Dr 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.
Based on a qualitative analysis of news posts on traditional media Facebook pages, this work seek... 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.
The issue of SLAPPs remains a largely understudied area in journalism studies. Limited academic w... more The issue of SLAPPs remains a largely understudied area in journalism studies. Limited academic work on the topic mainly focuses on its legal aspects and there is little empirical academic work engaging with the way SLAPPs are experienced by those who are personally involved. This study focuses on illuminating the impact of these vexatious and frivolous lawsuits on investigative journalism and press freedom, and recording whether journalists experience additional or different consequences from SLAPPs in comparison to other types of threats. Based on interviews with journalists who have experienced SLAPPs in recent years and documenting their personal experiences, the study sheds light on the hidden professional and personal costs of investigative reporting, attempts to assess this phenomenon in relation to its effects on journalism and journalists, and is one of the few to record and analyze journalists’ personal beliefs and experiences.
During crises the newsmedia are expected to provide relevant and accurate information to help cit... more During crises the newsmedia are expected to provide relevant and accurate information to help citizens comprehend the crisis and act upon it. As a source-driven practice, journalism relies on a variety of sources to validate news and provide perspectives. The disruptive nature of a crisis though raises questions about how journalists select sources and what these choices say about professional autonomy and criticality. Considering source choices as newsgathering venues and strategies, and drawing on semi-structured interviews with journalists in Greece and Cyprus, the study explores the factors that shaped journalists' sourcing practices during the COVID-19 crisis. We find that journalists over-relied on political sources and selective authoritative voices compromising the tenets of verification and independence. The fear to convey inaccurate or 'biased' information amid disinformation flows, bolstered journalist's elite orientation. Professional precarity and economic pressures are found to further worsen the 'lived experience' of journalists limiting their ability to question and scrutinise power in times of crises.
The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for newsrooms across the world range from severe econom... more The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for newsrooms across the world range from severe economic hardship to increased threats to press freedom. The "perfect storm" that engulfed the media and journalists globally has threatened and continues to challenge their existence, and the core of their mission to serve the public interest. This study maps the impact of external political, economic, legal and societal factors on journalistic freedom and the way(s) news organizations and journalists operate in times of global crisis in four Southern European countries. It provides a fuller cross-national perspective on the complex relationship between media, journalism and politics in countries with existing democratic deficits. Findings are based on 32 semi-structured interviews with journalists working in four Southern European countries, namely Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Malta, conducted in 2022. We find increased economic challenges to their fragile media markets, high level of state intervention, political parallelism in coverage of the pandemic and beyond, and numerous threats to the autonomy of journalists that hamper journalism and question its development in the future. The study's implications are relevant to different contexts, particularly in countries where journalism and media face similar challenges.
The existing literature presents several studies which show that the levels of press freedom can ... more The existing literature presents several studies which show that the levels of press freedom can affect the state of the economy. What has not thus far been investigated is whether the economy can affect the levels of press freedom, the specific economic conditions that mainly affect it and the differences among various countries. This study attempts to analyze the impact of economic conditions on the degree of press freedom, in 18 countries of the western world based on a quantitative analysis for the period 2002–2019, and advance our understanding of this relationship. We find that the state of the economy within a country can affect the level of press freedom while the effects of economic conditions on the degree of press freedom seem to vary among different media systems of the western world.
This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents... 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.
This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media p... 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 is not simply to attract the audience's interest with classic clickbait tactics but to respond to the immediate socio-political context in a meaningful way.
This study compares the editorial coverage of the 2015 migration crisis in major centreleft and c... more This study compares the editorial coverage of the 2015 migration crisis in major centreleft and centre-right newspapers in three European countries affected (the UK, Germany and Greece). We test the empirical validity of the 'national media-system' hypothesis, and in particular the hypothesised characteristics of the different media systems these countries represent through a systematic content analysis of all editorials referring to the issue of migration/asylum for the period 2015-2016. For the purposes of data collection, we develop an original coding scheme that combines concepts and categories from the extant literature on media systems, as well as the literature on migration-related news frames. Our findings largely confirm the relevance of media-system characteristics in the coverage of the crisis, although UK editorials are markedly more polarised than expected. We also find that there was no consensus-based editorial coverage in the initial phase of the crisis.
Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, 2022
This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma j... more This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma journalism through a quantitative study of reporters covering austerity’s everyday manifestations and examines the effects on the media professionals involved. The findings indicate that journalists who cover economic crisis-related incidents suffer specific symptoms of trauma. As such, the study re-conceptualizes the economic crisis as primarily affective for media workers, it establishes a direct correlation between the economic crisis and emotional trauma, and provides an insight into the kind of trauma that stems from covering austerity and its impact on society. A regression analysis of symptoms indicates trauma journalism as an emerging field of research into the economic crisis.
This study focuses on contributing to the emerging international research agenda regarding press ... 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.
Based on the emerging argument that understandings of digital content comprising both editorial a... 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.
Across the globe, governments have issued emergency and drastic measures aimed at tracking the sp... more Across the globe, governments have issued emergency and drastic measures aimed at tracking the spread of COVID-19 and safeguarding public health. Notwithstanding the necessity and importance of some of these measures, this work argues that numerous governments around the world used the pandemic crisis as a pretext to push through restrictions that hamper critical journalism. Drawing from worldwide press freedom monitoring tools and platforms established by various credible global organizations, this study shows that the pandemic crisis exacerbates existing obstacles to press freedom and adds new dimensions to the already documented threats. This is evident not only in authoritarian states, but also in western democracies. Most of the threats documented specifically aim to silence digital journalism, which has gained significant momentum as a result of the pandemic crisis. Overall, the main target of this work is to offer an enriched conceptual approach to the types of threats that press freedom faces in the context of global crisis situations.
This article presents an overview of the role of the media in nationalism and identity-shaping in... 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.
Sustainability (Special Issue: Cultural Heritage Storytelling, Engagement and Management in the Era of Big Data and the Semantic Web), 2021
In the era of big data, within the intense environment of social media, the effective
communicati... 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.
This article examines significant changes in the television news industry, from 2015 until 2019, ... 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.
In recent years, digitalization has detached television content from the television screen, and s... more In recent years, digitalization has detached television content from the television screen, and so the television is no longer the only choice for personal audiovisual consumption. The audio-visual market is facing increased fragmentation due to the multiplicity of delivering platforms. Furthermore, the digital touch has brought about far-reaching changes in people’s audio-visual consumption practices. The protagonists of this new digital landscape are the members of Generation Z (GenZ), who are early adopters of the digital innovation. In this article, contemporary consumption behaviours of audio-visual content, contrasting those at the times of traditional television viewing, are explored in the context of the GenZ community. In Greece, GenZ represent nearly 20 per cent of the entire population and makes an interesting target to be scrutinized under the prism of ongoing studies of media usage.
This experiment was designed to explore people’s critical, differentiating capacity between actua... more This experiment was designed to explore people’s critical, differentiating capacity between actual news and content that looks like news. Four groups of postmillennials read four versions of a news story. While the first condition included a real news story derived from a mainstream medium, the other three conditions tested three attributes of fakeness, namely an exaggerated, satirical, and popularised frame of disinformation. Although readers differentiated between satire and the actual news story, no significant differences were observed between exaggerated and simplified versions of news and the actual news story. Additional intervening variables were scrutinized, showing a connection between the salience of a story and its perceptions of fakeness.
Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fifth Edition, 2021
Papadopoulou, L. and Maniou, T. (2021). The chapter offers a theoretical overview and understandi... more Papadopoulou, L. and Maniou, T. (2021). The chapter offers a theoretical overview and understanding on issues regarding the way technological disruption transforms old habits and practices in newsrooms leading to innovative storytelling that transcends time and space. The emergence of social media as a main news source, the extensive use of mobile platforms and the advent of complex technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are paving the way for new forms of journalism that are shaping the future of the industry. In this context, this chapter defines and adequately describes the term digital media while, at the same time it sheds light on new forms of journalism that arise from the vast outspread of ‘smart technology' such as conversational journalism, data journalism, drone journalism, network journalism, robot journalism, selfie journalism, slow journalism, and virtual reality journalism.
Based on a qualitative analysis of news posts on traditional media Facebook pages, this work seek... 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.
The issue of SLAPPs remains a largely understudied area in journalism studies. Limited academic w... more The issue of SLAPPs remains a largely understudied area in journalism studies. Limited academic work on the topic mainly focuses on its legal aspects and there is little empirical academic work engaging with the way SLAPPs are experienced by those who are personally involved. This study focuses on illuminating the impact of these vexatious and frivolous lawsuits on investigative journalism and press freedom, and recording whether journalists experience additional or different consequences from SLAPPs in comparison to other types of threats. Based on interviews with journalists who have experienced SLAPPs in recent years and documenting their personal experiences, the study sheds light on the hidden professional and personal costs of investigative reporting, attempts to assess this phenomenon in relation to its effects on journalism and journalists, and is one of the few to record and analyze journalists’ personal beliefs and experiences.
During crises the newsmedia are expected to provide relevant and accurate information to help cit... more During crises the newsmedia are expected to provide relevant and accurate information to help citizens comprehend the crisis and act upon it. As a source-driven practice, journalism relies on a variety of sources to validate news and provide perspectives. The disruptive nature of a crisis though raises questions about how journalists select sources and what these choices say about professional autonomy and criticality. Considering source choices as newsgathering venues and strategies, and drawing on semi-structured interviews with journalists in Greece and Cyprus, the study explores the factors that shaped journalists' sourcing practices during the COVID-19 crisis. We find that journalists over-relied on political sources and selective authoritative voices compromising the tenets of verification and independence. The fear to convey inaccurate or 'biased' information amid disinformation flows, bolstered journalist's elite orientation. Professional precarity and economic pressures are found to further worsen the 'lived experience' of journalists limiting their ability to question and scrutinise power in times of crises.
The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for newsrooms across the world range from severe econom... more The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for newsrooms across the world range from severe economic hardship to increased threats to press freedom. The "perfect storm" that engulfed the media and journalists globally has threatened and continues to challenge their existence, and the core of their mission to serve the public interest. This study maps the impact of external political, economic, legal and societal factors on journalistic freedom and the way(s) news organizations and journalists operate in times of global crisis in four Southern European countries. It provides a fuller cross-national perspective on the complex relationship between media, journalism and politics in countries with existing democratic deficits. Findings are based on 32 semi-structured interviews with journalists working in four Southern European countries, namely Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Malta, conducted in 2022. We find increased economic challenges to their fragile media markets, high level of state intervention, political parallelism in coverage of the pandemic and beyond, and numerous threats to the autonomy of journalists that hamper journalism and question its development in the future. The study's implications are relevant to different contexts, particularly in countries where journalism and media face similar challenges.
The existing literature presents several studies which show that the levels of press freedom can ... more The existing literature presents several studies which show that the levels of press freedom can affect the state of the economy. What has not thus far been investigated is whether the economy can affect the levels of press freedom, the specific economic conditions that mainly affect it and the differences among various countries. This study attempts to analyze the impact of economic conditions on the degree of press freedom, in 18 countries of the western world based on a quantitative analysis for the period 2002–2019, and advance our understanding of this relationship. We find that the state of the economy within a country can affect the level of press freedom while the effects of economic conditions on the degree of press freedom seem to vary among different media systems of the western world.
This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents... 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.
This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media p... 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 is not simply to attract the audience's interest with classic clickbait tactics but to respond to the immediate socio-political context in a meaningful way.
This study compares the editorial coverage of the 2015 migration crisis in major centreleft and c... more This study compares the editorial coverage of the 2015 migration crisis in major centreleft and centre-right newspapers in three European countries affected (the UK, Germany and Greece). We test the empirical validity of the 'national media-system' hypothesis, and in particular the hypothesised characteristics of the different media systems these countries represent through a systematic content analysis of all editorials referring to the issue of migration/asylum for the period 2015-2016. For the purposes of data collection, we develop an original coding scheme that combines concepts and categories from the extant literature on media systems, as well as the literature on migration-related news frames. Our findings largely confirm the relevance of media-system characteristics in the coverage of the crisis, although UK editorials are markedly more polarised than expected. We also find that there was no consensus-based editorial coverage in the initial phase of the crisis.
Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, 2022
This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma j... more This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma journalism through a quantitative study of reporters covering austerity’s everyday manifestations and examines the effects on the media professionals involved. The findings indicate that journalists who cover economic crisis-related incidents suffer specific symptoms of trauma. As such, the study re-conceptualizes the economic crisis as primarily affective for media workers, it establishes a direct correlation between the economic crisis and emotional trauma, and provides an insight into the kind of trauma that stems from covering austerity and its impact on society. A regression analysis of symptoms indicates trauma journalism as an emerging field of research into the economic crisis.
This study focuses on contributing to the emerging international research agenda regarding press ... 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.
Based on the emerging argument that understandings of digital content comprising both editorial a... 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.
Across the globe, governments have issued emergency and drastic measures aimed at tracking the sp... more Across the globe, governments have issued emergency and drastic measures aimed at tracking the spread of COVID-19 and safeguarding public health. Notwithstanding the necessity and importance of some of these measures, this work argues that numerous governments around the world used the pandemic crisis as a pretext to push through restrictions that hamper critical journalism. Drawing from worldwide press freedom monitoring tools and platforms established by various credible global organizations, this study shows that the pandemic crisis exacerbates existing obstacles to press freedom and adds new dimensions to the already documented threats. This is evident not only in authoritarian states, but also in western democracies. Most of the threats documented specifically aim to silence digital journalism, which has gained significant momentum as a result of the pandemic crisis. Overall, the main target of this work is to offer an enriched conceptual approach to the types of threats that press freedom faces in the context of global crisis situations.
This article presents an overview of the role of the media in nationalism and identity-shaping in... 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.
Sustainability (Special Issue: Cultural Heritage Storytelling, Engagement and Management in the Era of Big Data and the Semantic Web), 2021
In the era of big data, within the intense environment of social media, the effective
communicati... 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.
This article examines significant changes in the television news industry, from 2015 until 2019, ... 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.
In recent years, digitalization has detached television content from the television screen, and s... more In recent years, digitalization has detached television content from the television screen, and so the television is no longer the only choice for personal audiovisual consumption. The audio-visual market is facing increased fragmentation due to the multiplicity of delivering platforms. Furthermore, the digital touch has brought about far-reaching changes in people’s audio-visual consumption practices. The protagonists of this new digital landscape are the members of Generation Z (GenZ), who are early adopters of the digital innovation. In this article, contemporary consumption behaviours of audio-visual content, contrasting those at the times of traditional television viewing, are explored in the context of the GenZ community. In Greece, GenZ represent nearly 20 per cent of the entire population and makes an interesting target to be scrutinized under the prism of ongoing studies of media usage.
This experiment was designed to explore people’s critical, differentiating capacity between actua... more This experiment was designed to explore people’s critical, differentiating capacity between actual news and content that looks like news. Four groups of postmillennials read four versions of a news story. While the first condition included a real news story derived from a mainstream medium, the other three conditions tested three attributes of fakeness, namely an exaggerated, satirical, and popularised frame of disinformation. Although readers differentiated between satire and the actual news story, no significant differences were observed between exaggerated and simplified versions of news and the actual news story. Additional intervening variables were scrutinized, showing a connection between the salience of a story and its perceptions of fakeness.
Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fifth Edition, 2021
Papadopoulou, L. and Maniou, T. (2021). The chapter offers a theoretical overview and understandi... more Papadopoulou, L. and Maniou, T. (2021). The chapter offers a theoretical overview and understanding on issues regarding the way technological disruption transforms old habits and practices in newsrooms leading to innovative storytelling that transcends time and space. The emergence of social media as a main news source, the extensive use of mobile platforms and the advent of complex technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are paving the way for new forms of journalism that are shaping the future of the industry. In this context, this chapter defines and adequately describes the term digital media while, at the same time it sheds light on new forms of journalism that arise from the vast outspread of ‘smart technology' such as conversational journalism, data journalism, drone journalism, network journalism, robot journalism, selfie journalism, slow journalism, and virtual reality journalism.
This report presents and assesses the plurality and
diversity of news media ecosystems in 2022 i... more This report presents and assesses the plurality and diversity of news media ecosystems in 2022 in the three countries comprising the Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory (MedDMO) Hub.
Mehdi Khosrow-Pour (Ed) Journalism and Ethics: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice, 2019
While the phenomenon of selfie photographs in the media has been extensively analysed by academic... more While the phenomenon of selfie photographs in the media has been extensively analysed by academics, Selfie Journalism was recently introduced and constitutes one of the most notable phenomena within the digital media environment, raising a number of issues relating to notions of infotainment and impartial reporting, especially in 'difficult' sectors, such as politics. This paper identifies the specific characteristics of Selfie Journalism in political reporting. Based on both quantitative and qualitative research, the study analyses these characteristics in the period of parliamentary elections of 2016 in Cyprus. The aim of the study is dual: first, to examine the extensive use of Selfie Journalism by candidates themselves in political campaigning and, secondly, to examine the impact of this phenomenon upon the media and, in turn, media engagement in such political tactics. The greater scope of this study evolves around the argument that Selfie Journalism, as a new species of participatory journalism, has penetrated the media in an effort to attract larger audiences.
Το 2015 έκανε την εμφάνισή του στο πρώτο τηλεοπτικό κανάλι του Ραδιοφωνικού Ιδρύματος Κύπρου (ΡΙΚ... more Το 2015 έκανε την εμφάνισή του στο πρώτο τηλεοπτικό κανάλι του Ραδιοφωνικού Ιδρύματος Κύπρου (ΡΙΚ) το σήριαλ Καμώματα τζι' Αρώματα, στο πλαίσιο της εκπομπής Κυπριώτικο Σκετς. Το Κυπριώτικο Σκετς, που πρωτοεμφανίστηκε το 1953 στο ραδιόφωνο και το 1957 στην τηλεόραση του ΡΙΚ, πραγματεύεται ποικίλα θέματα της αγροτικής-παραδοσιακής κουλτούρας της Κύπρου, μια βασική μορφή δημοφιλούς κουλτούρας της τοπικής κοινωνίας. Μεταδίδεται στην κυπριακή διάλεκτο, τόσο με τη μορφή σήριαλ όσο και με τη μορφή αυτοτελών επεισοδίων μικρής διάρκειας. Ιστορικά, το σκετς «ακολούθησε» την πορεία της δημόσιας ραδιοτηλεόρασης, ξεκινώντας δυναμικά, περνώντας κρίση με το ξεκίνημα της ιδιωτικής τηλεόρασης τη δεκαετία του 1990 και επανακάμπτοντας με την έλευση της επίγειας ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας. Στην παρούσα έρευνα, τα Καμώματα τζι' Αρώματα αποτελούν μελέτη περίπτωσης. Εστιάζουμε στην κατασκευή των ταυτοτήτων των χαρακτήρων μέσα από τις σχέσεις και συγκρούσεις, που αναπτύσσονται μεταξύ των γενεών και των φύλων, και τις κοινωνικές πρακτικές που τις πλαισιώνουν, χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης πλαισίωσης. Παράλληλα, μέσα από τη διεξαγωγή συνεντεύξεων ομάδων εστίασης, διερευνώνται οι λόγοι της δημοτικότητας του σήριαλ και η πιθανή τους διασύνδεση με το περιεχόμενο της. Λέξεις κλειδιά: Κυπριώτικο Σκετς, τηλεόραση, νοσταλγία Διαθέσιμο στη διεύθυνση: http://www.epikentro.gr/index.php?isbn=9789604588435
Τα τελευταία χρόνια ο πρωταγωνιστικός ρόλος της τηλεόρασης ως βασική πηγή κατανάλωσης οπτικοακουσ... 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.
Τα χρέη των τραπεζών και το σχέδιο διάσωσης της οικονομίας στην Κύπρο οδήγησαν στην τραπεζική κρί... more Τα χρέη των τραπεζών και το σχέδιο διάσωσης της οικονομίας στην Κύπρο οδήγησαν στην τραπεζική κρίση του Μαρτίου 2013. Το κούρεμα των καταθέσεων ακολούθησαν συγκεκριμένα οικονομικά μέτρα, τα οποία επηρέασαν όλους τους τομείς της καθημερινότητας στην τοπική κοινωνία. Όπως ήταν αναμενόμενο, η κρίση είχε ως συνέπειες αλλαγές στην καθημερινότητα των Κυπρίων και διαμόρφωση νέων δομών για την τοπική κοινωνία. Το άρθρο παρουσιάζει την επικοινωνιακή πολιτική, μέσω της οποίας, ο τύπος στην Κύπρο επέλεξε να προβάλει την τραπεζική κρίση του Μαρτίου 2013. Ειδικότερα, η έρευνα επικεντρώνεται στην ανάλυση των ρεπορτάζ των εφημερίδων με την υψηλότερη κυκλοφορία στη χώρα το χρονικό διάστημα που προέκυψε η κρίση και αφού ξεκίνησαν οι διαπραγματεύσεις με την Τρόικα. Χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης λόγου (discourse analysis), εξετάζει τους τρόπους με τους οποίους παρουσιάστηκαν στην κοινή γνώμη οι διαπραγματεύσεις Κυβέρνησης και Τρόικας, καθώς επίσης και η απόφαση για το κούρεμα καταθέσεων. Στη συνέχεια, ακολουθεί ανάλυση περιεχομένου των δημοσιευμάτων των εφημερίδων καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του 2013, ώστε να εξηγηθούν τα αφηγηματικά πλαίσια, υπό τα οποία επικοινωνήθηκε η αντιμετώπιση/διαχείριση της κρίσης.
Η παγκόσμια οικονομική κρίση, που ξέσπασε στις ΗΠΑ το 2008, ταρακούνησε το διεθνές σύστημα. Μια δ... 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.
Πρακτικά 6ου Συνεδρίου της Ελληνικής Κοινωνιολογικής Εταιρείας, 2018
Η εμπιστοσύνη του κοινού προς τα ΜΜΕ και το ζήτημα της αξιοπιστίας τους αποτελεί ένα διαχρονικό ... more Η εμπιστοσύνη του κοινού προς τα ΜΜΕ και το ζήτημα της αξιοπιστίας τους αποτελεί ένα διαχρονικό ζήτημα, που έχει απασχολήσει εντατικά τους ερευνητές του πεδίου αλλά και τους ίδιους τους επαγγελματίες των ΜΜΕ. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η μελέτη αυτή εξετάζει το ζήτημα της εμπιστοσύνης στα μέσα, παραδοσιακά και νέα, στο ευρύτερο πλαίσιο της ευρωπαϊκής κοινωνίας. Στόχος της έρευνας είναι να παρουσιαστούν οι τάσεις του κοινού προς τα μέσα, σε ό,τι αφορά το ζήτημα της εμπιστοσύνης, αξιοποιώντας ως μελέτη περίπτωσης την Ελλάδα της κρίσης, όπου, μεταξύ άλλων, συναντάται το παράδοξο φαινόμενο η πλειοψηφία του κοινού να εμπιστεύεται περισσότερο τα νέα μέσα από τους επίσημους δημοσιογραφικούς οργανισμούς. Η έρευνα περιλαμβάνει, μεταξύ άλλων, συγκριτικά αποτελέσματα πανευρωπαϊκών μετρήσεων κοινής γνώμης για το έτος 2017, που σχετίζονται με τη στάση του κοινού ανά χώρα αλλά και συνολικά. Η έρευνα αποτελεί μέρος ευρύτερης μελέτης, η οποία αφορά σε ζητήματα εμπιστοσύνης και αξιοπιστίας προς τα ΜΜΕ στα κράτη-μέλη της ΕΕ, με έμφαση στη συγκριτική ανάλυση ανάμεσα σε Ελλάδα και Κύπρο.
The Fugue of the Five Senses and the Semiotics of the Shifting Sensorium , 2019
Social-media games are platforms in which the emotional mood of the users interacts with contempo... more Social-media games are platforms in which the emotional mood of the users interacts with contemporary popular culture. The investigation of the motives and emotional background of users while playing a game may be important in identifying the mechanics of their organization and function, particularly since these applications often figure prominently in the day-to-day practices of their users (Jarvinen, 2009). In addition to their previously investigated features – their storytelling, promotion of socialization and intimacy between gamers, and their substitution (in part) of interpersonal interaction – new characteristics seem to arise which explain and/or enhance their popularity. With the transition from Web 2.0 to 3.0, the latest versions of these applications offer their users new experiences based on the interaction of their senses within the game as well as between players. This work uses social semiotics to study two popular Facebook games, as case-studies. Specifically, we approach them as multimodal texts and examine how the engagement of the senses of the users is attempted and/or achieved. Our aim is to investigate whether and how they modify the gaming experience and challenge the traditional hierarchy of the senses.
Jebril, N. et al. (2020). (eds.). Journalism, Society and Politics in the Digital Media Era. Bristol, UK: Intellect, pp.112-135., 2020
In order to expand the practice of democracy in any society, journalistic freedom has been – and ... more In order to expand the practice of democracy in any society, journalistic freedom has been – and needs to be – a key concept for every media system. This is especially true in the case of political reporting, where the amount of freedom journalists enjoy relates absolutely to the quality of information the public receives. The popularity and immediacy of digital technologies is considered an important factor in promoting journalistic freedom. However, in some cases, journalists seem to fail in taking advantage of the freedom associated with digital technologies and this often leads to a marring in the democratic practices of the media. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted in January 2016 on a sample of 48 Greek-Cypriot journalists specialising in political reporting and employed by the printed and digital editions of the five newspapers with the highest circulation in the country. The main aim is to determine their practices and to compare them to the methods they perceive as ideal journalistic performance, in order to discuss the manifestation and level of professional freedom they enjoy within the current digital environment. The journalists answered 28 questions concerning their personal characteristics, routine practices and perception of ideal journalistic performance. We used the chi-square statistic to test the correlation between demographic variables and journalistic practices, and Pearson correlation to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables, including the comparisons between actual journalistic practices and those perceived as ideal. The results show that although most journalists in our sample seem to aspire to the performance of watchdog journalism, they do not enjoy the autonomy to practice it. Lack of journalistic freedom is evident despite age, gender, position, education and experience, which implies that they have little effect on their profession and its changes. Nevertheless, we can discern some attempts to pursue some of these ideal practices (e.g., in exposing cases of abuse of power, monitoring political leaders).
This article examines the representation of gender stereotypes in contemporary television enterta... more This article examines the representation of gender stereotypes in contemporary television entertainment series, using a comparative case-study analysis of the Greek-Cypriot and the Greek versions of the series, Cosmote TV). Un Gars, Une Fille, a sketch comedy series from Canada is especially suited to this kind of comparative study; during its long runtime (close to 20 years, including various reruns), a large number of adaptations have been continually produced in almost 30 different countries and markets, including the ones selected here. Our methodology utilizes a framing analysis of various multimodal devices of Me and You and I Love You, You Love Me, including elements from the character discourse and non-verbal communication, their interactions and displays of emotion, scenes and plotlines of the sketch. Additionally, we conducted interviews with production personnel in Cyprus. The aim is to examine the female and male stereotypes represented by the protagonists in the series. Furthermore, we investigate whether and how these stereotypes relate dialectically to cultural elements, with special focus on the societal influences of both adaptations.
Ibrahim, Y. (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Recent Developments in Internet Activism and Political Participation, 2020
A theoretical idea of convergence between journalism and selfie photographs in a single framework... 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.
While the phenomenon of selfie photographs in the media has been extensively analysed by academic... more While the phenomenon of selfie photographs in the media has been extensively analysed by academics, Selfie Journalism was recently introduced and constitutes one of the most notable phenomena within the digital media environment, raising a number of issues relating to notions of infotainment and impartial reporting, especially in ‘difficult' sectors, such as politics. This paper identifies the specific characteristics of Selfie Journalism in political reporting. Based on both quantitative and qualitative research, the study analyses these characteristics in the period of parliamentary elections of 2016 in Cyprus. The aim of the study is dual: first, to examine the extensive use of Selfie Journalism by candidates themselves in political campaigning and, secondly, to examine the impact of this phenomenon upon the media and, in turn, media engagement in such political tactics. The greater scope of this study evolves around the argument that Selfie Journalism, as a new species of pa...
In this study the emerging processes of news consumption among young adults of the post-millennia... 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.
This paper draws evidence from a national survey conducted in the Republic of Cyprus. Respondents... 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.
This study explores the specific characteristics of science news stories posted on social media p... 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...
This article examines significant changes in the television news industry, from 2015 until 2019, ... 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.
This study examines agenda setting in the context of Greek politics while assessing constructs of... 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.
With the advent of Web 2.0, new forms of journalism arose, paving the way for the implementation ... 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.
Drawing on a comparative qualitative analysis using semi-structured interviews, this study examin... more Drawing on a comparative qualitative analysis using semi-structured interviews, this study examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on journalists’ working conditions and practices in Greece and Cyprus. The findings provide empirical evidence that the crisis had a significant impact on journalistic work: changing patterns in labour conditions, advancing the role of the individuated worker; cumulating levels of professional risks and
stress; increasing insecurity and pressures in the sector – aspects that undermine journalism capacity to offer useful information needed for an informed and engaged citizenry. Still, these changes in both countries are not solely driven by the pandemic situation. Rather the recent crisis seems to have deepened structural pathogenies of journalism in both Greece and Cyprus, including sustainability issues intensified by the recent economic crisis, the lack of a strong professional culture that makes journalism
vulnerable to political pressures, as well as dependences and deficiencies in interacting with new technologies.
Human Computer Interaction and Emerging Technologies: Adjunct Proceedings from the INTERACT 2019 Workshops, 2020
In the evolving news media landscape, the proliferation of user-generated content in online news ... 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.
The construction of reality which results from the manipulation of information has been a core is... 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.
A theoretical idea of convergence between journalism and selfie photographs in a single framework... 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 overwhel... 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 Nico... more 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
Post-crisis Greece is experiencing dynamic audiovisual market growth, faster than the EU average.... 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.
This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma j... more This article discusses the relationship between the post-2008 global economic crisis and trauma journalism through a quantitative study of reporters covering austerity's everyday manifestations and examines the effects on the media professionals involved. The findings indicate that journalists who cover economic crisis-related incidents suffer specific symptoms of trauma. As such, the study re-conceptualizes the economic crisis as primarily affective for media workers, it establishes a direct correlation between the economic crisis and emotional trauma, and provides an insight into the kind of trauma that stems from covering austerity and its impact on society. A regression analysis of symptoms indicates trauma journalism as an emerging field of research into the economic crisis.
Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 2017
From Ida Tarbell to Bob Woodward, journalists crusading for truth have bravely defended democracy... 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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Journal publications by Theodora A . Maniou
austerity and its impact on society. A regression analysis of symptoms indicates trauma journalism as an emerging field of research into the economic crisis.
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.
salience of a story and its perceptions of fakeness.
austerity and its impact on society. A regression analysis of symptoms indicates trauma journalism as an emerging field of research into the economic crisis.
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.
salience of a story and its perceptions of fakeness.
diversity of news media ecosystems in 2022 in the three
countries comprising the Mediterranean Digital Media
Observatory (MedDMO) Hub.
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.
This paper presents the results of a survey conducted in January 2016 on a sample of 48 Greek-Cypriot journalists specialising in political reporting and employed by the printed and digital editions of the five newspapers with the highest circulation in the country. The main aim is to determine their practices and to compare them to the methods they perceive as ideal journalistic performance, in order to discuss the manifestation and level of professional freedom they enjoy within the current digital environment.
The journalists answered 28 questions concerning their personal characteristics, routine practices and perception of ideal journalistic performance. We used the chi-square statistic to test the correlation between demographic variables and journalistic practices, and Pearson correlation to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables, including the comparisons between actual journalistic practices and those perceived as ideal.
The results show that although most journalists in our sample seem to aspire to the performance of watchdog journalism, they do not enjoy the autonomy to practice it. Lack of journalistic freedom is evident despite age, gender, position, education and experience, which implies that they have little effect on their profession and its changes. Nevertheless, we can discern some attempts to pursue some of these ideal practices (e.g., in exposing cases of abuse of power, monitoring political leaders).
stress; increasing insecurity and pressures in the sector – aspects that undermine journalism capacity to offer useful information needed for an informed and engaged citizenry. Still, these changes in both countries are not solely driven by the pandemic situation. Rather the recent crisis seems to have deepened structural pathogenies of journalism in both Greece and Cyprus, including sustainability issues intensified by the recent economic crisis, the lack of a strong professional culture that makes journalism
vulnerable to political pressures, as well as dependences and deficiencies in interacting with new technologies.