A Review Of: “Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity”, “The Money Shot: Trash,Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows” and “Talking Trash: The Cultural Politics of Daytime TV Talk Shows”

We predict that the Internet will have little effect on political interest, efficacy, and knowledge. We use American National Election Survey monthly panel survey data from 2008 to 2010 to test the role of the Internet. We exploit the fact that the firm who conducted the survey—Knowledge Networks—gives out Internet access for free to those who have never had the Internet before in staggered waves, allowing us to create a novel control-waitlist research design. This allows us to analyze the quasi-random assignment of the Internet to new users for a period of nine months compared to a group that has not yet been given free Internet access. We find that nine months of Internet usage does not increase political interest, political efficacy, or political knowledge. An additional wave done after two and a half years of access also shows little change. Our findings thereby raise serious doubts about the previous observational findings of the benefits of Internet usage for political interest, efficacy, and knowledge.     

Fighting Talk: The Statements of “The IRA/New IRA”

With the advent of the new violent dissident merger, “The IRA/New IRA,” the group and its affiliates have had to legitimise their new existence. They have utilised the maintenance of paramilitary activity to achieve this. However, they have also produced a number of organisational statements, justifying their position, tactics, and strategies. This article analyses the evolution of these statements, both pre and post-merger from 2007 to 2015. 126 individual statements and four magazines are analysed using grounded theory. This analysis found that the statements have a dual strategy, aiming to foster trust in the movement and distrust in their perceived enemies. One of the dominant ways in which the group aims to foster trust is by proposing their possession of an historical mandate from the republican forefathers of 1916, as well as the internally lauded paramilitaries from The Troubles-era Provisional Irish Republican Army. The focus of the distrust narrative has been on the “constitutional nationalism” of Sinn Féin. However, it also pours scorn on the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and capitalism, across the island of Ireland. The analysis of these statements can provide us with an understanding of the future direction of the group, as well as giving us insight, which can inform the development of any counter-narrative.     

Look back into the Past,and Talk about the Future

The CAFIU secretariat organized the alumni seminar on her 30~(th) anniversaryThe CAFIU secretariat organized the alumni seminar on her 30th anniversary on the morning of Sept. 27th, 2011. Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Ni Jian chaired the seminar. 20-odd former Secretaries-General, Deputy Secretaries-General and CAFIU Executive Council members attended     

“Talk about terror in our back gardens”: an analysis of online comments about British foreign fighters in Syria

The phenomenon of foreign fighters has become a central issue to the ongoing conflict in Syria. This article explores how members of the public answer the question ‘Why do British citizens join the conflict in Syria’ on social media sites and in response to online news articles. Building upon research on everyday narratives of security and terrorism, we analyse 807 comments, and in doing so, we argue that online comments are important in producing the discursive environment for making sense of British foreign fighters and what should be done in response to them. We find that there is a tendency to view British foreign fighters as being purely motivated by religion, and there is also a belief that British foreign fighters should be responded to through exceptional measures. We discuss the implications of such perceptions, and we highlight how problematic misconceptions about Islam and Muslims are not just disseminated through elite and media discourse, but through everyday narratives published by members of the public online.     

Presidential Leadership on Foreign Policy,Opinion Polling,and the Possible Limits of “Crafted Talk”

The strategy of “crafted talk” (or framing) suggests that a politician uses public opinion to anticipate the most alluring, language to convince the public to follow a politician's own preferred policy (Jacobs & Shapiro, 2000 Jacobs, L. R. and Shaprio, R. Y. 2000. Politicians don't pander: Political manipulation and the loss of democratic responsiveness, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.  [Google Scholar]). This manipulatory behavior by presidents has important consequences in the realm of constructing foreign policy, especially if the policy involves military service personnel, international prestige, or foreign conflict. However, no scholar has investigated White House archival data to examine the theoretical nuances of presidential “crafting” talk when constructing arguments for foreign policy. This article examines three case studies using internal polling memoranda and focus group results concerning the Vietnam War under President Johnson, the signing of the INF Treaty with the Soviet Union under President Reagan, and the Gulf War under President Bush. In each of the three cases, public opinion places serious constraints on presidential framing of foreign policy. Implications for the effectiveness of political framing and the limits of presidential persuasion are discussed.     

Compensator,Amplifier, or Distractor? The Moderating Role of Informal Political Talk on the Effect of News Media Use on Current-Affairs Learning Among First-Time Voters

With an increasing number of young people turning away from traditional news sources, an important question for democracy is whether alternative sources can help learning about politics and current affairs. In this study, we examine to what extent informal political talk with friends, family, and peers narrows or widens knowledge gaps amongst young people by compensating those with low news media use (“helping the poor”), amplifying news media effects amongst those with high news media use (“the rich get richer”), or distracting those with high news media use (“taxing the rich”). To test these different potentials, we take advantage of a four-wave panel study fielded ahead of the Danish National Election in 2015 among a sample of Danish first-time voters (ages 17 to 21). Our results show that informal political talk functions mostly as a compensator by informing those with low news media use about current political affairs and thereby helps decrease knowledge gaps caused by different levels of news media use.     

彭隆荣:梦想成真

正当兵团班长、排长、党支部书记、机耕队长,他的赞成票数一路领先;当干事、团委副书记、工会主席、场长,他的民意票数一路上扬;2000年当选海南省劳动模范、2002年获"全国五一劳动奖章"、2005年当选全国劳模,他一路奋进有为。2009年是中华人民共和国成立60周年,这年,他在第八次全国归侨侨眷代表大会上荣获"侨界十杰",当选为中国侨联常     

Editor's Note:

With the rise of Russia and the eastward expansion of NATO,the relations between the United States and Russia have become more and more complicated. Shi Ze,Senior Research Fellow at China Institute of     

花朝:百花生日

"百花生日是良辰,未到花朝一半春。红紫万千披锦绣,尚劳点缀贺花神"。这是清代蔡云咏百花生日的一首诗。寥寥数语,点出昔日人们在仲春时节,为百花庆贺生日的有趣情景。过去,民间把农历二月十二作为百花生日,也叫花朝。届时喜爱花木的人家和花农都要为百花祝寿。女孩子家把五色彩绘或绸布条扎在花枝上,或用红纸做成三角小旗插在花盆上,称     

主题讨论:非洲民族国家建构:多维度研究

自20世纪中期以来,非洲大陆的民族国家建构(或构建)就一直备受学界关注。近期,非洲面积最大的国家苏丹的分裂、利比亚卡扎菲政权的消亡,以及部分国家发生的不同烈度的国内冲突,需要学界再次透过这些事件表象,     

前期:周期性危机 1983年后:发展危机

六十年代和七十年代初,拉丁美洲地区的经济曾获得引人注目的迅速发展。八十年代初开始,拉美各国的经济形势急转直下,先是被卷入资本主义世界经济危机的旋涡,之后经济发展又呈现停滞不前和低速徘徊的局面。对于八十年代以来拉美地区经济形势急剧恶化的状况,学术界的看法比较一致,但对于八十年代上半期和当前拉美地区危机的性质,大家的认识分歧较大。有的认为,这一期间拉美发生的危机“是一场严重的经济危机”,或者说“是有其自身特殊性的资本主义经济危机的一部分”。有的则认为,八十年代上半期的危机,“不是周期性的生产过剩危机,而是结构性的发展危机”。还有的认为,这一时期拉美发生的是“结构性危机”,“是一种特殊的经济危机”等等。     

引子:为了警醒

据北京有关部门宣布，1994年北京没有进口一支洋烟，但那一年，在北京的几乎任何一个小店小摊，都可以买到洋烟，从万宝路到希尔顿，从“555”到长箭，无所不有…··这只能说明：市场上所有的洋烟都是走私货！凡是到英美等国的博物馆、收藏馆转＿广一圈的中国人都会惊异地发现，这里收藏的中闯文物绝个比中国博物馆的少！我们的历史学家和考古学家哀叹：“恐怕过不了多久，找们也得漂洋过海来稿中国文物的研究了！”这岂不是莫大的讽刺！这些文物的“走向世界”．就是走私状犯的W恶铁证！曾几何时，。ti国曾是上周w惊【．刑“）hIZJ；卜…     

北海公园:岁月断想

正1958年夏,家从沈阳搬到北京。母亲携我们游览北海公园后,特意带我们去仿膳饭庄吃饭。饭庄透雕门窗,起脊飞檐,螭饰古拙。昔日皇家苑囿犹存的霸气中透着新社会的雅宜温馨。吃的东西印象最深的是仿当年御膳的小窝头,的确味道不凡。岁月没有空逝,老去的是昔日的帝王和他们的王朝。上世纪60年代初,我在北京市35中学上初中时,每逢"六一"儿童节,学校少先队大队部均组织我们去北海欢度节日。记得北海的东路有一座红领巾水力发电站。"向科学进     

脚上功夫:踢毽子

流行于20世纪的一种游戏,尤其适合冬天玩,厚实的棉鞋可有效增加毽子的活动领域,也能保证自己的脚不至因踢它而反被击痛.踢毽子的传统很是悠久,早在汉朝时期就已经形成.历史给予它的名称初起是打鸡,后又叫攒花.至宋代,集市上已出现毽子专卖店-至明清,已有正规的踢毽子比赛.……     

马六甲海峡:必须采取行动

自从日本的超级油轮“出松丸”擦过马六甲海峡的海底从而首次表明的确存在着安全问题以来,已经十年过去了。自从日本另一艘轮船“祥和丸”在新加坡港附近搁浅并倾倒出估计一万五千吨石油——这事件戏剧性地突出了这一地区的局势——以来,也已经三年了。这星期,马六甲海峡沿岸国家新加坡、马来西亚和印度尼西亚的政府官员正在新加坡举行会议,就有关使全长五百五十海里的马六甲海峡(世界最繁忙的水道之一)成为     

夏波涛:玉汝于成

正至今,42岁的夏波涛仍忘不掉自己19岁时说的那句话。那一年,他和表哥从老家温州辗转北上,当时还没有高铁,去东北要在杭州倒夜车,利用等车的时间,他在杭州玩儿了一天。置身于西湖和灵隐寺,他用"美不胜收"来形容那次短暂的驻脚,那是他第一次来到这座千年古城。"一座城市,怎么能这么美?"站在西湖岸边,微风拂面,少年人说,"我迟早都要到杭州的。"     

王小宁:纪录娱乐圈

正王小宁,中国摄影界的传奇人物。从上世纪80代迄今一直都活跃在演艺圈摄影领域,记录了数百位明星、名人的珍贵影像。他是最早杀进演艺圈的摄影师之一。20世纪90年代是影视创作的一个高峰期,新人新作大量涌现,明星包装这一概念以及运作方式开始被引入内地。与此同时,新闻媒体增刊扩版,文艺类图片的用量激增,而大多数迅速窜红的明星又苦于没有好照片……这一切成全了王小宁,日复一日,他拍出了一个"明星摄影师"的名头。     

2007:中美关系前瞻

2007年中美关系走向何方这一问题是很多国人关注的焦点问题之一.笔者认为,从去年中美关系的变化可以展望明年中美关系的发展趋势.根据定量衡量,2006年的中美关系的一个重要特征是波折不大,比较稳定.     

印尼:惩治腐败任重道远

印尼的贪污腐败同美丽的热带风情一样引人注目.近年来,翻翻印尼的报刊,有哪一本会没有KKN(贪污、官商勾结、裙带作风)这个词呢?看看印尼街头终年不绝的游行示威,又有几次是完全和KKN毫无关系的呢?     

大唐坐标:大雁塔

那天去大雁塔是午后,天空中飘着细细的小雨,十月的西安有些冷清,但是,大雁塔的游人还是很多,络绎不绝.想给大雁塔拍个纪念性的照片,都因人多,而无从下手.远远地望着高高的大雁塔,想起中学时历史课本上学到的有关玄奘的史迹,那时候,科技,信息,与交通都处在原始时代,很佩服他一个人游历诸国的经历与勇气,想象他是一个如此充满个性与传奇的男人,如果是现在,他定会成为很多年轻人崇拜的偶像.