Research Publication Roundup: February 2020
A vibrant and collaborative interdisciplinary research culture at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media creates new knowledge, advances scholarship and helps reinvent media.
Professor Seth Noar, along with Ph.D. candidate Josh Barker and Ph.D. student Jacob Rohde, recently published a meta-analysis of 57 studies conducted in 13 countries to clarify the role that risk appraisals play in the impact of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs. More details on this study are listed below, along with a list of other recently published or presented scholarship by UNC Hussman faculty and students.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
This paper presents two case studies of Facebook’s rapid changes relating to international electoral politics: the “I’m a Voter” affordance and the platform’s data and targeting capabilities. The article shows how Facebook changed with respect to its policies, procedures and affordances, especially given pressure exerted by journalists. Drawing from these case studies, the authors conceptualize continual and rapid change as “platform transience” and argue that it often arises from external pressure and economic considerations. Platform transience has significant implications for the ability of stakeholders to hold platforms accountable, raises significant issues for electoral fairness and increases the potential for unequal political information environments.
This research article examined the perception of reporters and news managers at local television stations in the U.S. regarding “solo journalism"—the work practice in which a single reporter is expected to gather information, write, shoot video and edit their news stories on their own rather than with a traditional news crew. Using data gathered from two separate, but linked surveys—one of news managers (N = 159) and one of front-line journalists (N = 222)—results show journalists and news directors recognized that solo journalism will be integral to the future of television news. However, journalists are generally more pessimistic about the causes and benefits of solo journalism than news directors, and news directors admitted that they must use solo journalists differently than news crews.
Pictorial warnings on cigarette packs motivate smokers to quit, and yet the mechanisms behind these warnings are not clearly understood. To clarify the role that risk appraisals play in the impact of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of the experimental literature. They meta-analyzed 57 studies conducted in 13 countries, with a sample of 42,854. Pictorial warnings elicited more thought about the risks of smoking than text-only warnings, and elicited more fear and other negative emotions. In contrast, pictorial warnings had no impact on perceived likelihood of harm, perceived severity or experiential risk. Thus, while pictorial warnings increase emotional and some cognitive risk appraisals, they do not increase beliefs about disease risk.
Social and physical isolation, gender roles, cultural values and poverty associated with the Appalachian region of the U.S. may shape how domestic violence is identified, discussed and addressed. This analysis identifies framing devices, sourcing and mobilizing information within domestic violence news coverage across Appalachia, and compares coverage in three “economic status” regions marked by higher rates of poverty and unemployment. Societal and statistical context was rarely included. Police sources were present in 80% of articles, while victim advocates were cited in 8% of coverage and victims’ own voices were even more obscured. Around 10% of news stories contained some type of mobilizing information such as for hotlines or shelter information.
CONFERENCES
23rd Annual International Public Relations Research Conference
March 5–7, 2020 | Orlando, Florida
Chung, S., & Lee, S. (2020). How to combat fake news on social media? Effective strategies for responding to misinformation on an organization. Paper to be presented at the International Public Relations Research Conference, Orlando, Florida.
Kim, S., Austin, L., & Gaither, B. M. (2020, March). Corporate social advocacy and perceived corporate hypocrisy. Paper to be presented at the International Public Relations Research Conference, Orlando, Florida.
2020 Annual International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference
March 9–11, 2020 | Orlando, Florida
Eaddy, L., Austin, L., Lu, X., & Jin, Y. (2020, March). True or false: How parents decide to seek, vet, or share infectious disease outbreak information. Paper to be presented at the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference, Orlando, Florida.
Liu, B., Jin, Y., Austin, L., Kuligowski, E., & Young, C. (2020, March). Advancing crisis communication effectiveness: Integrating crisis communication and social media scholarship with practice. Paper to be presented at the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference, Orlando, Florida.
2020 Joint Journalism and Communication History Conference
March 14, 2020 | New York City, New York
Linford, A. (2020, March). Rivington revisited: A second look at James Rivington, American Revolution’s “Tory” printer. Paper to be presented at the 2020 Joint Journalism and Communication History Conference, New York City, New York.