International Communication 2009 Abstracts
International Communication Division
Bob Stevenson Open Papers
Mediating Identity: Nigerian Videos and African Immigrants in the U.S. • Adedayo Abah, Washington and Lee University • African immigrants living in the DFW, TX were interviewed for their views on the role of the Nigerian video industry in the way they sustain their multiple identities in their society of settlement. Results indicate that most of the immigrants view the videos as affirmation of the values they grew up with and with which they still identify. This is in direct contradiction of cultural denigration some feel in their professional lives in the U.S.
Framing North Korea’s nuclear crisis:Comparing the media and audiences’ frames in U.S. and South Korea • Hyun Ban, University of Incheon, Korea; Kanghui Baek, The University of Texas at Austin; Soo-Jung Kim, University of Incheon, Korea; Stephen Reese, The University of Texas at Austin • This research investigated and compared not only how U.S. and South Korean newspapers framed the North Korean nuclear crisis over time but also how the media frames influenced audience frames of the issue. The experiment results found individual schema played a significant role in framing effects, specifically when audiences formed an opinion toward their governments’ foreign policies. The study found that U.S. media frames affected audience frames more than South Korean media frames did.
Looking through Different Lenses: Media Coverage of the Northern Ireland Conflict and Peace Process • Janice Barrett, Lasell College • The conflict in Northern Ireland is unique, in that after decades of violence and thousands of deaths, the parties involved on both sides of the divided society eventually agreed to political and economic power sharing with a peaceful resolution.
A Changing World, Unchanging Perspectives: American Newspaper Editors and Enduring Values in Foreign News Reporting • Tsan-Kuo Chang, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Brian Southwell, University of Minnesota; Hyung Min Lee, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Yejin Hong, University of Minnesota • The purpose of this paper is to examine, through a longitudinal analysis over a 20-year time span, the priorities and beliefs that American newspaper editors hold toward foreign news reporting. Informed by the sociology of knowledge perspective and using the theory of cultural values as the framework, this study seeks to compare how American newspaper editors evaluate the importance of factors in their selection of foreign news between 1988 and 2008.
Extra-Media Influences on the Issue-Attention Cycle: Global Warming Coverage in the People’s Daily and The New York Times, 1998-2007 • Xiaofang Ma, Ohio University; Hong Cheng, Ohio University • This study examined the change in amount of the global warming coverage in the People’s Daily and The New York Times from 1998 through 2007, aiming at finding out if the media coverage of environmental issues in these two national newspapers in China and the United States followed Downs’ (1972) issue-attention cycle model.
A Comparative Network Analysis of Theoretical Structure of Communication Research • Chung Joo Chung, State University of New York at Buffalo; George Barnett, SUNY at Buffalo; Kitae Kim, SUNY at Buffalo; Derek Lackaff, SUNY at Buffalo • There is a lack of recent research on the theoretical structure of communication scholars in the United States and other countries. This paper explored the structure and status of theories in the communication discipline. Also, it examined what the widely cited theoretical contention among academic articles and how they were connected to each other.
Of ‘ominous dragons’ and ‘flying geese’: South African media coverage of China in Africa • Arnold de Beer, Stellenbosch University; Wadim Schreiner, Media Tenor South Africa – Inst for Media Analysis • The question is interrogated whether China’s involvement in Africa should be seen (metaphorically) as either that of the “ominous dragon” ready to re-colonise Africa, or that of the “flying goose” bringing economic development and aid to a struggling continent. A content analysis of South African media coverage of China in Africa is presented.
Coverage of Obesity as a Global Health Issue by U.S. and British Newspapers • Kuang-Kuo Chang, Shih Hsin University; Fu-Jung Chen, Independent Researcher; Eric Freedman, Michigan State University • This paper reviews health-related literature on obesity and content analyzes how four U.S. and British elite newspapers covered the issue. Findings reveal that public health advocates dominated as the main type of social actor. Over time, these newspapers switched their assignment of treatment responsibility to the food industry. Among 30 micro-perspectives, the impact of the public health problem on personal health was the prevailing aspect of coverage.
Perspectives in framing reality: Comparing Virginia Tech shooting reports in U.S. and South Korean newspapers • Jaesik Ha, Southern Illinois University; Uche Onyebadi, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This study examines and compares the media coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacres in prominent newspapers in the U.S. and South Korea. It uses framing as the theoretical guide and content analysis as the method of operation for the research.
Toward a Roles Theory for Strategic Communication: The Case of South Africa • Derina Holtzhausen, Oklahoma State University; Natalie Tindall, University of Oklahoma • In this study, public relations roles theory was extended and measured through an online survey among a population of 782 South African advertising, public relations, and government practitioners. Eight of the roles were previously tested in public relations research, and a ninth, the role of strategist, was conceptualized based on the work of Steyn (2002, 2007).
A myopic view of Asia? How U.S. news organizations covered the region in 2006 • Beverly Horvit, University of Missouri; Maria Garcia, University of Missouri • The study analyzed 2006 Asian news coverage by The Associated Press, New York Times and four other U.S. newspapers. Overall, only a handful of Asian nations received significant coverage, and the coverage did not match real-world indicators such as the number of significant events occurring in different Asian countries. Compared with the Times and the AP, the nonelite newspapers included a significantly higher proportion of stories about combat and that had a U.S. angle.
A Study on the News Values of International Disasters: Determinants of News Coverage of International Disasters in the U.S. News Media • Yongick Jeong, LSU; Tulika Varma, Louisiana State University • This study explores the relationship between the various factors of a country and the news coverage of international disasters in the U.S. media. Media coverage of international disasters was assessed by the number of news stories reported in 12 representative news media. The results indicated that the extent of death toll and economic damages caused by a disaster, military expenditure, and close trading relations with the U.S. influence the media coverage of international catastrophic events.
What do reporters do in the People’s Republic of China? • John Jirik, Lehigh University • This paper uses ethnographic observation and analysis carried out from mid-2003 to late 2005 to explain the work of reporters at CCTV International (CCTV-9), China’s 24-hour global English-language channel.
Cross-national Content Analysis of the Russia – Georgia Conflict Coverage • Yusuf Kalyango, Ohio University; Petya Eckler, University of Missouri; Alexandra Cristea, Ohio University • This study compares media framing of the Russia-Georgia conflict across leading news outlets in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia. A content analysis of 288 stories from eight news media outlets in these countries examined two major frames – reactionary depiction and partisan alignment. Results show that Russian and Ukrainian news outlets covered the conflict through the partisan alignment frame but with different categories from it.
Entertainment and Stereotype: Representation of the Arab in Reality Show on Israeli Television • Yuval Karniel, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya; Amit Lavie Dinur, IDC • This study examined the participation of Arab citizens in reality shows on Israeli commercial television. Since Arabs are “others” vis a vis Israeli mainstream society, their presence in these programs has distinct cultural, social, and ideological connotations – as the literature in this field has shown. This study, the first of its kind, addresses three central issues: What is the degree of visibility of the Arab participants in these reality shows?
Resistance narratives in radical, alternative media: A historical examination of New Zealand’s Earwig magazine • Linda Jean Kenix, University of Canterbury • This research examined a radical, alternative publication titled Earwig that ran in New Zealand from 1969-1973. The study aimed to expose the cultural values and identities inherent in Earwig; extrapolate a meta-narrative that could be associated with the magazine as a cultural site; and examine how that narrative could impact emancipatory or hegemonic forms of resistance.
Under Fire: A Survey of Iraqi Journalists’ Perception of Physical Danger in Covering News after the Fall of Saddam Hussain • Hun Shik Kim, University of Colorado at Boulder • Iraqi journalists operate in a newsgathering environment that is rated as one of the most deadliest in the world, where news workers routinely face physical threats in the form of murders, kidnapping and death threats that affect the quality of the news, and prevent journalists from reporting on important stories.
A Cross-National Comparison of the Effect of Media Products on Country Image: South Korea Images in Six Countries • Byeng-Hee Chang, Sungkyunkwan University; Yang-Hwan Lee, Sungkyunkwan University; Sang-Hyun Nam, Sungkyunkwan University; Bo-Mi Kim, Sungkyunkwan University • Although understanding how media reflect country characteristics and how media affect the formation of individual’s country images are of critical importance, little study has been done so far. This study attempted to verify the effect of media products such as news, TV show, movie, advertising, book, music, Website, game, and mediated sports on shaping individual’s general country image (GCI) and product-specific country image (PCI).
Moderating effect of collectivism on Web-based customization: An exploratory study with tailored and targeted messages • Cong Li, University of Miami; Sriram Kalyanaraman, UNC-Chapel Hill • Web-based customization is widely adopted in a variety of domains today. Current conceptualization of customization is to provide individualized messages to message recipients based on their particular needs or preferences. A growing body of empirical research has shown positive effects for customization, suggesting that customized messages generate stronger memories and more favorable attitudes than non-customized ones because they match message recipients’ need for unique self identity.
The Portrayal of Hamas and Israel on CNN and EuroNews • Michael Murrie, Pepperdine University; Sarah Ivosevich, Pepperdine University; Rachel Friedman, Pepperdine University; Jacquelan Vujovich, Pepperdine University • After Israel invaded Gaza on December 23, 2008, a media frenzy covered related events varying across nations, raising the question whether geographic proximity to the conflict was related to media portrayal of who was victim and who was aggressor. A content analysis of CNN and EuroNews transcripts of accounts of the fighting in Gaza indicated balanced coverage despite the difference in proximity of the two networks to the conflict and hypotheses to the contrary.
Communication Technology and Culture: Analyzing Selected Cultural Dimensions and Human Development Indicators • George Musambira, University of Central Florida; Jonathan Matusitz, University of Central Florida • Correlations of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions – that is, the individualism-collectivism and the masculinity-femininity dimensions – and selected indicators of the Human Development Report (HDR) were investigated.
Thai Culture Revisited: An Investigation of Self-Representation Through Travel Web Sites • Anchalee Ngampornchai, Florida State University • This study analyzes three travel Web sites that are based in Thailand in order to identify dominant images of Thai culture and people. It uncovers four media representations of Thailand—royal heritage, Buddhist culture, people of nature, and agrarian and service-oriented country. It discusses ideology behind these representations, especially the connection to the maintenance of monarchical beliefs. The study also addresses the effects of media representation, especially Thai self-exoticization in the context of tourism promotion.
Professionalism in Chinese newswork: From concept to practice • Judy Polumbaum, Schl of Jourmalism & Mass Comm, The University of Iowa • Whether professionalism in Chinese journalism is best understood as a matter of rhetorical legerdemain, normative vision or ascertainable practice in a changing news environment may depend on whether one is a cynic, an idealist or an activist. Across a spectrum of political, occupational and academic discourse, however, the concept carries rhetorical utility and normative influence in China today. Furthermore, what might be termed professionalism in practice is evident in the conduct and results of news work.
Evaluating Social Networking in Public Diplomacy • Hyunjin Seo, Syracuse University; Stuart Thorson, Syracuse University • While much of e-government has focused on governments connecting their citizens with services, recently ubiquitous digital networks together with social networking tools have begun to transform the practice of public diplomacy by permitting governments to build and maintain direct relationships with citizens of other countries. In this paper, we describe several such initiatives undertaken by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Our particular focus is on efforts aimed at South Korea.
Quality Control: Perceptions about User-Generated Content among Local British Newspaper Journalists • Jane B. Singer, University of Central Lancashire / University of Iowa • This UK study explores the boundaries that local print journalists see as distinguishing them from outside contributors, particularly in relation to occupational roles and the quality of the news product. The findings suggest journalists appreciate the potential of user contributions to generate hyperlocal information and boost website traffic, but believe it can undermine professional values unless carefully monitored – a gatekeeping task they fear cannot fit within newsroom routines threatened by resource constraints of increasing severity.
Culture or Position? Cross-Cultural and Cross-Positional Comparison of the Opinions about Creative Advertisements: The Case of the U.S. and Korea • Jay (Hyunjae) Yu, Louisiana State University; Yongick Jeong, LSU • Despite advertising creativity’s subjective and non-scientific characteristics, many advertising professionals and researchers consider it extremely important for making effective advertisements. Due to its interesting status, many studies have dealt with people’s different perspectives on creative advertising. This exploratory study investigates the different cultures/positions’ possible influences on interpreting this concept, using advertising professionals and advertising major students in two countries from western and eastern society: the U.S. and Korea.
Markham Student Papers
Civil Liberties and Democracy: Measuring the Impact of Freedom of the Press • Katharine Allen, The Pennsylvania State University • In a democracy, freedom of the press is arguably the most important civil liberty in the bundle of civil liberties and political rights. A free press is essential to both the functioning and quality of democracy. The free flow of ideas from independent sources provides transparency to the citizenry and requires accountability of the political elites. Where political officials and bureaucrats are held accountable to the masses, democracy can take root and flourish.
Lost in cinematic translation?: The Lake House, Siworae and the Hollywoodization of Korean culture • Keunmin Bae, Penn State University • Using the notion of communication as ritual activities through which people reaffirm cultural values they share, this study analyzes the cultural values reflected in the Korean original film Siworae, and the extent to which these values were removed or replaced with American values when it was reborn as The Lake House, the first-ever Hollywood version of Korean film. Implications for the globalization of media products are discussed.
Constructing “Globalization”: Media Framing of Globalization in the Coverage of The U.S. and Korea Free Trade Agreement • Kanghui Baek, The University of Texas at Austin • This cross-national study examines the recent issue of U.S and Korea FTA. Based on quantitative content analysis and qualitative textual analysis, this study found that U.S. newspapers were more likely to frame the FTA and globalization as a viable path to prosperity and focused more on their positive effect; however Korean liberal newspaper was more likely to frame the FTA and globalization as the neo-economic colonization of Korea and focused more on their negative effects.
Media effects in a transitional country: Setting the political agenda in the Kosovo elections of 2007 • Lindita Camaj, Indiana University • This study suggests that during the 2007 campaign in Kosovo, political parties and mass media set the agenda of the elections while disregarding the priorities of the public. However, neither media nor parties were able to set the public agenda independently. These results confirm recent scholarship which suggests that media and politics have achieved some balance in Eastern European countries.
Opinions and Willingness to Speak Out About the U.S. Military Buildup on Guam • Francis Dalisay, Washington State University • Roughly 8,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 of their dependents in Okinawa, Japan will be relocated to Guam. A survey of Guam residents revealed that support for this military buildup was predicted by colonial debt, local attitudes toward the military, and perceived majority support. Willingness to speak out about this buildup was positively predicted by interest, perceived knowledge, attention to information sources, and perceived majority support, but negatively predicted by lack of efficacy and conflict avoidance.
Bringing Society In: A Theoretical Account of China’s Press under Transformation • Dong Dong, University of Minnesota • In this theoretical paper, I propose to add a dimension of “society” to the current discussions on China’s media transformation. My approach will be as follows: First I will deliver a background review on the ongoing process of China’s media transformation, especially in the area of newspaper industry. Next I will depict Chinese journalists’ everyday practices based on previous research as well as real examples.
Global News Frames and Media Events: Frame Convergence • Nathan Gilkerson, University of Minnesota • The inauguration of Barack Obama was undoubtedly a global media event, covered by news media from around the world. This paper explores the various dominant news frames utilized by the international media in their coverage of Obama’s inauguration, and theorizes and investigates the possibility of the emergence of “global frames” in the worldwide news media’s coverage of Obama.
The Dazhalan Project: a Case Study of Citizen Media in China • Lei Guo, the University of Texas at Austin • Majority of the studies that examine citizen media are conducted in western countries. However, this study on the Dazhalan Project was a case study that focused on citizen media in China. Combining in-depth interviews and textual analysis, the study demonstrated the uniqueness of citizen media under China’s State-Party media system. Also, it suggested it was the collaboration among ordinary citizens, professionals, and journalists that framed the issue in the mainstream media in an alternative way.
Stifled Chinese Media Contra-Flow: A Case Study of Hong Kong-Based Phoenix Satellite TV • Jing Guo, Graduate Student/Miami University-Oxford • The concept of contra-flow is about a geographical shift of Western production capacities and the appreciation of contra-flow content in Western locations. Analysis of ownership and overseas expansion of the Hongkong-based Phoenix TV suggests that it exemplifies a powerful Chinese media contra-flow. However, by examining suppressive media regulations, I argue that the Chinese government, being afraid of losing control over public sphere, is thwarting its own effort to nurture an information contra-flow through local media.
Framing Dictators as “Enemy” vs. “Friend”: Comparing Pervez Musharraf and Kim Jong-il in U.S. newspapers • Jaesik Ha, Southern Illinois University • This study focuses on how the New York Times and the Washington Post framed differently Kim Jong-il, the chairman of North Korea, and Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan. It uses framing theory as the theoretical foundation and content analysis as the research method. The research findings show that prestigious U.S. newspapers more frequently used “enemy framing” in the news coverage of Kim Jong-il and “friend framing” in the coverage of Musharraf.
Telethon Viewing, Social Capital, and Community Participation in South Korea: A Case Study • Bumsub Jin, University of Florida; Soyoon Kim, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities • On the grounds of Putnam’s social capital, this study suggests one underlying mechanism that results in citizens’ participation in altruistic activities in South Korea. Specifically, the study hypothesizes a sequential relationship among telethon viewership, the two resources of social capital (i.e., trust and neighborliness), and citizens’ intent to participate in altruistic activities. By virtue of cultivation theory, telethon viewership is assumed to enhance those two resources, which subsequently spur individuals’ intent to participate in altruistic activities.
Who frames the Nuclear Test: A Study of Frames and News Sources in the U.S. and South Korean News Coverage of the North Korean Nuclear Test • Yonghwan Kim, University of Texas at Austin; Mi Jahng, Universty of Missouri-Columbia • This study examined news frames and the source diversity of U.S. and South Korean newspapers in reporting the North Korean nuclear test on October 9, 2006. A content analysis of the New York Times, the Washington Post, Chosun Ilbo, and Hankyore Daily found that although the U.S. newspapers used more news sources, both the U.S. and South Korean newspapers used more U.S. official sources than sources from other countries.
Media Environment for Public Relations Practice: Perceived Influences on Media in the Urals Federal District of Russia • Anna Klyueva, University of Oklahoma • This research explored perceived factors that influence media practice in the Urals Federal District of Russia. This study adopted four factors of influence from the propaganda model (Herman & Chomsky, 1988) to guide the research. The data was collected from 43 media professionals in the region. The findings revealed three main factors that are perceived to influence practice of media in the Urals Federal District of Russia: corporate ownership of the media, municipal government, and advertisers.
A Study of The New York Times Coverage of Darfur: July 2003 – 2006 • Ammina Kothari, Indiana University – Bloomington • This multi-method study examines how The New York Times reported on the Darfur conflict in Sudan, which has led to an estimated 300,000 deaths and over 2.3 million people displaced due to fighting between tribes of Arab and Black Sudanese. Drawing on postcolonial and normative theories and prior studies of Africa’s representation, I analyze how the conflict was framed and what role sources played in reinforcing or resisting Western neocolonial values.
Avian Influenza News from China. Is China coming clean on bird flu? • William Lai, University of Hong Kong; Adrian Weisell, The New School University, New York, United States • Based on a report published in Science in November 2006 titled: “Is China coming clean on bird flu?” we sought to answer this question by comparing media coverage of avian influenza from two English-language newspapers in China. We coded bird flu stories from the China government-sanctioned China Daily and Hong Kong’s independent South China Morning Post newspapers during a one-year period.
Framing China and the United States: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Current Affairs Television Program in the 21st Century • Xiufang (Leah) Li, Miss • Media as a key player in international affairs shapes public attitudes towards events. China as a superpower has greatly attracted the global media attention and raised controversy. The improved Sino-Australian relation, the historical baggage and the world dynamics determine the examination of how the Australian media frames China in the 21st century.
Chinese foreign correspondents’ perception on their journalistic role in the Sino-U.S. relations • Xianglin Liu, University of Missouri, School of Journalism • The purpose of this research is two-fold: First, by field observation and conducting interviews with correspondents in different cities working for different media organizations, this study describes the basic working life of Chinese foreign correspondents in the United States as well as their professional attitude; secondly, by doing in-depth interviews and asking open-ended questions, this study also explores factors in different levels that may affect correspondents’ professional work.
A Shared Platform Model of the Media • T. Randahl Morris, Georgia State University • Theories of the press developed since the 1950s have been instrumental in analyzing media and society in relation to power, government influence, and social and political forces. The philosophical and ethical underpinnings that have formed the basis for numerous theories have been enlightening at certain points in time.
Thin as Paper, Light as Air: The Weight of Print, Broadcast Freedom on Interstate Conflict • Jeffrey Joe Pe-Aguirre, University of Missouri School of Journalism • Government leaders facing the specter of an interstate dispute are motivated by the desire to remain in power. As such, a leader’s calculus in arriving at a policy of restraint or resolute use of military force accounts for the sentiments of the public. Print and broadcast media are pervasive sources of political information and may influence foreign policy decisions.
World Systems Theory and Second-Level Agenda-Setting in Mexican News Online • Mark Poepsel, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri School of Journalism • This study is a second-level agenda-setting analysis of international news stories originating in newspaper-affiliated websites in Mexico, a semiperiphery country according to an interpretation of World Systems Theory. Analyzing each paragraph in hundreds of news stories, it discusses the prevalence of each country mentioned in three major Mexican news outlets.
Russian Disaster Coverage is No Accident: How Two Russian Newspapers and their Readers Frame a Russian Plane Crash • Svetlana Rybalko, Texas Tech University, College of Mass Communications • The present study is a content analysis of disaster frames found in 2008 Russian plane crash news coverage. A total of 182 paragraphs from two Russian newspapers, and 77 readers’ postings were analyzed to examine which of six news frames and level of responsibility were used by the media and readers. While the dominant frames used by newspapers were disaster aftermath, cause, and human interest, readers were mostly interested in the cause and attribution of responsibility.
Media Coverage of Hostage Taking: Source Credibility and Source Use during Afghan Hostage Case • Hyunjin Seo, Syracuse University • This study examines South Korean journalists’ coverage of the 2007 Afghan hostage case in which the Taliban abducted 23 South Korean missionaries. This study analyzes journalists’ perceived credibility of sources and their source use under the unusual circumstance in which the South Korean government banned journalists’ entry to Afghanistan.
Inter-media agenda-setting effects in Ghana: newspaper vs. online and state vs. private • Etse Sikanku, University of Iowa • The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the inter-media agenda setting relationships between government-controlled (state) and private media and the pattern of inter-media agenda setting between solely online news websites (non-newspaper websites) and print newspaper websites in Africa’s emerging era of media plurality.
“Crowdsourcing Crisis Information”: Internet, Mobile Phones, and Reporting Human Rights Violations in Kenya • Melissa Tully, University of Wisconsin-Madison • This paper explores the means by which people attempted to record and report the violence during the aftermath of the 2007 Kenyan general election. On December 31, 2007 the government banned live television broadcasts in an attempt to control the flow of information. Because the mainstream media was limited, alternative media outlets often became the place to receive information about the violence and human rights violations.
“Government Influences on News Media Content: The Media Strategy of 2004 Olympic Games” • Miron Varouhakis, Michigan State University • As predicted by the theories of influence on mass media content by Shoemaker and Reese, the study found that the Greek government’s media strategy for Olympic security issues clearly sought to influence the media content by instituting strict information control and a dominant presence as a source in the stories.
Image Constructions of New Civil Actors: Analysis of Media Coverage of Chinese NGOs Before and After a Natural Disaster • Aimei Yang, University of Oklahoma • Chinese NGOs’ activities during and after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake has been considered the largest demonstration of NGOs’ power in Chinese history. This paper utilized framing theory to analyze how Chinese media covered Chinese NGOs in 2008, and how NGOs’ social roles were portrayed in Chinese media. Finding suggests a ghettoization phenomenon of NGOs’ social roles. Findings also reveal the earthquake has impact on the way media framing NGOs’ activities.
Africa Through Chinese Lenses—China’s Perception of Africa • Liang Zheng, University of Colorado, Boulder • China’s involvement in Africa, especially in recent years, has raised eyebrows of many countries. This article aims to study China’s perception of Africa by examining African reporting of two major Chinese newspapers during an important China-African summit in 2006. The article finds that China’s perception of Africa is different from notions like neo-colonialism and ideological concern, and Chinese media have varied strategies for Africa reporting that based on their own audiences and goals.
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