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People with disabilities make up 16% of the world's population, an estimated 1.3 billion individuals. Because many people rely on the media to make sense of the world, a skewed perception of people with disabilities has become dominant in society today. People with disabilities are largely depicted in the media as deserving of pity and charity and always dependent on others for survival. The media provides us with narratives that we use to create interpretations of the world around us and, consequently, become bases of norms and attitudes about issues and persons around us. This paper studies Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries' news coverage of women with disabilities to gain insights into the kind of narratives the Gulf press constructs about them. Through a content analysis of national news agencies' news reports from Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this study reveals how Gulf media contributes to the consolidation of or liberation from established notions and perceptions about women with disabilities in Gulf society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence on how journalistic role performance changes in time and in relation to which factors is largely missing. This study investigates the presence of civic, infotainment, and service roles in the news, and examines whether their presence varies in time given the worsening economic conditions on the press market and changes in ownership type. A longitudinal content analysis of a representative sample of news (N = 1871) published in four Czech quality dailies during three year-long periods (i.e., 2006–2007, 2011–2012, 2016–2017) was conducted. Bivariate analyses showed that the presence of the roles varied in time for all of the newspapers but to a relatively small extent. Ridge logistic regressions revealed that the presence of all three audience-related roles was associated with specific dailies and ownership types, but not with worsening economic conditions. As compared to privately-owned newspapers, likelihood for the presence of the service role was bigger in corporate-owned newspapers, and for the civic role it was bigger in oligarchic-owned newspapers. The findings suggest that corporate-owned dailies responded to worsening economic conditions by preferring a service role rather than an infotainment role, and that the effects of oligarchic ownership on journalism practice are complex and far from being straightforward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the information quality of hypertension-related videos on the TikTok short video platform and assess their potential value for public health education. Methods In June 2024, we searched the TikTok short video platform using the keyword "hypertension" selecting the top 200 videos and ultimately including 177 videos for quality evaluation. Structured content integrity assessment tools and the DISCERN video quality assessment tool were used to evaluate the videos. The correlation between video quality and characteristics (duration, likes, comments, favorites, and shares) was studied. Results The 177 videos received 11 250 432 likes, 366 588 comments, 3 265 929 favorites, and 3 780 513 shares. The median video length was 111 seconds (74, 158), and the median upload days were 672 days (147, 878). 89.3% of the videos were posted by doctors, 8.5% by individual science communicators, and 2.3% by news agencies. 98.9% of the videos had subtitles, all featured individuals, and only 26.0% included animated demonstrations. Content integrity scores were: definition 0.19±0.40, symptoms 0.11±0.32, risk factors 0.29±0.50, assessment 0.36±0.45, management 0.81±0.47, and outcomes 0.63±0.58. 90.4% of the videos had a DISCERN score of ≤50, indicating "average" or below quality, with no significant difference in DISCERN scores among different publishers (P>0.05). DISCERN scores were significantly correlated with video duration (r=0.409, P<0.001). Conclusion The overall quality of hypertension-related videos on TikTok is low, with a significant positive correlation between video duration and quality. High-quality videos receive less attention, making TikTok an unsuitable platform for hypertension education due to low information quality and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022 highlighted the significant role of news media as a tool of communication among different social actors. Due to the novelty of the virus, most citizens turned to official news outlets to obtain reliable information about the disease and pandemic regulations. Therefore, a content analysis of news coverage in different countries provides insight into their Quadruple Helix dynamics, which reflects new patterns of knowledge democracy under consideration of the media-based public sphere. This article aims to trace the patterns of prevalent topics related to COVID-19 news in Turkish and British mainstream news agencies between September 2020 and March 2022. By deploying content analysis, this research endeavours to elicit public discourses created around the pandemic. These media agencies engaged in critical commentary on the pandemic situation and the policies enacted during this period, updating citizens with the latest information. However, the differences in the political and social structures of each country influence their Quadruple Helix knowledge exchange, which has a high impact on transformation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This monograph investigates the visual construction of migration on the U.S. southern border by the U.S. news industry. This study employs a quantitative (N = 1,050) and qualitative (N = 21) social semiotic analysis to illuminate the pervasive patterns of visual representation by three news agencies: The Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters. The analysis reveals levels of symbolic annihilation, social separation, and asymmetrical power dynamics that contribute to the symbolic othering of migrants. In-depth interviews with 21 photojournalists and field observation of an additional five photojournalists on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas were conducted to analyze the factors that influence the production of images. Photojournalists are subject to myriad physical, social, and ideological influences from politicians, law enforcement, news organizations, non-governmental organizations, drug cartels, and border residents that constrain the depiction of migration. These complex conditions of production are marked by a scarcity of time, money, and autonomy that ultimately result in conventionalized imagery. The findings suggest that more comprehensive, nuanced, and humanizing accounts of migration can occur when external entities do not intercede in the interaction between photographers and migrants. Unconventional imagery, however, is no guarantee of empathetic reception from audiences who are steeped in hegemonic migration discourses produced by institutions that profoundly profit from a perpetual migration "crisis." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of place and belonging in news photographs of migration. The author reflects on their own experiences as an immigrant in Australia and how it has shaped their worldview. The article also examines the visual representation of migrants in news media, focusing on photographs of migrants emigrating from Mexico to the United States. The author raises questions about the definition of news, the diversity of news sources, and the analysis of visual news. They also discuss the challenges of sampling and the theoretical lenses used in analyzing news images. Overall, the article emphasizes the complexity of migration and the need for nuanced and comprehensive analysis of visual representations in the media. [Extracted from the article]

Although the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear program has been a challenge to international security for three decades, the world still knows little about its nuclear intentions. A recently available dataset of Korean Central News Agency's English publications (1997–2018) provides a complete coverage of DPRK's nuclear activities in the time span. Our study employs the Louvain method of community detection in large networks to detect patterns and trends in North Korea's nuclear rhetoric. We have two findings: Pyongyang's primary objective is deterrence, although it also utilizes nuclear development to boost regime legitimacy. This secondary intention of legitimization is more prominent under Kim Jong-un than under Kim Jong-il, but still not as salient as deterrence. Our results suggest a policy approach of engagement and deterrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Anti-Racist Journalism: The Challenge of Creating Equitable Local News" by Andrea Wenzel is a book that explores the need for news organizations to go beyond diversity lip service and actively work towards reflecting and fairly representing diverse issues and groups in their coverage. Wenzel draws from her fieldwork in Philadelphia to examine how different actors in the city's news environment confront systemic racism within their organizations. The book emphasizes the importance of sustained structural initiatives, or "accountability infrastructures," in making journalism more anti-racist. It examines the efforts of legacy news outlets, hyperlocal outlets, and external organizations in creating more equitable news environments. The book offers valuable insights and blueprints for outlets in other cities interested in anti-racist work. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: With the goal of helping consumers bounce back from the financial challenges they faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many firms developed and announced consumer-targeted resiliency programs (e.g. Walgreens waived delivery fees, Associated Bank allowed deferred mortgage payments). However, there is a paucity of research examining the unique features of these programs, and whether firms' investors (the first external stakeholder group to provide them with feedback regarding their strategies) were receptive to these programs during a period of time in which firms themselves were suffering financially. Drawing on resilience theory and stakeholder theory, the present research incorporates an event study of consumer-targeted resiliency program announcements to understand their financial implications for firms, and to learn whether firms witnessed different financial effects as a result of firm- and program-specific factors. Design/methodology/approach: This study referred to business news publications and newswire services to collect a comprehensive list of consumer-targeted resiliency programs announced by publicly traded U.S. firms during the pandemic. The resulting dataset consisted of 145 announcements made during the period of February–June 2020. An event study was conducted in order to precisely measure the main effect of consumer-targeted resiliency programs on firm value, as manifested through abnormal stock returns. Finally, a moderation analysis (regression) was conducted to uncover whether firm characteristics or specific features of firms' consumer-targeted resiliency programs lead certain firms to witness stronger financial effects than others. Findings: The main effect of consumer-targeted resiliency programs on firm value was found to be positive – a 1.9% increase on average. The moderation analysis finds that non-financial firms were rewarded more positively than financial firms (e.g. banks and credit card companies). In addition, financial aid (i.e. allowing customers to defer their payments to a firm for its products/services, versus a reduction in the price of a product/service or offering it for free or giving cash back to customers) and temporal characteristics (i.e. an offer being framed as limited-time, vs being indefinite or for the foreseeable future) are not found to have a moderating effect. Originality/value: This theory-driven empirical study uncovers practical implications for managers of firms interested in whether investing in corporate social responsibility during times of crisis is a wise allocation of resources. Any form of financial aid for consumers, regardless of temporal limitations, is received positively by investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable information and news sources. In 2020, Xinhua News Agency launched "Zhiyun," an epidemic reporting robot that can generate COVID-19 news reports based on visual data. This development raises key issues regarding the effectiveness of machine-generated news compared to traditional sources, especially news related to major public health events such as the pandemic. Using the Cognitive-Affective-Conative Model and ANCOVA method, this paper conducts experimental research to obtain data and studies the impact of machine-made news on the audience's attitude towards COVID-19 news. The analysis used a 2 × 2 factorial online experimental method to test the impact of two variables: "theme" and "news format." The research results indicate that the theme and news format significantly affect the audience's attitude towards epidemic news, and machine-generated video news received a more positive response than news written by human journalists. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that machine-generated news has great potential to provide accessible and reliable information during major public health events such as COVID-19. This study has significant implications for the news industry, indicating the possibility of increasing the use of machine news production in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European regulators, courts, and scholars are currently debating the legality of data processing for personalization purposes. Should businesses require separate consent for processing user data for personalized advertising, especially when offering free services reliant on such ads for revenue? Or is general consent for the contract enough, given personalized advertising's role in fulfilling contractual obligations? This study investigates whether these legal distinctions reflect differences in people's willingness to share data with businesses for personalization. Are consumers less willing to share their data for personalized advertising than for personalized services that they clearly contracted for? Does that change if the service is offered for free? Drawing from both the privacy calculus and privacy as contextual integrity theory, the hypothesis posits that individuals would be more inclined to share their data when it is used to personalize the services offered by businesses (e.g., music or news recommendations) rather than for personalized advertising, yet this difference will be smaller when services are offered for free. Using three vignette experiments involving music, shopping, and news services (N = 3,436), the study demonstrates that, contrary to predictions, most individuals are hesitant to share their data for personalization, regardless of whether it's for advertisements or contracted services. This absence of distinction persists across both paid and free services. The findings strongly support the claim that if the law considers people's reluctance to share personal data, both personalized advertising and personalized contracted services should require separate consent to data processing from consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show how prospect theory uncovers critical decision-making insights in the design of sequential experiences by formulating a general framework and applying it to three experience design settings. First, we study the problem of releasing a piece of good news versus bad news, where a firm may incrementally reveal the news over a preemptive period. We characterize the optimal release strategy for both types of news and show that when the ultimate news is good (resp., bad) and the audience is sufficiently gain-seeking, it is optimal first to release information of a negative (resp., positive) sentiment. Second, we consider the problem of organizing an event such as a concert with performances of known valuations, where an event organizer needs to arrange the sequence of all performances. We show that for both loss-averse and gain-seeking audiences, interior peaks can be optimal, where pleasant and aversive performances are arranged to alternate throughout the event. Lastly, we investigate the problem of simultaneous versus sequential release of a series, such as songs or TV episodes, where a content provider does not know a priori the audience's exact valuation of each item. We show that if the audience's sensitivity to losses is sufficiently small (resp., large), the optimal strategy is to release all items in the series sequentially (resp., simultaneously). Across all of the settings, we show that the audience's sensitivity to losses relative to a reference point is a critical factor that governs how to design and manage the audience's evolving experience dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research updates the study of media of proximity in Spain, addressing the in-depth study of hyperlocal digital media. The main objectives are to determine the motivations for their growth, the models they establish and the factors that condition their stability in the post-pandemic context. After mapping hyperlocal media in 2018 (n = 62), a survey was conducted among their directors to discover the motivations for their creation, the characteristics of their professional teams and business models, the conditions of news production and their relationship with the audience. The map was updated in December 2021 and a new questionnaire was provided to directors to discover its adaptation to the post-pandemic context. The results show that hyperlocal media in Spain have established their own organizational, productive and economic model. The commitment of the directors to providing the community with the information they need from their own neighborhoods is evident, as well as the human and economic resource limitations they must face. The pandemic has strengthened the relationship with the audience, the news service mission, and the search for new financing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last few years have witnessed an increased reliance on social media as a primary communication channel to disseminate news, updates, and information on different subjects. Media practitioners have been using framing to highlight certain segments of news stories and shape public opinion to engage audiences with the news stories and influence their perception and response. This study investigates the types and frequency of frames used in an Emirati Instagram news account (@UAE_Barq) during the COVID-19 outbreak to explore if certain frames, such as gain vs loss, human interest, and attributing responsibility, can elicit negative, neutral, or positive responses from Instagram users. The study found that various types of frames emotionally influenced Instagram users. The academic and practical implications of the study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the content and quality of videos on Youtube about the gummy smile. Materials and Methods: The keyword “gummy smile” was searched on Youtube.Videos were categorized as useful, misleading or personal experience based on their content. Videos were analysed to evaluate the quality and scientific reliability of the information using Global Quality Scale (GQS) and DISCERN criteria; and the understandability of this information using a tailormade custom comprehensiveness index (CI). The source and user interaction information for each video were recorded. Results: A total of 98 videos were included for analysis. The videos of 64 (65.3%) were considered as useful, 18 (18.4%) provided by misleading information, and 16 (16.3%) described personal experiences. The source of the videos was 66 (67.3%) of dentists/specialist, 8 (8.2%) of clinics/hospitals, 8 (8.2%) of TV channel/news agencies and 16 (16.3%) of were other. The GQS was <4 in most of the videos (92.9%). Based on 0-2 CI scores, 36, 51 and 11videos had a score of 0, 1 and 2, respectively. 87 (88.8%) and 71 (72.4%) videos showed clear aims and reliable sources of information according to DISCERN criteria, respectively. The mean GQS and CI were significantly higher in useful video content compared to misleading and personal experience videos (p<0.001). The mean GQS and CI in dentist-sourced videos were significantly higher than in TV and other-sourced videos (p<0.001). Conclusions: Although most of the videos were uploaded by dentists and contain accurate information, the content and quality of the information were insufficient. This study demonstrated that Youtube could still not be considered as a fully reliable source of information for patients on gummy smile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, based on in-depth interviews with 57 local journalism entrepreneurs in the UK, develops the idea that these emergent and small-scale local news organizations prioritize a form of "vernacular journalism." Driven by a democratic impulse, vernacular journalism reflects the preoccupations, experiences and histories of ordinary people and their communities, providing a vehicle for representation and voice, which is often missing from more established news organizations. Vernacular journalism seeks to (1) make a difference in the local community, and (2) represent the nature of the community, providing a "first draft" of its history from its inhabitants' perspective. The ability to provide such vernacular journalism is premised on knowledge of the community, cultivated through long-standing presence. The provision of a vernacular journalism which reflects the world from the bottom up is a unique selling point for local journalism, against the top-down orientation of larger regional and national outlets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News organizations are placing a greater emphasis on knowing their audience as a route to facilitate engagement and generate revenue. Drawing on a national survey of individuals working for U.S. news organizations, we examine how newsworkers describe their organization's target audience. Combining quantitative content analysis with a qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses, we find that the majority of U.S. newsworkers use some combination of demographics or psychographics to describe the audience for their work—representing a substantial uptake of marketing segmentation language compared to earlier research on how journalists understand their audiences. However, that marketing-like sophistication comes with a cost: Newsworkers' target audience descriptions are shaped by financial imperatives, emphasizing white, older, high socioeconomic status groups. These findings are discussed in terms of the journalism industry's lack of diversity, suggesting that this issue also extends to the imagined target audiences of news media organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News agencies are regularly mentioned in scholarly works among the principal sources of information for legacy news organisations and titles, particularly in the 24/7 online news environment. However, little is known about how these agencies themselves source news. To fill this gap in scholarship, we present a case study of how Belgium's national, multilingual news agency sources its science news. We first position our study within a conceptual framework combining insights from news diversity and translation studies research. Next, we operationalise a triangulation of a content analysis, a survey, and interviews with newsroom staff to shed light on the practices and policies that shape and constrain the inner workings of a national news agency in a small, multilingual media market. Our findings reveal a large, potentially worrying, dependency on information subsidies and their assumed factuality from press releases and other news agencies, largely sourced locally. We contextualise our findings within wider news agency and science journalism research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Journalism's relationship with data continues from ancient times to the present day. Today, especially with the emergence of digitalization-based tools and the existence of automatic systems supported by artificial intelligence, the relationship between journalism and data has gained the opportunity to enter into a closer relationship. At this point, the concept of data journalism started to be discussed in academic circles and found an area of examination. The study had the opportunity to examine how news centers in Turkey evaluated the data through the infographics they prepared. Infographics, which can be considered as an important element in the visual transfer process, differ from each other in many aspects, both in terms of content and structure. In this context, 887 infographics created by Anadolu Agency, TRT Haber and Habertürk samples between October 1 and December 31, 2023, are analyzed using the content analysis method. As a result of the study, it is determined that infographics are created in a static manner regardless of the news medium, language diversity is greater in agency news, and the topics covered in the news have direct impacts on the elements used in the infographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of social media has spawned private news organizations in China that are encountering problems regarding how to gain public and journalistic acceptance and recognition as newcomers and how to survive without a news license. Drawing on organizational legitimacy theory, this paper investigates the strategies employed by private news organizations to construct multiple layers of legitimacy including regulatory, normative and cognitive legitimacy in China's unique context and the social media era. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 practitioners of private news organizations and participant observation in one private news agency, findings showed that private news organizations (1) gain regulatory legitimacy through news production methods including "misplacing registration", "playing with official hats" and "depoliticization"; (2) establish normative legitimacy by emphasizing their adherence to traditional journalistic values, norms, and routines, and their similarities to state-owned media; (3) obtain cognitive legitimacy through the creation of "hot news" with reliance on professional reputation. This study thereby explores these strategies to reflect the path of "dependent autonomy" of private news organizations and provides an institutional and organizational perspective to understand the constraints and characteristics of social media journalism in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ozel Egitim Dergisi is the property of Ankara University, Faculty of Educational Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Uru: Revista de Comunicación y Cultura is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over two-thirds of the U.S. population uses YouTube, and a quarter of U.S. adults regularly receive their news from it. Despite the massive political content available on the platform, to date, no classifier has been proposed to classify the political leaning of YouTube videos. The only exception is a classifier that requires extensive information about each video (rather than just the title) and classifies the videos into just three classes (rather than the widely-used categorization into six classes). To fill this gap, "PoLYTC" (Political Leaning YouTube Classifier) is proposed to classify YouTube videos based on their titles into six political classes. PoLYTC utilizes a large language model, namely BERT, and is fine-tuned on a public dataset of 11.5 million YouTube videos. Experiments reveal that the proposed solution achieves high accuracy (75%) and high F1-score (77%), thereby outperforming the state of the art. To further validate the solution's classification performance, several videos were collected from numerous prominent news agencies' YouTube channels, such as Fox News and The New York Times, which have widely known political leanings. These videos were classified based on their titles, and the results have shown that, in the vast majority of cases, the predicted political leaning matches that of the news agency. PoLYTC can help YouTube users make informed decisions about which videos to watch and can help researchers analyze the political content on YouTube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncovering the influence of Xi Jinping on the Chinese political economy is an important academic task. To achieve this, we focus on the Database of Xi Jinping's Important Speech Series, introducing its data characteristics, usage considerations, and examples of analysis. The database is composed mainly of articles from People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency. An exercise in reverse engineering confirmed that Xi Jinping's personal daily activities are collected in the database. Keyword search results suggest that the Database of Xi Jinping's Important Speech Series reflects Xi Jinping's personal intentions at an earlier stage compared to the People's Daily. In recent years, empirical studies using the database have emerged. Despite limitations in content, size, and duration, we argue that the database has value as a source of frequent and high-dimensional data for empirical studies on the Chinese political economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russia–Ukraine War has emerged as a highly contentious global issue since 2022. While China and the UK are not directly involved in the conflict, considerable attention has been drawn to their positions and perspectives on this event. In such context, conducting a comparative study on how the British and Chinese mainstream media cover the Russia–Ukraine conflict can provide valuable insights into the influence of ideological differences on news framing and shed light on the respective stances of these two news agencies. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology, this study integrates corpus tools, critical discourse analysis, text mining, and emotion computation to systematically analyze news reports covering the Russia–Ukraine War from Reuters and Xinhua between 2022 and 2023. Results show different patterns in the news reports from the two investigated news agencies, including the monthly publication of news articles, the occurrence of prominent entities, and the thematic emphasis. Additionally, significant variations are identified in specific dimensions of emotion and emotional intensity, indicating the divergent stances of the two news agencies on a range of significant issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studii de Ştiintă şi Cultură is the property of Studii de Stiinta si Cultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

When images of children in conflict situations are selected for a Western audience, what roles do the images fulfill for the audience? A content analysis of photographs provided by the Associated Press of children in Rwanda and Kosovo suggests that news agencies frame children of conflicts differently, as passive agents or success stories, in accordance with ideological and organizational guidelines. The findings of this study show that the Associated Press depicts children in Rwanda in racially stereotypical ways in comparison to their Kosovar counterparts. The current research examines the ways that news media depict children of color in the context of war and conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship has increasingly sought solutions for reversing broad declines in levels of trust in news in many countries. Some have advocated for news organizations to adopt strategies around transparency or audience engagement, but there is limited evidence about whether such strategies are effective, especially in the context of news consumption on digital platforms where audiences may be particularly likely to encounter news from sources previously unknown to them. In this paper, we use a bottom-up approach to understand how people evaluate the trustworthiness of online news. We inductively analyze interviews and focus groups with 232 people in four countries (Brazil, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to understand how they judge the trustworthiness of news when unfamiliar with the source. Drawing on prior credibility research, we identify three general categories of cues that are central to heuristic evaluations of news trustworthiness online when brands are unfamiliar: content, social, and platform cues. These cues varied minimally across countries, although larger differences were observed by platform. We discuss implications of these findings for scholarship and trust-building efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the negative impact of vicarious exposure to trauma (VET) and its transformation into vicarious post-traumatic growth (VPTG) among a particular type of journalist in China: emotional livelihood journalists. These journalists are often exposed to indirect trauma and have a high degree of emotional involvement with their subjects. Utilising cluster sampling, 126 such journalists (F = 92, M = 34) were selected to participate in this study. VET, secondary traumatic stress (STS), empathy, social support, and VPTG were measured through an online questionnaire to provide a moderated mediation model. Linear regression analysis showed that (1) VET directly predicts VPTG in reporters, and indirectly predicts VPTG through the mediating effect of STS; (2) when empathy is high, VET has a greater impact on STS levels, but when empathy is low, its effect is non-significant in the relationship between VET and VPTG; and (3) social support was not a significant moderator in the model. This study is among the first to link VET to VPTG among journalists, demonstrating that STS mediates this relationship and that empathy moderates the association between VET and STS. The results imply that dealing indirectly with trauma can lead to positive psychological changes in journalists. Media organisations can facilitate VPTG by offering comprehensive psychological support for journalists exposed to indirect traumatic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ongoing digitalization process and the emerging importance of social media in shaping news access and distribution, prior studies have examined how journalists respond to the shifting media environment. While these studies have provided valuable insights on the ever-changing habits, norms, and role performance of contemporary journalists, there is limited knowledge on how these practices, once imported to social media, transform and shape the traditional expectations of news organizations. To fill this gap, this study problematizes journalists' self-construction on social media to further understand how the dynamics of these platforms influence the potential conflicts of interest that can arise between journalists and the companies they work for when building their digital selves. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with Spanish journalists, this study conceptualizes three different social media selves: Nonpartisan, Equidistant, and Allied. Findings also show that the latent surveillance that has traditionally governed journalism is still rampant on social media. However, we argue that the disassociation between the physical newsroom and the digital environment influences journalists' agency, allowing them to redefine their digital selves from a position of greater power and autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]