It’s Not the Media,Stupid

It is commonly believed that the general public is heavily dependent on the media for its political news and views and that, as a consequence, the media exercise a strong influence over public opinion and behaviour. However, many millions in the Western world strongly believe things that are barely ever mentioned in the mainstream media, just as many millions also firmly reject or ignore some of the messages that are repeated incessantly by them. This confirms sixty years of experimental psychology research showing that most individuals are capable of preserving their beliefs, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, argument and logic to the contrary. Consistent with this, political science research finds little evidence of strong media influence on the party voting, political attitudes and election agendas of citizens. They have their own ways of gathering political information about the world around them, and they do not necessarily believe what they read in the papers, unless they are so inclined to start with. Consequently, media influences on mass opinion and behaviour are weaker than commonly assumed and, such as they are, their effects are more beneficial than harmful for democracy.     

Municipalities and Facebook Use: Which Key Drivers? Empirical Evidence from Italian Municipalities

New information and communication technologies are changing the relationship between municipalities and citizens. Municipalities are using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as social media to connect and interact directly with citizens. The aim of this study is to explore how municipalities use Facebook, construct a synthetic indicator to measure the use of Facebook by local government, and find out which drivers predict its diffusion through a quantitative methodology: ordinary least squares regression. A sample of Italian municipalities during 2013 is analyzed. The results suggest that the political position, the gender of the Mayor, the geographical position, the financial autonomy of municipalities, and the citizens’ wealth seem to predict the diffusion of Facebook use by municipalities.     

Social Media as a Leverage Strategy for Open Government: An Exploratory Study

Social media are regarded to be a cornerstone for addressing the open government challenge that public administration faces. However, scientific knowledge about how social media can leverage open government is limited. Therefore, this study applies a mixed-methods research proceeding to develop a conceptual framework for the strategic use of social media concerning open government initiatives. The study concludes that social media applications can be strategically applied to foster open government and to improve citizen–government interaction. From the findings, strategic recommendations for open government-related social media adoption are developed and practical advice for responsible public managers is given.     

试析俄罗斯文学作品选读教学中的上下文语境

俄罗斯文学作品选读一直被学生认为是比较难学的课程,因为文学篇章的理解难点不仅涉及词语意义理解方面的困难,篇章中词语的具体所指内容也很难分析,学生还要了解俄罗斯历史、文化、国情等方面的知识。通过探讨上下文语境在文学篇章阅读理解过程中的认知作用,激发和鼓励学生对俄罗斯文学课程学习的信心,是行之有效的做法。     

An analysis of news sources used in reports on slavery in the Sudan in the New York Times and Washington Post between 1986 and 2001

Abstract

For over 25 years the Sudan and the United States have had a contentious relationship. In 1986 several international human rights organisations pointed to the re-emergence of the practice of slavery in the Sudan. Past research by American media has shown that journalists tend to use routine channels and American government officials, especially those from the ‘golden triangle’ (the White House, Pentagon and State Department) when covering stories related to foreign countries. However, in the case of the Sudan there was no clear American foreign policy for an extended period of time. Consequently, there was a stark absence of reporting on the slavery issue in the two elite American newspapers (the New York Times and the Washington Post) examined in this study. Furthermore, even when the topic was covered the sources used defined the issue through an American perspective, rather than within an historical and geopolitical context.     

对俄投资必修课:俄罗斯公司法——我国对俄投资公司法实务问题分析

我国对俄投资企业确立投资项目后仍面临诸多问题,如投资主体法律组织形式的选择、股权并购具体方案的执行、股东权的确认、公司章程的设定、公司董事会的组织等公司治理相关问题,这些问题会随着在东道国俄罗斯实施经营而不断提上议事日程。这些公司法律问题的有效解决,对在俄经营企业的健康发展和实现投资目标十分重要,为此我国对俄投资企业高管应特别关注和研究俄罗斯公司法问题,掌握在俄罗斯公司运行的游戏规则。     

泰国华人信息媒介发展的历史与现状

本文回顾泰国华人信息媒介从私人书信到华人报刊,从电讯媒体再到互联网的发展历程,探讨泰国华人网络媒介的现状,从国家形象的直观展现、国家形象的反思与解构以及国家关系的积极建构等方面探讨互联网对国家关系建构的作用。     

黑龙江省建设对俄罗斯跨境园区的模式与对策

本文介绍近年来黑龙江省建设对俄罗斯跨境园区的情况和存在的问题,并提出对策建议。     

媒体融合背景下海外华文媒体的开拓与创新——以马来西亚星洲媒体集团为例

本文以马来西亚星洲媒体集团为例,论述了在媒体融合的背景下,海外华文媒体所面对的冲击以及所作出的应对措施。文章指出,海外华文媒体可借鉴星洲媒体集团成功实现媒体融合的经验,紧紧抓住新媒体迅速发展的契机,加快朝媒体融合的方向发展,以开拓新的生存空间,继续承传中华文化。