Image repair in the aftermath of inaccurate polling: How the news media responded to getting it wrong in 1948 and 2016

The US presidential elections of 1948 and 2016 produced surprise outcomes when the predicted winners ended up losing the election. Using image repair theory, this article explains the strategies the media used to repair their image in light of predicting the wrong winner. Using a qualitative analysis of news coverage that immediately followed the 1948 and 2016 presidential elections, this study finds that the media utilized similar image repair strategies of offering explanations for poor information, highlighting the media’s good reporting, diminishing the harm caused by the inaccurate predictions, and justifying the inaccurate predictions of both elections. However, the media responses in 1948 and 2016 differed greatly in tone and in the utilization of a new attack strategy to deflect criticism of the media itself. These strategies suggest that media use of image restoration is limited because of the unique societal expectations placed on the press, and that the media’s inaccurate 2016 predictions and subsequent attack strategies may have been contributed to the heightened criticism of mainstream news.     

Leader Language and Political Survival Strategies

Authoritarian leaders’ language provides clues to their survival strategies for remaining in office. This line of inquiry fits within an emerging literature that refocuses attention from state-level features to the dynamic role that individual heads of state and government play in international relations, especially in authoritarian regimes. The burgeoning text-as-data field can be used to deepen our understanding of the nuances of leader survival and political choices; for example, language can serve as a leading indicator of leader approval, which itself is a good predictor of leader survival. In this paper, we apply computational linguistics tools to an authoritarian leader corpus consisting of 102 speeches from nine leaders of countries across the Middle East and North Africa between 2009 and 2012. We find systematic differences in the language of these leaders, which help advance a more broadly applicable theory of authoritarian leader language and tenure.     

Volunteers in probation: A research note on evaluation

Despite the widespread adoption of volunteers in courts, probation, and parole, surprisingly little hard evidence exists demonstrating their effectivenes. Several studies are reviewed and one is reported on here. These studies suggest that volunteers are not effective. The reason for this may be that volunteers compete unsuccessfully with other aspects of clients' environment. Reasons for the adoption of volunteer programs may include selection biases that falsely tend to make volunteers seem effective. Recommendations for definitive study of volunteer programs are made.     

The detection of group specific component (Gc) in the general population of West Virginia

An isoelectric focusing method is described for the detection of group specific component (Gc) in forensic casework. Gc can be subtyped in one day using this reliable and reproducible method. The gene frequency data collected indicate that the occurrence of Gc phenotypes in the population of West Virginia is consistent with established frequencies for the system.     

State-run media outlets in Central Asia: external regime legitimation through regional conflict and cooperation framing

ABSTRACT

In this article, we empirically examine how the Central Asian states apply external regime legitimation strategies to legitimize their regimes domestically. We used the Central Asia Watch Project’s data from five Central Asian state-run media outlets to examine spatial and temporal changes in regime legitimation strategies. All the Central Asian countries employed external regime legitimation strategies, but those strategies differ based on regime type. Overall, we see continuity and persistence in reporting regional cooperation but underreporting of regional conflict throughout the 2016–2017 timeframe of this study.     

Avoiding HMO liability for utilization review

In this article, the author describes the potential liability of Health Maintenance Organizations for utilization review programs. Utilization review is used to determine whether certain medical treatment is necessary according to the standards of the HMO, and the HMO may decline to pay for treatments it deems unnecessary. If a doctor abstains from treatment because of this decision and the patient is harmed, the HMO may become the target of litigation. The author analyzes several recent cases and offers practical ideas for preventing and defending suits brought against HMO's for utilization review decisions.