On the first of October 2012 the media reported that the women in the Ikea catalogue had been airbrushed in the Saudi edition. Initially the blame was put on either the Saudi government the Islamic culture or the Saudi franchise. In the end it was revealed that the Swedish company Inter Ikea Systems had the full responsibility for Ikeas actions and therefore was the culprit behind the airbrushing. On whose initiative or why the airbrushing was done the media never found out. These are answers only Ikea has, although they remain unresponsive to these questions throughout the news portrayal. This study methodology uses a qualitative content analysis as framework to further investigate the news media with support of theoretical perspectives such as media theory, power relations and cultural differences. Other theoretical themes included in this case study are gender, hegemony and discourse analysis. This study therefore investigates how the presentation of news shape and frame news in the way that they do from the basis of cultural values and power relations. The study shows that the perspectives we have of other cultures in some way are preconceptions that is shaped by the media and society. Furthermore the news media demonstrate within this discourse that discrimination and inequalities are a portrayal that is easy to apply on others but difficult to criticize within our own culture. With that said, the construction of the news portrayal and the concept of power relations will always be dependent on context and cultural values, therefore the news media portrayal will remain a complex subject.

Due to the nature of human experience every person is deemed to understand ‘reality’ in relative terms. Even though one might not always realize that in everyday life I think the appreciation of that phenomenon is vital to a study about audience relations towards the newsmedia. Abstract information may be felt to be different from concrete experiences. It can nevertheless become part of our convictions about reality.The present study asks the following questions: How do we relate to the news media as provider of such information? Are we aware of the impact a news source can have on our understanding of the world? Why do we attend to news media in the first place? In this study I will present social psychological theories which help to understand why ‘reality’ is a relative phenomenon connected to human experience, shaped by depictions and grasped selectively. The interview study with ten voluntary participants shall shed some light on real persons’ attempts to nevertheless try to come to terms with things “going on in the world.” The findings suggest that the relation towards the news media is marked by a focus on a specific aspect of the relation: the information given, the position of the attending person wanting to be informed, or the news media conduct which can be seen quite critical.The reasons for gathering information are also diverse. For example personal grounds can be prevailing, interest in other people, or the conviction that information is the foundation for joint action, while aiming towards change for the better. Accordingly some evidence was found that it would be preferable if the news media cut down on negativity concerning their reporting that could for instance lead to feelings of apathy. Sometimes elaborate opinions were uttered about in how far events reported about could be seen as ‘representative’ in comparison to what is felt to be the underlying ‘reality’. Regarding ideas about the news media audience in general, no greater trust in other people’s willingness to make an effort to see beyond the immediate information given was found. This mentally distancing from other people could in turn contribute to the feeling of not being ableto (collectively) impact ‘the reality’ that is communicated via the news media. / Människan upplever verkligheten på ett relativt sätt. Även om man inte alltid är medveten om det i det vardagliga livet är det viktigt att förstå detta fenomen om man har att göra med en studie kring publikens relation till nyhets medier. Information från abstrakta källor kan upplevas vara annorlunda än konkreta erfarenheter. Men denna information kan ändå bli endel av ens uppfattningar om verkligheten. Denna studie ställer följande frågor: Hur relaterar vi till nyhets medier som förmedlare av sådan abstrakt information? Är vi medvetna om våra nyhetskällors inflytande på vår förståelse av världen? Varför ägnar vi oss överhuvud taget åt inhämtandet av nyheter? Studien är både teoretisk och empirisk till sin karaktär. Den presenterar socialpsykologiska teorier som kan bidra till en förståelse av varför ’verkligheten’ är ett relativt fenomen, förbunden med människors erfarenheter, utformad enligt (media)rapporteringens formgivning och logik och förstådd på ett selektivt sätt. En intervjustudie med tio frivilliga deltagare syftar till att belysa verkliga personers försök att hantera ”vad som pågår i världen”. Resultaten visar att olika aspekter är viktiga för förståelsen av människors relation till nyhets medierna: informationen som ges, förväntningar av den som letar efter information, eller en kritisk syn på hur nyhets medier sköter sitt jobb. Enligt de intervjuade finns olika skäl till att samla in information om omvärlden. Huvudanledningen uppgavs vara personliga anledningar, intresse för andra personer, eller övertygelsen att information är basen för gemensam handling, om man vill åstadkomma positiv förändring. I intervjuerna framkom det även att många intervjupersoner var kritiska till att nyhets medier ofta fokuserar på negativa händelser. Detta ansågs kunna leda till känslor av apati. Några av de intervjuade uttryckte även genomtänkta idéer om hur pass ’representativa’ de rapporterade nyhetsinslagen är (eller kan vara) för vad som anses vara den bakomliggande ’verkligheten’. Nyhets mediernas publik ansågs inte vara kritiskt nog för att mer djupgående kunna tänka igenom nyhetsinslagen. Denna åsikt uttrycktes oftast i samband med reflektioner om andra personer. Detta mentala fjärmandet från andra personer sades i sin tur kunna bidra till känslan av att inte vara i stånd att (gemensamt) kunna påverka ’verkligheten’ som kommuniceras till oss via nyhets medierna.

<p>Due to the nature of human experience every person is deemed to understand ‘reality’ in relative terms. Even though one might not always realize that in everyday life I think the appreciation of that phenomenon is vital to a study about audience relations towards the newsmedia. Abstract information may be felt to be different from concrete experiences. It can nevertheless become part of our convictions about reality.The present study asks the following questions: How do we relate to the news media as provider of such information? Are we aware of the impact a news source can have on our understanding of the world? Why do we attend to news media in the first place? In this study I will present social psychological theories which help to understand why ‘reality’ is a relative phenomenon connected to human experience, shaped by depictions and grasped selectively. The interview study with ten voluntary participants shall shed some light on real persons’ attempts to nevertheless try to come to terms with things “going on in the world.” The findings suggest that the relation towards the news media is marked by a focus on a specific aspect of the relation: the information given, the position of the attending person wanting to be informed, or the news media conduct which can be seen quite critical.The reasons for gathering information are also diverse. For example personal grounds can be prevailing, interest in other people, or the conviction that information is the foundation for joint action, while aiming towards change for the better. Accordingly some evidence was found that it would be preferable if the news media cut down on negativity concerning their reporting that could for instance lead to feelings of apathy. Sometimes elaborate opinions were uttered about in how far events reported about could be seen as ‘representative’ in comparison to what is felt to be the underlying ‘reality’. Regarding ideas about the news media audience in general, no greater trust in other people’s willingness to make an effort to see beyond the immediate information given was found. This mentally distancing from other people could in turn contribute to the feeling of not being ableto (collectively) impact ‘the reality’ that is communicated via the news media.</p> / <p>Människan upplever verkligheten på ett relativt sätt. Även om man inte alltid är medveten om det i det vardagliga livet är det viktigt att förstå detta fenomen om man har att göra med en studie kring publikens relation till nyhets medier. Information från abstrakta källor kan upplevas vara annorlunda än konkreta erfarenheter. Men denna information kan ändå bli endel av ens uppfattningar om verkligheten. Denna studie ställer följande frågor: Hur relaterar vi till nyhets medier som förmedlare av sådan abstrakt information? Är vi medvetna om våra nyhetskällors inflytande på vår förståelse av världen? Varför ägnar vi oss överhuvud taget åt inhämtandet av nyheter? Studien är både teoretisk och empirisk till sin karaktär. Den presenterar socialpsykologiska teorier som kan bidra till en förståelse av varför ’verkligheten’ är ett relativt fenomen, förbunden med människors erfarenheter, utformad enligt (media)rapporteringens formgivning och logik och förstådd på ett selektivt sätt. En intervjustudie med tio frivilliga deltagare syftar till att belysa verkliga personers försök att hantera ”vad som pågår i världen”. Resultaten visar att olika aspekter är viktiga för förståelsen av människors relation till nyhets medierna: informationen som ges, förväntningar av den som letar efter information, eller en kritisk syn på hur nyhets medier sköter sitt jobb. Enligt de intervjuade finns olika skäl till att samla in information om omvärlden. Huvudanledningen uppgavs vara personliga anledningar, intresse för andra personer, eller övertygelsen att information är basen för gemensam handling, om man vill åstadkomma positiv förändring. I intervjuerna framkom det även att många intervjupersoner var kritiska till att nyhets medier ofta fokuserar på negativa händelser. Detta ansågs kunna leda till känslor av apati. Några av de intervjuade uttryckte även genomtänkta idéer om hur pass ’representativa’ de rapporterade nyhetsinslagen är (eller kan vara) för vad som anses vara den bakomliggande ’verkligheten’. Nyhets mediernas publik ansågs inte vara kritiskt nog för att mer djupgående kunna tänka igenom nyhetsinslagen. Denna åsikt uttrycktes oftast i samband med reflektioner om andra personer. Detta mentala fjärmandet från andra personer sades i sin tur kunna bidra till känslan av att inte vara i stånd att (gemensamt) kunna påverka ’verkligheten’ som kommuniceras till oss via nyhets medierna.</p>

This thesis studies women politicians’ journey along the path from candidates to elected representatives in party list proportional representation (PR list) systems. While past literature provides sufficient evidence that more women are elected in proportional electoral systems than in majority / plurality systems, there is limited research explaining the differences in women’s representation across varying types of PR list systems. This thesis aims to fill that gap, by focusing primarily on the election of women across preferential (open and ordered list systems) and non-preferential (closed list systems) PR list voting systems. Moreover, unlike the vast majority of previous research, which has relied on aggregate level data only, this research investigates the election of women at the individual candidate level. Such an approach allows the present thesis to consider, next to traditional aggregate level predictors, how party gatekeepers and the news media may either support or hinder women in progressing from candidates to elected representatives. Since the focus is set on the 2009 European Parliament elections, this thesis investigates the process of electing women cross-nationally. The results show that female candidates have a higher likelihood of being elected in non-preferential closed list voting systems than in preferential ordered list voting systems. The results suggest that this is the case because, first, party gatekeepers in ordered list systems place women in less viable electoral list positions than party gatekeepers in closed list systems; second, media cover female candidates less in ordered list systems compared to closed list systems; and finally, female candidates in ordered list systems fail to make up their less competitive starting position with preference votes because preference votes in ordered list systems do not significantly alter the initial party list rankings.

The majority of earlier studies on media and the environment have concentrated on media contents, effects, and associated problems and limitations. The focus here on 'approaches to improvement' advances research in this field a step forward. This research proposes three broad 'approaches to improvemen' and undertakes four case studies to provide an exploration of their potentials. First is the 'educational approach' of building journalists' knowledge. Two cases studies illustrate the high potentials of this approach. Assessment of a mid-career training initiative in environmental reporting reveals positive impacts on journalists' knowledge, reporting skills, and job satisfaction. Evaluation of a university journalism module on sustainability shows increases in students' understanding of the meaning and multidimensional nature of sustainability, and their appreciation of the need for enhancing public awareness through media coverage. Second is the 'social responsibility approach' of media receptiveness towards a more responsible role in communicating these issues. An analysis of newspersons' views reveals partial support for this approach – although they were somewhat unreceptive to media environmental policies as a way of expressing social responsibility, they tended to be receptive towards an educative role. However, journalistic routines and norms may restrict an educative approach to news reporting. Third is the 'message framing approach' of employing effective and persuasive communication strategies in the framing of mediated information to influence understanding and perception. An experimental assessment of an information campaign on 'sustainable consumption', designed based on this approach finds some increases in community understanding and concern; thus, illustrating the potentials of this approach. Finally, drawing from the findings of the case studies and other observations in the literature the study identifies the interdependencies between the three approaches and the interconnected network of other influencing factors that are likely to determine their success – thus providing a clearer perspective of their viability in the real world.

This comparative research looks at intermedia agenda-setting effects between Internet bulletin boards and traditional news media, such as daily newspapers and broadcasting, in both the United States and Korea. By examining this intermedia relationship and the flow of influence by Internet bulletin boards on traditional media during presidential campaigns in the two countries, this dissertation study attempts to extend our knowledge of intermedia agenda-setting research. In addition, it also investigates, in reverse, the effects of daily newspapers and broadcasting on Internet bulletin boards. Finally, attention is given to different types of discussion cultures in the two countries. Results of this dissertation research indicated that there are intermedia relationships between Internet bulletin boards and traditional news media, such as newspapers and broadcasting, at the first and second levels of agenda setting using cross-lagged correlation comparisons. More specifically, at the first level of agenda setting in the United States, the results explained only the influence of newspapers on Netizen opinions posted on Internet bulletin boards. In summary, the results concerning issue agenda in the United States indicate that the U.S. Netizen concentrates more on the issue agenda of newspapers than of broadcasting. In the second level of agenda setting in the United States, cross-lagged correlation comparisons not only indicated the influence of both newspapers and broadcasting on opinions posted on Internet bulletin boards, but they also clarified it in this research. Formerly, there was no attempt to examine attributes of the intermedia agenda-setting functions of the U.S. media. This research now provides an explanation of the apparent relationship between traditional media and the Internet. At the first level of agenda setting in Korea, the result of the cross-lagged correlation suggested that Korean newspaper and broadcasting issue agenda influenced Netizen opinions on Internet bulletin boards. As the result of second-level agenda setting in Korea showed earlier, cross-lagged correlation comparisons presented intermedia agenda-setting functions between both newspapers and broadcasting, and Internet bulletin boards with each other. These findings contrast with results in the United States. / text

This report is an in-depth analysis of the media coverage of the 1999 collapse of the Texas A&M Bonfire. The report also provides insight, through extensive interviews with journalists involved in the coverage, of how reporters handle the personal emotions associated with tragedy reporting. Through the interviews, I paint a picture of what it was like to arrive on the scene in College Station on Nov. 19, 1999 and detail some of the different strategies and philosophies journalists used to cover the event. The final part of the report is dedicated to exploring the relationship between media and communities in tragedy. The Bonfire collapse and the Columbine school shootings in Littleton, Colo., serve as case studies to analyze the effect of media on a community and vice versa. To conclude, the report attempts to paint a picture of the reality of the Bonfire coverage – its difficulties, its successes and, in some areas, where the media failed. / text

The author gives an in-depth look into nonprofit journalism, particularly in the form of online media. The report is divided into four sections. The first section provides a general overview of the online nonprofit news landscape and a brief discussion of why news organizations are looking to it as a possible model for sustainable news in the future. The profiles of specific nonprofit online news organizations begin with section two and an examination of ProPublica. Section three looks at the Texas Tribune. Section four looks at the Austin Post. / text

Despite a rising democratic defict in dominant Canadian media they continue to hold much influce on policy-makers, government officials and citizens. While some scholars argue that recent advancements in communication technology change the dynamics of media production, making it more accessible, others argue that online media reflects what occurs offline. To test which position is correct, this thesis compares dominant and alternative news media websites. Overall, it appears that online media practices are a reflection of offline media. At best, alternative media adopt a hybrid model of production where they chose to selectively incorporate dominant media practices in the aim to meet the goals of alternative media.

This thesis explores the role of media in the lives of live-in caregivers in Montréal by looking at two Filipino newspapers and mainstream news coverage on Filipinas and the Philippines. While Filipino newspapers elaborate Filipino identity and speak back to stereotypes in mainstream news, their impact is curtailed by limited distribution and content range. Live-in caregivers in Montréal were selected as a special audience group through which to examine media representations of Filipinos because they are ‘othered’ through interlocking processes of gender and race. The live-in caregiver program (LCP), through which they migrate to Canada, lays bare the price that third world women immigrants are asked to pay for citizenship rights in Canada. LCP work is often underpaid, demeaning, and exploitative. Examining the lives and media habits of LCP workers ethnographically breaks new ground in studies of both domestic work and minorities and media in Canada.