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This study (N = 199) examined the impact of a 360° news coverage of the Iraqi war on cognitive and emotional empathy, and the mechanisms through which an audience's empathic responses are enhanced, as well as the role of empathy in impacting perceptions of news credibility. We build on earlier studies on immersive journalism to provide a nuanced investigation on different dimensions of empathy and their impact on perceptions of news credibility. The findings demonstrated that, when compared to online news, 360° news led to greater spatial presence, cognitive and positive emotional empathy, as well as higher levels of perceived news credibility. Spatial presence mediated the relationship between news modality and empathy, while the impact of 360° news on empathy was contingent upon individual differences in dispositional empathy. The results are discussed in the context of immersive journalism theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, we describe modular production of television news, established at the University of Georgia, one of the leading journalism programs in the United States, in the scope of its experience-based learning efforts. The new method of producing television news assumes the innovative way of combining live and prerecorded segments of traditionally "all live" television newscasts to encourage proficient dissemination of the news content on multiple platforms and focus journalistic work more fully on the editorial process of news production. The findings are discussed in light of situational learning theories and Parkinson's Law of time management, as well as benefits for student learning.

This study examined the Russian state-sponsored outlet "Sputnik's" metaphorical use in covering American withdrawal from Afghanistan to explain rhetorical devices used to disseminate discourse about Russia's geo-political rival, the United States. Using the Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP), the study analyzed 28 main metaphors and metaphorical expressions in "Sputnik's" coverage during the week of the American pullout. Metaphors such as Biden's Saigon, puppet government, or Night of the Long Knives suggest the existence of a discourse criticizing the rival and historicizing the event. The results are interpreted in light of using metaphors in the media's conflict coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of news modality (print news vs. 360° journalism) on psychological mechanisms of information seeking intention, as well as individual differences that moderate the observed outcomes. The results of a two condition between-subjects experiment (N = 100) conducted on a community sample showed that news modality affected information seeking intentions, enjoyment of news story, and the feelings of spatial presence, but did not affect actual information seeking behavior and information recall. Exposure to 360° journalism led to the increase in spatial presence, which led to a linear increase in enjoyment, ultimately resulting in greater intentions to seek further information. Participants with a higher need for cognitive closure enjoyed consuming news more when the story was presented as 360° journalism than those with a lower need for cognitive closure. Results contribute to expanding the theories of information seeking and the role of affective responses and spatial presence on news consumption in journalism and communication scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the formation of trust judgments of information sources about COVID-19 and the role played by emotions in this information seeking process. Twenty-seven in-depth interviews with Americans revealed that both trust and affective responses were present in information seeking of health messages, thus discovering the applicability of Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model’s propositions during pandemics. Using qualitative methods to assess RISP variables in a new context (COVID-19), the study proposes modifications to the existing model. It also extends the sociopsychological traditions on which the RISP model was based, by finding that when evaluating information sources during pandemics, under conditions of high issue relevance, individuals’ peripheral evaluation of messages might precede systematic evaluation and might be used as a selection criteria for further elaboration. Finally, the assessments of source credibility as a peripheral cue in this study expand current theoretical understandings by including compassion as a possible new dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most protest paradigm studies examining news media's portrayals of protesters are based on an assumption that the way the paradigm operates within the U.S. media system is similar around the globe. To overcome these weaknesses, this content analysis (n = 1200) of protest-related news coverage in two Balkan and two Central American countries examines how media clientelism-manifested via ownership, concentration, and state advertising-influences media representations of protesters. Results highlight important regional differences in protest coverage, and confirm the role of government and elites in clientelist environments is more complex than hypothesized. We found that while clientelism contributes to the protest paradigm, delegitimizing coverage is not automatic, and varies by frame and media ownership, as political and economic interests differentially influence protest coverage depending not just on the outlets' ties to the state, but also the social contexts surrounding the protests themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited understanding about informational barriers that nurses face when assessing obstetric patients and the strategies they use to obtain and elicit disclosure of potentially sensitive health information. Using framework analysis and goals-plans-actions theory, this study qualitatively explores the perspectives of nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives on these processes and strategies. This study utilizes framework analysis to analyze in-depth interviews with 22 nurses working in the field of obstetric and intrapartum care. Two overarching themes regarding barriers to disclosure and six themes regarding strategies to address these barriers emerged. Barriers included intentional self-concealment and unintentional omission of information. Strategies to overcome these barriers include education, rapport building, strategic questioning, creating a zone of privacy, seeking out information from other sources, and postnatal debriefing sessions. This study provides greater insight into the types of barriers that may prevent pregnant people from disclosing their health information, as well as communicative strategies on how to elicit sensitive health information. Nurses' responses highlight their reliance on patients, as well as on other sources of information when encountering patient reticence. Framework analysis points to four overarching strategic implications for communicative practices in health care settings: creating mutual understanding, creating rapport, creating privacy, and creating more empowered and informed patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study qualitatively examined how nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives construct the meaning of patient trust in their work caring for pregnant and laboring women. Twenty-two interviews were conducted with nurse participants employed at clinics, hospitals, and birth centers across Southeastern United States. Using a normative theoretical approach within the multiple goals framework, we identified five emergent themes that characterize trust as it shapes nurses' communicative goals: trust as the woman's acceptance of vulnerability and risk, the woman relinquishing control, the woman conceding to the nurse's expertise, the woman feeling heard, and the woman's disclosure of information. The results support previous studies, which conceptualized trust as vulnerability, risk, and disclosure whereas the remaining themes are original to this study. The results are interpreted both in light of existing links between trust and communication and the shifting and conflicting goals of nurses as they attempt to achieve their primary goal of optimal health outcomes. Passive constructions of trust that conflate it with women's acquiescent behaviors could have implications for the quality of communication between nurses and patients. In addition, trust, as understood by these participants, becomes situated as an instrumental means to achieving patient cooperation and desired health outcomes rather than a relational goal that supports women's agency throughout obstetric and intrapartum processes. This may be at odds with the modern movement toward patient-centered care and shared decision-making in U.S. maternity care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the framing of genetically modified organisms in two American newspapers, The New York Times and the Washington Post (2000-2016) and tested the impact of risk and opportunity framing on attitudes and behaviors regarding genetically modified organisms. The content analysis (N = 165) showed that the two newspapers did not have a dominant frame type in their coverage. A randomized three-condition experiment (N = 182) showed that the type of framing significantly affected individuals' attitudes and was able to change them. The type of framing affected individuals' behavioral intentions through postexposure attitudes but was not able to significantly affect actual behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the motivations among journalism students in Serbia through a survey at four major journalism programs in the country. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations had a significant impact on willingness to work in journalism, with the moderating effect of work experience. The results are discussed in the context of the self-determination theory of motivations. The study contributes to the theoretical development of the motivational theory in journalism and expands it to a transitional region, in which professional journalists as well as journalism students are facing particular difficulties in fulfilling their duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the perceptions of media roles among journalism students in Serbia and Croatia (N = 401). The results showed that the most important were citizen-oriented and watchdog roles and that they were positively predicted by hard news orientation, whereas consumer and loyal roles were least important. Consumer role was positively predicted by the soft news orientation, whereas the best predictor for the perceptions of the loyal media role was political orientation (right of the center). This is the first study that comparatively analyzed students' views in two countries of the former Yugoslavia using national samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employed international news flow theory to test the impact of the determinants of foreign news flow on the comprehensiveness of textual and multimedia coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis in the form of a live blog. The live blog is an online news format that allows journalists to inform their audiences about ongoing, most often breaking news events, with live, brief posts. The authors employed a content analysis to investigate the determinants of live blogging about the Syrian refugee crisis in five countries: Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The analysis of 195 live blogs showed that deviance of the event was a predictor of the amount of textual coverage, while economic relevance was the best predictor of the comprehensiveness of multimedia live-blog coverage. Furthermore, the analyses supported previous findings that suggested geographic proximity is losing its power in predicting international news flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the effects of framing in promotional health messages on intention to vaccinate against seasonal influenza virus. The findings of an experimental study (N = 86) indicated that exposure to both benefits and side effects of vaccination (gain-framed with risk disclosure message) led to lower intention to receive the flu vaccine. This relationship was mediated by both perceived vaccine efficacy and felt ambivalence in a serial order, revealing the underlying psychological mechanisms important for understanding health-related behaviors. Theoretical implications of constructing sub-framed messages are discussed and the concept of second-order framing is introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's globalised world a country's image is an important consideration because it can influence that country's politics and economy (Shimko 1991. Images and Arms Control: Perceptions of the Soviet Union in the Reagan Administration. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; Viosca Jr., Blaise, and Balsmeier. 2005. ‘Country Equity: South Africa, a Case in Point.’ Journal of Promotion Management 12 (1): 85-95). Scholars have noted that the news media are considered to be major players in creating national images and swaying public perception of foreign countries (Entman, 2008. ‘Theorizing Mediated Public Diplomacy: The U.S. Case.’ The International Journal of Press/Politics 13 (2): 87-102; Wanta, Golan, and Lee. 2004. ‘Agenda Setting and International News: Media Influence on Public Perceptions of Foreign Nations.’ Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 81: 364-377). The present study examined United States’ image typologies in news editorials in Britain and France. Using image theory as a theoretical foundation, this present study employed in-depth qualitative thematic analysis of editorials in The Guardian and Le Monde covering the release of classified U.S. diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks. The overarching U.S. image revealed by editorials did not exactly fit in with the normative images of ally, enemy, complex, imperialist, and colonial/dependent. It did, however, approach the complex image that entailed elements of the ally and imperial image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This 2 x 2 experimental study (N = 196) tested the effects of source expertise and opinion valence in readers' comments on the credibility of an online news story about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Source expertise had a significant influence on perceptions of article credibility; articles were judged more credible when public comments embedded in the story were from expert sources (e.g., scientists) rather than nonexpert sources (e.g., Twitter users). Effects were larger on high-frequency news users, regardless of whether comments were for or against GMOs. Results suggest that Internet users mainly use the peripheral or heuristic route of information processing to evaluate online news credibility. The importance for online journalism of social heuristics via opinions of other people is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the influences of cultural and performance factors on trust in news media in Serbia by conducting a survey on a stratified random sample of the population (N = 544). The results show that both factors played a significant role, but that the performance explanation was slightly more powerful. The levels of trust in news media and generalized trust in Serbia remained low, while the perceptions of news media corruption reached extremely high levels. Before testing theories, the meanings of three main variables were explored by conducting 20 in-depth interviews with a separate sample of the Serbian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines, by comparative thematic analysis, public perceptions of global journalistic norms of independence and integrity by studying perceptions of news media corruption in three Eastern European countries: Serbia, Macedonia and Croatia. In-depth interviews with 61 representatives of the three nations revealed that, in the public eye, the breaches of journalistic independence and integrity are frequent and take different forms. The participants from Serbia, Macedonia and Croatia thought that journalists from their countries often succumb to pressures from politicians, owners and advertisers; that they receive direct bribes for positive coverage and even extort money from people; and that news media are engaged in hidden advertising and journalists are engaged in nepotism. The results show similarity of public perceptions of breaches of journalistic independence and integrity with academic and professional findings and are discussed from the point of view of the cross-country examination of the attribution theory in the context of audiences’ use of situational and trait characteristics in understanding journalistic ethical norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines individual differences in perceived news media corruption (PNMC), by conducting a face-to-face survey on a representative sample of the Serbian population (N = 544). Extremely high levels of PNMC were found, as well as significant differences in PNMC scores for gender, education level, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, and membership in majority ethnic and religious groups. Corruption perception persona types are created and results are discussed in terms of importance of societal integration for PNMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looked at how newspapers operating in nations with varying degrees of governmental Internet control discussed Internet freedom of expression within their coverage of Wikileaks. This was done through a thematic analysis of news items about WikiLeaks and Internet freedom of expression in the left-leaning newspapers of The Guardian (Great Britain), Le Monde (France), The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), and The China Daily (China). The analysis revealed that government stances regarding Internet control did not shape the newspapers' discussion about WikiLeaks and freedom of expression on the Internet. Although governments in these countries exercise different levels of Internet control, the newspapers had similar positions about freedom of expression on the Internet and the role of the United States in censoring it. They supported Internet freedom as well as the actions of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange while criticizing U.S. attempts to suppress the online organization and its founder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined factors that influence the consumption of American television programmes among young Croatians, by conducting a paper and pencil survey (N = 487). The results indicate that young Croatians are avid consumers of American dramas and sitcoms, and that a set of cultural capital variables is a significant predictor of the consumption of American TV. Knowledge of English language, of US lifestyle, consumption of American movies and American press all had a significant unique contribution to the model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study explored, by comparative thematic analysis, the conceptualization of trust in news media in Serbia, Macedonia, and Croatia—three countries of Eastern Europe where past oppressive regimes might have left a heritage of distrust in all institutions. The analysis of 61 in-depth interviews showed the coexistence of three connotations of trust: trust as faith in news media as expert systems, trust in journalistic selectivity (found in all three countries), and trust as confidence in news media (found only in the Serbian sample). The analysis of the interviews also indicated a possible new dimension of journalistic selectivity and showed that, when looking for the truth in media messages, Serbians, Macedonians, and Croatians relied more on themselves than on the trustworthiness of their news media systems. The implications of these results on the measurement of trust in news media and on the relationship of Eastern Europeans toward their news media systems are discussed in light of sociological theories of trust, as well as specific historical, social, and cultural circumstances in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of data sharing into the research lifecycle is an important part of modern scholarly debate. In this study, the DataONE Usability and Assessment working group addresses two primary goals: To examine the current state of data sharing and reuse perceptions and practices among research scientists as they compare to the 2009/2010 baseline study, and to examine differences in practices and perceptions across age groups, geographic regions, and subject disciplines. We distributed surveys to a multinational sample of scientific researchers at two different time periods (October 2009 to July 2010 and October 2013 to March 2014) to observe current states of data sharing and to see what, if any, changes have occurred in the past 3–4 years. We also looked at differences across age, geographic, and discipline-based groups as they currently exist in the 2013/2014 survey. Results point to increased acceptance of and willingness to engage in data sharing, as well as an increase in actual data sharing behaviors. However, there is also increased perceived risk associated with data sharing, and specific barriers to data sharing persist. There are also differences across age groups, with younger respondents feeling more favorably toward data sharing and reuse, yet making less of their data available than older respondents. Geographic differences exist as well, which can in part be understood in terms of collectivist and individualist cultural differences. An examination of subject disciplines shows that the constraints and enablers of data sharing and reuse manifest differently across disciplines. Implications of these findings include the continued need to build infrastructure that promotes data sharing while recognizing the needs of different research communities. Moving into the future, organizations such as DataONE will continue to assess, monitor, educate, and provide the infrastructure necessary to support such complex grand science challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of interactive graphics on reducing political misperceptions. An experiment was used to compare the effectiveness of an interactive versus a static graphic in conveying information about the United States unemployment rate. The graphic, in both conditions, was embedded in a news article. Using a student sample(N =109),it was found that participants who saw the interactive graphic were more accurate and produced more thoughts than individuals in the static graphic condition. The implications of these findings for both political misperception research and journalism practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-cultural experiment (N = 620) tested the impact of the use of anonymous sources on perceived news story credibility in America and China, two countries with assumed different journalistic standards. Both Americans and Chinese rated news stories with only anonymous sources as less credible than stories with identified sources. The attitude of Americans towards news stories was found to be more positive. The study represents the first comparative research on the topic with rigorously established cross-cultural equivalences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]