Suchergebnisse

AbstractWhile media coverage is a main aim of celebrities' societal engagement, academic analysis of its news-making ability is scarce. As a diverse phenomenon, we argue that the ability of celebrities' societal engagement to attract media attention depends on how certain characteristics (i.e., celebrities' claim to fame, roles they take on and issues they support) fit news selection criteria to a greater or lesser extent. First, this article determines how the three studied components (claim to fame, role and issue) relate to each other by means of an internet search and analysis. Second, using the internet data as a benchmark, the article looks at how celebrities' engagement is covered in Flemish newspapers. Results suggest that certain forms of celebrities' societal engagement are more likely than others to generate media coverage, as Flemish newspapers tend to focus more on the issue of development aid, ad hoc celebrity roles, and local Flemish celebrities and issues.

This study examines and evaluates the representation of ethnocultural diversity in non-fiction TV programmes broadcasted by the Flemish (Belgian Dutch-speaking) public service broadcaster VRT in the 2016-2017 TV season. A qualitative content analysis of a sample comprising 36 clips and episodes of 14 non-fiction programmes was supplemented by four focus group interviews with a total of 12 participants belonging to different ethnocultural minorities. The findings suggest that despite several measures undertaken by the VRT, the representation of ethnocultural minorities is still unbalanced and biased in at least three ways: first, in presenting minorities as homogeneous groups rather than highlighting intragroup differences; second, in "typecasting" people with a migration background thematically, i.e., for items on topics and issues related to their ethnocultural identity; and, third, in portraying and approaching minorities from a dominant group perspective. The article ends with the recommendation for public service media to further improve ethnocultural diversity in the workforce and to encourage their journalists and TV producers to reconsider their 'professional pragmatics' in order to increase their ethnocultural sensitivity and better manage the representation of super-diversity in their programmes.

AbstractThe characteristics and scope of media concentration are of great concern to media and communication studies, especially in relation to media diversity and pluralism, considered key in democratic societies. However, to date, there have been few analyses of audiences' knowledge of media ownership. This contribution explores knowledge of media ownership structures, and how it relates to media use and socio-demographics amongst a representative online sample of the Flemish population (