Network news coverage of terrorism: The early years

Abstract

The electronic media influence public opinion by defining which national and international issues become significant, and shape public debates by the television images conveyed to the American audience. Based upon the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, this study examines the image projected in reporting of terrorist activities by the three major national networks, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The reality presented by the media is explored by comparing variables such as story emphasis and depiction, frequency, length of coverage, and location in the newscasts.     

Peer Interaction and Engagement Through Online Discussion Forums: A Cautionary Tale

Following an very inspiring presentation from the REAP (Re-Engineering Assessment Practices in Scottish Higher Education) team, I attempted to address problems of attrition and non-engagement amongst first year law students by introducing online small group activities based around discussion forums into the level 4 (first year) Legal Method course. The idea was to build student engagement through teamwork online, thus moving towards a constructivist theory of learning (Jonassen et al. in Am J Distance Educ 9(2):7, 1995), and to increase formative feedback to students at an early stage in their course without unduly increasing my workload. (The benefits of early formative feedback are well documented. See, for example Yorke in Leaving early; Undergraduate non-completion in higher education, Falmer, London, 1999; Yorke and Longden in Retention and student success in higher education, SRHE and Open University Press, 2004). The students were randomly divided into groups of between 8 and 12 students using the WebCT group function. WebCT was at that time the university??s main virtual learning environment and available to all students enrolled on courses through the university portal system. Group discussion forums were provided for a series of activities, complementing the normal lecture pattern of two hours?? lecture plus one hour??s seminar each week. This paper considers the results over 2?years of introducing this system in a widening participation university. It did not prove possible to reproduce the success experienced in the REAP project. This paper attempts to unravel the various reasons for this, technical, pedagogical and practical. This case study is an example of action research, as I was both dismayed and intrigued by the negative reaction of the students and attempted to discover the reasons for it. The findings and conclusions drawn from them will be used to remodel this aspect of the course in 2010?C2011.     

Police use of TASERs in the restraint and transport of persons with a mental illness

The mentally ill are overrepresented in the statistics of individuals killed or injured by police and it is understandable that police would seek a weapon, such as a TASER, that is less lethal than a firearm. However, it appears that use of TASERs is not without risk, especially in certain groups, including the mentally ill. The risk of injury to vulnerable people with a mental illness from TASER weapons must be weighed against the risk that escalation to lethal force may cause if a person with an acute mental illness requires restraint. When police officers are carrying out their duties under mental health legislation it is recommended that TASERs be used only when an individual is imminently likely to sustain or to cause grievous bodily harm. This article recommends changes to the Western Australian Police TASER training programs and proposes mandatory medical assessments after the use of TASER restraint.     

Predictors of preschoolers' appraisals of conflict in families experiencing intimate partner violence

Factors that may contribute to preschool-aged children's appraisals of their parent's violent conflicts in families experiencing recent intimate partner violence (IPV) were evaluated for 116 mother-child dyads. Mothers and children were interviewed using empirically-validated measures to assess level of violence, maternal and child mental health, and children's appraisals of conflict. Results suggest that preschool-aged children are able to meaningfully respond to statements about their parents' conflicts. Both mothers' and children's reports of violence were significantly associated with children's appraisals of Threat, but not with appraisals of Self-blame. Girls reported significantly higher levels of Self-blame than did boys. Children's cognitive appraisals of Threat and Self-blame did not vary by age or ethnicity. These findings suggest that interventions designed for young children might specifically target their cognitive appraisals to help them regulate their feelings of being threatened and to provide for their safety.     

Inconsistencies in Mothers’ and Group Therapists’ Evaluations of Resilience in Preschool Children who Live in Households with Intimate Partner Violence

The association between mother-reported child adjustment problems and group therapists’ ratings of resilience was evaluated in preschool-aged children who reside in homes where intimate partner violence (IPV) is present. Multiple reporters’ evaluations of resilience were assessed to determine how young children display resilience at home and in treatment. Reporters were mothers and child therapists who evaluated resilience in 52 preschoolers who lived in households where IPV occurs. Group therapists’ ratings of resilience were negatively correlated with children’s externalizing behavior problems. Findings indicated poor rater agreement between mothers and group therapists on some aspects of resilience. Evaluations differed based on demographic factors, with the most variability in resilience by child age. Given the lack of research on this topic and the common practice of only one informant supplying most of the data used in studies of child functioning, the current study provides unique information by comparing multiple reports across settings.     

Patient characteristics related to length of stay in Dutch forensic psychiatric care

Create an overview of characteristics of patients in long-term forensic psychiatric care (LFPC) with a higher length of stay (LOS) care compared to patients in regular forensic psychiatric care (RFPC) with a shorter LOS. Data were collected from 139 patient records. This study examined whether patients in LFPC differ from patients in RFPC on sociodemographic data, legal data and clinical data and whether those characteristics are able to predict LOS. Patients in LFPC were more often born in a Dutch Caribbean country, less often had a substance abuse disorder, were more often emotionally neglected during childhood, had a higher HCR-20 risk item score, a higher security needs score, a higher (less successful) recovery score, were more often recidivist and had absconded more often than RFPC patients. Certain characteristics were able to distinguish the longer LOS group which might be useful to establish sequel services and enhance treatment efficiency.     

How do citizens attribute responsibility in multilevel states? Learning,biases and asymmetric federalism. Evidence from Spain

Recent empirical evidence suggests that decentralization challenges the stakes of democratic control by blurring responsibility attribution between levels of government. Exploring the implications of decentralization on accountability requires a better understanding of the conditions under which decentralization affects clarity of responsibility. The theoretical claim in this article is that these conditions are related to the particular design and duration of decentralization arrangements. To test this proposition, individual data from a system where decentralization varies both in design and duration – the Spanish State of Autonomies – are used. Results show that clarity of responsibility has worsened where decentralization has adopted a more intertwined (marble-cake) design and that individuals may “learn” on responsibility attribution the longer they experience a particular distribution of competences.