Studies on newsworthiness have developed mainly into two ways of explaining how events become news. These approaches, which have been called object-driven and subject-driven news values, have contributed a lot in the quest for understanding news. Previous empirical studies on news have demonstrated that concepts used as abstractions of social practices, such as newsworthiness construction, suffer either from object-driven news values explanation about newsworthiness that seeks to locate news value in the news events themselves, or from subject-driven news values which see news making as being exclusively concerned with hidden motives that are often unbeknown even to the practitioners themselves. The practitioners are, therefore, forced to explain newsworthiness by invoking contexts that are already known; for example, in terms of editorial decisions based on political, cultural and/or organisational identities which are ‘external’ to immediate empirical encounters, because such identities are compositions of a range of contextual factors. Here, news studies have developed in a way that has created a rift between journalism theory and journalism practice, mainly because many researchers and theorists understand social actions only through modes of abstraction that have become disconnected from the practical intelligence of news making. Influenced by the Actor Network Theory (ANT), this study attempts to study newsworthiness construction from ‘intensive’ contexts in order to understand whether or not newsworthiness in Malaysian newspapers is a culturally-specific phenomenon. Concepts of ANT are deployed to study a range of qualitative data gathered from observations and ethnographic interviews that serve as a supplement to the weaknesses of both the aforementioned approaches. The case of Malaysia should make clear the extent to which a focus on intensive contexts enables us to explore the specificity of news making in six Malaysian newspapers, namely the New Straits Times (the NST), Berita Harian (BH), The Sun (TS), Sinar Harian (SH), Harakah (Hh) and XX (anonymous). The research reveals a heterogeneity in newsworthiness construction that it is more complex than simply assuming that newsworthiness is something ‘out there’ (such as newsworthiness criteria); instead, newsworthiness is an effect of accreditation of different interests. Thus, the collective identity of the newspapers is the effect of the critique on newsworthiness criteria. However, ANT allows identity to be scrutinised further by treating it as a virtual object. This study demonstrates that the distinct identity of the newspaper can be investigated by tracing the enrolment of the news angle. Besides identity, concepts such as readership remain important in studying newsworthiness construction and have also been scrutinised as a virtual object to retain its link to intrinsic contexts in order to explore the distance between the conception of readership and the actual reader. Although readership has mainly been examined under such abstractions, concepts in ANT allow the multiple associations with real readers to be traced. The heterogeneity and complexity of newsworthiness construction is also demonstrated in a case study about the smallest newspaper organisation in this study, which suggests that even the smallest organisations embrace complex associations of news practices that have global associations.

This thesis investigates the relationship between electronic and traditional newspapers in Thailand at the beginning of the 21st century. The data obtained from the study of four Thai national daily newspapers – Bangkok Post, Nation, Thairath and Matichon – and their websites in 1999 and 2000 are used in order to examine the relationship between print and electronic newspapers in terms of their news contents and production processes, with reference to the gatekeeping concept. This research employed three research methods: participant observation, interviews and content analysis. Participant observations of four newspapers’ newsrooms and interviews with their editors and webmasters, as well as a group of media professionals, were conducted in Thailand. Content analysis of news stories in fourteen issues of each print and electronic edition of the four newspaper samples was carried out in quantitative and qualitative terms to examine what kind of news content was selected and put through the news gate. The findings of this study suggest that the news selection or gatekeeping process in Thai electronic newspapers differs from their print counterparts by following the same news policy as the printed editions and publishing virtually unchanged print products onto their websites. However, the reproduced content on the electronic versions is likely to offer an increase in home news over international news. There are notable differences in the basic production processes, news priorities and technological functionality of the four print and electronic newspaper samples. The flow of global technologies is the main factor influencing the introduction of electronic newspapers to Thai society. At the time of the study, the four newspapers’ websites were not exploiting the full potential of the Internet. Finally, as in most countries, the four electronic newspapers in Thailand have been created as supplements to their printed editions.

This thesis examines whether and how an enhancement can be effected in the depth and accuracy with which media systems theory meets its proclaimed objective of understanding and describing the behaviour of media systems. It draws upon critiques of the applicability of media systems theory to non-Western media systems to ask whether the grounded study of media systems reveals additional variables or approaches to enhance its descriptive and explanatory power. It answers these questions by conducting an exploratory case study of the complex and relatively unmapped Indian media system, focusing on the system-wide phenomenon of paid news, of which the most egregious form is political advertising masquerading as news at election time. The case study draws upon a thematic analysis of rich empirical data from 47 in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with top journalists, editors, owners, policy makers and heads of regulatory bodies, triangulated against a large variety of documents and statistical data. The study constructs a map of the Indian media system to establish its commercial, organisational and regulatory contours, and produces an analysis of the forces and relationships that define the systemic behaviour that is manifest as paid news. Its theoretical contribution includes the suggestion of candidate variables and approaches to supplement existing macro-level factors used by models and typologies of media systems theory. It also sets out seven theoretical propositions: 1) The wider applicability of media systems theory is hampered by the adoption of Western media as a pivotal reference point; 2) Normative beliefs and macro-level structures are inadequate descriptors of media systems; 3) Dimensions other than politics and economics can be critical to defining media systems; 4) Variables that account for forces and relationships within the media are important in characterising media systems; 5) Media systems are not passively shaped by political, economic and other structures; they have agency and can act independently; 6) Grounded case studies can yield variables and approaches that help characterise media systems; and 7) System-wide ethical or normative fault-lines such as paid news can reveal critical characteristics of a media system.

This thesis addresses the issue of impact of globalisation on the news production and news content at local newspapers in China. By making an in-depth study of Being Youth Daily, the second biggest local newspaper in Beijing, essential changes in the local newspapers- are identified and analysed,thus revealing the relations between the global and local, external and internal influences, the Party-state and the media as well as the media and the market. The central argument is that globalisation impacts many aspects of local newspapers including media policy, organisation, journalistic practice, journalists' roles and coverage of world news. Such impact is uneven. In the case of the state's media policies and organizational changes the influence is explicit whereas in relation to news production routines and the perceptions of newspeople it tends to be implicit. Driven by the commercialization of the domestic media, the accelerated world-wide flow of goods and capital, population mobility, and the advancement of information technology, especially the Internet, Chinese local newspapers and newspeople share many commonalities and similarities with the western press and western newspeople but also maintain distinctive characteristics due to China's unique political-socialeconomic system. Consequently, globalisation is producing neither total homogenization nor total heterogenisation but a mixture. Globalisation is a process involving a multi-level deregulation and re-regulation, protectionism, capitalism, media convergence, hybridization and domestication driven by the interaction of global and local actors, political, economic and technical factors, and external and internal influences. In the globalisation era, the state still plays a central role. A free press does not emerge in an authoritarian state just because of globalisation.

No description available.

by Thomas R. Willemain. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 17). / Supported by the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, U.S. Department of Justice. 78NI-AX-0007

Contains errata sheet in back pocket. / Bibliography: leaves 167-211. / xviii, 211, [8] leaves, [4] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Explores the hypothesis that growth of the small intestine at weaning is promoted by an activated mucosal immune system in the gut. Tests by observing rats, guinea pigs and human infants. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Medicine, 1995?

The recent political events in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia (2011) have confirmed the key role of social networks (SNSs), as well as online political news in supporting citizens with their self-determination. Furthermore, “changes in the media landscape present new challenges for scholars interested in the relationship between the media and civil society. Additionally, the explosion of the Internet that started in advanced democracies and has spread through much of the globe provides new and unexplored pathways for communication. Moreover, the inclusion of the Internet in the media environment raises new questions for citizens, politicians, researchers, journalists, and government” (Oates, Owen & Gibson, 2006, p. 1). This study looks at the relationships between young people’s exposure to political news on the Internet and their political awareness. It develops and applies an index for political participation composed of several variables measuring political interest, discussion, knowledge, and participation. The survey among students in both countries was administered in Arabic and German, while the master questionnaire was developed in English. The survey was conducted between April and June 2010 in Egypt at Minia University and in Germany at Technical university of Dresden. The sample size was 1000 (500 in each country) students from several departments representing different academic fields: three departments of Engineering, three departments of Humanities and Social Science, and finally three departments of Natural Science. The study’s main research question was: “What is the impact of students’ exposure to political news on the Internet on their political awareness and civic activities?” The researcher started from the hypothesis that heavy use of political news on the Internet is positively related to political awareness. A further research question aimed at gauging the role of intervening variables such as gender and field of study for the relationship between the use of political news on the Internet and the level of political awareness. Results show that there is a positive relationship between using political online news and political awareness. German students’ political awareness for German students was higher than Egypt student’s political awareness (M=63.02, SD=15.65, comparing to M=45.72, SD= 17.65 for Egyptians).:Table of Contents: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II ABSTRACT III TABLE OF CONTENTS IV INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE……………………………………………………………………………...8 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL COMMUNICATION 8 1.2. POLITICAL MEDIA USES AND EFFECTS IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE 10 1.3. THE ROLE OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS 12 1.4. THE LITERATURE UP TO NOW IN THIS AREA 14 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS 18 1.5.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 18 1.5.2 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 18 CHAPTER 2: CHANGING COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE INTERNET AGE ……………..20 2.1 INTRODUCTION 20 2.2 INTERNET HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 20 2.3 STRUCTURE, FEATURES AND PHENOMENA OF THE INTERNET 23 2.3.1 MANY TO MANY COMMUNICATION 23 2.3.2 INTERACTIVITY 34 2.3.3 CREDIBILITY 28 2.4 SOCIAL NETWORK (SNSS) 30 2.4.1 SOCIAL NETWORK; DEFINITION, HISTORY, AND DEVELOPMENT 30 2.4.2 SOCIAL NETWORK (SNSS); USERS, CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES 32 2.4. 3 BLOGS 35 2.5 INTERNET USE 38 2.5.1 GENERAL TRENDS 38 2.5.2. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND –INTERNET USE 40 2.6. SOCIAL NETWORK AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN EGYPT 44 2.7 CONCLUSION 47 CHAPTER 3 POLITICAL AWARENESS AND RELATED CONSTRUCTS……….. 49 3.1 INTRODUCTION 49 3.2 POLITICAL COGNITIONS 50 3.3 POLITICAL INTEREST 51 3.4 POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 52 3.4.1. MEASURING OF POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 53 3.4.2 MEDIA USE AND POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 54 3.5. POLITICAL EFFICACY 56 3.5.1 DEFINITION 56 3.5.2. MEASURINGOF POLITICAL EFFICACY 58 3.6. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 59 3.6.1. THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 61 3.6.2. MEASURING OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 62 3.6.3 VOTING 63 3.7. POLITICAL DISCOURSE 66 3.8. POLITICAL AWARENESS 67 3.8.1. CONCLUSION ON THE OPERATIONALIZATION 68 3.8.2. MASS MEDIA AND POLITICAL AWARENESS 70 CHAPTER4: THE POLITICAL AND MEDIA SYSTEMS IN GERMANY AND EGYPT 71 4.1. EGYPTIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM 71 4.2. EGYPTIAN MEDIA SYSTEM 72 4.2.1 HISTORY AND POLITICAL FRAMEWORK 72 4.2.2 THE EGYPTIAN PRESS 75 4.2.3. RADIO AND TV UNION 77 4.2.4 OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS 97 4.3. GERMANY MEDIA SYSTEM AND POLITICAL SYSTEM 81 4.4. GERMANY MEDIA SYSTEM 82 4.4.1 HISTORY AND POLITICAL FRAMEWORK 82 4.4.2 THE GERMANY PRESS 83 4.4.3. RADIO AND TV UNION 84 4.4.4. OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS 85 5.1. CONCLUSION 85 CHAPTER 5: METHODS ………87 5.1. SAMPLE 87 5.2. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 88 5.3. FIELDWORK AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE 89 5.3.1 DEPENDENT VARIABLES 89 5.3.2. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (IV’S) 91 5.4. DATA ANALYSIS …92 5.5. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF MEASURES.. 93 5.5.1 VALIDITY 93 5.5.2 RELIABILITY 94 CHAPTER 6: RESULTS COMPARING EGYPTIAN AND GERMANY UNIVERSITY STUDENT’S ….95 6.1 POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF MEDIA USE 95 6.1.1 POLITICAL FREEDOM 95 6.1.2 TECHNICAL ACCESS TO INTERNET 98 6.1.3 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 98 6.2. GENERAL MEDIA EXPOSURE 101 6.2.1 TRADITIONAL OR NEW MEDIA PLATFORM? 102 6.2.2 WHERE AND WHEN DO YOUNG PEOPLE USE THE INTERNET? 104 6.3 EXPOSURES TO POLITICAL MEDIA CONTENT 106 6.3.1 ACCESSING POLITICAL INFORMATION ONLINE 107 6.3.2. THE AMOUNT OF ONLINE COVERAGE OF POLITICAL NEWS 109 6.3.3 CONFIDENCE AND ACCURATE PICTURE OF ONLINE POLITICAL NEWS 110 6.4 POLITICAL AWARENESS 111 6.4.1 POLITICAL INTEREST 111 6.4.2 POLITICAL DISCUSSION 113 6.4.3. POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 113 6.4.4 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 116 6.5. INTERNET USE AND POLITICAL AWARENESS 119 CHAPTER 7: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION IN LIGHT OF THEORY AND HYPOTHESIS 126 8. RECOMMENDATIONS 129 9. REFERENCES 130 APPENDICES. 145 A/QUESTIONNAIRE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE 145 B/QUESTIONNAIRE IN GERMAN LANGUAGE 155 C/QUESTIONNAIRE IN ARABIC LANGUAGE 166 APPENDIX. D. AGREEMENT LETTER TO APPLY QUESTIONNAIRE IN EGYPT FROM CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS 175 APPENDIX. E. LIST OF TABLES 176

Κάθε χρόνο τα άτομα που υποφέρουν από κάποιας μορφής νεφρική νόσο αυξάνονται παρά τις εξελίξεις στον τομέα της ιατρικής. Έχει παρατηρηθεί ότι η νεφρική νόσος, στις περισσότερες περιπτώσεις μπορεί να εξελιχθεί σε νεφρική ανεπάρκεια, είτε με πιο αργούς είτε με πιο γρήγορους ρυθμούς. Η νεφρική ανεπάρκεια αντιμετωπίζεται είτε με αιμοκάθαρση είτε με μεταμόσχευση. Το ανοσοποιητικό σύστημα διαδραματίζει σημαντικό ρόλο τόσο στην αντιμετώπιση όσο και στη πρόοδο των διάφορων μορφών νεφρικής νόσου. Ωστόσο, οι διάφοροι λεμφοκυτταρικοί τύποι, και ιδιαίτερα αυτοί της φυσικής ανοσίας, δεν έχουν μελετηθεί ιδιαίτερα και πολλές φορές από τις λίγες μελέτες που υπάρχουν προκύπτουν αντικρουόμενα αποτελέσματα. Η μελέτη μας επικεντρώθηκε στα Τ, στα ΝΚ και στα ΝΚ-Τ λεμφοκύτταρα. Επιλέξαμε να ερευνήσουμε αρχικά και τελικά στάδια νεφρικής νόσου. Έτσι οι ασθενείς κατηγοριοποιούνται σε τρεις ομάδες: ασθενείς με σπειραμαρονεφρίτιδα (αρχικό στάδιο), ασθενείς που υποβάλλονται σε αιμοκάθαρση και μεταμοσχευμένοι ασθενείς (τελικά στάδια). Σε κάθε πείραμα γίνεται σύγκριση με μια ομάδα ελέγχου (control, που αποτελείται από υγιή άτομα). Στην περίπτωση της σπειραματονεφρίδας παρατηρήθηκαν φυσιολογικά ποσοστά των λεμφοκυτταρικών τύπων και της έκφρασης του NKG2D υποδοχέα. Παρατηρήθηκε, όμως, αυξημένη έκφραση του TNF-α. Στην περίπτωση της αιμοκάθαρσης αν και παρατηρήθηκε μειωμένο ποσοστό ΝΚ και Τ κυττάρων, βρέθηκε ότι παρουσιάζουν αυξημένη κυτταροτοξικότητα και λειτουργικότητα. Αυτό φαίνεται και από την αύξηση στην έκφραση του CD107α και από την αύξηση στη συγκέντρωση του TNF-α. Όσον αφορά τα ΝΚ-Τ κύτταρα, αν και το ποσοστό τους είναι φυσιολογικό, εμφανίζουν αυξημένη έκφραση του υποδοχέα NKG2D. Τέλος, όσον αφορά την ομάδα των μεταμοσχευμένων ασθενών, δεν παρατηρήθηκε μεταβολή στο ποσοστό των Τ και των ΝΚ-Τ κυττάρων. Όταν όμως οι ασθενείς κατηγοριοποιούνται με βάση την φαρμακευτική αγωγή, το ποσοστό των ΝΚ-Τ κυττάρων είναι αυξημένο σε ασθενείς που τους χορηγείται κυκλοσπορίνη. Επίσης, η έκφραση του υποδοχέα NKG2D είναι φυσιολογική και στις δύο κατηγορίες λεμφοκυττάρων. Από την άλλη, αν και το ποσοστό των ΝΚ κυττάρων μειώνεται, αυτά εμφανίζουν φυσιολογική λειτουργικότητα και κυτταροτοξικότητα, όπως φαίνεται από τη φυσιολογική έκφραση του NKG2D υποδοχέα, της πρωτεΐνης CD107α και του TNF-α. / Every year, people who suffer from some form of kidney disease are increasing despite advances in medicine. It has been observed that the kidney disease, in most cases might progress to renal failure, either slower or faster. The renal failure is treated either by hemodialysis or renal transplantation. The immune system plays an important role in the treatment and in the progression of various forms of renal disease. However, the various types of lymphocytes, and especially those of innate immunity have not been widely studied and often the few studies that exist result in conflicting results. Our study focused on T, NK and NK-T lymphocytes. We chose to investigate initial and final stages of renal disease. Patients were categorized into three groups: patients with glomerulonephritis (initial stage), patients on dialysis and transplanted patients (final stages). In each experiment patients were compared with a control group consisting of healthy individuals. In the case of glomerulonephritis, we observed normal percentages of the lymphocyte population examined and normal expression of the NKG2D receptor, as well as increased expression of TNF-α. In the case of hemodialysis, NK and T cell percentages were reduced, while NK cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity and functionality. This was shown by the increase in the expression of CD107α and by the increase in the concentration of TNF-α. Regarding the NK-T cells, although their percentage was normal, they showed increased expression of NKG2D receptor. Finally, concerning the group of transplanted patients, no change was observed in the percentage of T and NK-T cells. However, when patients were categorized based on the medication, the percentage of NK-T cells was increased in patients receiving cyclosporine. In addition, the expression of NKG2D receptor was normal on T and NK-T cells. On the other hand, although the percentage of NK cells was reduced, those cells exhibited normal functionality and cytotoxicity, as shown by the normal expression of NKG2D receptor, CD107α protein and TNF-α.

This dissertation sets out to investigate the role of the press in effecting political and socio-economic changes in the Bahraini society prior, during and after the Reform Act which was issued by King Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa in February 2001. To this end, the author has used qualitative and quantitative research methods. This was carried out through content analysis of archival data, questionnaires and in-depth structured interviews. The population was randomly selected from journalists, intellectuals, women in key positions as well as media specialists. Qualitatively, the results point to some dramatic changes in varied areas. The press has brought about enhancing the margin of freedom of expression which is depicted in both the coverage and discourse of newspapers discourse. More importantly, the press has a remarkable role in women political empowerment which had been almost absent prior to the Reform Act. Quantitatively, a wider range of topics and issues, some of which are quite sensitive, are now addressed with relative transparency. Another significant change is the increasing number of newspapers. Before the Reform Act there were only two Arabic newspapers, now there are seven Arabic and two English newspapers. Despite such promising changes, some informants continue to believe that the margin of freedom of expression is somewhat restricted and there are some topics and issues that cannot be approached adequately. In light of the results of this study, it can be concluded that the press has effected some major political, social, economic, educational, etc. changes in Bahrain, albeit not quite satisfactorily.