Media & Jornalismo

An Appraisal and Critical Discourse Analysis of the Chinese Media Representation of Coffee Culture in Shanghai

Thandar Zan

This study applies the Appraisal Theory and a Critical Discourse Analysis to determine the coverage of the coffee culture in Shanghai by using the corpus of reports and articles published on the Chinese English version of the news. The finding shows that the Appreciation stances prevail, which indicates that the Shanghai coffee culture is primarily constructed around the assessment of quality, value, and significance. The content that has been appraised is primarily dependent on festivals and events, where the narratives that connect coffee with cultural practices, business environment, cafes, Haipai cultural words, and urban identity are featured. Evaluative stances are largely authorial but are reinforced by attributed voices (organizers, government officials, participants, and experts). Discursive strategies work to promote coffee culture as a form of cultural branding and soft power for Shanghai. This study highlights the ideological aspect of the news in shaping soft power narratives.

An Analysis of Egyptian Media's Role and Its Impact on Public and Sudanese Refugees Attitudes

Bassant M. Attia

This study examines the representation of Sudanese refugees by the Egyptian media and the impact that such images have on the Egyptian citizens and the Sudanese refugees themselves. The study employed mixed-methods research design where a survey of 200 Egyptians and focus group discussion with Sudanese refugees in Egypt took place. Results indicate that 70.3 percent of the Egyptian participants indicated that media coverage focuses more on the negative side of the experience of refugees and this is mainly stereotyping them as the source of economic stress or social issues. On the contrary, the individuals who were more empathetic and negative to media discourse had a direct contact with refugees. The participants who were refugees said they felt stereotyped, misrepresented, or left out by both the traditional and the social media. Despite providing a platform to tell their stories, the social media led to the victims being exposed to racism and fake news. The article reports the importance of destruction of more even-handed and people-oriented media coverage to assist tie-up in both directions and social incorporation between Egyptian society and Sudanese refugees.

Environmental problems in Central Asian journalism: Analysis of approaches and trends

Nurzhan Dzhumagazieva

The study aimed to identify the peculiarities of coverage of invasive topics as media content in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. To study the specifics of environmental issues in Central Asian journalism, the method of analysis and the case method were used. The study identified the role of journalism in shaping environmental awareness. In particular, the study determined that journalistic materials influence public opinion and environmental policymaking. The research also included an analysis of environmental issues in the journalistic genres of Central Asia. The main environmental problems of the region, such as lack of water resources, environmental pollution, land degradation, etc. were identified. The study described the different genres used to cover these issues (analytical articles, investigative journalism, blogs, documentaries, etc.). Through the analysis of Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek journalism, the study determined that media resources effectively contribute to raising environmental awareness and mobilising civil society. In addition, an overview of international initiatives and projects to support environmental journalism and address environmental issues in the region was made, based on which a comparative table of international initiatives was created and differences between the media strategies of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan were presented. The study also suggested that international experience should be adapted to local realities to systematically cover environmental issues on all media resources in the region: use of digitalisation, social media, interactive platforms, educational initiatives for journalists, attracting attention through opinion leaders (bloggers), development of independent media, cooperation with international environmental organisations, and use of Data Journalism. The results of the study can be used to improve journalism, create educational programmes, and develop new communication strategies and eco-campaigns to raise environmental awareness.

Comunidades Online no Jornalismo Digital

Alessandra Natasha Costa-Ramos

Este artigo analisa o fenómeno das comunidades online no jornalismo digital a partir do estudo do Programa de Aliados da Agência Pública, um media nativo digital brasileiro, no Instagram. Considerando o contexto das organizações de jornalismo financiadas pelo público, investiga-se de que forma a Agência Pública recorre a estratégias narrativas para envolver os leitores e criar um sentido de comunidade com eles. O estudo examina os temas abordados numa seleção de publicações do perfil da Agência Pública relacionadas com o Programa de Aliados, modelo de financiamento membership adotado pelo meio. Combinando métodos digitais, quantitativos e qualitativos, o artigo procura responder à seguinte questão: “De que forma a estratégia narrativa utilizada pela Pública no contexto do Programa de Aliados contribui para o engajamento dos seus leitores no Instagram?”. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se que os conteúdos promovem o envolvimento do público sobretudo através de apelos à participação por meio da contribuição financeira. O estudo deste caso fornece contributos relevantes para a compreensão dos desafios e potencialidades da proximidade entre órgãos de comunicação social e público num ambiente digital moldado pela arquitetura das plataformas sociais.

Resilience amidst adversity: Media depiction of gendered narratives and vulnerability of Lagos slums in COVID-19 response

Solomon Tommy

Abstract

Public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic tend to paint starker pictures of social inequalities, not just in terms of how intervention initiatives are implemented, but also in how the media covers, reports, and frames narratives around response to these emergencies. This study pays attention to two groups who arguably embody these inequalities, namely slum dwellers, and women, and attempted to understand the extent to which media narratives portrayed their response to COVID-19, especially in response to government's mitigation efforts, and the implications for urban resilience and recovery. Drawing theoretical validation and contextualization from the framing theory, feminist perspectives and the constructivist grounded theory, the study situates itself within the literature which, amongst other things, indicated that media coverage of slums have been less-than-participatory and inclusive, and more stereotypical in depicting slum dweller, and women, in narratives of disempowerment and victimhood. Guided by the research objective of determining the quantity and direction of media attention paid to the response of these entities to COVID-19 vis-à-vis urban resilience and recovery consideration, the study employed a qualitative content analysis of 150 news articles and social media posts from January 2020 to August 2021 to examine media portrayals of Lagos slums during COVID-19, paying empirical and discursive attention to representations of vulnerability, agency, and gender dynamics. Findings revealed gross underrepresentation and misrepresentation of slums' response initiatives, as well as imbalanced narratives that emphasize stereotypical vulnerability tropes while limiting the visibility of slums' adaptive initiatives. This trend was more pronounced in national, mainstream media platforms, than in community-based media. These misrepresentations tended to position slum spaces and residents, especially women, in disempowering frames as dysfunctional, passive victims rather than the actual portrayal of their agency manifest in initiatives taken to tackle the threat that COVID-19 and its attendant concerns posed on their existence. There is also mention of the tokenism in the media narratives of slums and its residents, especially women, that reinforce public's suboptimal perception of residents of these areas, which has negative implications for the extent to which slums are factored and/or positively considered in government's urban renewal strategies and actions. Such biases align with existing literature critiquing problematic media tropes that risk marginalizing slums and inhibiting recognition of their resilience capacity. Transforming these imbalances requires multifaceted advocacy incorporating media training, grassroots sourcing, and platforms for women's voices. More participatory narratives are recommended as vital to legitimizing slum residents as partners in inequitable urban pandemic response.This study provides vital insights into current media discourse limitations and constructive pathways toward more empowering framing that breaks from the legacies of stereotyping slums.

Keywords: Media framing, COVID-19, Lagos slums, vulnerability, agency, urban resilience