidate/party sites for information and reliance was linked to selective exposure.

A Winner Takes All? Examining Relative Importance of Motives and Network Effects in Social Networking Site Use • Mijung Kim; Jiyoung Cha, University of North Texas • Over the past several years, social networking sites (SNSs) have increasingly become an essential part of life for many U.S. Internet users. The present study explores the motives for using the three most-visited SNSs, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and whether differences exist between the SNSs with respect to the motives for using each SNS. Furthermore, this study examines how motives and network size relevant variables affect SNS usage. Although the motives sought for the three SNSs were similar across the SNSs, the result demonstrated that the primary motives for using SNSs differed. The result also demonstrated that the motives behind the use of an SNS have a much stronger association with SNS usage than the perceived network externality and perceived personal network size of the SNS.

When Ordinary Citizens Produce Media Content: A Comparative Analysis of Most Popular and Random YouTube Videos • Eunseong Kim, Eastern Illinois University; Liz Viall, Eastern Illinois University • As the online video-sharing site, YouTube’s motto, “”Broadcast Yourself”” indicates, YouTube has taken a leading role as the platform that invites everyone to create and share video content with others. YouTube has also enjoyed unprecedented popularity among Internet users and become a representative example of user-generated content in the Web 2.0 era. When everyone is invited to participate in content creation, what do ordinary citizens create? The current body of research provides little information about what typical videos on YouTube look like and how they may be similar to or different from those videos that garner an extraordinary level of popularity (i.e., viral videos). To fill this void, 195 top favorited and most viewed videos on YouTube were analyzed and compared to 203 randomly selected YouTube videos. Findings indicate that typical (random) videos on YouTube exhibit different characteristics from most popular (top favorited and most viewed) videos on YouTube. The paper discusses differences and similarities between typical videos and most popular videos on YouTube.

The Effects of LCD Panel Type on Psychology of Video Game Players and Movie Viewers                  Ki Joon Kim; S. Shyam Sundar • As computer-based devices become the primary media via which users view movies and play interactive games, display technologies (e.g., LCD monitors) have focused increasingly on quality of video fidelity, with much debate surrounding the relative efficacy of different panel types of LCD monitors. A 3 (TN panel vs. S-IPS panel vs. S-PVA panel) x 2 (game vs. movie) between-subjects experiment was conducted to examine the effects of LCD panel type in facilitating regular viewing as well as enhanced interactive TV experiences. Preliminary data from the experiment showed that LCD panel and stimulus type as well as computer literacy were important factors affecting monitor users’ viewing and interaction experience. Limitations and implications for theory and ongoing research are discussed.

Multitasking across borders: Media multitasking behaviors in the U.S., Russia, and Kuwait • Anastasia Kononova, American University of Kuwait; Saleem Alhabash; Zasorina Tatyana; Diveeva Natalia; Kokoeva Anastasia; Anastasia Chelokyan • A cross-national study has been conducted to explore media multitasking behaviors among the young people in three countries: the U.S., Russia, and Kuwait (N=532). A theoretical model that was proposed in this research included factors predicting media multitasking (media ownership, socio-economic status, sensation seeking, and media use), two media multitasking variables (multitasking with media and multitasking with media and non-media activities), and media multitasking outcomes (perceived attention to media contents and perceived ease of media technology use). While some of the paths among the different variables were not statistically significant, the fact that model fit indices were in line with the acceptable rules of thumb qualified the data for analyzing the parameter estimates. The model was run with three samples, American, Russian, and Kuwaiti. Among others, the findings suggest to consider cultural and structural context to be taken into consideration in the analysis of media multitasking behaviors in foreign countries.

Hostile Media Perceptions: Coloring the (New) Media Red or Blue • Ammina Kothari, School of Journalism – Indiana University; Seong Choul Hong, Indiana University; Shuo Tang; Lars Willnat • Past research on the hostile media effect mainly focused on how people perceive media bias of traditional media, while in the current dynamic media environment mobile technology is changing how people consume media. This study expands the scope of current research and tests the interplay of bi-partisan media consumption, selective media exposure and the hostile media effect within the realm of both traditional and online mediascape. An analysis based on a national survey of 3,000 American adults detects a variance in the hostile media effect depending on demographic factors, media selection and media platform. Age, gender, and political affiliation contribute to the perception of media bias. Selective exposure to traditional bi-partisan media like newspapers, television and especially political talk shows also generate the hostile media effect. Online media consumption is a weak predictor of the hostile media effect: On the one hand, consumers of news websites, news aggregators or email news perceive a low level of media bias; on the other, news sources like blogs, social network sites or mobile phones are not indicators of the hostile media effect.

When Do Online Shoppers Appreciate Security Enhancement Efforts? Effects of Financial Risk and Security Level on Evaluations of Customer Authentication • Jong-Eun Roselyn Lee, Hope College; Shailandra Rao, CafeBots; Clifford Nass • As the popularity of online shopping grows, concerns about identity theft and fraud are increasing. While stronger customer authentication procedures may provide greater protection and hence benefit customers and retailers, security tends to be traded off against convenience. To provide insight into this security-convenience trade-off in customer authentication, we experimentally investigated how levels of authentication security and financial risk factors affect perception and evaluation of authentication systems. In two experiments, participants performed simulated purchasing tasks in the context of online shopping. The findings show that financial risk factors moderate the effects of security levels on consumers’ evaluation of authentication systems. In Experiment 1, participants rated the high-level security system as less convenient and more frustrating when the amount involved in the transactions was higher. On the other hand, Experiment 2, which introduced a more explicit risk for consumers (liability for fraudulent activities), showed that participants gave more positive ratings of the high-level security system under full liability than under zero liability. Taken together, the present research suggests that consumers’ perception and appreciation of authentication technologies may vary depending on the characteristics of the financial risk involved in the transaction process.

Understanding the “”Friend-Rich””:  The Effects of Self-Esteem and Self-Consciousness on Number of Facebook Friends • Jong-Eun Roselyn Lee, Hope College; Eun-A (Mickey) Park, University of New Haven; Sung Gwan Park • The present research examined whether and how self-esteem and self-consciousness (private vs. public) predict number of social network friends, particularly in the context of Facebook use. It was predicted that self-esteem and private self-consciousness would have a negative association with number of Facebook friends while public self-consciousness and number of Facebook friends would show a positive association. In addition, it was hypothesized that self-esteem and public self-consciousness would have an interaction effect on number of Facebook friends. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey data conducted with a college student sample in the U.S. (N=234). While private self-consciousness did not yield a significant association with number of Facebook friends, self-esteem had a negative association and public self-consciousness had a positive association with number of Facebook friends, which suggested that lower self-esteem and higher public self-consciousness would likely lead to more active friending, thereby resulting in a greater number of friends listed on their Facebook profile. Furthermore, the data supported the hypothesized interaction between self-esteem and public self-consciousness. Implications for number of Facebook friends as a social “”commodity”” are discussed.

Are You Following Me? A Content Analysis of TV Networks’ Corporate Messages on Twitter • Jhih-Syuan Lin, The University of Texas at Austin; Jorge Peña • This study analyzed the content of TV corporations’ messages in social networking sites by employing Bales’s IPA method. This study also explored the diffusion of information in social networking sites by examining users’ “”retweeting”” behavior. The findings showed that TV networks tended to employ more task than socioemotional communication across program genres. Also, giving suggestions was the most frequently used message strategy in the current sample. Additionally, socioemotional messages got retweeted more often than task-oriented messages. The findings suggest managerial implications for corporate message management and relationship-building efforts in social networking sites.

With a Little Help from My Friends: Motivations and Patterns in Social Media Use and Their Influence on Perceptions of Teaching Possibilities • Miglena Sternadori, University of South Dakota; Jeremy Littau, Lehigh University • This study explores what journalism and mass communication educators believe to be appropriate uses of social media as teaching and communication tools with students and alumni, including the motivations that drive these beliefs and the decisions that follow them. There was a negative relationship between age and gratifications from using Twitter and Facebook, and a positive relationship between educators’ use of these tools in the classroom and their perceptions of usefulness. The hypothesis that use of social media would lead to higher evaluation scores was only partially supported. A qualitative analysis of answers to open-ended questions identified five themes: (1) recognition of the importance of Twitter and Facebook to the study of mass communication; (2) ethical concerns about boundaries; (3) perceived negative judgment or praise from administrators or students for using social media; (4) digital divide concerns; (5) perceived disutility of Twitter and Facebook in comparison to platforms such as Blackboard as well as blogs and wikis. The results are discussed in the context of their theoretical implications for the Media Choice Model (MCM: Thorson & Duffy, 2006) as well as practical implications for educators considering ways to implement social networking in their teaching.

A Little World in My Hand —The Use of Smartphones Among Low Income Minority Women • xun Liu, california State University, Stanislaus; Ying Zhang • Under the guide of social cognitive theory, the current study investigated the use of smartphones among low-income minority women. Twenty-eight low income minority women were interviewed about their smartphone use patterns and their beliefs pertaining to self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. As the first study that explores smartphone use among this demographic group, the current research makes a unique and original contribution.

New TV Resistance: Barriers to Implementation of IPTV in the Living Room • Duen Ruey Liu, Shih Hsin University; Yihsuan Chiang, Shih Hsin University; Niann Chung Tsai, Shih Hsin University • Families relax in living rooms and watching TV should be carefree. Researchers care about interaction between human and machines of IPTV, the study are interpreted with theory of affordance by James Jerome Gibson (1979) and technology acceptance model (TAM) by Davis (1989). We add marketing strategies, program contents, interface operation, use experience and fear of technology of five external variables in attempt to propose IPTV TAM of future promotion and development of digital TV.

Color and cognition: The influence of Web page colors on cognitive inputs • Robert Magee, Virginia Tech • A Web page’s red color scheme seemed to lead participants to engage in rule-based processing, while a blue color scheme lead them to engage in associative processing. In an experiment (N = 211) with physical temperature and Web page color as between-subjects manipulated factors and Attitudes Toward Charities and Need For Cognition as a measured independent variables, participants were asked to view a Web page for a trade-based development organization. When participants experienced the sensation of physical cold, those who were cognitive misers tended to report less favorable attitudes toward the Web page. This interaction disappeared, however, when participants viewed a Web page that featured a red color scheme, as red seemed to have stimulated arousal and an increase in analytic rule-based cognitive processing. In addition, an accessible knowledge structure, participants’ general attitude toward charitable organizations, was a predictor of their impressions of that organization only when they viewed a red Web page. The implications of color and cognition for communication technology are discussed.

A Lesson Before Dying: Embracing Innovations for Community Engagement as a Survival Strategy for Media in Crisis. • Samuel Mwangi, Kansas State University • As media organizations confront an uncertain future unleashed by disruptive technologies, they are searching for ways to successfully navigate the changing information landscape. This paper argues that one way out of the present crises is for media to embrace a culture of innovation and use engaging communication technologies that are mutually beneficial to the media and to the communities they serve. The paper maps trends in media innovations and then reports on a unique innovation project that designed a new digital tool to help media re- engage their communities in new ways. The success of the project suggests that innovative tools and services that are specifically geared towards community engagement can provide a lifeline for media in crises as well as transform community news, information distribution and visualization, and impact community conversations, making new media technology a valued ally to media organizations and communities rather than a disruptive threat.

Coproduction or Cohabitation?  Gatekeeping, Workplace, and Mutual Shaping Effects of Anonymous Online Comment Technology in the Newsroom • Carolyn Nielsen, Western Washington University • This study explored whether the technology that enables readers to post anonymous comments on the same platforms with newspaper journalists’ articles has transformed journalists’ workplaces or work practices. Data from a nationwide survey examined through the lens of mutual shaping found that journalists are mostly ignoring the technology, continuing to assert their territoriality, and seeing little impact of comments as artifacts mediating between editors and reporters. Mutual shaping is constrained by journalistic norms and practices.

Affect, Cognition and Reward: Predictors of Privacy Protection Online • Yong Jin Park, Howard University; scott campbell; Nojin Kwak, University of Michigan Ann Arbor • In recent years emotion and cognition have emerged as new dimensions for understanding media uses. This article examined the interplay between cognition and affect in Internet uses for privacy control as this is conditioned by reward-seeking rationale. A survey of a national sample was conducted to empirically test the relationship between affective concern and cognitive knowledge. We also tested for three-way interactions that consider reward-seeking as a third moderator. Findings revealed that concern did not directly play a meaningful role in guiding users’ protective behavior, whereas knowledge was found significant in moderating the role of concern. The interactive role of reward-seeking seems particularly salient in shaping the structure of the relationships. These findings suggest that the intersections between knowledge, reward, and concern can play out differently, depending on the levels of each. Policy implication in relation to users’ cognitive, affective, and reward-seeking rationalities are offered, and future research considerations are discussed.

Factors Influencing Intention to Upload Content on Wikipedia in South Korea: The Effects of Social Norms and Individual Differences • Naewon Kang, Dankook University, Korea; Namkee Park, University of Oklahoma; Hyun Sook Oh, Pyeongtaek University • This study examined the roles of social norms and individual differences in influencing Internet users’ intention to upload content on Wikipedia in South Korea. Using data from a survey of college students with users and non-users of Wikipedia (N = 185 and 158), the study found that the effect of social norms was minimal, while that of individual differences—self-efficacy, issue involvement, and ego involvement—was more important to account for the uploading intention.

Seeking Environmental Risk Information Online: Examining North Carolina’s Urban-Rural Divide • Laurie Phillips; Robert McKeever, UNC Chapel Hill; Daniel Riffe, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Kelly Davis, UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication • Using statewide telephone survey data (N=406), this “”digital divide”” study oversampled rural households to explore urban-rural differences in Internet access, time online, and information-seeking about environmental risk. Although the access divide has closed, parallel regression analyses revealed urban-rural differences in demographic predictors of time online and information seeking. No urban-rural differences emerged in preference for Internet as an environmental risk source, though Internet use was a strong predictor of rural respondents’ sense of “”environmental confidence.””

News Feed Indeed:  Social media, Journalism and the Mass Self-Communicator • Sue Robinson, University of Wisconsin-Madison • This research takes up the Castells’ (2009) notion of the mass self-communicator, referring to the ability of citizens to employ digital technology to produce and disseminate information via vast networks. A hundred Madison, WI, residents were interviewed about their attitudes as potential mass self-communicators on blogs and social networking sites. Some reported posting content on their Facebook pages and other SNS material that helped them converse, understand new perspectives, prove their knowledge, document their presence on an issue, and mobilize others. Their acts of “”information witnessing”” – particularly during the Winter 2011 Madison protests – transformed them into news networkers in a way that altered the established information flows in this Midwestern city. Others rejected the opportunity as too public.

Country Reputation in the Age of Networks: An Empirical Analysis of Online Social Relations and Information Use • Hyunjin Seo, University of Kansas • This study identifies and examines effects of individuals’ online social relations and information use regarding other countries on their ratings of the reputation of those countries. Theoretical and operational definitions of the two variables are developed and used to establish and test a theoretical model accounting for how people form perceptions of other countries in the age of information technology and online social networking. A survey of South Korean Internet users provides the empirical data for this paper.     The survey shows that negative information South Koreans get about the United States through their online social networks can have significant influence on their perceptions of the United States. In comparison, information they get through U.S.-based websites did not significantly influence their views of the United States. This study also shows that first-hand experience of visiting the United States remains the most significant positive predictor of South Koreans’ favorability toward the United States in this networked age. These results reinforce the importance of relationship-based networked public diplomacy. It is important that countries lay out digital media-based strategies that help build relationships with their foreign constituents rather than simply delivering information to them.

Explicating Use of ICTs in Health Contexts: Entry, Exposure, and Engagement • Dhavan Shah; Kang Namkoong, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Tae Joon Moon; Ming-Yuan Chih, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Jeong Yeob Han, University of Georgia • We explicate ‘use’ of eHealth systems, or more generally ‘use’ of a wide variety of information and communication systems (ITCs).  A review of the literature makes clear that ‘use’ has been applied to a number of different operational measurements, each implying differences in meaning.  To address this multiplicity of meanings, we propose and discuss three central meanings of eHealth ‘use,’ introduce likely applications of each, and consider potential submeanings and operationalizations: Entry into the system, Exposure to its content, and Engagement with the system.  We argue that this three part distinction is critical to both conceptualizing and operationalizing ‘Use’ in meaningful and analytically useful way. Measurement and analysis strategies are discussed in relation to this concept explication.

Why Do People Play Social Network Games? • Dong-Hee Shin, Sungkyunkwan University; Tae-Yang Kim • Recently, Social Network Games (SNGs) over social network services have become popular and have spawned a whole new subculture. This study examines the perceived factors which contribute to an SNG user’s behaviors. It proposes an SNG acceptance model based on integrating cognitive as well as affective attitudes as primary influencing factors. Results from a survey of SNG players validate that the proposed theoretical model explains and predicts user acceptance of SNG very well. The model shows fine measurement properties and establishes the perceived playfulness and security of SNGs as distinct constructs. The findings also reveal that flow plays a moderation role that affects various paths in the model. Based on the results of this study, both the appropriate practical implications for SNG marketing strategies and the theoretical implications are provided.

Exploring the Immersion Effect of 3DTV in a Learning Context • Dong-Hee Shin, Sungkyunkwan University; Tae-Yang Kim • With the conceptual model of flow and immersion, this study investigates immersion/flow effects in an educational context. This study focuses on users’ experiences with 3DTV in order to investigate the areas of development as a learning application. For the investigation, the modified technology acceptance model (TAM) is used with constructs from expectation-confirmation theory (ECT). Users’ responses to questions about cognitive perceptions and continuous use were collected and analyzed with factors that were modified from TAM and ECT. While the findings confirm the significant roles by users’ cognitive perceptions, the findings also shed light on the possibility of 3DTV serving as an enabler of learning tools. In the extended model, the moderating effects of confirmation/satisfaction and demographics of the relationships among the variables were found to be significant.

The Factors Affecting the Adoption of Smart TV • Dong-Hee Shin, Sungkyunkwan University; Tae-Yang Kim • Smart TV, a new digital television service, has been rapidly developing. With the conceptual model of interactivity, this study empirically investigates the effects of perceived interactivity on the motivations and attitudes toward Smart TV. A model is created to validate the relationship of perceived interactivity to performance, attitude, and intention. Further, the model examines the mediating roles of perceived interactivity in the effect of performance on attitude toward Smart TV. Empirical evidence supports the mediating role of perceived interactivity. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of building a theory of interactivity and providing practical insights into developing a user-centered Smart TV interface.

The Anonymous Chatter: Testing the Effects of Social Anonymity and the Spiral of Silence • Madeleine Sim; Jamie Lee; Kristle Kwok; Ee Ling Cha; Shirley S. Ho • Using the spiral of silence as the theoretical framework, this study examines the relationship between social anonymity in computer-mediated communication settings and opinion expression in Singapore; we conducted an experiment to assess participants’ use of avoidance and engagement strategies. Results indicate that social anonymity and future opinion congruency were significantly associated with opinion expression. Findings suggest that the lack of visual and status cues, rather than perceived anonymity, were more likely to elicit opinion expression.

The Differing Effects of Communication Mediation on Social-Network Site and Online Political Participation • Timothy Macafee; Matthew Barnidge, Hernando Rojas, University of Wisconsin – Madison • This study uses a national survey of 10 cities in Colombia to explore how communication mediation influences social-network site and other online political participation. We argue these two type of participation should be distinct and illustrate how attention to information and information dissemination affects them differently. Specifically, both offline and online information sharing lead to social-network site participation, while online information seeking and sharing predict other online political participation.

Social Media Policies for Professional Communicators • Daxton Stewart, Texas Christian University • As social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become increasingly prevalent ways for people to share and connect, professional communicators have increasingly incorporated these tools into their daily practice.  However, journalism, advertising and public relations practitioners have little formal guidance to help them navigate the benefits and risks of using these tools professionally.  The codes of ethics of their professional fields have not been updated, and to date, social media policies have not been examined from an academic perspective.  This study reviews 26 social media policies of journalism and strategic communication companies to find common themes and concerns and to suggest best practices for professional communicators using social media tools.  These themes include transparency, balancing the personal and the professional, maintaining confidentiality, rules for “”friending,”” and other matters central to developing an effective social media policy.

An Exploration of Motives in Mobile Gaming: A Uses and Gratifications Approach. • Lakshmi N Tirumala, Texas Tech University; Weiwu Zhang, Texas Tech University; Anthony Galvez • Global sales of video games have increased to $54.9 billion in 2009 and are expected to earn $68.3 billion by 2012. Although video games are mostly being played on devices like PlayStation, recent advances in mobile phone technologies has created a new platform for video game play. Given the unique nature of the gaming experience this study proposes to examine motivational dimensions of mobile gaming from a uses and gratifications approach.

The role of third-person effects in the context of Facebook: Examining differences in perceived consumption and impact between self and others • Mina Tsay, Boston University • The immense popularity and adoption of Facebook in the lives of more than 500 million users has sparked the attention of new media scholars. While much is known about Facebook members’ motivations, use, and gratifications of this social networking site, minimal attention has been given to examining the perceived consumption and impact of Facebook on users themselves versus others. Applying the third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis to the context of social media, this study (N = 375) investigates: 1) differences between estimated Facebook effects on self versus others, 2) relationship between perceptions of Facebook use and estimated impact of Facebook on self versus others, and 3) association between perceived desirability of Facebook as a social medium and estimated Facebook influence on self versus others. The aforementioned relationships are also moderated by gender and age. Implications for the relevance of TPE on users of social networking sites are discussed.

Will Communication Journals Go Online? An Analysis of Journal Publishing Formats and Impact Factors • Nur Uysal, University of Oklahoma; Joe Foote, University of Oklahoma; Jody Bales Foote • Academic journals are regarded as a platform on which scholarly communication takes place to validate and disseminate academic knowledge.  They provide a means to examine the question whether online/electronic publishing improves the dissemination of quality information.  The primary focus of this study is the migration of academic journals from print to hybrid (print and electronic) to electronic format.  It focuses on journals in six disciplines, including communication/journalism.  The study addresses three research questions:  a) To what extent have communication journals embraced electronic publishing? b) How do online journals in communication compare to those in business, psychology, geology, meteorology, and physiology? c) What is the relationship between journal publishing format and impact factor in the journal sample and in communication journals? Content analysis of all journals listed in the ISI database (n=716) was conducted regarding publishing format, publihsing start date, publisher etc. In order to understand the relationship between impact factor and publishing format a multiple regression analysis was deployed. The results showed that on the contrary to forecasts journals experience a slow migration to e-only publihsing format. They stick to hybrid publishing on whihc this study showed that there is a positive relationship.

Use of Social Networking Sites: An Exploratory Study of Indian Teenagers • Peddiboyina vijaya lakshmi, Sri  Padmavati Women’s University • Social Networking Sites have   become popular and have become a vital part of social life in India, especially among teenagers.  .   There is no in-depth study as to how and why Indian teenagers engage with social networking sites.  This study, using focus groups, explored the experiences of teenagers with social networking sites. Information from the groups was analyzed in terms of their usage of social networking sites, profile construction, online vs offline friendships, and extending friendships beyond cyberspace.  The gender variations and social norms in how teens are using these sites are other possible areas that require attention.

Technological Constructions of Reality: An Ontological Perspective • Cindy Vincent, University of Oklahoma • This paper seeks to address how ontological constructions are shaped through technological dependency.  Depending on the exposure and usage of hypermediated technology, individuals will have different constructs of reality to coincide with the styles of technology they use.  Currently, there is a gap in research in addressing the impact of technological dependency on individual constructs of reality.  This paper seeks to make progress in identifying a hypermediated technological ontological perspective and recommendations for future research.

Followers, Friends, and Fame: Political Structural Influence on Candidate Twitter Networks • Ming Wang, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Alexander Hanna; Ben Sayre; JungHwan Yang, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Michael Mirer; Young Mie Kim, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dhavan Shah • To understand the antecedents and consequences of political candidates’ online social networks, we captured egocentric Twitter networks of candidates who ran for the 2010 midterm elections. To be more specific, our data include information on a sample of political candidates running for the 2010 congressional and gubernatorial elections as well as their connections to their followers and friends on Twitter. Adopting a social network analysis approach and focusing on political structural determinants, we find that Senate and gubernatorial candidates had both larger follower networks and friend networks. Furthermore, Republican candidates had larger follower networks and incumbent candidates had smaller friend networks on Twitter. But neither network size measures affected whether the candidates were likely to win the elections or not. Our results showed strong political structural influence on how candidates managed their online social networks.

Social Network Sites Use, Mobile Personal Talk and Social Capital • wenjing xie, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • Using data collected from a nationally representative survey, this study explores social network site use and mobile communication among teenagers as well as their influences on social capital. We found that, older teenagers tend to be more likely to use social network site. Among social network site users, older teenagers and teen girls use SNS more intensively. Hierarchical regression analysis shows that adoption of social network site and mobile personal talks not only have main effects on teenagers’ network capital, but also interact with each other. Intensity of SNS use also significantly predicts teenager’s civic and political participation among SNS users. Moreover, join groups on SNS or not interacts with mobile personal talks to predict civic participation.

Incidental Exposure to Online News: An Insight from the Pew Internet Project Introduction • Borchuluun Yadamsuren; Sanda Erdelez; Joonghwa Lee, University of Missouri; Esther Thorson, University of Missouri • Incidental exposure to online news (IEON) is becoming more prominent as people spend more time on the Internet. However, little research on this behavior has been done in the field of mass communication. Through a secondary data analysis of the Pew Internet & American Life Project study (2010), this study aimed to explore association of the IEON in two contexts (news reading and non-news reading) using various demographic, technology usage, and news exposure variables. Findings of the present study suggest that both types of IEON are positively associated with higher education, home access to the Internet, strong interest in news, and online news use. However, there is no correlation between either types of IEON and legacy media use. This study extends the research on online news consumption and incidental exposure to online news. The findings have important implications for online media business.

Walled Gardens?: Social Media and Political Disaffection among College Students in the 2008 Election • Masahiro Yamamoto, Washington State University; Matthew Kushin, Utah Valley University • This study evaluates the ways in which social media influenced political disaffection among young adults during the 2008 presidential election campaign. The effects of social media, online expression, and traditional Internet sources on political cynicism, skepticism, and apathy were examined using data from an online survey of college students. Results show that attention to social media for campaign information is positively related to cynicism and apathy. Online expression has a positive effect on skepticism. Implications are discussed for the role of social media in bringing a historically disengaged demographic group into the political process.

Motivations for and Consequences of Participating in Online Research Communities • Juyoung Bang, Samsung Electronics; Seounmi Youn, Emerson College; James Rowean, Emerson College; Michael Jennings, Communispace Corporation; Manila Austin, Communispace Corporation • Utilizing the functional approach of attitudes, this study identified the motivations that consumers have for attitudes toward participation in online research communities: knowledge, utilitarian, value-expressive, ego-defensive, social, and helping the company. Further, this study explored the influences of respective motivations on consumers’ sense of identification with communities, which subsequently affects consumers’ feeling heard by companies, community loyalty, and brand trust. Online survey data (n=1,461) supported the hypothesized relationships and offered theoretical and managerial implications.

Student Papers

Opting Into Information Flows: Partial Information Control on Facebook • Leticia Bode • While we know a great deal about purposive information seeking online, and we have some understanding of incidental exposure to information online, Web 2.0 challenges this dichotomy. Social media represent a new type of information environment, in which users have partial control over the information to which they are exposed. While users opt into information flows, they are then exposed to information they might not have sought out themselves. This study is a first step in understanding the dissemination of information in this environment, as well as the effects of exposure to such information. Utilizing survey data relating to the specific case of the popular online social network, Facebook, the study tests for likelihood of exposure to information in this environment, as well as the relationship between exposure and opinion change. Results indicate that users do recognize exposure to information in this new environment, and exposure to information in that medium significantly increases the likelihood of opinion change as a result.

Building Frames Link by Link: The Linking Practices of Blogs and News Sites • Mark Coddington, University of Texas-Austin • This study uses content analysis and depth interviews to examine the use and conceptions of hyperlinks among news web sites, independent bloggers, and blogging journalists, particularly the way that they contributed to episodic, thematic, and conflict news frames. News sites’ links functioned thematically to provide context through background information produced by a limited body of traditional, non-opinionated sources. Bloggers’ links, however, served as a more social connection while pointing toward immediate, episodic news issues.

For Love or Money?: The Role of Non-Profits in Preserving Serious Journalism • Emily Donahue Brown, University of Texas • This study employed elite, in-depth interviews with executives of online non-profit journalism organizations to ascertain their sense of mission, audience and the model’s potential for long-term relevance. They see their organizations assuming investigative, in-depth reporting roles vacated by mass media. The online non-profit model enables deeper interactive engagement with local audiences.  Securing stable funding and broader audiences are critical concerns. Cross-platform collaboration is crucial to establishing brand; engaging younger audiences is not a major priority.

Linked World: Applying Network Theory to Micro-Blogging in China • Fangfang Gao • Micro-blogging is one of the latest Web 2.0 technologies with great impact in the world. Drawing on network theory, this study focused on the recent micro-blogging phenomenon in China, analyzing the characteristics of micro-blogs. Content analyzing the secondary data from Sina micro-blogs, this study found that lifestyle and entertainment/celebrity were the most popular and the most reposted topics in Chinese micro-blogs. Features of micro-blogs such as topic, authorship, and multimedia usage can predict their emergence as hubs in the Chinese micro-blogging network. Implications of results were discussed.

Will the Revolution be Tweeted or Facebooked? Using Digital Communication Tools in Immigrant Activism • Summer Harlow, University of Texas-Austin; Lei Guo, University of Texas at Austin • Considering the debate over U.S. immigration reform and the way digital communication technologies increasingly are being used to spark protests, this study examines focus group discourse of immigration activists to explore how digital media are transforming the definitions of “”activism”” and “”activist.” Analysis suggests technologies are perhaps pacifying would-be activists, convincing them they are contributing more than they actually are. Thus, “”armchair activism”” that takes just a mouse click is potentially diluting “”real”” activism.

Go to the People: A Historical Case Study & Policy Analysis Of Massachusetts and Open Standard Document Formats • Andrew Kennis • In 2004, Massachusetts announced it would switch the format of its electronic documents for its public records from a proprietary, to an ostensibly open standard.  My case study examines the struggles, controversies, and successes of the monumental Massachusetts policy.  It is an epic tale and one that is casually known to most internet policy scholars, if not the general public.  This case study not only closely details the development of what was a monumental policy initiative, but also undertakes a critical analysis of the history observed in Massachusetts. A policy argument is posited which calls for the organization of democratic, grassroots-based support for the furtherance of an open standard document format not developed or maintained by a corporation which currently monopolizes the office suite market. An “”open coalition”” is called upon to undertake a public awareness and grassroots lobbying campaign, which would connect the open source community to the cause of adopting a genuinely open standard document format by tying open source and standard initiatives together.

The effect of emotional attachment to mobile phone on usage behavior:  Meditation effect of deficient self-regulation and habit • Mijung Kim • Considering pervasiveness of mobile phones, the literature of media use has focused on a wide range of predictors of mobile phone usage behaviors such as motivations, gratifications, self-efficacy, personality traits, media dependency, and demographic characteristics. Nonetheless, the existing theoretical models focusing on rational or utilitarian media usage cannot reflect the emotional and relational aspect of usage behaviors. In other words, what past studies of media use has not paid attention is the possibility that users develop relationship with media and emotional attachment to media including both cognitive and affective based media-self connections. Thus, focusing on psychological connections between users and media, this study demonstrates users’ emotional attachment to mobile phones, influence their mobile phone usage behavior. Specifically, this study focuses on the mediation effects of deficient self-regulation and habits.

Crude comments and concern: Online incivility’s effect on risk perceptions of emerging technologies • Peter Ladwig; Ashley Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Uncivil rhetoric has become a growing aspect of American political discussion and deliberation.  This trend is not only confined to traditional media representations of deliberation, but also online media such as blog comments.  This study examines online incivility’s effect on risk perception of an emerging technology, nanotechnology.  We found that reading can polarize audiences’ attitudes of risk perception of nanotechnology along the lines of religiosity, efficacy, and support for the technology.

Motivations and Usage Patterns of Online News: Use of Digital Media Technologies and Its Political Implications • Shin Haeng Lee, University of Washington – Seattle; ChangHee Choi, School of Journalism, Indiana University at Bloomington • With an interest in contextualized use of new communication technologies and its implications, this study examines the relationship of individuals’ motivations for news consumption to their frequencies and patterns of online news use and attempts to explain the role of online features in the news consumption by dividing online activities into active and passive usage patterns. Based on a secondary analysis of data collected by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project that conducted a national survey on the media and technology consumption of individuals in 2010, this study aims to identify online users’ motivations for using online news and to examine relationships between user motivations for news consumption and usage patterns of online news services. The findings of this study demonstrate associations of individuals’ different motivations with not only their usage frequencies but also patterns of online news services. The results also suggest that the examination of various activities engaged with different functions the Internet provides should be considered in studies of what motivates people to experience new practices in using web-based media. Given different modes of Internet usage in getting news, this study shed light on the important role of new tools or functions web-based media provide in online practices its users perform as well as the examination of what contents or services they consume or engage with. Finally, the study suggests that scholars should consider for future research the investigation of individuals’ different practices online in using news, contingent on their motivations for media use.

Online users’ news consumption practices and technological tools • Shin Haeng Lee, University of Washington – Seattle • Online users’ different motivations with respect to news consumption lead to different practices in using news media and related ICTs. However, media institutional actors endeavor to hold their power as a traditional gatekeeper even on the Web. In this sense, online users’ activities can be explained with not only traditional mass communication models but also individual motivations for social networking. This paper allows for an explanation in which the application of new ICTs to web-based media reflects institutional actors’ attempts to get access to arenas that draw larger audiences online. Likewise, individual actors who use shared digital network technologies with a motivation for human interactivity play a much more dynamic role in reconfiguring a distinctive flow and patterns of news and information on the Web from traditional communication models. Thus, digital network technological tools can be considered to not only provide online users with more opportunities to access alternative sources of news and information but also allow news media institutions to appropriate technologies for new opportunities to maintain control over users and their participations through technologies in order to reinforce their communicative power. In an effort to examine the consequences of the use of new technologies in news consumption, future research should therefore take into account institutional as well as individual actors’ practices in a process of interaction between their motives and tools for satisfying their needs in the historical and cultural context.

Issue Information and Technological Choice in a Senate Election Campaign: News, Social Media, Candidate Communications, and Voter Learning • Jason A. Martin, Indiana University School of Journalism • As candidates, the news media, and much of the public increasingly focus on digital and mobile media, it is important to understand the impact of these communication technologies in a variety of election contexts. This paper addressed that research problem by asking citizens about their use of various election information resources and their knowledge about key issues in a U.S. Senate campaign. A representative survey of randomly selected voters (n = 220, 50.9% response rate) in one of the nation’s 20 most populous cities was conducted immediately following the November 2010 Senate midterm election. Respondents were asked how frequently they used traditional and digital news media, social media, and campaign communications, including both advertising and candidate websites.  A hierarchical regression model including media use, alternate information sources, motivation measures, and demographics revealed that newspaper use and online news use were the most important independent predictors of issue knowledge, followed by voting status and general civics knowledge. Also, newspaper use and news website use were not correlated, indicating that they were similarly but separately effective in influencing voter issue learning. On the other hand, blog use, social media use, and campaign website use did not have significant effects on issue learning after controls. These findings indicate that although citizens had a greater range of information available to them than ever before, they preferred traditional campaign content and learned the most from the news media’s printed word even as they diversified the platforms on which they received that election news.

Perceived Credibility of Mainstream Newspapers and Facebook • Andrew Nynka, University of Maryland; Raymond McCaffrey, University of Maryland • This study examines whether consumers perceived differences in the credibility of news from a mainstream newspaper compared to a social media web site where a friend provides a link to a story. Measures indicated significant differences across four indices, with a New York Times story rated higher in terms of professionalism, authority, and information, while participants indicated they were more likely to provide a link to the friend’s Facebook story on their own Facebook page.

The Roles of Descriptive Norms and Communication Frequency in Forming Information Communication Technology Adoption Intention • Yi Mou, University of Connecticut; Hanlong Fu • Previous studies have not examined the roles of descriptive norms and communication frequency in the process of information communication technology adoption.  This study aims to fill the gap using podcast as an example.  Results show that descriptive norm is an additional significant predictor of adoption intention.  Injunctive norms play a moderating role in the relationship between communication frequency and descriptive norms.  However, frequent communication in one’s social networks does not necessarily reduce the discrepancy between an individual’s beliefs and perceived others’ beliefs related to podcast using.  Implications for future studies are also discussed.

Look At Me Now: The Need To Belong And Facebook Use • Stephen Prince, Brigham Young University; Adam Anderson; Sarah Connors • The objective of this study was to examine if an individual’s need to belong was associated with specific types of participatory Facebook activities, particularly those that might provide functional substitutes for more traditional interpersonal interaction and involvement with others. A secondary objective was to determine if gender mediated the relationship between need and activity frequency. Data were collected via an online survey (N = 398) administered to Facebook users ranging in age from 14 to 73 (M = 25.93). Our results indicate that those individuals with the greatest need to belong were more likely than those with the lowest need to update their Facebook status on a regular basis, tag photographs, and to use Facebook Chat with a larger number of their friends. Our findings also suggest gender impacts usage patterns based on need to belong. Men with high need are more likely to use Facebook for more interactively immediate forms of communication, such as chatting, than women.  Women with high need were more likely than those with low need to engage in activities that were more designed to draw attention to the individual rather than to create an immediate means of two-way interaction.

Consumer Motivations and the Use of QR Codes • Jennifer Seefeld, University of Nebraska – Lincoln; Meghan Collins, University of Nebraska – Lincoln • The development of QR codes and the increase of mobile phones among college students has developed a new media outlet. Many companies are investing in mobile marketing campaigns but there is little academic research on QR codes. This pilot study attempts to bridge this gap in literature. It analyzes the view of advertising agencies as well as the motivations and knowledge of QR codes in the target market of college students.

New Media in Social Relations: The Cell Phone Use among College Students in Building and Maintaining Friendships • Ivy Shen, University of Oklahoma • This study explores the role of cell phone in maintaining and establishing friendships among college students. A comparison between the cell phone use and face-to-face communication was drawn to see which communication approach is preferred by those young people in terms of supporting friendships. Gender’s affect on college students’ attitudes toward the cell phone use in friendship maintenance and establishment was also examined. The results demonstrate that the cell phone does help in maintaining friendships. College students prefer using the cell phone to having face-to-face conversations to maintain the relationships. Yet, face-to-face interaction turns out to be more preferable in initiating friendships. The findings also suggest that gender is not an influential factor in college students’ cell phone use in the connections with friends.

From Stereoscopy to 3D HD Image:A Review of 3D HDTV Diffusion from the Perspective of Technology Adoption • Xu Song • 3D HDTV is in its early days. 3D technology still needs to be improved to be ready for mass promotion in the market. This study reviews the 3D HDTV technology development and its diffusion in society. Based on the review of the current 3D HDTV adoption situation, individual and social factors which may influence the adoption of 3D HDTV are identified. Some factors such as media technology use and attitude are oriented from the individual difference; some factors such as cost and health risks focus on social aspects. This study analyzes the challenges faced by 3D HDTV diffusion and provides some recommendations for the success of 3D HDTV diffusion.

The Bottom Line: The Negative Influences of Technology on the Good Work and Ethics of Journalism • Ian Storey, Colorado State University • New communication technologies have some positive influences on journalism, but overall have added to the decline of “”good work”” by journalists who are pressured to publish sooner in a culture of immediacy. This immediacy has serious consequences on the profession of journalism and the practitioners of it. In the pursuit to be first, news agencies are creating ethical problems that include providing the public with unverified information and failing to adequately deliberate about their actions.

Gift Economy: Contributors of Functional Online Collaborations • Yoshikazu Suzuki, University of Minnesota Twin Cities • As the Internet transformed into a social platform following Web 2.0, active audience participation and commons-based peer production has been argued as an alternative arena of production for socially and culturally meaningful artifacts. Past literatures have mainly focused on the societal and cultural implications of such change in the landscape of contemporary Internet. However, despite the significant economic implications of peer production, existing literatures remain silent to investigating the phenomenon through the theoretical scope of economic systems. The present study is a qualitative investigation of user contributions and collaborations aimed provide an alternative understanding of the phenomenon of online collaboration through the scope of gift economy.

Reciprocity in social network games and generation of social capital • Donghee Yvette Wohn, Michigan State University • Social network games—games that incorporate network data from social network sites—use exchange between players as a main mechanism of play. However, the type of exchange facilitated by the game is both social and economical. Players get an immediate reward by the system by initiating an exchange with another player, but they can also anticipate an unspecified return from that player. In this dual-exchange environment where reciprocity is triggered by two different stimuli, does reciprocity generate social capital?  This paper describes a longitudinal experiment using a Facebook game (N=89) to examine the effect of behavior and affect on social capital development among zero-sum acquaintances. Reciprocity indicated a significant but small main effect. Affective measures—trust and copresence, but not intimacy—were positive indicators of social capital.

Consumer’s purchase power and ICT diffusion: Theoretical framework and cross-national empirical study • Xiaoqun Zhang • Combining the theories of Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Consumer Theory, this paper constructs a three dimensional framework for the diffusion process of ICTs. This framework shows how the s-shape curve changes when the average purchase power of a nation increases. Hence, it explains the digital divide between different nations due to the economic gaps. The hypotheses based on this framework are proposed and justified by the cross-national empirical studies.

Narcissism, Communication Anxiety, Gratifications-sought on SNS Use and Social Capital among College Students in China • pei zheng; Hongzhe wang • This study investigates whether and how gratifications, narcissism and communication anxiety impact people’s social network sites (SNS) use and perceived social capital. Firstly, a factor analysis of a survey data of SNS users (N=581) outlined a set of specific gratifications obtained from Renren, the most popular Chinese social network site. Four aspects of gratifications-sought (self-expression and presentation, peer pressure, social networking maintenance, and information seeking) have been identified. Then Pearson correlation showed narcissism significantly related to identified gratifications and SNS use, while communication anxiety was partially related to them; Intensity of SNS use was positively related to social capital. After that, hierarchical regression revealed that gratifications were the most powerful predictors for SNS use, while narcissism and intensity predicted social capital powerfully. Moreover, the initial significant relationship of narcissism to intensity of SNS use became insignificant when gratifications were entered in subsequent step into the regression, suggesting a mediation effect occurred.

The emerging network paradigm in computer-mediated communication: A structure analysis of scholarly collaboration network • Aimei Yang • As the important influence of social networks on communication increasingly being recognized by scholars, a growing number of studies have applied the network perspective to study online communication. This article extensively reviewed the major research topics, patterns of publications, and the structure of scholarly collaboration of an emerging sub-field of online communication research: research into online networks. Findings of this study provide not only an overview of a growing new sub-field but also a baseline that will enable future scholars to see where the sub-field began and trace its shift over time.

<< 2011 Abstracts

Mass Communication and Society 2008 Abstracts

Mass Communication and Society Division

Television, perceptual filters, and personal politics: Examining public opinion toward gay marriage • Amy Becker, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dietram Scheufele, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Using data from a nationally representative random-digit-dial survey collected prior to the 2004 presidential election (N=781), this study examines the ways in which predispositions, media use, and political inputs (political knowledge; political tolerance) influence public support for gay marriage. Our findings suggest that attitudes toward gay marriage were largely shaped by ideological orientations and religious predispositions during the course of the 2004 election cycle.

Generational Differences in Reactions to Aggressive Political Interviews • Eran Ben-Porath, University of Pennsylvania • This paper looks at the manner in which generational differences in news values, shape viewers’ reactions to aggressive interviews on television. Uncivil discourse has been found to translate into distrust of the social institutions facilitating this type of communication. However, the effect for younger viewers might be different since the entertaining and involved appearance of aggressive interviews answer to some of the unique expectations of a new generation of news consumers.

Kids say the darndest things, or don’t they? Television exposure and demographic variables in 3rd-6th graders’ implicit and explicit attitudes toward obesity • Kimberly Bissell, University of Alabama; Hal Hays, University of Alabama • This study of 601 3rd-6th grade boys and girls examined implicit and explicit attitudes of anti-fat bias along with media exposure variables, demographic variables, and measures of attitudes about healthy eating and exercise. In this study, predictors of implicit attitudes of bias were measured and then those same implicit measures were tested as possible predictors of more explicit measures of anti-fat bias.

Not Inevitable: Changing the Third-Person Effect Through Education • Stephen Banning, Bradley University • In an experiment, using a pretest and a posttest, the third-person perception was manipulated using education about the third-person effect as an intervention. Participants’ perceptions were significantly different after the intervention. Implications for reducing the third-person effect in order to avoid negative behavioral impacts are discussed.

You and the Tube: Perceptions of Non-Traditional Debate Credibility among New Voters • Pamela Brubaker, The Pennsylvania State University; Michael Horning, The Pennsylvania State University; Christopher Toula, The Pennsylvania State University • In the political arena, new developments in Web 2.0 have been recognized for their ability to provide opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process in ways which were not possible even a decade ago. Responsible for altering the political debate process, this change in technology now allows average citizens to pose questions to presidential candidates. This research examines ways in which the CNN/YouTube debates are affecting perceptions of debate credibility among young voters.

Substance Abuse in Teen-centered Film: 1980-2007 • Mark Callister; Tom Robinson; Chris Near, Brigham Young University • Current mass communication studies have focused on substance use in film; however, they have not focused on teen films over long periods of time. This study examines depictions of alcohol, illegal drugs, and tobacco in teen films from 1980-2007. Results indicate a decline in substance use portrayals. Also, males are shown using illegal substances more than females. These findings suggest that pressure from anti-drug groups may be influencing the presence of illegal substances in films.

Can we make a difference? A study of perceived collective efficacy, Political participation and media use • Sumana Chattopadhyay, Marquette University • Collectives matter in today’s politics. This paper looks at local collective efficacy and its relationship with media use and political participation (informal and electoral). It reveals that local collective efficacy for collective social action tasks has a significant relationship with informal participation in politics.

The Image-Setting Research of Candidates in 2006 Taipei’s Mayoral Election: From the Stimulus-Determined and the Perceiver-Determined Perspectives • Hsuan-Ting Chen, University of Texas at Austin; Meng-chieh Yang • Guided by the theory of second-level agenda-setting and the model of the funnel of causality, results revealed that the agenda of substantive attributes of candidates presented in the newspapers influences the agenda of substantive attributes defining the images of the candidates among the public. Interestingly, more positive reports about a candidate’s attributes can give voters more impression on the candidates’ attributes.

Exploring Characteristics of Three Kinds of Gated News for Three Mainstream Online News Sites • Ying-Ying Chen • This study builds the constructs of three kinds (four types) of gated news to explore how online users pay attention to three online mainstream news sites by defining online users from marketing and democrat perspectives. News characteristics of four types of gated news are examined in explaining online users’ most popular news attention.

Convergence of agenda setting and attitude change approaches: The role of message attributes and the nature of media issues • Gennadiy Chernov, University of Regina • The current experimental study simultaneously tests whether personal experience and the level of message specificity leads to agenda-setting and attitudinal effects. The results demonstrated overall perceived issue importance and attitude favorability increased after participants read the newspaper stories about selected issues of gas and oil prices and international trade with China. In addition, those who did not have personal experience with an issue described in a story with general attributes showed significant attitude change.

Campaigning on Social Networks: The Effects of Visiting MySpace Profiles of Political Candidates, Raluca Cozma, Louisiana State University; Monica Postelnicu • This study examines what uses and gratifications (U&G) compel voters to visit MySpace profiles of political candidates, what the perceived effects of those visits are, and how they related to voters’ preexisting political attitudes.

One More Reason for Women Not to Play: Gender Differences in the Perceptions about Video Game Influences on Body Image • Mark Cruea, Bowling Green State University; Sung-Yeon Park, Bowling Green State University • This study examined young women and men’s perceptions about the influence of hypermuscular and hypersexualized male and female images on others of same and opposite gender. The role of gender in the third-person perceptions has been examined in three ways. As the subject of perception, women’s estimate of the influence on other men was higher than men’s estimate.

Journalists and Framing of the Iraq Issue in the 2004 Presidential Campaign • Arvind Diddi, State University of New York at Oswego • For this study, in all 445 stories from three network and three cable television channels were content analyzed between Labor Day and election day during the 2004 presidential campaign. Derived from framing theory and the past literature, twelve frames for the Iraq issue were defined apriori for this study. The study data revealed that mostly negative frames were emphasized in the coverage of the Iraq issue.

Effects of Black’s Strength of Ethnic Identity on Consumer Attitudes: A Multiple-Group Model Approach • Troy Elias, The Ohio State University; Li Gong; Osei Appiah, The Ohio State University • This study examines the role of ethnic identity as a means of understanding Blacks’ responses to Black and White product endorsers on an e-commerce website, and also evaluates the race of a character in an ad as a moderator of consumer attitudes.

The Impact of the September 11 Tragedy on Regulations Governing International Students: A Framing Analysis of Coverage by The New York Times and The Washington Post • Ignatius Fosu, University of Arkansas • Investigations into the September 11 tragedy revealed that three of the hijackers had taken advantage of loopholes in regulations governing international students. This paper examines the dominant frames and sources used by The New York Times and The Washington Post in covering the issue over a 15-month period, and how these possibly contributed to the passing of new regulations to address these breaches.

Gender Diversity in Sourcing for Newspaper Coverage of 2006 U.S. Senate Elections • Eric Freedman, Michigan State University; Frederick Fico, Michigan State University • A content analysis of stories covering eleven races for U.S. Senate in 2006 showed an overwhelming reliance on male “horse race” and issue experts when nonpartisan experts appeared at all in the largest newspaper in each state. When female experts were cited, they were likely to receive less space and appear deeper in a story than male experts.

The Influence of News Coverage of the Virginia Tech Shootings on Perceived Threat, Stereotypes of South Korean Immigrants, and Avoidance of Intergroup Interaction • Yuki Fujioka, Georgia State University; Cynthia Hoffner, Gergia State University; Anita Atwell-Seate; Elizabeth Cohen • This study examines the influence of news coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings on perceived threat of gun violence, stereotypes of South Korean immigrants, and avoidance of interaction with out-group members. News exposure was associated with the greater perceived threat, more negative stereotypes, and greater avoidance of intergroup interaction. Perceived threat and stereotypes both predicted greater avoidance of intergroup interaction. Findings are discussed in light of integrated threat theory, exemplification theory and social identity theory.

Did the media help inflate the housing bubble? Media coverage of real estate markets in times of change • Carroll Glynn, The Ohio State University; Michael Huge, The Ohio State University; Lindsay Hoffman, University of Delaware • Economic issues offer communication scholars the opportunity to analyze media effects via widely available economic indicators, probing the relationship between objective conditions (i.e., economic indicators) and subjective evaluations (i.e., public perceptions of the economy). A content analysis of newspaper coverage from 1996 to 2007 was combined with national survey data. Findings indicate that there was indeed a relationship between both the amount and type of media coverage and public perceptions regarding the housing market.

Late-Night Iraq: Monologue Joke Content and Tone from 2003-2007 • Michel Haigh, The Pennsylvania State University; Joshua Compton, Southwest Baptist University; Aaron Heresco • The current study examines late-night comedy about the war in Iraq. A content analysis examined late-night comedy jokes about the war in Iraq from March 2003 – March 2007. Results indicate the jokes told (N = 986) about Iraq were anti-war, had a negative tone, and depicted the U.S. government negatively. The most common type of comedy employed to discuss Iraq was informative. The topics discussed in the jokes varied.

Nationwide Newspaper Coverage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform: A Community Structure Approach • Patrick Hall, The College of New Jersey; Steven Viani; Alexander Liberton; John Pollock, College of New Jersey • Utilizing the community structure approach, a research model developed by Pollock and others (1977, 1978, 1994-2002, 2007) that connects city characteristics with variations in newspaper coverage of significant events, a nationwide cross-section of 21 newspapers were sampled to analyze coverage of comprehensive immigration reform. The articles were chosen based on specific parameters, including a date range of November 28, 2005 to November 6, 2007 and a word-count of 250 or more.

Representation of Trauma and Collective Memory in Two Newspapers: Different Memories on Sex Slaves, or Comfort Women • Choonghee Han, The University of Iowa • This paper talks about the traumatic memory in the framework of collective memory and media representations, particularly rhetorics and themes of representation. The main focus is on how news media in Japan and South Korea tried to represent their own interpretation of the memory. Editorials from two newspapers, one in each country, that covered the international debate over the sex slaves, or “comfort women,” were analyzed.

Sex-typing of sports: The influence of gender, participation, and media on visual priming responses • Marie Hardin, Penn State University; Fuyuan Shen, Penn State University; Nan Yu, The Pennsylvania State University • Although men’s participation in sports that have traditionally been sex-typed as masculine, such as basketball, have received the lion’s share of media coverage, research shows that women’s interest and participation in these sports has steadily increased during the past decade. This study seeks to update research on the sex-typing of sports with an exploration of how visual priming, through sports images, may be influenced by participation, mediated sports consumption and gender of consumers.

Blogs and the Iraq War: A Time-Series Analysis of Intermedia Agenda Setting and Agenda Building • Kyle Heim, University of Missouri • This study used time-series analysis of news coverage and blog discussion about the Iraq War from mid-2006 through late 2007 to examine intermedia agenda setting and agenda building. The amount of newspaper and television coverage was positively correlated with the number of posts on “A-list” political blogs and personal blogs. Limited evidence was found that A-list political blogs influenced news coverage. Military deaths influenced news coverage, but White House news releases were less influential.

Framing Armed Conflict: A Field Study of Sri Lankan and Israeli-Palestinian Journalists • Anuradha K. Herath; T. Michael Maher; William R. Davie, University of Louisiana • This study applied framing analysis and a “snowball” interviewing technique to determine the relationship between journalists’ attitudes about armed conflict and their reporting. Twenty-four interviews with Sri Lankan and Israeli-Palestinian journalists were conducted, and their work samples were analyzed for the presence of pro-war frames developed using peace journalism guidelines. A definite relationship was detected between the frames created by the journalists’ writing and their attitudes toward the armed conflicts they were covering.

News Leads and News Frames in Stories about Stem Cell Research • Elliott Hillback, UW-Madison; Anthony Dudo, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Rosalyna Wijaya; Sharon Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dominique Brossard, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Furthering recent research on media framing, this study examines the extent to which “topical emphasis” (focus) and “meaning emphasis” (frames) are conceptually distinct entities. Specifically, we examine to what degree the distinction between foci and frames described by Brossard et al. (2007) in news leads is also present in the body of news stories, and we examine the patterns of association between particular foci and frames in new story leads and bodies, and across types of events.

Value Frames in Health Communication: Reframing and Media Effects • Lindsay Hoffman, University of Delaware; Michael Slater, The Ohio State University • Media frames that appeal to core values have been shown to activate individuals’ values. We argue that values can serve to “reframe” issues. Literature on persuasion, media priming, and framing help explicate the role that value frames play in activating individual values. An experiment exposed subjects to value frames about a smoking ban. Results demonstrated that value frames alone did not affect values, but when value frames were interacted with pre-existing orientations, significant results emerged.

Media Use and Perceptions of Citizen Activities: The Role of the Media in Socializing Active Democratic Citizens • J. Brian Houston; Michael Pfau • This study examined how the mass media depict citizen activities, how individuals think citizens should act, and how the two are related through a content analysis of media content and a national telephone survey. The content analysis found that citizens were frequently depicted as stating political opinions and as the object of government law, policy, or actions.

If it’s good enough for me, it’s good enough for my children: frequency of television viewing as a predictor of parental television monitoring • Stacey Hust, Washington State University; Joann Wong; Yvonnes Yi-Chun Chen, Washington State University • Parents have increasingly expressed concern about children’s media use, yet whether parent’s media use affects their attitudes toward children’s television use has rarely been explored. A survey of 462 parents indicated parents’ television viewing was associated with attitudes about parental mediation, and the frequency of parental TV viewing was positively associated with the frequency of children’s viewing. This study also produced three reliable scales of parents’ identification of scene-specific content as violent, sexual, or family-oriented

A Functional Analysis of the 2007 South Korean Presidential Campaign Blogs • Sungwook Hwang, University of Missouri at Columbia • This study content-analyzes the functions and topics on the 2007 South Korean presidential campaign blogs by employing the Functional Theory.

News Attitudes as Mediators in the Relationship between Political Extremity and Political Blog Use • Kideuk Hyun; Joon Yea Lee, University of Texas at Austin • This study examined the role of news attitudes-preference to attitude-consistent news and differential perception of media trust-as mediators in the relationship between the political extremity and political blog use. Using 2006 Pew Research Center data, initial regression equations revealed the significant relationships among the three sets of associations between political extremity and political blog use, political extremity and media attitudes, and media attitudes and political blog use.

You Can’t Take it With You? Comparing the Effects of Portable Handheld and Television-Based Media Consoles on Users’ Physiological and Psychological Responses to Video Game and Movie Content • James D. Ivory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Robert Magee, Virginia Tech • Because portable media consoles are extremely popular, it is important to investigate how their physiological and psychological effects may differ from those of television-based consoles. This article reports a 2 (Console: Portable or Television-Based) X 2 (Medium: Video Game or Movie) mixed factorial design experiment with physiological arousal and self-reported flow experience as dependent variables, designed to explore whether console type affects media experiences and whether these effects are consistent with different media.

Blogs and Intermedia Agenda-Setting: A Study of Campaign and Political Blogs in the 2006 Pennsylvania Senate Race • Philip Johnson, Syracuse University; Jennifer Liebman, Syracuse University • Our study content analyzed candidate blogs and two popular political blogs from the 2006 Pennsylvania senate race in order to determine which issues were most salient during the election. Spearman’s rho was used to determine issue agenda consistency of candidate blogs and political blogs throughout September and October. These correlations showed that candidate blogs and political blogs maintained consistent issue agendas.

Can you Teach a New Blog Old Tricks? How Blog Users Judge Credibility of Different Types of Blogs for Information About the Iraq War • Thomas J. Johnson, Texas Tech University; Barbara Kaye, University of Tennessee • This study employed an online survey to examine the extent to which blog users judge different types of blogs as credible. More specifically, this study examines the extent to which blog users judge general information, media/journalism, war, military, political, corporate and personal blogs as credible. The study will also examine the degree to which reliance on blogs for war information predicts their credibility after controlling for demographic and political factors.

Going to the Blogs: Toward the Development of a Uses and Gratifications Measurement Scale for Blogs • Barbara Kaye, University of Tennessee • This paper investigates the uses and motivations for connecting to blogs. Rather than relying on motivations from pre-existing scales measuring traditional media or Internet use that must be adapted for blogs, this study relies on open-ended questions about blog use derived from a previous survey.

What do people do with ‘seed news’?: An exploratory case study of news diffusion in cyberspace • Kyungmo Kim, Yonsei University; Yung-Ho Im; Eun-mee Kim; Yeran Kim • This research examines the patterns of news diffusion process in cyberspace. Four news events in Korea were selected to show how each ‘seed news’ is diffused and also transformed along the process in cyberspace. The research especially focuses on transformation of news content and forms in the diffusion process, which the previous news diffusion study has neglected at the expense of concentrating on news awareness of the individual adopters.

The Irony of Satire: People See What They Want to See in The Colbert Report, Heather LaMarre • The Ohio State University; Michael Beam, The Ohio State University; Kristen Landreville, The Ohio State University • This study investigated biased message processing of political satire in The Colbert Report and the influence of political ideology on perceptions of Stephen Colbert. Results indicate that political ideology influences individual-level processing of ambiguous political comedy. Using data from an experiment (N = 332), we found that individual-level political ideology significantly predicted perceptions of Colbert’s political party identification and political ideology.

The Investigative Reporting Agenda in America: 1979-2007 • Gerry Lanosga; Jason Martin, Indiana University • This study is a content analysis of entries in the annual contest sponsored by Investigative Reporters and Editors, a Missouri-based industry association that provides training and recognition to investigative journalists from across the country. Analysis of a random sample of stories from the database’s 20,000 projects yields a systematic description of investigative reporting as it has been practiced in the United States since 1979, an increased understanding of the journalist-source dynamic as it pertains to investigative reporting, and a new perspective on investigative reporting in the context of agenda setting theory.

Ratings Creep and PG-13: A Longitudinal Analysis • Ron Leone, Stonehill College • Ratings creep” is the belief that adult concept escalates in films with the same rating over time. This study tests the “ratings creep hypothesis” in PG-13 films (1988, 1997, and 2006), and compares 1997 R films to 2006 PG-13 films. Sixty films were analyzed. Significant increases in violence among PG-13 films were found; increases in other adult content were not.

Issue Constraints and Gatekeeping:Limited Production Capacities of News Sites for Publishing Diverse Issues • Jeongsub Lim, Austin Peay State University • Traditional news media are unable to publish all news items because of structural constraints or limited capacities, such as the availability of news holes and staff reporters, resulting in issue constraints that favor a small range of issues over diverse alternative issues. This study explores the question of to what extent such issue constraints are present in news sites.

“Are all celebrity endorsements the same?” The impact of different spokespersons for mental illness campaigns • Yu-Jung Lin, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities • Whether all celebrities are equally useful as potential spokespersons for health campaigns is an open question. This study tested the potential impact of two different celebrities, a non-celebrity, and a control condition with no message on the perceptions of those with major depression among a population of undergraduates. Results suggest that while the endorsement message conditions did improve perceptions relative to the control condition, the two celebrities differed dramatically in their effect.

American and Japanese Viewpoints on Press Freedom/Civil Liberty Infringements within the Context of Terror • Catherine Luther, University of Tennessee • This study examined the potential influences of cultural values, perceived level of terrorism threat, interest in terrorism news, and mass media consumption habits on the degree of support or nonsupport given to antiterrorism strategies that infringe on civil liberties and press freedom. The impact of the above main factors was analyzed through a survey-based analysis of viewpoints expressed by American and Japanese college students.

Examining Narrative Engagement’s Influence on Entertainment-Education Campaigns for Organ Donation • Emily Garrigues Marett, Washington State University Edward R Murrow School of Communication; Rick Busselle • Organ donation consent rates are very low despite overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward organ donation. Because television is the primary source of information on organ donation, entertainment-education campaigns may be an effective strategy. Previous research has linked narrative engagement to changes in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. This study empirically tested the influence of narrative engagement on entertainment-education efforts. Results indicated that entertainment-education programming was more successful than standard entertainment programming at influencing organ donation attitudes.

Blogging the Horse Race: New Media and the Presidential Primary Campaign • Jason Martin, Indiana University; Gerry Lanosga • Horse-race campaign coverage has been a popular topic of communication research, but not yet for new media. This content analysis investigates how blogs covered the 2008 presidential primaries. Bloggers used the horse-race theme in reporting and focused on candidate performance more often than print media at rates that were statistically significant. Also, horse-race reporting in both media was found to include a more complex mixture of issue coverage than previous similar studies had indicated.

Voters’ Attention, Perceived Effects, and Voting Preferences: Negative Political Advertising in the 2006 Ohio Governor’s Election • Jennette Lovejoy, Ohio University; Hong Cheng, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Ohio University; Daniel Riffe, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Ohio University • Statewide survey (N=564) before Ohio’s 2006 gubernatorial election examined political interest, campaign news and advertising attention, and perceived effects of negative political ads. Interest was related to political and negative political advertising attention, which were in turn related to campaign news attention. Candidate preference predicted attention to political and negative political ads; attention to ads significantly predicted perceived effects on self and on others, while negative ad attention significantly predicted third-person differential (other minus self).

Values and media use in Germany, 1986-2005: An explorative analysis • Merja Mahrt, Zeppelin University, Germany; Klaus Schoenbach, Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam • How is media use related to the personal values of audience members? This study explores for the first time historically whether an expanding media offer has been accompanied by a selection behavior more and more determined by individual values. Have people increasingly tended to use the media they assume to represent their values?

A Citizen-Eye View of Television News Source Credibility • Andrea Miller, Louisiana State University; David Kurpius, Louisiana State University • This experimental study used 244 participants to investigate citizen perceptions of news sources focusing on source credibility. Ten television news stories were created varying source affiliation (officials/citizens), source race (African-American/Caucasian), and type of story (hard/soft news). For the first time, results showed viewers do distinguish between the credibility of official and citizen sources. No difference was found in credibility based on race. Results are discussed within the frameworks of civic journalism and citizens sources.

Reporting Risk: Perceptions of fear and risk from health news coverage • Barbara Miller, Elon University; Alissa Packer, Susquehanna University; Brooke Barnett, Elon University • Using actual news coverage of an environmental health issue, this experimental study examined whether providing benchmarks – namely risk equivalents and comparisons – influenced individuals’ risk perceptions. The study suggests providing information on other sources of a contaminant may do little to reduce subjects’ estimates of risk; however, providing information about comparable, unrelated risks may lower concern associated with a particular hazard.

Understanding Media Satisfaction: Development and Validation of an Affect-based Scale • Padmini Patwardhan, Winthrop University; Jin Yang, University of Memphis; Hemant Patwardhan, Winthrop University • Media satisfaction is an important construct in the study of relationships between mass media and audiences. In mass communication literature, media satisfaction is a widely used construct in the study of media effects as a desired consumption outcome and likely predictor of future media-related behavior. From an industry perspective, creating satisfaction is central to the economic viability of media institutions and services.

Sexually Explicit Material on the Internet and Adolescents’ Sexual Preoccupancy: Assessing Causality and Underlying Mechanisms • Jochen Peter, University of Amsterdam; Patti Valkenburg • The main aim of this study was to investigate whether adolescents’ use of sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) increased their sexual preoccupancy. Within one year, we surveyed 962 adolescents aged 13-20 three times. Structural equation modeling showed that exposure to SEIM stimulated sexual preoccupancy. This influence was mediated by subjective sexual arousal from SEIM. The effect of exposure to SEIM on sexual arousal did not differ between male and female adolescents.

The role of media literacy in adolescents’ understanding of and responses to sexual portrayals in media • Bruce Pinkleton, Washington State University; Erica Austin, Washington State University; Marilyn Cohen, University of Washington; Yvonnes Yi-Chun Chen, Washington State University • Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and teen pregnancy rates are at an all-time high in the United States and sexual behavior is prevalent in the mass media. The purpose of this study pretest-posttest quasi-experiment conducted in the field to determine whether or not a theory-based media literacy curriculum focusing on sexual portrayals in the media would positively influence adolescents’ decision making regarding sex.

How Media Audiences Spontaneously Articulate the Third-Person Effect in Naturalistic Conversation: A Qualitative Look at the Form and Content of Self-Other Comparisons • Jennifer Rauch, Long Island University • This study enhances the external validity of third-person effect (TPE) research by showing how audience members spontaneously compare themselves to others while talking about media messages. Focus groups of political activists watched and discussed a television news program, responding to non-directional questions in a naturalistic setting, a qualitative approach that contrasts with the surveys and experiments of most TPE research.

Nationwide Newspaper Coverage of the No Child Left Behind Act: A Community Structure Approach • Janna Raudenbush, The College of New Jersey; Alyssa Conn, The College of New Jersey; Gina Miele, The College of New Jersey; John Pollock, College of New Jersey • Utilizing the community structure approach, as developed in nationwide studies by Pollock and others (1977, 1978, 1994-2002), this study investigated links between city characteristics and nationwide newspaper coverage of the No Child Left Behind act. A national cross-section sample of 21 newspapers was selected from the NewsBank database.

Citizen Journalism as Third Places: What makes people contribute information online (or not) • Sue Robinson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Cathy DeShano • Informed by literature on the public sphere, community and the Internet, this research represents a qualitative ecological reconstruction of a particular communicative niche, Madison, WI. Depth interviews with trained-but-non-practicing citizen journalists as well as with established local news bloggers formed this case study of a single community.

Georgia Peach: How the Press Shaped the National and Regional Memory of Ty Cobb • Lori Roessner, University of Georgia • This article examines the national and regional memory of Ty Cobb, often hailed as the greatest baseball player of the Deadball Era. The demon of the diamond’s feats and antics have been recounted in newspapers, magazines, film and sports history books for more than a century, and local and national museums celebrate his legend, as much as his legacy on the field.

From Junkies to Avoiders: How using traditional and nontraditional forms of TV news is related to political attitutdes and behaviors in emerging adults • Kathleen Schmermund, U.S. Congressman Phil English; Anne Johnston, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • This research examines how use of traditional and nontraditional TV news is related to measures of high or low political trust, cynicism, political participation, efficacy and interpersonal political communication. An Internet survey of 884 college students indicated that slightly more than a third of the respondents could be classified as TV news Junkies and another third as Avoiders of all TV news.

“I hate Jack Thompson”: Exploring third-person differences between gamers and non-gamers • Mike Schmierbach, Penn State University; Michael Boyle, West Chester University; Qian Xu; Douglas McLeod, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Numerous studies have demonstrated a third-person perception, but many aspects of the origins and consequences of this remain unaddressed. In this study, we use the topic of video game effects to assess how differences in an individual’s use of a medium and between positive and negative effects shape the third-person effect. Although games are subject to clear third-person perceptions and subsequent support for censorship, these patterns are greatly diminished for heavy players and positive effects.

Professionalization in Political Online Communication? German Party Web Sites in the 2002 and 2005 National Elections • Eva Johanna Schweitzer, University of Mainz, Germany • This paper examines the development of e-campaigning in a party-centered democracy. Based on theoretical concepts of political communication research that are applied to explain recent changes in online campaigning, the study compares German party Web sites in two national election cycles by a quantitative content and structure analysis. The results show that major and minor parties fall more and more apart in cyberspace and that traditional offline trends in political communication are disregarded online.

Flame On! Sports Fans and Online Aggression • Brad Schultz, University of Mississippi; Mary Lou Sheffer, Texas Tech University • Studies have shown that highly identified sports fans often engage in aggressive physical behavior, however, little is known about aggression in terms of non-physical Internet communication. This study applied Wann’s self-esteem maintenance model to examine how sports fans use online message boards. A content analysis was conducted to analyze message board communication before, during and after a championship football game.

Staying Alive: The Impact of Media Coverage on Candidacy Attrition in the 1980-2004 Primaries • Fei Shen, The Ohio State University • This study proposed a “media momentum model”, arguing that the amount of news coverage candidates receive might influence their candidacy duration. The two mechanisms that drive this process are rational choice on the candidates’ side and cue-taking on the voters’ side.

Pluralistic Ignorance and Social Distance of Public Relations Practitioners and Journalists in the Source-Reporter Relationship • Jae-Hwa Shin, University of Southern Mississippi; Jongmin Park, Kyung Hee University; Glen Cameron • A Web survey of 206 public relations practitioners and journalists in South Korea showed both false dissensus and social distance among public relations practitioners and journalists enacted through the source-reporter relationship. Coorientational analysis simultaneously demonstrated that members of each profession disagreed with and inaccurately predicted responses of the other. Their inaccurate projection of the views of the other profession was greater than their disagreement, resulting in false dissensus, on two dimensions of conflict and strategy.

Soldiers of Misfortune: How Two Newspapers Framed Private Security Contractors In Iraq • Mark Slagle • Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. military’s use of private security contractors has grown enormously. Concomitant with that increase has been an increase in media coverage of these contractors and how they are used in conflict areas. This paper examines how two newspapers, one national and one local, framed one private security company in two separate incidents.

Comparing Media Effects on Perceived Issue Salience across Different Media Channels and Media Types • Jesper Stromback, Mid Sweden University; Spiro Kiousis, University of Florida • Although agenda-setting research is one of the most widely investigated theories in mass communication, it is still not clear whether newspapers or television are more powerful in terms of salience transfer from the media to the public. In addition, most agenda-setting studies are content- rather than attention-based, and use cross-sectional rather than panel data.

Local Media, Public Opinion, and State Legislative Policies: Agenda Setting at the State Level • Yue Tan; David Weaver • This study aims to explore first-level agenda setting at the state level. In particular, it examines the relationships among media coverage of local newspapers, state-level public opinion and state legislative policies, in order to better understand mass media’s role in state policymaking. In addition, it also tests the intervening impact of two state level factors: state legislative professionalism and state political culture on the agenda setting effects.

Attribute Agenda Setting and Images of Hillary Clinton, a Retrospective Case Study • Hai Tran, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • This research attempts to provide some new evidence that links public opinions and attitudes about presidential candidates in direct proportion to cognitive and affective attributes presented in media coverage. The study also investigates the relative power of the various mass media in setting the public agenda.

Is It Frames or Facts? Testing Internally vs. Ecologically Valid Frames on Risk Perceptions • Emily Vraga; D. Jasun Carr; Jeffrey Nytes, UW Madison; Dhavan Shah, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Research on framing remains fractured. The focus of this experiment examines the division between idealistic (internally valid) and pragmatic (externally valid) approaches to framing within the domain of risk perceptions. Our study suggests that both conceptions of framing have merit. Specifically, we find that while both idealistic and pragmatic frames produce differences in total risk perceptions between gain and loss frames, it is idealistic frames that produce effects on comparative judgments.

The Effects of Strategic News Coverage on Political Cynicism: A Content Analysis of Online Interactions • Weirui Wang, The Pennsylvania State University • A content analysis of online interactions was conducted to examine the effects of strategic news coverage on political cynicism among audiences. News stories from the websites of ABC News, CBS News, USA Today, and The Washington Post were analyzed for the uses of media frames in the coverage of the embryonic stem cell research controversy (n = 49).

Exploring “Positive” Effects: College Students’ Media Exposure and Exercise Intentions • Xiao Wang, Eastern Connecticut State University • Previous research in body image mainly focused on the disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. This current study sought to explore the potential positive effects resulted from exposure to a variety of media outlets and to provide a mediating analysis on how media exposure shaped individuals’ attitudes toward good body image and self-efficacy to perform a target behavior.

The Effects of Homophily, Identification, and Violent Video Games on Players • Kevin Williams, Mississippi State University • After an experiment with 148 male participants, results indicated skinning a video game character to physically resemble the player led to greater identification and psychological involvement with the game’s character, but did little to impact the feeling of presence. Exposure to violent content also led to greater physical hostility than exposure to nonviolent content. An interaction effect revealed playing a violent game with a character physically resembling the player led to even greater hostility.

Surviving Survivor: A Content Analysis of Antisocial Behavior and its Context in a Popular Reality Television Show • Christopher Wilson, Brigham Young University; Tom Robinson; Mark Callister • Since the debut of Survivor in 2000, reality programs have become a staple on American television. Critics have argued that reality programming represents the bottom rung of television programming promoting antisocial behavior, exhibitionism, and voyeurism. This content analysis examines types, frequency, and context of antisocial behavior on seven seasons of Survivor from 2000 to 2007.

Agenda Building and Setting in a Referendum Campaign. Investigating the Flow of Arguments among Campaigners, the Media, and the Public • Werner Wirth, U of Zurich; Jorg Matthes, U of Zurich; Christian Schemer, U of Zurich; Martin Wettstein, U of Zurich • This study is the first of its kind to test second level agenda building and setting effects in the course of a referendum campaign. Personal standardized interviews with 47 different campaign managers are linked to a content analysis of TV and newspaper coverage, and a three-wave public opinion survey. The results demonstrate the dynamic flow of arguments in the agenda building and setting process; top-down from the campaigners to the news media, and the public.

College Students’ Self-Concepts and Attitude toward Advertising; -The Relationships among the Body-Esteem, Social Comparison, and the Perception about Diet Advertising • Hyunjae (Jay) Yu, Louisiana State University; Gevorgyan (George) Gennadi, Louisiana State University; Hoyoung Ahn, University of Georgia • There have been many studies dealing with the relationships between self-perceptions and the perceptions of advertising. However, research that focused specifically on diet advertising, which has recently seen a dramatic increase in our society, has been scarce. One can assume that people’s perceptions of diet advertising may be influenced by how they think about their own bodies or by the extent to which they compare their own bodies with those of others.

The Effects of Media Use, Trust, and Political Party Relationship Quality on Political and Civic Participation • Weiwu Zhang, Texas Tech University; Trent Seltzer, Texas Tech University • This study used data from a telephone survey of 998 residents of a midsized city during early 2008 to examine the interaction among interpersonal communication, media use, interpersonal trust, relationships with political parties, civic and political participation, and confidence in government. Results indicated that interpersonal communication, new media use, and relationship with political parties were related to increases in civic and political participation. Strong relationships with parties were also related to increased confidence in government.

Seeing is Believing? An Explorative Study of News Credibility in China • Yunze Zhao; Wenjing Xie • This study aims at evaluating media credibility in contemporary China and exploring what factors will influence people’s perceptions of media credibility. A survey was conducted in Beijing and found that the newly-emerged professional media outlets have evolved into a strong competitor of the traditional party-organ news media and were viewed as more credible than the party mouthpiece.

“I feel happy today so I care less about news details:” The impact of mood on processing news information • Bu Zhong, Pennsylvania State University • This study is an experiment (N = 87) that investigated the impact of three mood states – happy, sad or neutral – upon the way people process news information. After an effective mood induction procedure, the experiment discovers that changes of mood states produce significant differences in processing news information. The data also suggest that mood directs people’s attention and valence cues to different types of information in the news – global or local information.

<< 2008 Abstracts

International Communication 2009 Abstracts

International Communication Division

Bob Stevenson Open Papers
Mediating Identity: Nigerian Videos and African Immigrants in the U.S. • Adedayo Abah, Washington and Lee University • African immigrants living in the DFW, TX were interviewed for their views on the role of the Nigerian video industry in the way they sustain their multiple identities in their society of settlement. Results indicate that most of the immigrants view the videos as affirmation of the values they grew up with and with which they still identify. This is in direct contradiction of cultural denigration some feel in their professional lives in the U.S.

Framing North Korea’s nuclear crisis:Comparing the media and audiences’ frames in U.S. and South Korea • Hyun Ban, University of Incheon, Korea; Kanghui Baek, The University of Texas at Austin; Soo-Jung Kim, University of Incheon, Korea; Stephen Reese, The University of Texas at Austin • This research investigated and compared not only how U.S. and South Korean newspapers framed the North Korean nuclear crisis over time but also how the media frames influenced audience frames of the issue. The experiment results found individual schema played a significant role in framing effects, specifically when audiences formed an opinion toward their governments’ foreign policies. The study found that U.S. media frames affected audience frames more than South Korean media frames did.

Looking through Different Lenses: Media Coverage of the Northern Ireland Conflict and Peace Process • Janice Barrett, Lasell College • The conflict in Northern Ireland is unique, in that after decades of violence and thousands of deaths, the parties involved on both sides of the divided society eventually agreed to political and economic power sharing with a peaceful resolution.

A Changing World, Unchanging Perspectives: American Newspaper Editors and Enduring Values in Foreign News Reporting • Tsan-Kuo Chang, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Brian Southwell, University of Minnesota; Hyung Min Lee, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Yejin Hong, University of Minnesota • The purpose of this paper is to examine, through a longitudinal analysis over a 20-year time span, the priorities and beliefs that American newspaper editors hold toward foreign news reporting. Informed by the sociology of knowledge perspective and using the theory of cultural values as the framework, this study seeks to compare how American newspaper editors evaluate the importance of factors in their selection of foreign news between 1988 and 2008.

Extra-Media Influences on the Issue-Attention Cycle: Global Warming Coverage in the People’s Daily and The New York Times, 1998-2007 • Xiaofang Ma, Ohio University; Hong Cheng, Ohio University • This study examined the change in amount of the global warming coverage in the People’s Daily and The New York Times from 1998 through 2007, aiming at finding out if the media coverage of environmental issues in these two national newspapers in China and the United States followed Downs’ (1972) issue-attention cycle model.

A Comparative Network Analysis of Theoretical Structure of Communication Research • Chung Joo Chung, State University of New York at Buffalo; George Barnett, SUNY at Buffalo; Kitae Kim, SUNY at Buffalo; Derek Lackaff, SUNY at Buffalo • There is a lack of recent research on the theoretical structure of communication scholars in the United States and other countries. This paper explored the structure and status of theories in the communication discipline. Also, it examined what the widely cited theoretical contention among academic articles and how they were connected to each other.

Of ‘ominous dragons’ and ‘flying geese’: South African media coverage of China in Africa • Arnold de Beer, Stellenbosch University; Wadim Schreiner, Media Tenor South Africa – Inst for Media Analysis    • The question is interrogated whether China’s involvement in Africa should be seen (metaphorically) as either that of the “ominous dragon” ready to re-colonise Africa, or that of the “flying goose” bringing economic development and aid to a struggling continent. A content analysis of South African media coverage of China in Africa is presented.

Coverage of Obesity as a Global Health Issue by U.S. and British Newspapers • Kuang-Kuo Chang, Shih Hsin University; Fu-Jung Chen, Independent Researcher; Eric Freedman, Michigan State University • This paper reviews health-related literature on obesity and content analyzes how four U.S. and British elite newspapers covered the issue. Findings reveal that public health advocates dominated as the main type of social actor. Over time, these newspapers switched their assignment of treatment responsibility to the food industry. Among 30 micro-perspectives, the impact of the public health problem on personal health was the prevailing aspect of coverage.

Perspectives in framing reality: Comparing Virginia Tech shooting reports in U.S. and South Korean newspapers • Jaesik Ha, Southern Illinois University; Uche Onyebadi, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This study examines and compares the media coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacres in prominent newspapers in the U.S. and South Korea. It uses framing as the theoretical guide and content analysis as the method of operation for the research.

Toward a Roles Theory for Strategic Communication: The Case of South Africa • Derina Holtzhausen, Oklahoma State University; Natalie Tindall, University of Oklahoma • In this study, public relations roles theory was extended and measured through an online survey among a population of 782 South African advertising, public relations, and government practitioners. Eight of the roles were previously tested in public relations research, and a ninth, the role of strategist, was conceptualized based on the work of Steyn (2002, 2007).

A myopic view of Asia? How U.S. news organizations covered the region in 2006 • Beverly Horvit, University of Missouri; Maria Garcia, University of Missouri • The study analyzed 2006 Asian news coverage by The Associated Press, New York Times and four other U.S. newspapers. Overall, only a handful of Asian nations received significant coverage, and the coverage did not match real-world indicators such as the number of significant events occurring in different Asian countries. Compared with the Times and the AP, the nonelite newspapers included a significantly higher proportion of stories about combat and that had a U.S. angle.

A Study on the News Values of International Disasters: Determinants of News Coverage of International Disasters in the U.S. News Media • Yongick Jeong, LSU; Tulika Varma, Louisiana State University • This study explores the relationship between the various factors of a country and the news coverage of international disasters in the U.S. media. Media coverage of international disasters was assessed by the number of news stories reported in 12 representative news media. The results indicated that the extent of death toll and economic damages caused by a disaster, military expenditure, and close trading relations with the U.S. influence the media coverage of international catastrophic events.

What do reporters do in the People’s Republic of China? • John Jirik, Lehigh University • This paper uses ethnographic observation and analysis carried out from mid-2003 to late 2005 to explain the work of reporters at CCTV International (CCTV-9), China’s 24-hour global English-language channel.

Cross-national Content Analysis of the Russia – Georgia Conflict Coverage • Yusuf Kalyango, Ohio University; Petya Eckler, University of Missouri; Alexandra Cristea, Ohio University • This study compares media framing of the Russia-Georgia conflict across leading news outlets in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia. A content analysis of 288 stories from eight news media outlets in these countries examined two major frames – reactionary depiction and partisan alignment. Results show that Russian and Ukrainian news outlets covered the conflict through the partisan alignment frame but with different categories from it.

Entertainment and Stereotype: Representation of the Arab in Reality Show on Israeli Television • Yuval Karniel, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya; Amit Lavie Dinur, IDC • This study examined the participation of Arab citizens in reality shows on Israeli commercial television. Since Arabs are “others” vis a vis Israeli mainstream society, their presence in these programs has distinct cultural, social, and ideological connotations – as the literature in this field has shown. This study, the first of its kind, addresses three central issues: What is the degree of visibility of the Arab participants in these reality shows?

Resistance narratives in radical, alternative media: A historical examination of New Zealand’s Earwig magazine • Linda Jean Kenix, University of Canterbury • This research examined a radical, alternative publication titled Earwig that ran in New Zealand from 1969-1973. The study aimed to expose the cultural values and identities inherent in Earwig; extrapolate a meta-narrative that could be associated with the magazine as a cultural site; and examine how that narrative could impact emancipatory or hegemonic forms of resistance.

Under Fire: A Survey of Iraqi Journalists’ Perception of Physical Danger in Covering News after the Fall of Saddam Hussain • Hun Shik Kim, University of Colorado at Boulder • Iraqi journalists operate in a newsgathering environment that is rated as one of the most deadliest in the world, where news workers routinely face physical threats in the form of murders, kidnapping and death threats that affect the quality of the news, and prevent journalists from reporting on important stories.

A Cross-National Comparison of the Effect of Media Products on Country Image: South Korea Images in Six Countries • Byeng-Hee Chang, Sungkyunkwan University; Yang-Hwan Lee, Sungkyunkwan University; Sang-Hyun Nam, Sungkyunkwan University; Bo-Mi Kim, Sungkyunkwan University • Although understanding how media reflect country characteristics and how media affect the formation of individual’s country images are of critical importance, little study has been done so far. This study attempted to verify the effect of media products such as news, TV show, movie, advertising, book, music, Website, game, and mediated sports on shaping individual’s general country image (GCI) and product-specific country image (PCI).

Moderating effect of collectivism on Web-based customization: An exploratory study with tailored and targeted messages • Cong Li, University of Miami; Sriram Kalyanaraman, UNC-Chapel Hill • Web-based customization is widely adopted in a variety of domains today. Current conceptualization of customization is to provide individualized messages to message recipients based on their particular needs or preferences. A growing body of empirical research has shown positive effects for customization, suggesting that customized messages generate stronger memories and more favorable attitudes than non-customized ones because they match message recipients’ need for unique self identity.

The Portrayal of Hamas and Israel on CNN and EuroNews • Michael Murrie, Pepperdine University; Sarah Ivosevich, Pepperdine University; Rachel Friedman, Pepperdine University; Jacquelan Vujovich, Pepperdine University • After Israel invaded Gaza on December 23, 2008, a media frenzy covered related events varying across nations, raising the question whether geographic proximity to the conflict was related to media portrayal of who was victim and who was aggressor. A content analysis of CNN and EuroNews transcripts of accounts of the fighting in Gaza indicated balanced coverage despite the difference in proximity of the two networks to the conflict and hypotheses to the contrary.

Communication Technology and Culture: Analyzing Selected Cultural Dimensions and Human Development Indicators • George Musambira, University of Central Florida; Jonathan Matusitz, University of Central Florida • Correlations of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions – that is, the individualism-collectivism and the masculinity-femininity dimensions – and selected indicators of the Human Development Report (HDR) were investigated.

Thai Culture Revisited: An Investigation of Self-Representation Through Travel Web Sites • Anchalee Ngampornchai, Florida State University • This study analyzes three travel Web sites that are based in Thailand in order to identify dominant images of Thai culture and people. It uncovers four media representations of Thailand—royal heritage, Buddhist culture, people of nature, and agrarian and service-oriented country. It discusses ideology behind these representations, especially the connection to the maintenance of monarchical beliefs. The study also addresses the effects of media representation, especially Thai self-exoticization in the context of tourism promotion.

Professionalism in Chinese newswork: From concept to practice • Judy Polumbaum, Schl of Jourmalism & Mass Comm, The University of Iowa • Whether professionalism in Chinese journalism is best understood as a matter of rhetorical legerdemain, normative vision or ascertainable practice in a changing news environment may depend on whether one is a cynic, an idealist or an activist. Across a spectrum of political, occupational and academic discourse, however, the concept carries rhetorical utility and normative influence in China today. Furthermore, what might be termed professionalism in practice is evident in the conduct and results of news work.

Evaluating Social Networking in Public Diplomacy • Hyunjin Seo, Syracuse University; Stuart Thorson, Syracuse University • While much of e-government has focused on governments connecting their citizens with services, recently ubiquitous digital networks together with social networking tools have begun to transform the practice of public diplomacy by permitting governments to build and maintain direct relationships with citizens of other countries. In this paper, we describe several such initiatives undertaken by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Our particular focus is on efforts aimed at South Korea.

Quality Control: Perceptions about User-Generated Content among Local British Newspaper Journalists • Jane B. Singer, University of Central Lancashire / University of Iowa • This UK study explores the boundaries that local print journalists see as distinguishing them from outside contributors, particularly in relation to occupational roles and the quality of the news product. The findings suggest journalists appreciate the potential of user contributions to generate hyperlocal information and boost website traffic, but believe it can undermine professional values unless carefully monitored – a gatekeeping task they fear cannot fit within newsroom routines threatened by resource constraints of increasing severity.

Culture or Position? Cross-Cultural and Cross-Positional Comparison of the Opinions about Creative Advertisements: The Case of the U.S. and Korea • Jay (Hyunjae) Yu, Louisiana State University; Yongick Jeong, LSU • Despite advertising creativity’s subjective and non-scientific characteristics, many advertising professionals and researchers consider it extremely important for making effective advertisements. Due to its interesting status, many studies have dealt with people’s different perspectives on creative advertising. This exploratory study investigates the different cultures/positions’ possible influences on interpreting this concept, using advertising professionals and advertising major students in two countries from western and eastern society: the U.S. and Korea.

Markham Student Papers
Civil Liberties and Democracy: Measuring the Impact of Freedom of the Press • Katharine Allen, The Pennsylvania State University • In a democracy, freedom of the press is arguably the most important civil liberty in the bundle of civil liberties and political rights. A free press is essential to both the functioning and quality of democracy. The free flow of ideas from independent sources provides transparency to the citizenry and requires accountability of the political elites. Where political officials and bureaucrats are held accountable to the masses, democracy can take root and flourish.

Lost in cinematic translation?: The Lake House, Siworae and the Hollywoodization of Korean culture • Keunmin Bae, Penn State University • Using the notion of communication as ritual activities through which people reaffirm cultural values they share, this study analyzes the cultural values reflected in the Korean original film Siworae, and the extent to which these values were removed or replaced with American values when it was reborn as The Lake House, the first-ever Hollywood version of Korean film. Implications for the globalization of media products are discussed.

Constructing “Globalization”: Media Framing of Globalization in the Coverage of The U.S. and Korea Free Trade Agreement • Kanghui Baek, The University of Texas at Austin • This cross-national study examines the recent issue of U.S and Korea FTA. Based on quantitative content analysis and qualitative textual analysis, this study found that U.S. newspapers were more likely to frame the FTA and globalization as a viable path to prosperity and focused more on their positive effect; however Korean liberal newspaper was more likely to frame the FTA and globalization as the neo-economic colonization of Korea and focused more on their negative effects.

Media effects in a transitional country: Setting the political agenda in the Kosovo elections of 2007 • Lindita Camaj, Indiana University • This study suggests that during the 2007 campaign in Kosovo, political parties and mass media set the agenda of the elections while disregarding the priorities of the public. However, neither media nor parties were able to set the public agenda independently. These results confirm recent scholarship which suggests that media and politics have achieved some balance in Eastern European countries.

Opinions and Willingness to Speak Out About the U.S. Military Buildup on Guam • Francis Dalisay, Washington State University • Roughly 8,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 of their dependents in Okinawa, Japan will be relocated to Guam. A survey of Guam residents revealed that support for this military buildup was predicted by colonial debt, local attitudes toward the military, and perceived majority support. Willingness to speak out about this buildup was positively predicted by interest, perceived knowledge, attention to information sources, and perceived majority support, but negatively predicted by lack of efficacy and conflict avoidance.

Bringing Society In: A Theoretical Account of China’s Press under Transformation • Dong Dong, University of Minnesota • In this theoretical paper, I propose to add a dimension of “society” to the current discussions on China’s media transformation. My approach will be as follows: First I will deliver a background review on the ongoing process of China’s media transformation, especially in the area of newspaper industry. Next I will depict Chinese journalists’ everyday practices based on previous research as well as real examples.

Global News Frames and Media Events: Frame Convergence • Nathan Gilkerson, University of Minnesota • The inauguration of Barack Obama was undoubtedly a global media event, covered by news media from around the world. This paper explores the various dominant news frames utilized by the international media in their coverage of Obama’s inauguration, and theorizes and investigates the possibility of the emergence of “global frames” in the worldwide news media’s coverage of Obama.

The Dazhalan Project: a Case Study of Citizen Media in China • Lei Guo, the University of Texas at Austin • Majority of the studies that examine citizen media are conducted in western countries. However, this study on the Dazhalan Project was a case study that focused on citizen media in China. Combining in-depth interviews and textual analysis, the study demonstrated the uniqueness of citizen media under China’s State-Party media system. Also, it suggested it was the collaboration among ordinary citizens, professionals, and journalists that framed the issue in the mainstream media in an alternative way.

Stifled Chinese Media Contra-Flow: A Case Study of Hong Kong-Based Phoenix Satellite TV • Jing Guo, Graduate Student/Miami University-Oxford • The concept of contra-flow is about a geographical shift of Western production capacities and the appreciation of contra-flow content in Western locations. Analysis of ownership and overseas expansion of the Hongkong-based Phoenix TV suggests that it exemplifies a powerful Chinese media contra-flow. However, by examining suppressive media regulations, I argue that the Chinese government, being afraid of losing control over public sphere, is thwarting its own effort to nurture an information contra-flow through local media.

Framing Dictators as “Enemy” vs. “Friend”: Comparing Pervez Musharraf and Kim Jong-il in U.S. newspapers • Jaesik Ha, Southern Illinois University • This study focuses on how the New York Times and the Washington Post framed differently Kim Jong-il, the chairman of North Korea, and Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan. It uses framing theory as the theoretical foundation and content analysis as the research method. The research findings show that prestigious U.S. newspapers more frequently used “enemy framing” in the news coverage of Kim Jong-il and “friend framing” in the coverage of Musharraf.

Telethon Viewing, Social Capital, and Community Participation in South Korea: A Case Study • Bumsub Jin, University of Florida; Soyoon Kim, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities • On the grounds of Putnam’s social capital, this study suggests one underlying mechanism that results in citizens’ participation in altruistic activities in South Korea. Specifically, the study hypothesizes a sequential relationship among telethon viewership, the two resources of social capital (i.e., trust and neighborliness), and citizens’ intent to participate in altruistic activities. By virtue of cultivation theory, telethon viewership is assumed to enhance those two resources, which subsequently spur individuals’ intent to participate in altruistic activities.

Who frames the Nuclear Test: A Study of Frames and News Sources in the U.S. and South Korean News Coverage of the North Korean Nuclear Test • Yonghwan Kim, University of Texas at Austin; Mi Jahng, Universty of Missouri-Columbia • This study examined news frames and the source diversity of U.S. and South Korean newspapers in reporting the North Korean nuclear test on October 9, 2006. A content analysis of the New York Times, the Washington Post, Chosun Ilbo, and Hankyore Daily found that although the U.S. newspapers used more news sources, both the U.S. and South Korean newspapers used more U.S. official sources than sources from other countries.

Media Environment for Public Relations Practice: Perceived Influences on Media in the Urals Federal District of Russia • Anna Klyueva, University of Oklahoma • This research explored perceived factors that influence media practice in the Urals Federal District of Russia. This study adopted four factors of influence from the propaganda model (Herman & Chomsky, 1988) to guide the research. The data was collected from 43 media professionals in the region. The findings revealed three main factors that are perceived to influence practice of media in the Urals Federal District of Russia: corporate ownership of the media, municipal government, and advertisers.

A Study of The New York Times Coverage of Darfur: July 2003 – 2006 • Ammina Kothari, Indiana University – Bloomington • This multi-method study examines how The New York Times reported on the Darfur conflict in Sudan, which has led to an estimated 300,000 deaths and over 2.3 million people displaced due to fighting between tribes of Arab and Black Sudanese. Drawing on postcolonial and normative theories and prior studies of Africa’s representation, I analyze how the conflict was framed and what role sources played in reinforcing or resisting Western neocolonial values.

Avian Influenza News from China. Is China coming clean on bird flu? • William Lai, University of Hong Kong; Adrian Weisell, The New School University, New York, United States • Based on a report published in Science in November 2006 titled: “Is China coming clean on bird flu?” we sought to answer this question by comparing media coverage of avian influenza from two English-language newspapers in China. We coded bird flu stories from the China government-sanctioned China Daily and Hong Kong’s independent South China Morning Post newspapers during a one-year period.

Framing China and the United States: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Current Affairs Television Program in the 21st Century • Xiufang (Leah) Li, Miss • Media as a key player in international affairs shapes public attitudes towards events. China as a superpower has greatly attracted the global media attention and raised controversy. The improved Sino-Australian relation, the historical baggage and the world dynamics determine the examination of how the Australian media frames China in the 21st century.

Chinese foreign correspondents’ perception on their journalistic role in the Sino-U.S. relations • Xianglin Liu, University of Missouri, School of Journalism • The purpose of this research is two-fold: First, by field observation and conducting interviews with correspondents in different cities working for different media organizations, this study describes the basic working life of Chinese foreign correspondents in the United States as well as their professional attitude; secondly, by doing in-depth interviews and asking open-ended questions, this study also explores factors in different levels that may affect correspondents’ professional work.

A Shared Platform Model of the Media • T. Randahl Morris, Georgia State University • Theories of the press developed since the 1950s have been instrumental in analyzing media and society in relation to power, government influence, and social and political forces. The philosophical and ethical underpinnings that have formed the basis for numerous theories have been enlightening at certain points in time.

Thin as Paper, Light as Air: The Weight of Print, Broadcast Freedom on Interstate Conflict • Jeffrey Joe Pe-Aguirre, University of Missouri School of Journalism • Government leaders facing the specter of an interstate dispute are motivated by the desire to remain in power. As such, a leader’s calculus in arriving at a policy of restraint or resolute use of military force accounts for the sentiments of the public. Print and broadcast media are pervasive sources of political information and may influence foreign policy decisions.

World Systems Theory and Second-Level Agenda-Setting in Mexican News Online • Mark Poepsel, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri School of Journalism • This study is a second-level agenda-setting analysis of international news stories originating in newspaper-affiliated websites in Mexico, a semiperiphery country according to an interpretation of World Systems Theory. Analyzing each paragraph in hundreds of news stories, it discusses the prevalence of each country mentioned in three major Mexican news outlets.

Russian Disaster Coverage is No Accident: How Two Russian Newspapers and their Readers Frame a Russian Plane Crash • Svetlana Rybalko, Texas Tech University, College of Mass Communications • The present study is a content analysis of disaster frames found in 2008 Russian plane crash news coverage. A total of 182 paragraphs from two Russian newspapers, and 77 readers’ postings were analyzed to examine which of six news frames and level of responsibility were used by the media and readers. While the dominant frames used by newspapers were disaster aftermath, cause, and human interest, readers were mostly interested in the cause and attribution of responsibility.

Media Coverage of Hostage Taking: Source Credibility and Source Use during Afghan Hostage Case • Hyunjin Seo, Syracuse University • This study examines South Korean journalists’ coverage of the 2007 Afghan hostage case in which the Taliban abducted 23 South Korean missionaries. This study analyzes journalists’ perceived credibility of sources and their source use under the unusual circumstance in which the South Korean government banned journalists’ entry to Afghanistan.

Inter-media agenda-setting effects in Ghana: newspaper vs. online and state vs. private • Etse Sikanku, University of Iowa • The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the inter-media agenda setting relationships between government-controlled (state) and private media and the pattern of inter-media agenda setting between solely online news websites (non-newspaper websites) and print newspaper websites in Africa’s emerging era of media plurality.

“Crowdsourcing Crisis Information”: Internet, Mobile Phones, and Reporting Human Rights Violations in Kenya • Melissa Tully, University of Wisconsin-Madison • This paper explores the means by which people attempted to record and report the violence during the aftermath of the 2007 Kenyan general election. On December 31, 2007 the government banned live television broadcasts in an attempt to control the flow of information. Because the mainstream media was limited, alternative media outlets often became the place to receive information about the violence and human rights violations.

“Government Influences on News Media Content: The Media Strategy of 2004 Olympic Games” • Miron Varouhakis, Michigan State University • As predicted by the theories of influence on mass media content by Shoemaker and Reese, the study found that the Greek government’s media strategy for Olympic security issues clearly sought to influence the media content by instituting strict information control and a dominant presence as a source in the stories.

Image Constructions of New Civil Actors: Analysis of Media Coverage of Chinese NGOs Before and After a Natural Disaster • Aimei Yang, University of Oklahoma • Chinese NGOs’ activities during and after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake has been considered the largest demonstration of NGOs’ power in Chinese history. This paper utilized framing theory to analyze how Chinese media covered Chinese NGOs in 2008, and how NGOs’ social roles were portrayed in Chinese media. Finding suggests a ghettoization phenomenon of NGOs’ social roles. Findings also reveal the earthquake has impact on the way media framing NGOs’ activities.

Africa Through Chinese Lenses—China’s Perception of Africa • Liang Zheng, University of Colorado, Boulder • China’s involvement in Africa, especially in recent years, has raised eyebrows of many countries. This article aims to study China’s perception of Africa by examining African reporting of two major Chinese newspapers during an important China-African summit in 2006. The article finds that China’s perception of Africa is different from notions like neo-colonialism and ideological concern, and Chinese media have varied strategies for Africa reporting that based on their own audiences and goals.

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