Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-133).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-95).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 83 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-56).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2001. Graduate Programme in History. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 342-363). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ66360.

This study employs an experimental design to test the effects of branding,presence of opinion, and gender on news credibility. A history of credibility theory in social science research is explored in order to contextualize investigation of truth and objectivity in the contemporary fragmented news landscapes. The goal is to contribute to the academic methodologies employed in the exploration of credibility in news as well as make practical suggestions to news makers. Results of the empirical methods in this thesis showed that belief in the news organization from a pretest was positively correlated with the credibility ratings of the individual story conditions but previously held beliefs about story topic were not. Neutral stories were rated higher in terms of credibility than those with opinion statements regardless of brand or belief in the news institution. A scale for personal acceptance of opinion in news is proposed to provide credibility theorists a way to unobtrusively measure predilection for opinion news. While no differences in gender were found using the newly-proposed scale, an individual’s propensity to trust was positively correlated with acceptance of opinion in news. Audience specialization in news should lead to specialized studies of credibility, particularly the roles of gender information processing in relation to objectivity, opinion, and credibility. / text

Previous research indicates stereotypes of minorities are persistent in television news stories. Can personal familiarity with different racial/ethnic groups influence the selection of non-stereotypical news images? Supported by theories of the personal contact hypothesis, framing, priming, schema, and stereotyping, this study hypothesized that student journalists with a high level of personal contact with different races/ethnicities would select non-stereotypical images to help illustrate television news stories focusing on social issues and hypothesized that student journalists with a low level of personal contact would select non-stereotypical images for the same texts when primed to think about facts countering common misconceptions of racial/ethnic stereotypes. Also, will the level of personal contact with different races/ethnicities and the self-identified race of the student journalist influence non-stereotypical image selection? A two-part experiment tested 128 student journalists with an online pre-test measuring the level of personal contact in social activities with different races/ethnicities. Later, a substantive in-person experiment required participants to select from a set of four photographs, the photo that they believed best represented the content of a news story in which race played a possible role. This task was conducted five times with five different news stories and five different sets of photographs. The independent variables were the level of personal contact and whether or not the participant was first primed to think about facts countering common racial/ethnic misconceptions. The dependent variable was the selection of either a non-stereotypical or stereotypical photo. A two-way between-subjects analysis of variance was used. Results showed no significant difference in photo selection attributed to the level of personal contact or to prior priming to think non-stereotypically. There was no significant difference between prior priming and photo selection. Additionally, the race of the participant made no difference in photo selection. While these results are contrary to existing theory, research, pedagogy and intuition. It is worth noting that finding no statistical significance does not necessarily mean that the phenomenon is not happening in reality. Responses to open ended questions within the manipulation tests were qualitatively analyzed and showed that although the 14 participants enrolled in a university liberal arts course were able to recognize the racial stereotypes within the news stories, some chose stereotypical images contrary to their stated criterion for selecting a non-stereotypical image. Future research should test the hypotheses with subjects from more heterogeneous regions of the country, and recruit professional and student journalists as study participants and compare generational differences in cultural, racial, and ethnic understanding, education, and tolerance. / text

Many people with disabilities have been traditionally excluded from receiving or interpreting the news. U.S. law has changed requirements for Internet content and will lead to drastic changes in how news is conveyed online. Mainstream media is making headway toward communicating to the culture and abilities of people with disabilities, but serious errors still exist, particularly in digital news formats that exclude many people with disabilities from accessing news. While people with different disabilities are producing primarily niche news content, mainstream media is still the main source of authoritative news regarding people with disabilities. Hiring news staff with disabilities will help mainstream media develop an understanding of the physical, cultural and intellectual requirements of people with a variety of abilities. / text

This thesis examines how three Lebanese satellite stations and two print journals cover the Syrian civil war. It is useful to analyze Lebanon’s news programming because the relative lack of regulation over its media allows them to take drastically different political stances. Syria and Lebanon’s unique political and cultural connection causes the conflict to permeate both the debates over foreign and domestic policy. My paper is significant because it elucidates the specific ways in which the Syrian crisis divides the already fractured Lebanese populace. My analysis reveals how regional news sources give meaning to the Arab Spring using language drawn from local historical and political experiences. / text

The present research study investigated the perceived credibility of television news in relationship to the acquisition of knowledge of digital video compositing techniques. An experiment was carried out to verify if acquiring knowledge of digital video post-production techniques affected the perceived credibility of television news. Instrumentation for the experiment included a video stimulus produced with a readily available digital video compositing software package as well as an online post-test questionnaire. A scale for perceived credibility of television news was constructed based on a frequently used operationalization of the concept of credibility. Findings showed that after subjects acquired knowledge of digital video post production techniques, their perception of television news credibility was less than subjects who did not acquire knowledge of digital video post production techniques. Also, the amount of education a subject possessed played a significant role in how he or she perceived the credibility of television news. Frequency of television news consumption, familiarity with digital imaging software tools, and academic background were also examined in relationship to perceived credibility of television news. Implications are explained for improving media literacy education, protecting television news credibility, and designing media effects experiments.