The Validity of Global Press Ratings

This study examines year-by-year correlations between Freedom House and Reporters Sans Frontières' (RSF) press freedom scores for countries over a 13-year period (2002–2014). The goal of the study is to test the hypothesis that, further into the age of digital disclosure, as press abuses and harassment of journalists are more widely reported, press freedom ranking systems are gradually becoming more precise and, therefore, correlations between the two indices will strengthen over time. To further assess concurrent validity of the indices, correlations between both indices and scores on the United Nations Human Development Index are also provided. The study also examines changes in the indices' rankings of countries over time within six world regions: the Middle East and North Africa, the Americas, Western Europe, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. In so doing, this study adds a degree of understanding to the validity of two press freedom indices that are routinely cited in journalistic reportage and trade journals, as well as many scholarly publications. Results suggest that the two organizations' scoring of press freedom has become significantly more correlated in the years 2002–2014, and the primary cause of the increased agreement is that RSF's ratings became substantially more aligned with Freedom House's scores during this period. Both indices' ratings are significantly correlated with countries' United Nations Human Development Index scores.     

National Narratives: Australia in Asia

Magill magazine was an influential current affairs magazine which was first published in Dublin in October 1977. The magazine was owned by journalist Vincent Browne, who was also its first editor. Having worked in Belfast in the early 1970s Browne saw the conflict in Northern Ireland as one of the main concerns of the news agenda. This article examines Magill's coverage of Northern Ireland which was largely driven by an interest in exploring thinking within the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The magazine's coverage was comprehensive but narrow. Exclusive interviews with republican paramilitaries, who were banned from the broadcast airwaves, were a regular feature as was an interest in hard-line unionist leader, Rev. Ian Paisley. The magazine's journalism in this period has proven to be a valuable historical record of the emergence of the Irish peace process.     

从民主主义到精英主义——第二国际和第三国际的新闻自由理念比较

从党内到党外,第二国际既保障反对观点,又坚持为所有人争取平等的新闻自由,始终没有以阶级的自由取代社会的自由。第三国际则努力以无产阶级的新闻自由取代资产阶级的新闻自由,且限制党内讨论、压制反对言论,积极为部分人争取新闻自由。由于无产阶级的新闻自由在实践中被替换为极少数无产阶级领导者的自由,所谓的多数人的自由最终沦为极少数精英的自由。由此,社会主义者的新闻自由理念则从民主主义演变为了精英主义。     

An Integrated Spatial Search Engine for Maps and Aerial Photographs on a Google Maps API Platform

A traditional library catalog does not do justice to maps and aerial photographs. Text can never fully describe them and maps' and aerial photographs' geographic coverage or perimeters cannot be displayed visually in the online public access catalog (OPAC), so searching based on their textual metadata without specific spatial reference data used also for display purposes is often not enough to locate relevant items. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's (HUJI) Geography Department has developed a spatial search engine for their scanned aerial photographs collection that allows users to locate one or more aerial photographs according to the area of the Earth's surface that was photographed and their accompanying metadata. The Humanities and Social Sciences Library, which holds a large unscanned print map collection, has asked to integrate a similar map search mechanism in the Department's existing search engine, and a new website was launched in December 2015 (http://ccg.huji.ac.il/aerialphotos/) showing the aerial photographs' center points alongside the maps' rectangle perimeter. The search engine retrieves maps and aerial photographs that intersect with a user-drawn rectangle. This article discusses the characteristics of these collections, the rationale behind searching for maps and aerial photographs together, and the process of defining and building this spatial search engine. This method allows users to view which items are available in their area of interest side-by-side, on a Google Maps background map.     

First and second-level agenda-setting in the 2014 Indian general election: a time-series analysis of party-media relation

The role of the press as a political watchdog is crucial to the functioning of democracy. Especially in the run-up to elections, voters depend on the media's presentation of parties and candidates to make informed, responsible choices at the ballot box. But who, then, influences the news media? Empirical evidence in the United States and Europe suggests that political party campaigns and election coverage in the news media are interconnected and influence each other. This study tests whether such agenda-setting effects between party campaigns and the media also take place in the general elections in the world's largest democracy, India. India's western-type political system has a distinct media system characterized by high competition, diversification, non-consolidation and formal and informal ties between the media, commercial interests and political actors. Content analysis and Granger's causality test of newspaper coverage (N?=?716) and party campaign messages (N?=?458) found that agenda-setting effects do occur in India, but are largely bi-directional. We also found an overwhelming focus of both newspapers’ election coverage and of all major party campaigns on one single candidate, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Narendra Modi. This, we argue, is a result of the broader trends that have shaped Indian politics in recent years. The significant correlations and non-significant causal effects between party campaign and media coverage also indicate a trade-off situation between political power negotiation and political balance in the press.     

Press laws in North Korea

The press in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is closely tied to its communist sociopolitical structures. The North Korean press finds its modus operandi in the ‘Soviet Communist’ theory for its relationship with its government. This study examines the press laws and regulations in North Korea, pursuing three questions: (1) What is the status of the press as a sociopolitical institution in North Korea?; (2) What is the constitutional and statutory scheme relating to press freedom in North Korea?; and (3) What is the impact of the statutory mechanisms on the press in North Korea?

The press and other mass media in North Korea are totally controlled by the Korean Worker's Party. No dissenting voice is permitted in the news media. North Korea recognizes freedom of the press as a Constitutional right of their citizens. Nevertheless, there is a considerable disparity between the constitutional guarantee of press freedom and its practical application. In the name of ‘collective good’ as defined by President Kim II Sung and his party, the basic right to a free and independent press as understood in its libertarian sense is denied to North Koreans. While there are no separate specialized laws relating to the rights and/or responsibilities of the North Korean press, several indirect press laws are on the books. Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether they have any noticeable bearing upon the functions of the state‐controlled press. The impact of the statutes upon the North Korean press is negligible in that the press does not (or to be precise, need not) feel any statutory constraint. This is because there is no room for conflict between the North Korean press and law enforcement authorities.     

Regenerating Masculinity in the Construction of Hindu Nationalist Identity: A Case Study of Shiv Sena

With the help of a case study of the Hindu nationalist party, Shiv Sena, I show that there is a strong connection between the Hindu nationalist discourse of Shiv Sena and masculinity. I demonstrate that Shiv Sena's Hindu nationalist rhetoric deals with a perceived threat to masculinity. I argue that Shiv Sena's rhetoric seeks to recover manhood by constructing nationalism from a masculine perspective. Although this is a single case study of the Shiv Sena party, the results of this study are consistent with the larger literature on nationalist identity and gender.     

Revisiting a Polysemic Text: The African American Press's Reception of Gone With the Wind

This article is a historical and discursive analysis of the African American press's reception of the motion picture Gone With the Wind (1939). The African American press represents a specific sphere wherein ambivalence and resistance to the cultural hegemony exhibited in this popular film text may be examined. Coverage of the film by 5 newspapers from December 1939 through May 1940 suggests a process in which discourse changed from watchful indifference to ambivalence toward the film. News and commentary suggest the polysemic readings of the text by African American journalists and filmgoers and the emergence of more complex forms of viewer resistance to Hollywood's cultural hegemony. The Academy Award received by Hattie McDaniel for her performance made the sense of resistance to such hegemony more substantive, while also bringing a new sense of purpose to the audiences' readings of the text. The resistance to this cultural hegemony was cut short, however, when reports of a new production of The Birth of a Nation (1915) were carried by the newspapers. A collective effort by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African American press, and its readers curtailed the remake of The Birth of a Nation, although it would be years before Hollywood included African Americans in meaningful, multidimensional roles.     

试析列宁社会主义建设时期的新闻思想与政策实践——为纪念列宁150周年诞辰而作

本文将列宁新闻思想的形成发展分为建党、夺权和社会主义建设三个阶段。建党时期的重点是提出通过办报来建党,夺权时期的贡献是建构党报的党性原则,社会主义建设时期是本文的重点。在社会主义建设时期,列宁提出新时期报刊的性质与功能、社会主义出版自由政策、社会主义新闻宣传工作业务指导方针、无线电广播特点功能和共产国际报刊工作的原则与策略。本文对列宁发展马克思主义新闻学的理论贡献作了深入分析,并就加强对列宁新闻思想的学习和研究提出几点建议。     

THE RADICAL TYPE?

Despite the central role of the paper in Marxist–Leninist strategy, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) had little confidence in either professional journalists, including those who were Communists, or journalism practices, even though journalism, like culture, was recognized as “a weapon in the (class) struggle”. While George Allen Hutt (1901–73) was a leading professional party journalist, his career hit a “glass ceiling”, even as he met the three criteria of Communist journalism theory and earned an international reputation as a newspaper designer. In spite of opposition to his role on the executive of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) because of his party membership, he became the longest-serving editor of the NUJ's periodical, The Journalist. As both a loyal, lifetime Communist and the consummate professional journalist, Hutt's career provides a salient example of the ambiguous position of the middle-class journalist in the proletarian-dominated Communist Party. It was the emphasis on his “technical” ability that appears to have disqualified his candidacy for the Daily Worker's top editorial positions and to have justified support for his editorship of The Journalist.     

We Better Get This Party Started!

Abstract

Each fall, the Tunxis Library hosts a party. Usually thematic, sometimes didactic, and always cerebral, the library uses the party to communicate our “party line” to the entire campus community: we are here to make your life easier. It's particularly effective when delivered at the start of the semester, before the unrelenting rhythm of classes, committee work, and meetings has begun.

Showing the campus community that the library is here to support them is our core theme, wrapped in a party context. Our goal is to create a party that jump-starts the fall semester for everyone. In this article, we describe our most recent parties, focusing how we develop, plan, and execute these promotional initiatives, with little money, but plenty of creativity and teamwork.     

民国档案中道林纸酸化特征分析

为全面掌握馆藏民国档案纸张酸化情况,中国第二历史档案馆于2018年启动了“馆藏民国档案酸度普查研究”项目。通过选取2858张道林纸的pH值,分析其酸化等级、档案时间分布、与年代和字迹关系等特征,从数据分析得出民国档案用纸中道林纸酸化的一般规律。结果表明,道林纸超过70%处于酸化严重及以下状态,酸度总平均值为4.70,年平均pH值与档案年代之间具有显著的相关性,呈正线性关系,对道林纸酸度变化的预测具有参考价值,为民国档案脱酸和抢救保护工作提供科学依据。     

Reference Question Answered: Bibliographic Sources for the Ukrainian Periodical Press in the 1840s: Encyclopedias,Bibliographies, Guides,and Library Catalogs

The author answers a reference question on bibliographic sources for the Ukrainian periodical press 1840–1850. Helpful publications include bibliographies, guides, and library catalogs. These potentially make mention of revolutionary developments in Hungary (such as the Twelve Points paragraph of the Demands of the Hungarian Nation in March 1848, the subsequent April Laws, and Hungary's declaration of independence in April 1949), and elsewhere in the Hapsburg Empire.     

Connecting Cline Library with Tribal Communities: A Case Study

ABSTRACT

One of the six strategic planning goals of Northern Arizona University (NAU) is to strengthen its relationship with Native Americans and to become one of the nation's leading universities serving Native American students. Considering its close geographic proximity to several tribal communities—particularly the Navajo Nation, which represents 44% of Native American Students at NAU—several programmatic and collection management activities have been instituted at the university's Cline Library as a response to this broader university goal. The library's outreach efforts, though, extend beyond the university's Native American student population and include activities designed to collaborate with tribal communities in a more direct and inclusive manner. Furthermore, incorporating concepts of critical librarianship into the library's teaching, learning, and public programming helps provide a progressive theoretical framework for improving relationships between the university and Native American communities. This case study provides an overview of existing programmatic and policy-based initiatives at the library and discusses where improvements could be made to help foster a closer and more meaningful relationship with Native American students, faculty, and patrons.     

Taking sides: Analyzing news of the US September 11 incident in the Chinese and Taiwanese press

This study examines news reports of the US September 11 incidents in the Chinese and Taiwanese press. In the Chinese press, the party newspaper (People's Daily) and the new mass‐appeal tabloid (Nanfang Daily) were studied. In the Taiwanese press, the traditional top circulation newspaper (United Daily) and the emerging pro‐Taiwan independent newspaper (Liberty Times) were chosen. Based upon a content analysis of news reports, supplemented with Chinese and Taiwanese government documents, the study found that the Chinese and Taiwanese press tended to report the incident along with the government stances and each represented its own side even after the economic reform and ruling party shift. However, the mass‐appeal tabloid in China moved slightly toward the pattern found in capitalist countries, without violating the government policy severely. The pro‐Taiwan independent newspaper showed more loyalty to the ruling party, but both Taiwanese newspapers covered diverse topics apart from the government stance. To what degree did the press follow the government stances? This study provided the preliminary answer that business interests might influence the press not to follow completely the government stances.     

Understanding the “Heroes” and “It Getters”: Fandom and the Colbert Nation

The Colbert Report, an innovative American satirical news show, and the show's dedicated viewers, known as “the Colbert Nation,” redefined fan engagement through audience participation, mediated culture jamming, and ironic political spectacle. Yet very little is known about this fan group. This survey of The Colbert Report's devoted followers finds that the fans are distrustful of political and media elites, highly cynical, very politically involved, not apathetic, and moderately efficacious. Further analysis reveals that viewers have different motivations, some seeing the show as primarily entertainment, some mainly as a trusted source of political information, and others as a mix of entertainment and information. The fans are also found to be highly sophisticated consumers of satire and news, and watch the show as an alternative to mainstream media and as a form of comic relief from current events. Several implications are discussed.     

Use of Radio to Promote Culture in South Africa

Before 1994, blacks in South Africa were second-class citizens on the basis of color. With the Dutch arrival in 1652, and the British discovery of diamonds in 1867, the immigrants amassed wealth at the expense of local culture. In 1948, the National Party instituted apartheid, a policy that separated races. But in 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected first multi-racial president under the banner, “The Rainbow Nation,” to reflect the country's diverse cultures. Pervasive radio has taken up the challenge to promote the once dormant South African inclusive culture through programming, including world-known Sesame Street. Today, South Africa has over 200 community radio stations broadcasting cultural programs in eleven languages.     

Books received

This study examined issue learning outcomes in three intra‐party political debates during the 1984 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The results indicated that intra‐party political debates produce significant viewer learning (1) about the issue positions of each participating candidate, (2) about most issues, and (3) among all categories of viewers. In addition, the study found that intra‐party political debates produce distinct outcomes, including: variation in learning between debates about candidate positions on particular issues; significant increases in learning about the positions of the Democratic candidates on the part of Democratic, Republican, and nonaffiliated viewers; and a negative effect on viewer knowledge about nonparticipating incumbent Ronald Reagan's positions on the issues.