Two Faces of Media Attention: Media Storm Versus Non-Storm Coverage

A media storm is a sudden surge in news coverage of an item, producing high attention for a sustained period. Our study represents the first multi-issue, quantitative analysis of storm behavior. We build a theory of the mechanisms that drive media storms and why the “anatomy” of media storms differs from that of non-storm coverage. Specifically, media storm coverage should change less explosively over time, but be more sharply skewed across issues, compared to non-storm coverage. We offer a new method of operationalizing media storms and apply our operationalization to U.S. and Belgian news. Even in these two very different cases, we find a common empirical storm anatomy with properties that differ from those of non-storm coverage in the predicted fashion. We illustrate the effects of media storms on the public through discussion of four key examples, showing that online search behavior responds strongly to media storms.     

Balanced or Biased? Interest Groups and Legislative Lobbying in the European News Media

This article examines the coverage of legislative lobbying in European news media. The starting point thereby is that lobbying in the crowded European Union (EU)-level interest community is not only a struggle for direct access to policymakers, but that in order to realize policy goals many interest groups rely on political attention generated by the media. Our main research question is how media attention is skewed toward particular interests and which factors explain these varying levels of prominence. Our empirical analysis is based on a set of 125 legislative proposals adopted by the European Commission between 2008 and 2010. For all these cases we identified 379 interest organizations that made public statements, we coded the amount of media attention these organized interests gained, the type of statements they made as well as some key organizational features. While the aggregate levels of attention look pretty balanced, our evidence shows that media prominence is skewed toward particular types of interests; in particular that organized interests which oppose a proposed policy gain significantly higher levels of media attention.     

Why did Thailand's middle class turn against a democratically elected government? The information-gap hypothesis

In 2006, Bangkok's middle-class residents overwhelmingly supported the military coup that displaced the elected government of Thaksin Shinawatra. Survey research shows that opponents of Thaksin had a stronger commitment to liberal democracy and possibly to royalist values while rural voters supported Thaksin because he fulfilled their social demands. Opposition to Thaksin was not motivated by economic interests, but rather, there is some evidence that urban middle- and upper-class voters disliked Thaksin because they heard negative reporting about him, which were less available in the countryside. These findings are compatible with a new theory of democratic consolidation, in which the upper classes have the means that would enable and encourage them to pay sufficient attention to politics to discover that what they viewed as ‘good government’ was violated by the ruling party, which could have led to demands for more democracy historically. More recently, however, in Thailand and perhaps other instances in Southeast Asia and Latin America, those with the money and leisure to follow politics closely have heard reports about the ‘bad government’ of populist, democratically elected leaders, and thus have turned against them.     

Expert systems and the law

ABSTRACT

The project discussed here involved an online debating activity between intellectual property (IP) law students in Egypt and the UK, using a closed group on Facebook. The aim was to harness freely available online social media technology to create a space in which valuable discussions and learning could take place. We showed that Facebook can be a powerful educational tool to encourage active learning and usefully connect learners across continents. In enabling the exchange of views between students in different jurisdictions, Facebook provides exposure to different cultures and different perspectives as well as different legal cultures and different legal systems, while also, importantly, enabling participants to identify commonalities. This debate focused on IP law, which is of increasing international importance, and specifically on the topic of access to medicines, which is highly contentious. Through the activity, students learned that they need not only to learn the law, but also to appreciate the socio-cultural and political complexity underlying policy issues in different jurisdictions. On reflection, the Facebook debate definitely enhanced the study of IP law through an interesting and enjoyable international, intercultural activity, led by staff and students, which successfully extended the classroom experience.     

媒体与司法之间的良性互动

舆论监督对司法独立的影响分为两步：一是新闻媒体通过报道或是对案件的评价让公众了解案件的前因后果;二是公众依据所收到的报道对这类事件产生看法和意见。在这两个阶段中,媒体不仅扮演着媒介的角色,也扮演着＂引导者＂的角色。在媒体的＂引导＂下,公众的情绪就构成社会舆论,它会直接影响执法者对案件的审判,从而影响司法独立。     

App时代大学生媒介素养现状及对策研究

以移动终端APP为主体表征的移动互联网络传播时代的最大特征就是信息的自产性、交互性、及时性、随意性。作为社会新知力量的大学生群体主动适应APP互联网时代特色的信息传播方式,培养良性坚定的价值观,树立科学健康的媒介素养观,提高自身甄别传媒讯息、利用传媒工具有目的地检索讯息、利用讯息的综合能力才是得当之法。如何提高大学生群体的媒介素养,从而建构一种科学、美好、负责的媒介生态环境,让大众传媒真正成为一种纯粹有益的思想交流、价值导向平台和一种新型的知识传播平台成为一种迫切的现实需求。     

自媒体时代官媒重拾话语权之诉求

随着自媒体时代的到来,所谓的"互联网狂欢"改变了信息传播的固定模式。话语权即控制舆论的权力,谁掌握了话语权,谁就掌握了社会舆论走向。作为党和政府的"喉舌"的官媒,在与新兴媒体抢占舆论高地的博弈中,由于政府公信力下降导致官媒话语被"习惯性质疑",在信息的即时性、交互性日益增强情境下,官媒试图重构权力话语体系,重拾话语权,以期走出正面临的塔西佗陷阱。     

网络反腐的利弊及对策研究

网络信息技术的不断发展,不仅为网络反腐提供了技术土壤,也为网络反腐创造了一定的政治环境。尽管网络反腐使一批腐败官员戏剧性落马而彰显出其在反腐斗争中的作用,但网络反腐也存在着夸大事实、虚假舆论、恶意举报等问题。具体分析网络反腐的利弊,有针对性地提出相应的对策,利用网络积极引导大众舆论,增强网络在反腐斗争中的实用性,对加强党风廉政建设具有重要的意义。     

未成年人网络游戏引发暴力犯罪的控制路径

近年来,因网络游戏而诱发的未成年人犯罪案件呈日益上升趋势,如何有效地预防和控制未成年人暴力犯罪,已成为全社会关注的热点问题。从实证分析角度,考量域外国家防控机制,为了实现对未成年人网络游戏暴力犯罪的控制,应当建立未成年人涉网相关的专门法律规范,强化行政执法权,推行网络游戏相关规控制度,开展社会管控,对未成年人健康用网进行综合引导。     

Teaching Negotiations in the New Millennium: Evidence‐Based Recommendations for Online Course Delivery

Traditional methods for teaching negotiation have required both instructor and student to be physically present in the same location. With the advent of the Internet and associated technological advances, however, instructors may now transcend geographical barriers and effectively deliver the same content virtually. In this article, we present an exploratory study comparing two masters‐level negotiation courses: one taught using a traditional in‐person method and the other taught online. Results showed no significant difference in knowledge acquisition as quantified by objective measures, including mean grades. In addition, self‐report data indicate that, although students' skill and mastery of negotiation improved in both courses, online students reported that they experienced less interaction and social engagement with their classmates and instructor. Several course development strategies and best practices are discussed.