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Afrika-Wissen: Transdisziplinäre Analysen zu Medien im deutschsprachigen Raum

Hans Peter Hahn, Sylvestre Kouakou (eds.)

Bielefeld: transcript Verlag (2026), 264 pp.

"Was wissen Menschen in Deutschland über Afrika? Und wie kommen sie zu ihrem Wissen? Die Beiträger*innen antworten auf Basis einer ausgewählten Medienanalyse und blicken kritisch auf die Quellen, Bedingungen und Wirkungen bestimmter Wissenstraditionen – denn seit Generationen bestehen Vorurteil ... more

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El insulto como estrategia: Un análisis de 113.000 tuits del presidente Milei

Sandra Crucianelli et al.

Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA) (2026)

"La llegada de Javier Milei a la arena pública, primero como panelista televisivo y líder de opinión, luego como diputado nacional y finalmente como presidente, marcó el inicio de una forma de comunicación plagada de ofensas hacia quien piensa diferente. Un equipo de DJV Bootcamp analizó 113.6 ... more

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Digital Dimensions of Conflict: Analyzing Malian conflict and violence through Social Media and Mixed-Methods Approach

Jelena Prokic, Luca Bruls, Mirjam de Bruijn

Digital Culture and Society, volume 11, issue 2 (2026), pp. 199-222

"Our findings show that Twitter is a battlefield of imaginaries of conflict. Ford and Hoskins (2022: 117-68) would refer to this as ‘attention’ in which the war is archived, defined, and imagined. People who participate in conflict-Twitter are no longer passive actors in conflict, but they shape ... it by their online behavior. Although many users rarely initiate debates or engage in discussions, they shape the content’s visibility and interpretation through what they tweet, retweet, and amplify. As such attention itself becomes a form of involvement. Meanwhile, Twitter users who create messages focus on certain parts or layers of conflict. Hence, those who click, read, and retweet endorse these imaginations or representations of war. Tracing digital war on Twitter revealed 4 clusters of imaginaries: 1. National politics referring to the role of the French, the arrival of the Russians, and the government’s events and celebrations. 2. International politics that discuss ECOWAS sanctions, the role of France, Russia, the European Union and MINUSMA, reference to news agencies RFI and France 24, as well as a discussion of Ukraine. 3. The economic and security situation which affect the population. 4. The local violence that results in massacres, killings, the role of jihadist groups, framed as ‘terrorists’. Imaginaries 1 and 2 are most prominent. The tweets on politics have a supportive tone for the actions of the government. They are anti-French and supportive of Russia. Imaginary 3 popped up especially in the frequency and keyword analysis. The crisis related to national politics, under IBK and later under Assimi Goïta, is a consequence of the political and economic situation of Mali that the population immediately feel in their daily life. Imaginary 4 occupies a small space in Twitter discussions. Twitter users hardly discuss the horrific atrocities of the conflict. We conclude that Twitter discursive practice generally has a positive attitude towards the military government and is supportive of its measures. Twitter does show popular reasons for protest, which addresses the economic situation in daily life and the ‘hatred’ of the French military interventions. However, Twitter users hardly discuss violence against civilians, which we as ethnographers considered as important events in the conflict. Hence these events do not enter the general Twitter discourse on conflict. Twitter creates an imagination of the war in which extremely violent events are avoided. As a result, Twitter informs the public on the heroic actions of the Malian army and legitimizes the government as a righteous actor in the conflict. Due to the selective framing and circulation of content that celebrates the violent state on Twitter, cultural violence and participatory warfare emerge. Users participate not through debating or addressing massacres against civilians, but by amplifying political and geopolitical narratives through tweeting and retweeting. They thereby normalize a pro-government imagination of war. Malians read and participate in Twitter to find news about the situation in their country. They ‘trust’ Twitter. For many it is one of the only reliable media where they can find information about conflict, or about the political situation in the country. This comes close to Galtung’s definition of cultural violence, information that legitimizes actions of the government and military, or information that feeds biased interpretations. Twitter helps them to legitimize the protests and the actions of the government. The silencing of massacres and violence also influences people’s opinions as they do not ‘see’ the horrors of the conflict. Hence, Twitter operates as a medium through which digital cultural violence is produced and transmitted." (Discussion and Conclusion, pages 218-219) more

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Information Manipulation in Sudan: A Baseline Assessment of Actors, Narratives and Tactics

Aida Al-Kaisy, Amal Hamdan

Thomson Foundation (2026), 81 pp.

"The destruction of Sudan’s established information infrastructure at the outset of the conflict in April 2023 has created an environment where systematic information manipulation and disinformation campaigns now flourish unchecked. This has intersected with increasing systematic information manip ... more

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Age Discrimination and Media: Experience of Older Adults (60+)

Halyna Budivska, Diana Dutsyk

Kyiv: Ukrainian Media and Communication Institute (2026), 33 pp.

"Focus group discussion findings: 1. The wording preferences used to address older adults vary significantly depending on the region and socio-cultural environment. The participants respond positively to expressions that emphasize the experience and dignity, like “people of respectable age”, � ... �people of golden age” or “elegant age”. The addressing terms “pan” (Ukrainian term for “sir, mister”) and “pani” (Ukrainian term for “madam”) are considered universal. Whereas, the words “zhinochka” (Ukrainian term for “woman”, belittling tone) or “titonka” (Ukrainian term for “auntie”) often cause a negative reaction. 2. Though some discriminatory practices in the field of labor, healthcare, social protection and access to services persist, the focus group participants say that the full-scale war has partially changed the attitude toward older people: the shortage of staff and active volunteer engagement of older adults increased recognition of their experience, professionalism and contribution to support the country. 3. Unlike participants of other focus groups, journalists experience age discrimination in their profession more strongly (in newsrooms or when searching for a job). 4. The respondents do not generally perceive the Ukrainian media as openly ageist but underline poor visibility and subjectivity of older adults in the public space. According to them, the media rarely involve older adults as recognized participants in social discussions and do not cover enough the problems and needs of this age group. Media Monitoring Results: 1. The subject of older adults (60+) was secondary or occasional in most media materials of the sample, and main and cross-cutting topic in only 38.5%. 2. Although direct ageism is rare in Ukrainian media, reporting about older adults is generally extremely stereotypical. For example, Ukrainian media portray people 60+ either as requiring care and assistance or in the context of pension and social security issues and demographic crisis. 3. Materials about active older adults and their stories of development or success are scarce, and even if they do get posted, they are usually about well-known Ukrainians or about foreign pensioners. Older adults’ voices are rarely heard in the media: other people (journalists, experts, relatives, etc.) comment in place of them. 4. The term “elderly people” most commonly used in the media (27,3% mentions) is discriminatory. Although it is still present in the Ukrainian legislation, linguists recommend removing it from public use and from the language of official documents as it is insulting. 5. When speaking of older adults, the media focus on social problems, health and pension issues; this once again confirms the trend of perceiving and representing older adults mainly as a socially vulnerable group that needs care and support. 6. The topic of ageism is still underrepresented and sporadic in the media (about 2% of the materials). Hardly any publications provide a clear explanation of what age discrimination is, how it manifests, and what impact it has on society. This may indicate a lack of public attention to the problem of ageism and a limited awareness of its importance as a separate form of discrimination. 7. The frames with negative connotations dominate in the media field, in particular (1) about the biological fragility and vulnerability of older adults; (2) about older adults as a burden for families or for the country. 8. The active agency frame comes up occasionally in Ukrainian media and does not construct the image of people 60+ as an active and independent group. Thus, the model of active long life remains not visible enough in the information space. 9. The family objectification frame is one of the most common examples of hidden ageism, since even with a positive tone it limits the diversity of social roles of older adults and narrows their representation to traditional family functions. 10. The idealized activity or “super-ageing” frame is not that common, but it may create a new type of age-related stereotypes by imposing an unrealistic standard of "successful aging". 11. The electoral conservatism frame, though rare in the media so far, has the potential to grow if the political activity restores. This frame is of destructive nature, since it deepens the opposition of generations and pins responsibility for social and political problems on a certain age group."(Summary, pages 6-7) more

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AI in the media: Kenya and South Africa

Karen Allen, Herman Wasserman, Nande Mbekela

Bonn; Stellenbosch (ZA): Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA) (2026), 27 pp.

"This study shows that AI remains largely an underexplored, and often misunderstood, topic for journalism in South Africa and Kenya. Stories can be framed in overly positive terms, such as the potential AI holds for development and social change, or negative terms, by highlighting the extractive nat ... ure of big tech firms or the potential of AI to foster disinformation. Either way, these reports frequently lack a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of AI in African contexts. Fear of the impact of AI on the media workforce may also explain why reporters say they often face resistance by editors when seeking to get AI and tech stories commissioned. AI articles tend to be siloed and reactive, framed as business, security or technology stories. Seldom is AI presented in terms of its multidimensional, layered impact on society. Furthermore, the geopolitical aspect of AI rarely gets interrogated in mainstream media. Journalists interviewed for the study admitted that many of their stories were reactive, and identified areas where synergies could be harnessed from other parts of the world. On issues of AI and social media regulation, for example, where precedents have been set by countries such as Australia, South African and Kenyan media could use such precedents to develop locally focused stories. AI reporting often adopts a framing promoted by technology vendors who derive interest from presenting a one-dimensional, optimistic view of AI. The unintended consequences often go unreported unless supported by an investigation, such as the CCTV camera surveillance reportage by Swart referenced above. Furthermore, the topic is often presented through a Global North lens, with little contextualisation or interrogation of these issues from an African point of view amid resource and access constraints. This occurs against a background of under-developed policy frameworks for AI on the continent generally, and in newsrooms in particular. Consequently the playing field can be tilted in favour of AI and tech vendors who fill the vacuum with hyperbole and hype about what the technology is capable of delivering. At the same time, more nuanced and specialised reporting on AI is constrained by the familiar obstacles of journalism, such as lack of resources, over-stretched newsrooms and story competition. To enhance coverage of AI in Africa, a multifaceted strategy is needed. While training and AI literacy programmes can deepen the knowledge needed by African journalists to investigate the topic more comprehensively, increased investment in newsrooms can provide the structural support to provide more context-specific coverage of AI on the continent. Crucially, training and education of African journalists should be done from within the African context, as solutions cannot be imposed from newsroom contexts in the Global North." (Conclusions, page 21) more

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Redefining objectivity: Exploring types of evidence by fact-checkers in four European countries

Regina Cazzamatta

European Journal of Communication (2025), 21 pp.

"Fact-checking journalism challenges procedural norms of objectivity by providing truth verdicts. By actively evaluating statements and online rumors based on evidence weight, fact-checkers aim for robust, scientific objectivity. Despite this trend, there is a lack of studies analyzing evidence type ... more

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Digital warfare: Exploring the influence of social media in propagating and counteracting hate speech in Sudan’s conflict landscape

Hind Abbas Hilmi Ibrahim

Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), University of Khartoum; University of Bergen (2025), 31 pp.

"Social media is a double-edged sword in Sudan’s conflict, acting as both a conduit for hate speech and a platform for peacebuilding. This study examines how digital platforms shape Sudan’s conflict landscape post-April 15 2023 by facilitating divisive rhetoric and enabling counter-speech initia ... more

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Religion in der Krise - Krise der Religion? Eine empirische Medienanalyse christlicher Publizistik in der Corona-Pandemie

Constantin Plaul ed.)

Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt (2025), 223 pp.

"Hat die Religion während der Corona-Pandemie einen spezifischen Beitrag zur Bearbeitung der entsprechenden Krisenerfahrung geleistet? Diese Frage wird anhand christlicher Publizistik in unterschiedlichen massenmedialen Formaten untersucht. Es wird gezeigt, dass religiöse Deutungsangebote in betr� ... more

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Exploring a Practice-Oriented Methodology for Measuring News Media Quality in Tanzania

Christoph Spurk, Abdallah Katunzi

African Journalism Studies, volume 46, issue 4 (2025), pp. 391-409

"Measuring the quality of news media is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of enabling informed decision-making among citizens. Despite the lack of consensus on its definition and measurement, this paper introduces a practice-oriented methodology for evaluating news media quality across print, ra ... more

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Who Makes the News? Progress on a Plateau. Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) Special Edition: 30-year Findings on Change in Gender Equality In and Through the World News Media
Deep Insights

Sarah Macharia, Maximiliano Dueñas Guzmán, Rodrigo Molina et al.

Toronto: World Association of Christian Communication (WACC); Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) (2025), 123 pp.

"This report presents the findings of the seventh iteration of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) global snapshot, based on 30,049 news articles containing 58,563 people and 26,708 news personnel in 94 countries on the 7th global monitoring day, May 6, 2025. Key Findings: 1. Thirty years a ... go, the report of the first GMMP called for a shift in coverage beyond the male-dominated realms of political and economic power. Not only has the hierarchy of “hard news” in legacy media persisted across time, it has also crossed over into digital outlets. 2. Digitalization did not bring a radical break from the patriarchal norms of traditional journalism. Instead, it continues to reinforce and amplify a news hierarchy that privileges spheres and issues centred on power, namely, those dominated by men. The challenge is threefold. First, to dismantle the “hard news” bias, second, to integrate more intentionally spaces and issues of greater concern to women, and third, to enable visibility and voice to women present in traditionally male-dominated spaces. 3. After a period of slow but steady improvement, progress toward gender parity in the news has flatlined since around 2010, failing to reach 50% in any media type. Thirty years after Beijing, women are 26% of those seen, heard, or spoken about in legacy news (29% on news websites). The needle has shifted 9 points in legacy media since 1995, and 4 points in online news during the past 10 years. Minority groups are five points more likely to be present in digital news than in legacy media. The probability of minority women being featured in the news as the main protagonists or as interviewees is two in a hundred in traditional media (3% for men) and 4% on news websites (5% for men). 4. Women’s visibility in political and economic news beats has increased significantly – by 15 points each – over the past three decades. The severe underrepresentation noted in 1995 (7% in political news, 10% in economic news) has improved. Women’s presence in sports news is abysmal, at only 15% of news subjects and sources. 5. The proportion of women providing expert testimony has grown remarkably over the decades, showing the highest increase (+7 points) in digital news since 2015. In legacy media, the gender gap in authoritative roles as experts and spokespersons has closed at a slower pace than for persons providing testimony based on popular opinion and personal experience – ordinary roles that require no specialized knowledge. 6. Patterns of gender-biased portrayal endure despite decades of change in women’s roles in the real world. Women have remained about twice as likely as men to be portrayed as victims since 2010. Historically, women were most often portrayed as victims of accidents or poverty. This pattern was overturned in 2025, with “other crime” and “domestic violence” (by intimate partners and family members) becoming the top victim categories. Women depicted as survivors in legacy media were most likely to have survived “accidents, natural disasters, poverty, and disease” in previous GMMP studies. In 2025, they are most frequently portrayed as domestic violence survivors in equal proportion to accident/disaster survivors. The over-representation of women as homemakers/parents decreased from 81% in 2000 to 73% in 2025, indicating some progress, albeit a persistent journalistic bias toward defining women by domestic roles, despite women’s current unprecedented engagement in work outside the home. Underrepresentation in occupations and in positions of power has remained consistent. The tendency to describe women by their age and physical attributes has also persisted. They have been photographed more often than men (a 7–9-point difference) over the past two decades, with qualitative analysis continuing to show patterns of sexualised portrayal [...]" (Key findings, pages 2-3) more

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A Figured World Study of the Online Faith Discourse of a Philippine Catholic Parish Facebook Page

Pia Patricia P. Tenedero

Religion and Social Communication, volume 23, issue 2 (2025), pp. 347-374

"This sociolinguistic study examines the Facebook page of a Catholic parish in the Philippines as a figured world. The figured world framework is a way of viewing a particular locus of interaction as a product of social and cultural construction. This lens, which has been widely used to examine educ ... more

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O Sínodo nas Redes: Segunda Sessão do Sínodo sobre a Sinodalidade 2024

Casa Galilea (2025), 35 pp.

"Este novo relatório especial, O Sínodo nas Redes, busca estruturar a análise das principais ocorrências e narrativas de quase 950 redes sociais católicas durante a segunda sessão do Sínodo sobre a Sinodalidade, ocorrida em outubro de 2024. O monitoramento realizado pela Casa Galileia durant ... e a primeira sessão do Sínodo, em 2023, demonstrou “movimentos fortes de resistência ao Sínodo, com capacidade para mobilizar pessoas, paróquias e comunidades para oposição radical a qualquer reforma proposta pelo Sínodo ou pelo Papa Francisco.” Assim, nossa análise indicava que uma das dimensões mais importantes do acompanhamento dessa etapa final do Sínodo, em outubro de 2024, seguiria essas pistas para guiar a continuidade da leitura e interpretação das narrativas sobre o Sínodo nas redes sociais. Para esse monitoramento mais próximo dos acontecimentos em Roma, nossa equipe elaborou boletins de análise semanal, que se tornaria a base para a construção desse relatório. Como o leitor verá, os boletins de análise, assim como este relatório, revelam uma realidade bem distinta da que se configurou durante a sessão de 2023, quando as expectativas de mudanças das estruturas católicas eram muito mais sobressalentes, o que motivou leigos e organizações ultraconservadoras a um forte engajamento nas redes sociais. Esta segunda sessão do Sínodo está marcada pela baixa repercussão nas mídias so ciais. Contribuiu, sem dúvida, para isso, as estratégias adotadas pelo Vaticano, como passar os temas controversos levados pelo processo descentra lizado de escuta e pela primeira sessão para serem debatidos em 10 grupos de estudo, cujos resultados serão entregues em junho de 2025. Apesar disso, temas como o diaconato feminino reapareceu nos debates e diálogos travados pelos participantes do Sínodo. Ainda é cedo para saber se a aposta do Papa Francisco no convite às diferentes instâncias da Igreja para trilhar o caminho sinodal irá provocar transformações duradouras e profundas na Igreja Católica. O que parece claro nos movimentos capturados pelo monitoramento apresentado neste relatório é que há poucas indicações de que ela tenha empolgado o ambiente digital." (Apresentação) more

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Humanitarian Crisis Coverage Report

Marius Dragomir

Tallinn; London: Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) (2025), 38 pp.

"The central research question — to what extent media representation aligns with crisis severity — underpins an analysis of 78,667 news articles spanning 10 of the world's most urgent humanitarian crises, from Sudan and Ethiopia to Ukraine and Gaza. Drawing from English-language media in eight c ... ountries, the study is based mostly on Western sources and three non-Western outlets to offer a cross-sectional view of editorial priorities in the Anglophone information ecosystem. Key findings demonstrate that global humanitarian coverage is highly uneven. Crises in Gaza and Ukraine dominate international media attention, averaging 58.5 and 19.4 articles per day, respectively. Conversely, some of the world’s most devastating, yet protracted crises—including those in Chad (0.06 articles/day) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (1.5 articles/day)—receive little sustained attention. This disproportionate focus does not correlate with humanitarian severity or affected populations. For example, the DRC, where over 21 million people need aid, garners a fraction of the visibility of Gaza, which affects 3.3 million people. These disparities are symptomatic of a broader hierarchy in global journalism. Crises with geopolitical resonance—such as those involving Western allies or adversaries—are amplified, while those centered in the Global South are often sidelined. The study identifies longstanding logics of newsworthiness at play, prioritizing conflict proximity, elite involvement, dramatic visuals, and ideological utility over humanitarian need. Event-driven spikes further distort coverage. Media interest surges during acute developments—such as the Taliban’s return in Afghanistan—but quickly subsides, perpetuating a feeling of “media fatigue.” This inconsistency undermines humanitarian advocacy that depends on sustained public and political engagement. The framing analysis of the Gaza and Ukraine crises conducted as part of this project reveals that the humanitarian lens is the most dominant across media coverage. Articles prioritize imagery of suffering civilians, refugee stories, and basic needs, registering higher average mentions (0.316 per article) than military (0.281) or geopolitical (0.267) frames. However, while framed empathetically, these narratives risk oversimplifying multidimensional conflicts and depoliticizing structural injustices." (Executive summary) more

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How Strategic Information Operations Affect Peacekeeping: Two Case Studies from the Central African Republic

Naomi Miyashita, Zarine Kharazian, Laura De Backer, Kate Starbird

International Peacekeeping, volume 32, issue 3 (2025), pp. 414-456

"Strategic information operations – efforts by individuals or groups to shape public opinion using propaganda, rumors and facts – pose significant challenges to peacekeeping missions. These operations undermine trust, hinder communication with the public and complicate the implementation of peac ... more

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Künstliche Intelligenz im medialen Diskurs: Wird soziale Gerechtigkeit ausgeblendet?

Elke Grittmann, Lina Brink, Peter Kann

Frankfurt am Main: Otto Brenner Stiftung (2025), 84 pp.

[.] Auf Basis von über 2.000 Artikeln aus neun reichweitenstarken Print- und Onlinemedien untersuchen die Autor*innen, welche Themen in der Berichterstattung über KI gesetzt, wie Bezüge zu Fragen sozialer Gerechtigkeit hergestellt werden, welche narrativen Muster sich zeigen und welche Akteur*inn ... more

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„Das größte lösbare Problem der Welt“: Die mediale Vernachlässigung des Globalen Hungers

Ladislaus Ludescher

Heidelberg: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg (2025), 293 pp.

"Hunger gehört zu den elementarsten menschlichen Erfahrungen. Etwa jeder zehnte Mensch auf der Welt hungert. Jeden Tag sterben etwa 24.000 Menschen an den Folgen von Hunger, etwa alle 13 Sekunden ein Kind unter 5 Jahren. Hunger ist aber keineswegs ein unabwendbares Schicksal. Das Welternährungspro ... more

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Energy Discourse in Thai Media

Pijitra Suppasawatgul

Bangkok: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2025), 20 pp.

"The content analysis reveals that Thai media primarily focuses on energy issues related to policy, regulation, and economic aspects, with less attention to environmental concerns. This emphasis reflects the top-down structure of the Thai energy industry and the economic implications of traditional ... more

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Whose voice counts? Examining community media's coverage of South Africa's 2024 elections

Musa Oswald Rikhotso

Media Monitoring Africa (2025), 19 pp.

"Community media published a total of 774 election-related stories: 583 from the six monitored radio stations and 191 from the 15 online and newspaper publications. This coverage was significantly lower than that of the SABC, which published 5,020 stories, and privately-owned media, which produced 6 ... more

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Charity representations of distant others: An analysis of UK charity visual communications in direct mail campaigns

David Girling, Deborah Adesina

University of East Anglia, School of Global Development (2025), 29 pp.

"In this phase of our research on charity advertising, we aimed to examine how INGOs represent distant others in direct mail communications compared to newspaper advertisements, building on findings from earlier studies. While the direct mail format offers greater potential for nuanced storytelling, ... more

Who Makes the News? Progress on a Plateau. Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) Special Edition: 30-year Findings on Change in Gender Equality In and Through the World News Media Deep Insights

Who Makes the News? Progress on a Plateau. Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) Special Edition: 30-year Findings on Change in Gender Equality In and Through the World News Media
Deep Insights