Open-access journals

speaking of open-access journals

Research Question

RQ.1) How does a citizen-oriented and consumer-oriented newspaper differ in framing news about the Affordable Care Act?

RQ.2) Within citizen-oriented newspaper, how does left and right wing media frame news about the Affordable Care Act?

RQ.3) How do broadcast news and newspaper differ in framing information about the Affordable Care Act?

Research Question

Popular messaging platform WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature – double blue check marks -- to allow users to tell if their messages have been read by the intended recipient. This “message read” feature generate divided opinion amongst users. Some praised the new update, as WhatsApp’s rivals, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, Viber and others have offered read receipts as an option for several years. Others felt this was an invasion of their privacy. Some even claimed that the new feature is going to aggravate insecurities amongst friends and ruin relationships.

Previous findings show that text messaging provides an opportunity for intimate personal contact (Thurlow, 2003) whilst at the same time offering the detachment necessary to manage self- presentation and involvement (Chenault, 1998; Danet, 1995; Ling & Yttri, 2002). The “message read” feature seems to cast doubt on previous findings.

In this research, I would like to examine users’ perception of “message read” feature and what emotional and psychological impact does the feature bring to personal conversation in messaging platforms.

RQ1: How frequently do users pay attention to the “message read” feature while they are interacting in the messaging platforms?

RQ2: What are the senders' perspective and receivers' perspective on the “message read” feature in the messaging platforms?

RQ3a: How frequently do senders experience anxiety of social awkwardness when the receivers do not reply message?

RQ3b: How frequently do receivers experience anxiety of social awkwardness when they do not reply message?

H1: The anxiety of social awkwardness of not replying a message would increase if the message is sent by someone who is closer to self (i.e., family, friends, romantic partner) than when “others” are more distant to self (i.e., acquaintances, employers, strangers).

H2: The anxiety of social awkwardness of not replying a message would increase if the conversation involves two people instead of a group more than two people.

RQ4: Do users perceive the “message read” feature affects personal contact in a positive way or negative way?

Research Question

RQ: Do perception of media power affect one's susceptibility to the third person  effect?

H1: As people perceive that media are important in telling people what to think about, they are more susceptible to the third-person effect.

(H2: People will perceive that media are more important in telling other people what to think about than the media are in telling them to what to think about.)

This September, the American Press Institute’s Media Insight Project reported that only a quarter of African Americans trust the media. So based on Uses and Gratifications Theory, my research question is this:

RQ1: What accounts for the high level of distrust in the media by African Americans?

Research Question

“Freelancers are really on their own," Nicole Tung, a freelance photojournalist, told CBS News in an interview about the recent beheading of another freelance journalist, James Foley. Tung and Foley were working along in the coverage of Syrian conflict. They were only the two of many freelance conflict journalists, risking their lives for the story.

According to Committee to Protect Journalists’ data, just under half of the 70 journalists killed in Syria since the conflict began in 2011 have been freelancers.

Today, as the media landscape shifts, media organizations’ reliance on freelance journalists and photojournalists continue to increase.  While they make significant contributions to the conflict coverage, in comparison with staff journalists who are sent to the war zones by their media organizations, risk that the freelance journalists go under is immense. The staffers are provided with the required hostile environment and emergency first aid training, health, life, kidnap and ransom insurance, costly protective equipment, fixers, transportation and psychological support for post coverage as well as their monthly salaries. On the other hand, many freelance journalists go in the conflict zones regardless of any of support system provided, a lot of times not even being able to afford them in hopes of finding the desired stories and selling them to various media organizations for several hundreds of dollars at most.

Does lack of a support system (training, insurance, protective gear, being able to tracked down in cases of kidnapping, emotional support system, transportation, fixers etc.) affect freelance photojournalists coverage of conflict zones? If yes, how?

War Journalism on Twitter - Research Question

How did journalists use Twitter during the 2014 Gaza War?

Twitter has become a key means of disseminating news and information during major events. One of them, for example, is the 2014 Gaza War between Israel and Hamas. During the 50 days of war from July 8^th to August 26^th journalists were highly active on this social networking site, reporting and offering their take on the unfolding events. According to Galtung (2006), while peace journalism is people-oriented, war journalism is elite-oriented. The latter focuses on leaders and elites as actors and sources of information. To what extent, if any, does Twitter challenge that, as it enables journalists from mainstream news organizations to communicate with other users and to disseminate messages from different sources? While previous research addressed the role of non-elite sources on Twitter during the civil uprisings in the Arab world, scholarly attention has not been paid to the journalistic use of sources on this platform in the context of war, which poses unique dilemmas and concerns to journalists. For instance, journalists whose nation is in a state of war tend to confront a dual allegiance as they are “caught between nation and profession” (Zandberg & Neiger, 2005: 131). The proposed study will examine what types of sources did mainstream media journalists use on Twitter during the Gaza war, what actors did they focus on, and how did they express themselves. Understanding gatekeepers’ sourcing routines and modes of expression on social media in a time of war may contribute to gatekeeping theory and enable to better assess the extent to which social media promote (or not) people-oriented journalism in different contexts. 

References

Galtung, J. (2006). Peace journalism as an ethical challenge. Global Media Journal:  Mediterranean Edition, 1(2), 1-5.

Zandberg, E. & Neiger, M. (2005). Between the nation and the profession: Journalists as members of contradicting communities. Media Culture & Society, 27(1), 131-141.

Hypotheses & Research questions

Do Indian male and female journalist cover rape differently?

In the light of the socialization theory,  which describes the manner in which individuals learn content and process in an effort to adjust to societal roles (Rodgers & Thorson, 2003), this study will gauge if Indian male and female journalist cover rape differently in the backdrop of their male-dominated, cultural upbringing.

H1: When covering rape or rape related stories, female journalists use different sources from male journalist.

H2: When covering rape or rape related stories, female journalist describe the victim in a kinder and more human light than male journalist.

H3: When covering rape or related stories, male journalist describe the accused in greater detail than female journalist.

RQ1: When covering rape or rape related stories, do female journalist use sources related to the victim's family or human rights groups/lawyers or support groups?

RQ2: When covering rape or rape related stories, do male journalist use more official sources such as police officer, doctors, lawyers or government officials?

RQ3: When covering rape or rape related stories, do male journalist engage in victim shaming more than female journalist.

About experiments, data, "good" research methods and theory

Rachel Mourao shared the following article on her FB and I thought it might be great material for discussion on our class:

Hollaback and Why Everyone Needs Better Research Methods

And here a response that supports the experiment:

Viral Videos and 'Research Methods' Might be Exciting, But Zeynep Got it All Wrong

Research questions

Topic

Framing change on news media reports on immigration of unaccompanied children after presidential announcement of a humanitarian crisis

Research questions:

RQ1 (Frequency of coverage)

How many stories about this phenomenon were published?

• Since it was recognized as such (October 1, 2012) and until President Obama’s announcement?
• After President Obama’s announcement in June 2, 2014?

RQ2 (Illegal immigration as a social problem)

How do the media present the question of why this new group of immigrants is a problem?

• H2a: Newspapers in border states than newspapers elsewhere will be more likely to present unaccompanied minors as burden to their communities.

RQ3 (Attribution of causal responsibility)

How do media present the causes of illegal immigration from this group?

• H3a: National newspapers will be more likely to present increased violence in Central America as the cause for illegal immigration.
• H3b: Newspapers in border states will be more likely to present promises of easy path to legalization as the cause for illegal immigration.

RQ4 (Sources)

How diverse are the sources used by media when covering this phenomenon?

• H4a: Newspapers in border states will be more likely to interview unaccompanied minors for their stories.
• H4b: National newspapers will be more likely to rely on government sources for their stories.

Research Questions

RQ: Did the new 10-1 city council system affect the coverage of the political candidates in local Austin media.

RQ: Did Journalists continue to cover the candidates in same manner that they typically do so in political elections? (Horse Race, Game)

RQ: If Journalists covered the election in a different manner, what themes did they focus on and to what extent was the coverage different?

Research questions

RQ1: How much do journalists know about their newspaper's digital strategy?

RQ2: Are journalists' perceptions of their newspaper's digital success consistent with reality?