Koen Panis

Celebrities’ Quest for a Better World: Understanding Flemish Public Perceptions of Celebrities’ Societal Engagement

Abstract Although one of the main aims of celebrities’ societal engagement is to grab the attention of a wide audience for a social cause, research about public perceptions of the phenomenon is scarce. This study wants to gain a theoretical and empirical insight into the possible influence of celebrities’ engagements on the general population. An internet survey among a sample of one thousand Flemish adults was conducted to ascertain which celebrities are considered to support social causes and how the general population perceives this phenomenon. Results show a select group of celebrity supporters, i.e. those in a deeply engaged role or with a considerable track record of engagement, to be the most popular. While most respondents consider such celebrity engagements to make a significant contribution to social-profit organisations’ goals, scepticism about the celebrities’ motives is apparent. Young adults and celebrity news followers, traditionally less involved in social causes, demonstrate a more positive attitude towards celebrity engagement than older respondents. As such, celebrities’ societal engagement might be advantageous in reaching thus far uninterested parts of society.

In the footsteps of Bob and Angelina : celebrities diverse societal engagement and its ability to attract media coverage

Abstract While media coverage is a main aim of celebrities’ societal engagement, academic analysis of its news-making ability is scarce. As a diverse phenomenon, we argue that the ability of celebrities’ societal engagement to attract media attention depends on how certain characteristics (i.e., celebrities’ claim to fame, roles they take on and issues they support) fit news selection criteria to a greater or lesser extent. First, this article determines how the three studied components (claim to fame, role and issue) relate to each other by means of an internet search and analysis. Second, using the internet data as a benchmark, the article looks at how celebrities’ engagement is covered in Flemish newspapers. Results suggest that certain forms of celebrities’ societal engagement are more likely than others to generate media coverage, as Flemish newspapers tend to focus more on the issue of development aid, ad hoc celebrity roles, and local Flemish celebrities and issues.

The energy question in the Belgian daily press during 2010: the role of region, newspaper type and newspaper section

The literature illustrates how media research on the energy question is characterized by a limited focus on separate energy options, resulting in a lack of research into the diversity of and mutual relations between various energy options. This paper reports on a quantitative content analysis of eight Belgian newspapers (N=1181), focusing on whether certain energy options are systematically more covered in certain regions, types of newspapers and/or types of newspaper sections. The results show that five energy options dominate the debate and that there are minimal differences per region, but remarkable differences between types of newspapers and newspaper sections.

Why research into celebrities’ socio-political involvement needs a broader research agenda and sharper conceptualisation

Celebrities’ socio-political involvement (i.e. in politics, social causes, etc.) has incited a lot of academic interest in recent years. Research into celebrities’ socio-political involvement, however, faces the same growing pains as celebrity studies in general, including the need to move beyond discursive analyses, single case studies and Anglo-Saxon-biased research towards a more diversified and systematic approach (Ferris 2010, Holmes and Redmond 2010, Turner 2010). Turner’s (2010) argument that case studies are often ‘drawn from a limited pool of individual celebrities’ is reflected in the study of their socio-political involvement as well, with scholars time and again reverting to archetypal examples such as Bono, Geldof, Clooney, Jolie and Winfrey. While these case studies have been crucial to develop our understanding of celebrities’ socio-political involvement, the focus on global celebrities’ support of (mainly) development aid issues raises questions about the spread of these insights (for instance to local celebrities or other social causes). A systematic review of the sociopolitical involvement of 236 Flemish and international celebrities demonstrated that only one-fifth of causes supported by celebrities are related to development aid (Panis and Van den Bulck 2014). Celebrities’ socio-political involvement is thus much more diverse in terms of supported causes and roles they take on than the archetypal examples which research generally focuses on would suggest. Research should overcome this bias towards development aid issues by expanding its focus to celebrities’ involvement in other causes, as some scholars already have done by looking into celebrities and environmental issues (for example, Boykoff and Goodman 2009) or health-related issues (for example, Larson et al. 2005). To unravel differences and similarities in celebrities’ involvement in different types of social causes, a more systematic approach is therefore required. As Marsh et al. (2010, p. 322) argue, academic literature on celebrities’ socio-political involvement ‘is rarely systematic; more often it is superficial and anecdotal’. Looking at ‘the bigger picture’ of celebrities’ socio-political involvement, translated into more general and systematic research, will not only provide a better understanding of the phenomenon but will also allow us to situate, and hence better understand, particular case studies within a collective framework. A number of academics (for example, Thrall et al. 2008, Samman et al. 2009, Panis and Van den Bulck 2012, 2014, Brockington 2014) have employed this broader perspective through large-scale (quantitative) media analyses or audience surveys. However, this wider (empirical) approach is still rather exceptional. A broader research agenda that recognises the diversity of celebrities’ socio-political engagement will also instigate the need for a sharper conceptualisation. While celebrity

The forgotten actor in media ownership debates: Audiences and their knowledge of media ownership in Flanders

Abstract The characteristics and scope of media concentration are of great concern to media and communication studies, especially in relation to media diversity and pluralism, considered key in democratic societies. However, to date, there have been few analyses of audiences’ knowledge of media ownership. This contribution explores knowledge of media ownership structures, and how it relates to media use and socio-demographics amongst a representative online sample of the Flemish population (N = 1100). Findings reveal limited knowledge of ownership structures, with significant differences relating to gender, age, education and media consumption. The implications hereof are discussed from a perspective of democratic citizenship, political economy studies, media literacy studies and media literacy programs, and result in a call for more research into this specific area.