Theodora A . Maniou
University of Cyprus, Social and Political Sciences, Faculty Member
- Communication, Media, Development communication, Media Studies, Media Literacy, Media Education, and 26 moreAlternate Media, Media Research, Social Communication, Media Impact and Effects and Usages, Social Media, Television Studies, Cyprus Studies, Infotainment, Tabloidization, Social Sciences, New Media, Digital Media, Politics, Mass Communication, Online Journalism, Media History, Networks, Media and Culture, News Analysis, News ethics, Television Journalism, Visual Culture, Mass media, Newswork, Cyprus, and Journalismedit
- Dr Theodora Maniou is an Assistant Professor in Journalism at the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Univer... moreDr Theodora Maniou is an Assistant Professor in Journalism at the Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cyprus. She holds a PhD in Journalism (School of Journalism and Media Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece), an MA in Communications Policy Studies (CITY, University of London, UK), and a BA in Journalism and Media (School of Journalism and Media Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece). She has worked for several years as a journalist and is a member of the International Federation of Journalists, the European Federation of Journalists and the Macedonia-Thrace (Greece) Journalistic Union.edit
Based on a qualitative analysis of news posts on traditional media Facebook pages, this work seeks to explore the way(s) in which established news organisations in the United Kingdom use their social media accounts in times of extreme... more
Based on a qualitative analysis of news posts on traditional media Facebook pages, this work seeks to explore the way(s) in which established news organisations in the United Kingdom use their social media accounts in times of extreme crisis. Specifically, we seek to assess what (other) types of news are publicised through social media beyond those related to the crisis itself. Findings show that wellrespected international news organisations choose to post news items that aim to (a) distract from a bleak reality, (b) suggest ways to cope with new challenges and (c) create a community to alleviate the sense of loneliness. We argue that social media posts about the 'rest of the news' in times of crisis do much more than emphasise the 'softer' aspects of the crisis; they attempt to deliver another kind of message that there are ways to cope with adversity and that, eventually, things will work out.
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This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents provided evidence about their own self-promotion on social media while assessing other users' personal salience online. Furthermore, they... more
This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents provided evidence about their own self-promotion on social media while assessing other users' personal salience online. Furthermore, they provided evidence about their own reactions toward other people's personal salience. The study shows that respondents display affective, perceptional, as well as behavioral reactions toward other people's online visibility. Demographic characteristics along with certain types of control variables are associated with individuals' personal salience. Although transferring personal salience constitutes a segmented social media influence, this survey shows that it is recognized as a widespread objective and priority by ordinary individuals.
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This study focuses on contributing to the emerging international research agenda regarding press freedom, moving beyond the already established factors that relate to political and industrial norms as influences on press freedom. Its... more
This study focuses on contributing to the emerging international research agenda regarding press freedom, moving beyond the already established factors that relate to political and industrial norms as influences on press freedom. Its primary goal is to explore the dynamics of influence on press freedom in different media systems of the western world based on a quantitative analysis of data for 2008–2019 in 16 countries. Findings indicate that press freedom in democratic countries is severely challenged and in certain deeply worrying cases, it is steadily declining, whereas factors that influence this decline appear to be common in different, even contradictory, media systems. In addition, by examining the dynamics of influence on press freedom in different media systems, this work attempts to partially contribute to the discussion on the evolution of western media systems as regards their relationship with press freedom.
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Based on the emerging argument that understandings of digital content comprising both editorial and advertising components require alternative cultures for critical inquiry sufficiently sensitive to the online news environment, this study... more
Based on the emerging argument that understandings of digital content comprising both editorial and advertising components require alternative cultures for critical inquiry sufficiently sensitive to the online news environment, this study assesses the professional practice of balancing news and sponsored (commercial) information while focusing on preserving traditional journalism values within the realm of reasoned discussions of media ethics. The research is based on qualitative content analysis: different forms of sponsored editorial content published in global media digital platforms are examined and inductive content analysis is employed.
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This article presents an overview of the role of the media in nationalism and identity-shaping in post-crisis societies experiencing conflict, focusing on the impact of the recent economic crisis on diversity in political news reporting.... more
This article presents an overview of the role of the media in nationalism and identity-shaping in post-crisis societies experiencing conflict, focusing on the impact of the recent economic crisis on diversity in political news reporting. The research is based on a time series analysis (2000–2019) of diversity in traditional and online political news reporting, framed by a thematic analysis of journalists’ interviews. Cyprus is used as a case-study, as an example of a ‘divided’ country. Findings suggest that news diversity in societies experiencing conflict significantly reduced after the economic crisis in traditional media but increased in online media. At the same time, representations of nationalism in the news media seem to be taking alternative directions. The study challenges the way(s) in which media history is read in post-crisis societies experiencing conflict where the media play a significant role in assessing notions of togetherness as opposed to images of separatism.
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In the era of big data, within the intense environment of social media, the effective communication of cultural heritage initiatives is considered of equal or—in some cases—even greater importance than heritage data themselves. Media and... more
In the era of big data, within the intense environment of social media, the effective
communication of cultural heritage initiatives is considered of equal or—in some cases—even greater
importance than heritage data themselves. Media and journalists play a critical and in some cases
conflicting role in audience engagement and the sustainable promotion of cultural heritage narratives
within the social media environment. The aim of this study was to assess the role of media and
journalists in propagating cultural heritage news through social media platforms, and the narratives
they tend to create in the digital public sphere. A qualitative approach is employed as a means of
examining in-depth specific narratives, their meaning(s) and connotation(s), using semantic analysis.
communication of cultural heritage initiatives is considered of equal or—in some cases—even greater
importance than heritage data themselves. Media and journalists play a critical and in some cases
conflicting role in audience engagement and the sustainable promotion of cultural heritage narratives
within the social media environment. The aim of this study was to assess the role of media and
journalists in propagating cultural heritage news through social media platforms, and the narratives
they tend to create in the digital public sphere. A qualitative approach is employed as a means of
examining in-depth specific narratives, their meaning(s) and connotation(s), using semantic analysis.
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Civic engagement is essential to democracy in the sense that it secures social justice for all genders. To this end, understanding data, and more importantly Big Data, is very important in the area of gender studies, and is a powerful... more
Civic engagement is essential to democracy in the sense that it secures social justice for all genders. To this end, understanding data, and more importantly Big Data, is very important in the area of gender studies, and is a powerful tool in promoting improved civic engagement for women. This entry presents an overview of the challenges, problems, and opportunities of Big Data in the field of civic engagement and gender equality through online and offline communication.
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The use of chatbots in news media platforms, although relatively recent, offers many advantages to journalists and media professionals and, at the same time, facilitates users' interaction with useful and timely information. This study... more
The use of chatbots in news media platforms, although relatively recent, offers many advantages to journalists and media professionals and, at the same time, facilitates users' interaction with useful and timely information. This study shows the usability of a news chatbot during a crisis situation, employing the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. The basic targets of the research are to design and implement a chatbot in a news media platform with a twofold aim in regard to evaluation: first, the technical effort of creating a functional and robust news chatbot in a crisis situation both from the AI perspective and interoperability with other platforms, which constitutes the novelty of the approach; and second, users' perception regarding the appropriation of this news chatbot as an alternative means of accessing existing information during a crisis situation. The chatbot designed was evaluated in terms of effectively fulfilling the social responsibility function of crisis reporting, to deliver timely and accurate information on the COVID-19 pandemic to a wide audience. In this light, this study shows the advantages of implementing chatbots in news platforms during a crisis situation, when the audience's needs for timely and accurate information rapidly increase.
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Media Studies, New Media, Journalism, Multimedia, and 9 moreCrisis communication and management, Crisis Communication, Multimedia Communications, Robotic Journalism, Online Gatekeeping, The future of news, Chatbots, Journalism And Mass communication, News Analysis, and COVID-19 PANDEMIC
In the evolving news media landscape, the proliferation of user-generated content in online news outlets and social media platforms has triggered changes in traditional processes and relationships. However, the coexistence of professional... more
In the evolving news media landscape, the proliferation of user-generated content in online news outlets and social media platforms has triggered changes in traditional processes and relationships. However, the coexistence of professional and amateur content raises a wide range of matters. Misinformation is one of the main problems faced by media organizations during the exploitation of huge amounts of data. In order to ensure the quality of the content, journalists use control methods and perform fact-checking not only on their own, but also by engaging users. By offering an examination of key issues arising from UGC research, this article seeks to focus on the application of participatory practices in fact-checking. In addition to more traditional methods, the webbased platform of Truly Media, which supports collaborative verification, is used as a case-study.
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The need for journalism educators to critically reflect on social, economic, and technological global changes has been on the agenda since the early 2000s. In this era of disruption, digitalization offers new possibilities by using the... more
The need for journalism educators to critically reflect on social, economic, and technological global changes has been on the agenda since the early 2000s. In this era of disruption, digitalization offers new possibilities by using the internet, its platforms, and its ability to create new forms of training. This piece presents ways in which a new journalism education model can be implemented to better train student journalists.
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This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Using the Greek-Cypriot press as a case study, we contrast news reporting during 2013 (after the onset of the banking crisis) to the preceding... more
This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Using the Greek-Cypriot press as a case study, we contrast news reporting during 2013 (after the onset of the banking crisis) to the preceding year. In the course of the study, both quantitative and qualitative analytical methods are employed; formal content analysis used to investigate the occurrence of various infotainment features in news stories, and framing analysis to explore how these are established. This study shows a significant rise of infotainment characteristics in the news during times of crisis, while in new items/reportages where infotainment characteristics are present, stories seem to be presented in predominantly humanitarian frames, indicating an effort to present hard and soft news in a socially relevant manner. Although a significant increase in its occurrence is observed after the onset of the banking crisis, infotainment does not become a dominant, or even a major, journalistic type.
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Sports and especially football have often become a field for political conflict in several societies around the world. In Cyprus the history of football follows the overwhelming history of the country, since, during the twentieth century... more
Sports and especially football have often become a field for political conflict in several societies around the world. In Cyprus the history of football follows the overwhelming history of the country, since, during the twentieth century and until today, the political events that take place in the island are often depicted within the football fields. Mass media and especially newspapers developed a crucial role and several times this role resulted in the deterioration of the already strained situation. The article examines the history of the Cypriot football in accordance to the political history of the country along the twentieth century, focusing on the turbulent period 1948–1953, as depicted through the newspapers, through Discourse Analysis. The aim of this research is to present the various ways in which football became an important field for political conflict and the role of the press in this situation.
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Τα τελευταία χρόνια ο πρωταγωνιστικός ρόλος της τηλεόρασης ως βασική πηγή κατανάλωσης οπτικοακουστικών παραγωγών αμφισβητείται, καθώς το Διαδίκτυο και η ψηφιακή τεχνολογία έχουν αλλάξει τον τρόπο που καταναλώνεται οπτικοακουστικό... more
Τα τελευταία χρόνια ο πρωταγωνιστικός ρόλος της τηλεόρασης ως βασική πηγή κατανάλωσης οπτικοακουστικών παραγωγών αμφισβητείται, καθώς το Διαδίκτυο και η ψηφιακή τεχνολογία έχουν αλλάξει τον τρόπο που καταναλώνεται οπτικοακουστικό περιεχόμενο. Νέες συνήθειες θέασης έχουν ανακύψει, οι οποίες καθορίζουν τον τρόπο διαχείρισης οπτικοακουστικού περιεχομένου, ενώ μέρος του κοινού έχει μετακινηθεί από την οθόνη της τηλεόρασης στην οθόνη του Διαδικτύου. Από την πλευρά της, η αγορά ψάχνει τρόπους να συμβαδίσει με αυτές τις νέες τάσεις, ώστε να μπορέσει να ικανοποιήσει τις απαιτήσεις τόσο των θεατών-καταναλωτών, όσο και των διαφημιστών. Στο άρθρο αυτό διερευνάται ο τρόπος με τον οποίο καταναλώνεται η συμβατική και διαδικτυακή οπτικοακουστική παραγωγή από το κοινό αλλά και η νέα σχέση που διαμορφώνεται μεταξύ τηλεόρασης και Διαδικτύου. Η έρευνα αυτή επιδιώκει να εξάγει χρήσιμα συμπεράσματα σχετικά με το τι ζητάει το κοινό στην τηλεόραση και το Διαδίκτυο, ώστε να προσδιοριστούν οι παγιωμένες τακτικές θέασης και τα οφέλη της διαδραστικής παραγωγής.
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Maniou, Th. (2014). 'The evolution of Political News in the Greek Television: An empirical research approach in the audience's views during the first decade of the 21st century'. In: Doulkeri, T. (ed.) From Television to the New Media - The Greek reality. Athens: Papazisis Publications, pp.143-182.more
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Η παγκόσμια οικονομική κρίση, που ξέσπασε στις ΗΠΑ το 2008, ταρακούνησε το διεθνές σύστημα. Μια δεκαετία μετά ο παγκόσμιος καπιταλισμός δείχνει να έχει βρει νέες ισορροπίες, ενώ και η Ευρώπη δείχνει να αναρρώνει. Στην Ευρώπη η κρίση... more
Η παγκόσμια οικονομική κρίση, που ξέσπασε στις ΗΠΑ το 2008, ταρακούνησε το διεθνές σύστημα. Μια δεκαετία μετά ο παγκόσμιος καπιταλισμός δείχνει να έχει βρει νέες ισορροπίες, ενώ και η Ευρώπη δείχνει να αναρρώνει. Στην Ευρώπη η κρίση μετεξελίχθηκε σε κρίση δημοσίου χρέους και τραπεζική κρίση με πέντε χώρες να ζητούν εξωτερική βοήθεια: Ελλάδα, Ιρλανδία, Πορτογαλία, Κύπρο και Ισπανία. Η κρίση και η ύφεση που ακολούθησε έπληξε την ευρωζώνη και επηρέασε όλους τους τομείς της οικονομικής δραστηριότητας.
Η τουριστική βιομηχανία αποτελεί μια ιδιαίτερη περίπτωση. Καταρχήν, ο τομέας επηρεάστηκε λόγω του περιορισμού των εισοδημάτων αλλά την ίδια ώρα αποτέλεσε και μια συνιστώσα της επιστροφής στην ανάπτυξη για τις χώρες του νότου, συμπεριλαμβανομένης και της Ελλάδας. Εξετάζοντας την περίπτωση της Ελλάδας η ανανέωση του τουριστικού προϊόντος συνέπεσε με την έκρηξη των νέων μέσων, τα οποία και προσέφεραν νέες δυνατότητες ανάπτυξης των τουριστικών προορισμών.
Το κεφάλαιο αυτό παρουσιάζει τη σχέση του τουρισμού με την οικονομία στην περίπτωση της Ελλάδας και εξετάζει τους τρόπους με τους οποίους τα νέα μέσα μπορούν να βοηθήσουν στη διαμόρφωση μιας σταθερής πολιτικής ανάπτυξης προορισμών. Η ανάλυση δείχνει πώς, ιδιαίτερα στην εποχή της οικονομικής κρίσης, ο τουρισμός μπορεί να λειτουργήσει ως παράγοντας προστιθέμενης αξίας με στόχο την ενίσχυση των εθνικών πολιτικών αλλά και την επικοινωνιακή προβολή θεμάτων και αξιών, προς όφελος ενός κράτους.
Η τουριστική βιομηχανία αποτελεί μια ιδιαίτερη περίπτωση. Καταρχήν, ο τομέας επηρεάστηκε λόγω του περιορισμού των εισοδημάτων αλλά την ίδια ώρα αποτέλεσε και μια συνιστώσα της επιστροφής στην ανάπτυξη για τις χώρες του νότου, συμπεριλαμβανομένης και της Ελλάδας. Εξετάζοντας την περίπτωση της Ελλάδας η ανανέωση του τουριστικού προϊόντος συνέπεσε με την έκρηξη των νέων μέσων, τα οποία και προσέφεραν νέες δυνατότητες ανάπτυξης των τουριστικών προορισμών.
Το κεφάλαιο αυτό παρουσιάζει τη σχέση του τουρισμού με την οικονομία στην περίπτωση της Ελλάδας και εξετάζει τους τρόπους με τους οποίους τα νέα μέσα μπορούν να βοηθήσουν στη διαμόρφωση μιας σταθερής πολιτικής ανάπτυξης προορισμών. Η ανάλυση δείχνει πώς, ιδιαίτερα στην εποχή της οικονομικής κρίσης, ο τουρισμός μπορεί να λειτουργήσει ως παράγοντας προστιθέμενης αξίας με στόχο την ενίσχυση των εθνικών πολιτικών αλλά και την επικοινωνιακή προβολή θεμάτων και αξιών, προς όφελος ενός κράτους.
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Book review: Violence in Cypriot Television, by Stelios Stylianou
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In this study the emerging processes of news consumption among young adults of the post-millennial generation are explored. New forms of journalism, such as video journalism, interactive journalism, multimedia journalism, long form and... more
In this study the emerging processes of news consumption among young adults of the post-millennial generation are explored. New forms of journalism, such as video journalism, interactive journalism, multimedia journalism, long form and slow journalism are presented along with their impact on the aforementioned audience. To support the theory on behavioral patterns of online news usage, a focus group among English speaking university students, majoring in journalism was conducted in Greek and Cypriot Universities. Furthermore, the interactive reporting series “NSA files: decoded” was used as a case study, to answer whether experimental forms like interactive reporting is compatible with the needs of the generation under study. In general young adults in this research stated that they prefer traditional form of reporting rather than interactive. It seems that as interactivity is getting more and more present, the less coherent the narration becomes. Even though young adults are known as active learners, they prefer a strong narrative to an interactive template. That sparks a debate about what the future of journalism would be.
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This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents provided evidence about their own self-promotion on social media while assessing other users’ personal salience online. Furthermore, they... more
This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents provided evidence about their own self-promotion on social media while assessing other users’ personal salience online. Furthermore, they provided evidence about their own reactions toward other people’s personal salience. The study shows that respondents display affective, perceptional, as well as behavioral reactions toward other people’s online visibility. Demographic characteristics along with certain types of control variables are associated with individuals’ personal salience. Although transferring personal salience constitutes a segmented social media influence, this survey shows that it is recognized as a widespread objective and priority by ordinary individuals.
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This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media platforms during the first phase of the global pandemic crisis (the first semester of 2020). The focus of the study is to enhance our... more
This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media platforms during the first phase of the global pandemic crisis (the first semester of 2020). The focus of the study is to enhance our understanding of the selection criteria for science-related news content posted on social media platforms. Our approach takes into consideration the evolving technological environment of these platforms and the new relationships between media professionals and social media users. Our findings indicate that, under specific circumstances, scientific discoveries may be prioritized in the selection of news stories. We also suggest specific additions to the framework proposed by Harcup and O’Neil (2017), indicating that news stories during crisis situations are more internationally oriented, where audience proximity is created not around “nearby” events but those occurring in other countries around the world. In times of crisis, the main target of news stories i...
Research Interests: Communication, Media Studies, Journalism, Political Science, Public Relations, and 13 morePolitics, Social Media, Online Journalism, Science journalism, Journalism Studies, Facebook Studies, Newspapers and online journalism, Journalism And Mass communication, Digital communication and society, News Analysis, Comunicación y sociedad, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Research Interests: Psychology, Journalism, Agenda Setting, Mortality Salience, Newspaper, and 15 moreNews Media, Disinformation, Salience, Agenda Setting Theory, Media Watch, Media Content, Mainstream, Media Agenda Setting, Fake News, Satirical Fake News, Media Disinformation, Postformal Leadership for Millennials, Fake News Marketing, Fake News Phenomenon, and Fakes News
This article examines significant changes in the television news industry, from 2015 until 2019, a period characterized by a severe financial crisis that swept throughout the country, bringing to the forefront of the Greek public sphere,... more
This article examines significant changes in the television news industry, from 2015 until 2019, a period characterized by a severe financial crisis that swept throughout the country, bringing to the forefront of the Greek public sphere, new political voices of both the right and the left. Using secondary data to examine media ownership patterns, we adopted a political economic approach to highlight the ways in which television news have adopted a populist outlook that has its origins in similar practices in the 1980s political and media contexts, while reviewing and assessing long-term interactions between media (television) industries and the political system.
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This study examines agenda setting in the context of Greek politics while assessing constructs of salience evolving through new journalism trends and advances in digital media. Through an exploration of the rise of Alexis Tsipras and his... more
This study examines agenda setting in the context of Greek politics while assessing constructs of salience evolving through new journalism trends and advances in digital media. Through an exploration of the rise of Alexis Tsipras and his party, SYRIZA, the authors investigate emerging indices of salience as predictors of public salience. Along with mainstream media salience and conventional public salience, the authors generate evidence on mediated trends and word-of-mouth salience. Although there is evidence of the evolving nature of salience derived from all indices under scrutiny, word-of-mouth salience registered as the most significant predictor of Tsipras’ public approval.
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With the advent of Web 2.0, new forms of journalism arose, paving the way for the implementation of computational and automatization processes in all aspects of mass communication. As such, chatbots have already been adapted in the news... more
With the advent of Web 2.0, new forms of journalism arose, paving the way for the implementation of computational and automatization processes in all aspects of mass communication. As such, chatbots have already been adapted in the news media platforms bringing forward a series of issues and effects upon journalistic narrative, content and professional practices. This paper presents the role of chatbots and their characteristics, discusses the application of different types of chatbots in the news media and presents a theoretical overview of the advantages and disadvantages regarding their adaptation in journalism, as well as key ethical concerns connected to the emergence of this new journalistic narrative.
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In the evolving news media landscape, the proliferation of user-generated content in online news outlets and social media platforms has triggered changes in traditional processes and relationships. However, the coexistence of professional... more
In the evolving news media landscape, the proliferation of user-generated content in online news outlets and social media platforms has triggered changes in traditional processes and relationships. However, the coexistence of professional and amateur content raises a wide range of matters. Misinformation is one of the main problems faced by media organizations during the exploitation of huge amounts of data. In order to ensure the quality of the content, journalists use control methods and perform fact-checking not only on their own, but also by engaging users. By offering an examination of key issues arising from UGC research, this article seeks to focus on the application of participatory practices in fact-checking. In addition to more traditional methods, the web-based platform of Truly Media, which supports collaborative verification, is used as a case-study.
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The construction of reality which results from the manipulation of information has been a core issue for media theorists. The main feature of today's information is the construction of reality aiming at the creation of pleasant and... more
The construction of reality which results from the manipulation of information has been a core issue for media theorists. The main feature of today's information is the construction of reality aiming at the creation of pleasant and attractive information. One may argue that this manipulation of information its dissemination is the result of a shift of the central and vital focus of the media and especially the traditional ones, from the originality of the event, to its dynamic to produce income. This paper attempts to explore the above issue and additionally propose ways of escaping from the danger of the arbitrary construction of information by taking advantage of the model of digital information, examining, at the same time, its limitations. In this perspective, the essay takes into account, as a case study, the dissemination of information through the Cypriot television, examining in specific the public's opinion concerning the news.
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A theoretical idea of convergence between journalism and selfie photographs in a single framework led academic researchers to identify and examine a new tendency in journalism, which they termed selfie journalism. This chapter... more
A theoretical idea of convergence between journalism and selfie photographs in a single framework led academic researchers to identify and examine a new tendency in journalism, which they termed selfie journalism. This chapter investigates the relationship between selfie journalism and politics. Based on quantitative analysis, the authors seek to examine the uses and benefits of selfie journalism during elections. The aim of the study is twofold: first, to examine the use of selfie journalism in political campaigning and, second, to examine the impact of this phenomenon on the media.
Information mechanisms tend to adopt new forms in order to adjust their functions in the overwhelming power of the Web. The Television Vs Web 'competition' brings ahead several effects, especially when it comes to youngsters. The... more
Information mechanisms tend to adopt new forms in order to adjust their functions in the overwhelming power of the Web. The Television Vs Web 'competition' brings ahead several effects, especially when it comes to youngsters. The paper examines these effects and, through them, the differences in the information mechanisms (promoting and enhancing information gaining and opinions development) exploited by the two dominant mass media of the 21st century. The results indicate that the source of information (TV - Web) plays a minor role in the formation of critical arguments and highlight the importance to integrate the use of the two media.
Review of: Digital Democracy, Social Media and Disinformation, Petros Iosifidis and Nicholas Nicoli (2021) London and New York: Routledge, 172 pp., ISBN 978-0-36733-210-5, p/bk, $35.96
Research Interests: Psychology, Journalism, Agenda Setting, Mortality Salience, Disinformation, and 13 moreSalience, Agenda Setting Theory, Media Watch, Media Agenda Setting, Fake News, Satirical Fake News, Media Disinformation, Postformal Leadership for Millennials, Fake News Marketing, Fake News Phenomenon, Social Media and Fake News/Propaganda, Fakes News, and Strategic Communication and Disinformation
Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average. As Greek TV responds to the challenges of the streaming era, new paths are forged by young viewers/users. This article, based on a survey of... more
Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average. As Greek TV responds to the challenges of the streaming era, new paths are forged by young viewers/users. This article, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 students, attempts to characterise the viewing patterns of young audiences, who are early adopters and heavy consumers of streaming television. We argue that whereas young Greek media users favour streaming platforms, they value the social character of traditional television, which plays a prominent role in post-crisis Greece. Young media users’ screen behaviour can be described as mobility-centred and algorithmically naïve.
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From Ida Tarbell to Bob Woodward, journalists crusading for truth have bravely defended democracy from the incursions of corruption and undue influence despite being forced to live with the ‘consequences’ of their actions. In Cyprus, the... more
From Ida Tarbell to Bob Woodward, journalists crusading for truth have bravely defended democracy from the incursions of corruption and undue influence despite being forced to live with the ‘consequences’ of their actions. In Cyprus, the debt of major Cypriot banks and their financial bailout culminated in the banking crisis of March 2013. As expected, the crisis has altered modes of everyday life and the images with which it is depicted, leading most Cypriots to a different notion of reality. This article focuses on the examination of the news items published in the daily newspapers of the highest circulation with different political alignments in March 2013, during which the bailout and austerity measures were negotiated by the Cyprus government, the parliament and the Troica. Based on the concept of investigative journalism, the article particularly examines the model of watchdog journalism and the extent to which this model can be applied to the role performance of the Press in times of crisis. Using framing analysis, this article aims to examine the way(s) in which these negotiations were communicated to the public through the Press. By identifying the specific frames they used, we attempt to investigate the possible relation(s) of the specific representations to the political/ideological orientation of each newspaper. The initial research question for this study is the following: Did the orientation of the newspapers examined steer their coverage of the crisis in general and what is the link (if any) with watchdog journalism?
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In recent years, social networks have played a significant role during major crisis events as citizens use these networks to seek information, discuss and share personal news stories, while interacting with other users regarding issues... more
In recent years, social networks have played a significant role during major crisis events as citizens use these networks to seek information, discuss and share personal news stories, while interacting with other users regarding issues related to the perceived crisis. As a result, news content posted on social networks is of crucial importance since it can affect public opinion in various ways. The aim of this study is to assess dominant narratives generated through users’ reactions towards news content posted on Facebook so as to examine the role of Facebook during the global crisis of COVID-19. Drawing from different aspects of crisis communication theory and audience-centered studies, this work seeks to investigate the constructed meanings related to this crisis and interpret users’ understanding of news content posted on social networks. Content analysis is employed as a means to evaluate Facebook’s potential in (re)defining users’ narratives regarding issues related to CO...