Nicholas W. Jankowski

News in Online and Print Newspapers: Differences in Reader Consumption and Recall

How readers consume and recall news presented in online and print versions of two newspapersin the Netherlands are investigated in this experimental study. Few differences are found between the online and print versions in terms of news supply. Reader attention to the news stories varies, depending on the newspaper and news category. No consistent reading pattern is evident and the print version readers do not read more than the online version readers. News Consumption seems to be more dependent on the news category, reader gender and interest in a particular topic than on whether the news appears in print or online. Finally, on the basis of cued and free recall questions, no consistent pattern differentiates readers of the print newspapers from the online versions. In conclusion, evidence has not been found that online readers consume and retain news differently from readers of the print versions examined in this study.

A Hyperlink Network Analysis of Citizen Blogs in South Korean Politics

Abstract Citizen participation may become more deeply integrated into political environments as digital communication technologies such as the Internet and mobile phone are increasingly embedded in everyday life during the coming decade. In the Asian context, there is already an important role for digital media in the political arena as participatory communication channels in high-tech countries, such as South Korea, as well as in technologically less developed countries like the Philippines. In particular, the political use of blogs has been increasing due to the possibility to publish material online quickly and to distribute content with other bloggers. Because of these characteristics, blogs are perceived as both personal and collaborative media. The relational aspects of blogs, however, have not been sufficiently explored. That is the objective of this article and, based on data collected in July and August 2005, two analyses are presented. First, we examine citizen blogs that politicians frequently visit. Second, we analyse the co-inlinks to citizen blogs and attempt to ascertain the relation between these co-inlinks and the inter-linkage patterns among citizens. The findings indicate that the preferred target of politicians’ blogs is more likely to be those blogs maintained by citizens who explicitly express a political stance. In addition, the co-inlinks from a politician’s list of neighbours to citizen blogs is associated with the inter-linkage network structure.

Community Media Research: A Quest for Theoretically-Grounded Models

Abstract This article provides a panoramic sketch of the characteristics of community media and focuses on three forms: community television, community radio and community networks. The author contends, after a review of research conducted around these media, that much of this work has contributed little to the development of theoretical perspectives and theoretical model building suitable for guiding further empirical investigations. An illustration, taken from one theoretical perspective, is provided of the kind of model building that can be achieved. In conclusion, community media researchers are encouraged to take up the challenge associated with the general mandate for social scientists to contribute to theory, in this case through construction of theoretically-grounded models for understanding the place of community media in society.

Internet-based political communication research: Illustrations, challenges & innovations.

Abstract Political communication research is increasingly concerned with the study of political life in online environments. Some recent investigations make use of Internet-based tools for the research process: for project management, for data collection and analysis, and for the preparation and publication of findings. In these respects, political communication research reflects methodological transformations underway across the social sciences, often known as e-Science and e-Research. This article explores aspects of that transformation through examination of a range of studies concerned with political discourse, political participation, and election campaigns in which the online environment is accentuated. We reflect on four study features: project management, research designs, sampling, and data visualisation. In a series of illustrative studies, we consider challenges in undertaking political communication research in network environments utilising Internet-based tools. Finally, we introduce the contributions to this journal theme issue, placing the articles within an overall framework of concern regarding Internet-based political communication research.

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ABOUT EUROPE ON THE INTERNET DURING THE 2004 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN NINE EU MEMBER STATES

ABSTRACT This article considers the possibility of a European public sphere contributing to a reduction of the so-called ‘democratic deficit’ through engagement of citizens in the European project and enhancing processes of identification beyond the local or national environment. We elaborate on our interpretation of the European public sphere, emphasizing that political actors, including citizens, are engaged in political communication about Europe, either directly or indirectly through media or Internet-based representations. The study presented in this article investigates the extent of Europeanization of political communication on the Internet by measuring the visibility of communication about Europe on websites produced by various political actors in nine EU member states in the context of the 2004 European Parliament election. Two-thirds of the websites included in the study actually had European Parliamentary election-related content on the front page at the time of the election; a percentage we consider relatively low because of the search strategy followed. Actors addressed general European issues somewhat more frequently on their websites: in nearly three-quarters of cases, which can be considered an indicator of the existence of a European public sphere.

Political Parties Online: Digital Democracy as Reflected in Three Dutch Political Party Web Sites

Abstract This paper examines how three Dutch political parties employ the Internet as a tool to enhance ‘digital democracy’. The potential of digital democracy is considered to be strongest in the sphere of collective action outside the domain of political institutions. In this article, however, attention is given to how institutionalized channels might be supportive of digital democracy. Three components of the democratic process – information provision, deliberation, and political decision-making – are examined in the content and user assessments of the web sites of the Socialist Party, the Christian Democratic Party and the Green Party. Minor differences were found in the party web sites regarding information provision; substantial differences were found regarding the degree and nature of political deliberation available on the sites. Indicators of the third component, political decision-making, were least evident on all three web sites. User assessments of the sites and opportunities for political deliberation followed, more or less, the general public images of the related political parties.

Community-Building in Cyberspace

AbstractThis article explores two of the central theoretical perspectives for promoting and understanding community-building initiatives in cyberspace. One is referred to as “virtual democracy” and contains reference to many of the key concepts taken from classical democratic theory: universal access to information, participation in public debate and political decision-making, empowerment and equality of citizenry. The other perspective, urban entrepreneurialism, is based on an analysis of late capitalism and the place of consumption in determination of self, culture and society. Proponents of this second perspective see possibilities for urban regeneration and economic renewal through emphasis on locally-situated entrepreneurialism operating within a global market.A case study of community-building in cyberspace currently being compiled — the Craigmiller Community Information Service (CCIS) Network in Edinburgh, Scotland — is sketched in the remainder of the article. Although the case clearly reflects as...

Presentations of Europe on political party websites during the 2004 EP election campaign

Abstract In this article we investigate the online communication about Europe as present on websites produced by French, British and Dutch political parties during the 2004 European Parliament (EP) election campaign. It is through the manner in which Europe is presented within this online communication that political parties’ view on what constitutes “Europe” becomes manifest. It is argued that the existence of common understandings of what constitutes “Europe” being shared among political parties from various EU member states can be considered an indicator of Europeanisation of political communication and, subsequently, of a European public sphere. This article elaborates on the national and cross-national differences and similarities regarding the manner in which Europe is presented in the content of political party websites. We report on two presentations: (1) the focus (European versus national) in which the issue domains interests, identity and values are mentioned in parties’ online communication about Europe, and (2) the attitude towards Europe (positive versus negative) expressed by these parties. Cross-national similarities in parties’ online communication about Europe were observed among the liberal parties, the sovereign and extreme right-wing parties, and the green parties. More diversity was observed among the social democratic parties and centre-right parties.

Researching Fake News: A Selective Examination of Empirical Studies

The term “fake news” came to dominate public political discourse in late 2016 regarding possible efforts by Russian agents to manipulate the US Presidential election. A similar alarm was raised during subsequent European elections the following year. This widespread concern was twisted into an epithet by some political figures, particularly President Trump, to describe traditional news outlets. Eventually, the alarm and name-calling transformed into a serious topic for empirical research, and the initial fruits of that work are beginning to appear. This short article provides a panorama of the scholarship emerging around fake news and illustrates this work by examining in more detail two radically different studies. The article concludes with suggestions for extending this initial research. But first, some background is provided to set the stage.

Editorial: Remembering Roger

Each of us who knew Roger Silverstone has a set of memories, personal and professional, and these naturally vary.We have collected a number of these memories in this issue of New Media & Society because Roger meant a great deal for all involved in the project that this journal represents. Five colleagues, collaborators and in some cases former students, have prepared reflections for this issue: Maren Hartmann, Sonia Livingstone, Leslie Haddon, Shani Orgad, and Caroline Bassett.The reflections of these scholars require no introduction; all address in their respective ways how Roger had an impact on their personal and professional lives. In the confines of this annual editorial, we wish to contribute our own reflections about Roger and what he meant to us as fellow scholars and, especially, as co-editors of NM&S. There is usually not a single starting point when a relation begins, but in the case of NM&S it is fair to identify that moment as when a number of us, under the guidance of Sage Publications Acquisitions Editor Julia Hall, gathered for breakfast at a table overlooking the swimming pool at the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) conference venue in Oaxaca, Mexico, in July 1997. Four of us met – Roger, Julia, Rohan Samarajiva and Nick Jankowski – while others, Leah Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone, conferred about another Sage project (the Handbook of