Sociala medier blir en allt viktigare nyhetskanal för unga vuxna. Denna utveckling har gjort att medieforskare ifrågasätter huruvida sociala medier är kapabla att utbilda och informera på samma sätt som de fysiska formaten gjort med tidigare generationer. Vissa har funnit att möjligheten att filtrera nyhetsflödet innebär en risk att användaren försätter sig i en filterbubbla där endast åsikter och tankar som stämmer överens med deras egna kommer igenom. Andra menar istället att sociala medier ger ett rikare utbud med större variation. Klart står att journalistens roll som grindvakt för vad som publiceras blir mindre viktig och att vem som helst numera kan yttra sina åsikter och potentiellt nå ut till en stor massa med dessa. Denna studie undersöker och ger insikter om hur unga vuxna sållar i sitt Facebookflöde, hur de definierar tillförlitlighet i nyhetsmedia och hur de utifrån detta avgör vad som är tillförlitligt och inte i sitt flöde. Studien består av kvalitativa intervjuer och ett observationsexperiment där respondenterna får scrolla igenom ett fiktivt Facebookflöde. Resultaten visar att bedömningen som görs ofta är medveten och går mycket snabbt, samt att det är få inlägg som anses leva upp till deras definition av tillförlitliga. Även om Facebook visar sig vara en vanlig nyhetskälla är det få av respondenterna som anser den vara bra och tillförlitlig. / Social media is becoming a more and more important news medium for young adults. This development has lead media researchers to question whether social media is as capable of educating and informing these young adults as the legacy media did the generations before them. Some argue that social media, with its ability to filter the news feed, might place users in a filter bubble lacking any challenging views. Others argue that social media encourages a diverse news and information feed. What's clear is that the role of the journalist as gatekeeper has diminished, and that anyone is now able to voice their opinions to a big audience. This study investigates how young adults sift through their Facebook feed, how they define reliability in news media, and how they assess their social news feed based on this. The study consists of qualitative interviews and an observational experiment where the respondents scrolled through a fictive Facebook feed. The results show that the assessment made is often very quick and deliberate, and that few news posts live up their definition of reliable, namely objective and transparent. Although Facebook is a common news source, few consider it to be a good and reliable one.

Journalism has “always been shaped by technology” (Pavlik, 2000, p.229). Social media could be seen as a technology of today, when news consumption is changing and 31% of the population worldwide are using Facebook and other social media platforms for news (Newman, 2020). Moreover, fewer pay for news (Medieakademin, 2021). Therefore, it is a challenge for news media outlets to adapt to the changing news consumption patterns, as well as they lose advertisers to Big Tech (Facht & Ohlsson, 2021). Furthermore, the credibility for Swedish news media brands is decreasing (Medieakademin, 2021). Here comes the question about the strategies that Swedish news media outlets should use in order to keep their brand credibility in times of social media. Sixteen scientists within media, communication, marketing and brand management were interviewed for this master thesis. Among the conclusions drawn are; the journalistic quality and principles such as objectivity and impartiality should go first; a new innovative business model should be found; social media has changed the landscape for traditional news media outlets; social media algorithms might have increased hostile media effects. / Journalistiken har alltid påverkats av teknologin (Pavlik, 2000, p.229). Det är sociala medier som kan ses som “dagens teknologi”. Samtidigt ändras mönster för hur man konsumerar nyheterna, och 31% av världens befolkning använder Facebook och andra sociala medier för nyhetsläsning (Newman, 2020). Dessutom är det färre som betalar för nyheterna år för år (Medieakademin, 2021). Därför blir det en utmaning för nyhetsmedier att anpassa sig till de nya mönster samtidigt som de tappar i reklamintäkter, och annonsörerna går över till de stora techbolagen (Facht & Ohlsson, 2021). Därtill har förtroende för medierna de senaste tio åren minskat (Medieakademin, 2021), och här kommer frågan om hur ska svenska nyhetsmedier bete sig i en tid av sociala medier. För den här studien har sexton forskare inom media, kommunikation, marknadsföring och varumärke intervjuats. Enligt de slutsatser som dras, ska nyhetsmedierna satsa på kvalitativt innehåll; följa de journalistiska principerna; försöka hitta en ny affärsmodell; sociala medier har förändrat medielandskapet; algoritmer på sociala medier kan ha förstärkt hostile media effect.

The aim of this study is to critically analyze how the news media in Sweden reported about Folk och Försvar’s conference 2024 on TikTok. Considering the platform’s young audience, this will make it apparent how journalism for children can be constructed. Critical discourse theory, system functional grammar and sociosemiotics are used as a theoretical framework. The method used is Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and the material is collected from six national news channels that published about the event on TikTok. By analyzing the language and visual elements used, the result of the thesis shows which discourses were conveyed in the reporting. The main findings were five different discourses that were compiled into two more general discourses. One of them strengthens the threat of a military war in Sweden, while the other one defuses and problematizes the statement from the Swedish armed forces. The first one was more common in the commercially financed news media, whereas the second was found in public service media. The conclusion furthermore indicates that public service adjusts their journalism more to align with the young audience on TikTok. The critical discourse analysis showed that depending on which discourse was used, different messages were communicated to the audience. This contributes to a power imbalance between the journalists and the children, especially considering young children have not fully developed critical thinking. The news media that claim to be aimed towards Sweden's entire population, does not however consistently take children into account.

Through a Thematic Qualitative Text Analysis and semi-structured interviews with journalists, athletes, and coaches, this thesis investigates the relationship between gender, sports, and media representation of menstruation in Belgian online sports news. This research emphasizes the delicate balance in sports media between normalizing discussing menstruation and avoiding sexist ideologies. One effective approach to breaking the menstrual taboo is to adopt the rationalist discourse of self-instrumentalization, where athletes enhance their performance by the use of science and technology. Given that menstruation is a physiological process connected to maximizing performance, it is vital to normalize its media coverage. There is, nevertheless, a palpable tension between private and public conversation. Journalists tend to concentrate on the personal stories and physical challenges of athletes, yet the coverage of the menstrual influences remains underrepresented. A more nuanced and ethical approach is needed, balancing public interest with athletes' privacy. The thesis advocates that menstruation should be normalized in the sports discourse in order to promote more inclusive media practices that reflect and fairly portray the experiences of female athletes.

This quantitative study investigates the public perception of media reporting on disinformation campaigns targeted at Sweden. Through a structured questionnaire survey administered to participants aged 18-65, the study examines the level of awareness regarding recent disinformation campaigns towards the nation, the primary sources of news consumption, and the perceived adequacy of media coverage regarding the campaigns. The collected data from 141 respondents, are analyzed based on demographic variables such as age, gender, and level of education. The findings reveal variations in awareness levels across different age groups and gender identities, with younger age groups demonstrating higher awareness levels compared to older participants in the survey. The study also examines the perceived trustworthiness of news sources, including whether news reporting on the disinformation campaigns is considered more credible when it comes from traditional media compared to social media. The results from the survey are discussed in relation to the study's theoretical framework with foundations in media science and social psychology. This study contributes to the understanding of how individuals perceive media reporting on contemporary disinformation campaigns towards Sweden.

The vast majority of William Cobbett’s personal letters have never been published. This thesis examines these manuscripts alongside the ‘open letter’ form that dominated his published writings, using correspondence to illuminate the hybrid and highly idiosyncratic form of Cobbett’s radicalism. It shows how he responded to continued persecution from the government through a series of innovative epistolary strategies, creating a popular journalism that incorporated many of the tropes usually associated with letter writing, including familiarity, authenticity, the spontaneity of speech and the domestic scene of reception. These became inseparable from the idealized presentation of Cobbett’s own radical and agrarian domestic life, and this thesis represents the first critical study to address the significance of Cobbett’s family in the physical production and imaginative world of his writings, drawing on many of the letters written by his seven children. Individual chapters concentrate on a series of episodes in Cobbett’s post-1800 career, including his friendship with William Windham, imprisonment in Newgate, exile in America, support for Queen Caroline and writings on the Captain Swing uprising. During these years, Cobbett’s correspondence helped to establish the modern newspaper leading article as an open letter to readers, although Cobbett’s are stamped with his own personal authority. However, while correspondence invested Cobbett’s journalism with a sense of situatedness unmatched in radical writing of the period, it also highlights some of the tensions within his political and pedagogical practice. By the 1820s, Cobbett’s correspondence bristles with the contradictions of wanting to recognize the individuality and difference of his readers’ lives, and at the same time pull them within the orbit of a very paternal political vision.

This study problematizes the fact that media is part of creating the reality of which the society relies on. More specific it focuses on former chief of police Göran Lindberg and medias reports about him before he was arrested for sexual asult, versus after. The purpose of the study was to see how identity is constructed in news media, and also how that affect the public perception of sex offenders. It also makes a comparison between a daily newspaper and a tabloid newspaper. To answer the questions of this study semiotics and narrative analysis was used. These methods were combined with theories about journalistic writing such as framing and media logic put together with theories about story-telling. These theories and methods were chosen for their accuracy and suitability on the subject. News articles about the former chief of police Göran Lindberg was selected and divided into three sections based on time periods relevant to the events. After that the selection was narrowed down to include three articles from each period and each newspaper. These articles were analysed to see how news media uses story-telling to form identity with the tools provided by the selected theories and methods. In conclusion this study shows that media construct the identity of Göran Lindberg in a similar way of how characters are constructed in fictional stories. This contributes to a reproduction of a general perception that the most occurring sexual offender is some kind of monstrous outsider and not in fact the common man, when, at the same time, research show that most sexual abusers are known to their victim.

Technological, political and economical developments have fostered the spread of transnational media since the latter part of the 20th century. Despite that, most studies of media effects are still nationally bound. This dissertation discusses some of the effects that both national and transnational news media can have on people’s thoughts and feelings. It explores the particular effect of consensus building as a consequence of second level agenda-setting. The main focus of this dissertation is how national and transnational news media can bring different demographic groups closer in their perceptions of major topics in the news. This dissertation analyzes consensus building effects through the European Union’s reaction to the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States. It analyzes how the use of national and transnational media brought EU demographic groups in closer agreement regarding the attributes of the terrorism issue and of the Muslim and Arab communities, as they related to the events of 9-11 and its aftermaths for the EU community. This study is based on a secondary data analysis of a survey conducted in the close aftermath of 9-11. It is an extensive replication of Shaw and Martin’s (1992) consensus model based on a cross-national analysis of 15 European Union nations and their patterns of national and transnational news media use among four demographic groups in relation to the substantive and affective dimensions of attribute agendas regarding the aftermath of 9-11. This study found evidence that national media bring the segments of society to closer agreement regarding the attributes of terrorism and the attributes of the Muslim and Arab communities. This was especially true for those indicating they used national television. Transnational media also have some potential for similar effects, though less than for national media. Borders still matter but it will be interesting in the future to see if the increasing availability of transnational media translates into increased influence as well. / text

Denna studie sker med bakgrund av den flyktingsituation som uppstod i världen under 2015 och som kom att kallas den värsta flyktingkatastrofen sedan andra världskriget. Många länder i Europa, Sverige inkluderat, upplevde ett ökat antal asylsökande under denna period och detta blev föremål för en intensiv mediabevakning och en rad politiska åtgärder. Syftet med denna uppsats är att kritiskt granska hur flyktingar och flyktingmigrationen till Sverige under hösten 2015 konstrueras genom den offentliga diskursen som förekommer i svensk nyhetsrapportering. Syftet är även att undersöka hur dessa konstruktioner kan komma att skapa en bild av människor på flykt som ”den andre”. Detta kommer göras genom att undersöka på vilket sätt flyktingmigrationen framställs i Aftonbladet med utgångspunkt i två av de politiska beslut som togs 2015, nämligen införandet av ID-och gränskontroller. Detta har gjorts genom en kvalitativ textanalys med hjälp av en perspektivanalys. Två perspektiv kunde identifieras i de undersökta artiklarna, Hot-perspektivet, där flyktingmigrationen till Sverige framsälldes som ett hot mot Sverige och den svenska välfärden, och Humanitetperspektivet, som fungerade som ett motperspektiv till Hot-perspektivet där Hot-perspektivets problemformulering ifrågasätts och den problematiska situationen anses vara att i och med de politiska besluten om att begränsa antalet asylsökande hotas flyktingars grundläggande mänskliga rättigheter. Studien kom fram till att Hot-perspektivet präglas starkt av en nationalstatlig uppfattning med spår av en rasistisk diskurs som bidrar till att sprida en uppdelning mellan ”vi” och ”dem” som i sin tur kan leda till spridandet av en exkluderande inställning gentemot asylsökande. Genom att beskriva flyktingmigrationen som ett hot mot det svenska samhället bidrar perspektivet till att legitimera en mer restriktiv hållning då dessa beslut framstår som rimliga och möjliga. Humanitetperspektivet präglas av en mer global syn som erbjuder en mer inkluderande uppfattning av flyktingar och asylsökande. Genom att lyfta problemformuleringen och placera den problematiska situationen både i och utanför Sverige bidrar Humanitetperspektivet med men mer global syn på flyktingmigrationen som sammanfogar världen till ett mer sammansatt samhälle istället för att se den som uppdelad i nationer.

The discourse on Norrland (literally ‘North land’ in English) as essentially ‘different’ has been(re)produced in literature, politics and science for as long as the idea of ‘Norrland’ has existed. Thus,when investigating the discourse that constructs the identity of Norrland in opposition to a Swedishnational identity, it is important to connect these representations to their contemporary (andchanging) political-economic contexts. The aim of this thesis is to analyze contemporaryrepresentations in news, film, advertising and interviews to show how representations constructstereotypes informed by neoliberal ideals and internationally familiar stereotypes of a traditionalintransigent population positioned in Norrland and a modern and progressive population in theurban South. The findings in this thesis can be summarized as follows. First, Norrland has beenconsistently reproduced, resisted and reworked through various discursive networks and practicesover centuries, as simultaneously authentic and obsolete. Drawing on these discourses makes therepresentations of Norrland in the news become part of a wider discursive network that representsNorrland as an ‘internal other’ within Sweden. Secondly, discourses on Swedish modernity and onneoliberal growth and competition reproduce Norrland and its people as inferior to the rest ofSweden. These representations are reworked and resisted and result in ‘real’ material effects in, forinstance, the news media, place marketing and film. Thirdly, in order to resist these representationsand become part of the ‘modern’, progressive world, places and people need to adjust to neoliberalideals of competitiveness and growth. And, finally, people’s identities are affected by theseneoliberal ideals as they have to relate and react to the representations of different places andpeople and the discourse on the urban as progress. This results in different strategies in theconstruction of narrative identities. I conclude by arguing that these representations serve not onlyas contrasts but also as strategies in the quest to scapegoat certain groups for problems that initiallyoriginated in unequal opportunities and structures of power related to, for instance, ethnicity, class,gender and disabilities – something that is exacerbated by neoliberalist policies and ideologies. Themore pressure is put on individuals and places to produce constant growth, the more certain peopleand places are viewed as ‘unproductive’ and problematic. The problems of depopulation anddiminishing job opportunities in the inland areas of Norrland are thus blamed on the population through the representations of Norrland as an internal ‘other.’ / Away from the periphery – migration, livelihood strategies and place discourse in the periphery of Norrland