Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies - Online First

This article examines how Venezuelan journalists in exile contribute to the formation of a symbolic transnational community by preserving collective memory and shaping narratives of identity and belonging. It explores their shift from traditional roles as information gatekeepers to becoming cultural mediators who reinterpret meaning across dispersed populations. Drawing on qualitative data, the study contends that journalistic practices beyond national borders are not merely reactive but actively reconstruct a sense of belonging. These professionals utilize digital platforms to engage diasporic audiences, fostering connections that transcend geographical boundaries. The article posits that such media spaces function as arenas for negotiating nationhood and sustaining cultural continuity. Ultimately, it suggests that journalism in exile plays a strategic role in redefining professional identity whilst reinforcing symbolic ties among Venezuelans living abroad.

Citizen journalism has become a global norm whose uncritical endorsement as a counter-hegemony is a matter of concern. Dominant discourses on citizen journalism mask ideological, epistemological and ontological stances of citizen journalism. Consequently, little is known about citizen journalism’s potential to perpetuate coloniality in postcolonial contexts such as Southern Africa. Deploying a decolonial theoretical approach and using Zimbabwe and South Africa as exemplars, this qualitative exploratory study examines discursive constructions of citizen journalism. Data were gleaned from a semi-structured electronic questionnaire e-mailed to 26 purposively selected media studies and journalism trainers, and civil society leaders involved in training citizen journalists. This was complemented by textual analysis of manuals used in training citizen journalists. This article argues that the supposed counter-hegemonic role ascribed to citizen journalism needs more nuancing, given that citizen journalism is sometimes captured by power structures. This has negative implications for social transformation in postcolonial contexts.

The article presents a study of journalistic attitudes in Pakistani news reporting and explores ‘reporter voice’ in specific. Drawing upon appraisal analyses (with a focus on attitude), we analysed 60 hard news reports taken from three renowned Pakistani newspapers namely The Dawn, The Nation and The News. We argue that the subsistence of the reporter voice is observed generally in Pakistani news reporting through its curbed authorial voice and increased authorial distance. It is observed that Pakistani reporter voice employs negative affect as well as sanctioning attitudes explicitly in crime news reporting. Moreover, the curtailment of attitudes in Pakistani news reporting is visible in the reports of governance and state. Such conformity of ‘reporter voice’ is strictly observed in the journalistic style of The Dawn newspaper than The Nation and The News. The findings suggest that this diversion of news interpersonal in various genres of news reporting as well as newspapers of Pakistan can be on sociocultural grounds where an indigenous communication style and the receptive behaviour of the target readers of different newspapers play a significant role in shaping a distinct reporting style of Pakistani news reporters. Moreover, this study also suggests further exploration of Pakistani reporter voice with a historical-political perspective of different newspapers of Pakistan.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in newsrooms has significantly reshaped the media landscape and transformed journalistic practices in both developed and developing nations, sparking substantial debate among scholars. Key concerns include the appropriate use of AI, its extent of implementation in newsrooms and the role of journalists in the AI era. Guided by the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI), this study evaluates the integration of AI within Tanzanian newsrooms by examining adoptions, potential opportunities and challenges from the perspectives of editors and reporters. A mixed approach was employed, collecting data from a sample of 262 journalists using a questionnaire and twelve news editors through in-depth interviews. The findings reveal a multifaceted landscape in which Tanzanian journalists demonstrate an understanding and application of AI in newsrooms, with online media journalists and editors utilizing AI technology more frequently than those in traditional media. Common AI uses among journalists include fact-checking, language translation, generating new ideas and editing stories. While Tanzanian journalists appreciate AI for accelerating story delivery and offering innovative writing methods, the adoption of AI in Tanzanian newsrooms faces significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, language barriers, low awareness and the absence of clear policies. Additionally, the study highlights concern about potential threats posed by AI, such as increased fake news, reduced creativity among journalists, loss of the human touch in stories and job displacement. The findings underscore the need for collaborative efforts among media stakeholders to develop strategies and policies aimed at harnessing the potential opportunities brought by AI in newsrooms while creating a balanced approach to mitigate the risks and challenges associated with the use of AI technology in journalism.

Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic nation that has experienced violent interethnic conflicts, disrupting the lives of its citizens for the past thirty years. This study examined how the Amhara and Qemant conflict is framed by Amhara Television (ATV) and Tigray Television (TTV). It analysed framing typologies, attributed sources and the roles of both television stations within the peace/war journalism framework. Using an explanatory sequential research design, the study quantitatively assessed 41 news stories from ATV and 27 from TTV to investigate questions related to framing and sourcing. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven journalists who reported on the conflict. The study was informed by framing theory and the classifications of war journalism vs. peace journalism proposed by Galtung and his colleagues. The findings revealed that ATV primarily utilized the attribution of responsibility frame, while TTV focused on the conflict frame. Both media outlets relied heavily on government officials and ordinary citizens as their main sources, ATV sourced primarily from government representatives, while TTV drew from the general populace. In terms of their roles, ATV tended to advocate for peace, whereas much of TTV’s coverage appeared to exacerbate the conflict. Qualitative data indicated that both television organizations approached the conflict in ways that favoured their respective ethnic groups. The media narratives underscored the presence of ideological and proxy wars within their messaging, shaped by the political economy of the media. While TTV pushed for the implementation of constitutional rights in support of the Qemant as a strategic partner, ATV sought to counter anti-Amhara narratives.

This research investigates Pakistani journalists’ opinions regarding data journalism’s role in reporting and highlighting child abuse as a major social concern. The data are gathered from twelve journalists, mainly covering news reports concerning child abuse in Pakistan. Results show that journalists consider traditional journalism as violating ethical guidelines to report child abuse in Pakistan, and a lack of relevant strategies also exists. They indicate that data journalism could make a difference if the information resources are authentic. Further, participants argue that the attitude of journalists towards child abuse awareness is considerable, mainly considering it as sexual abuse, overlooking the physical violence against children. Besides, this attitude is also of greater concern due to a lack of institutional training and strategies. Sexual violence against children is mostly reported, while physical and emotional violence remains underrepresented. They also indicate Urdu and English newspapers as mainly reporting child abuse. Finally, the participants show optimism about the role of data journalism in highlighting social issues, especially child abuse. However, they emphasize implementing data journalism training programmes and effective strategies to curb the relevant concern. The study participants also argue that the role of data journalism could be significant in the future, leading to policy-making and governmental consideration. Thus, it is concluded that data journalism can effectively raise child abuse awareness and advocate children’s rights in Pakistan. Media organizations can fulfil their social responsibility by highlighting the relevant issues to ensure a better future for Pakistani children.

The pandemic provides a unique research context for examining prosocial responses manifested through information behaviours towards false information. The present study aims to investigate the influencing mechanisms of prosociality towards fake news correction under the COVID-19 settings. We investigated the mediating links between individual’s personal participation with sharing fake news, the emerged awareness of fake news prevalence and the subsequent protective intent to counteract fake news as illustrated in an experience–awareness–coping model. The proposed sequential mediation model is tested with survey data (N = 1219) of Hong Kong residents collected during a major wave of COVID-19 Omicron variant. Results show that the paths from prosociality to correcting fake news are mediated by sharing and awareness of fake news. The act of correction may be seen as a coping strategy prompted by a heightened awareness of a worsening news environment that threatens the public’s well-being. These results have significant theoretical and practical implications and can inform solutions for incorporating prosocial values in effectively engaging the public to debunk fake news.

This study aims to explore the evolving electronic reading habits in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the significant growth of electronic journalism. It also seeks to identify modern trends that have reshaped how people consume information, while examining the reading habits and preferences for print journalism. The research is guided by several key questions, ultimately revealing that the younger generation strongly prefers online journalism over print. This preference is driven by the limitations of traditional newspapers, such as the lack of immediate interaction, slower content updates and the dynamic nature of hypertext in the digital world. The study surveyed approximately four hundred individuals across the UAE and found a dramatic shift in reading habits, with traditional print media seemingly in decline, potentially making room for the rise of online journalism. The findings also confirm the growing influence of electronic journalism, suggesting that it is rapidly becoming a widespread social phenomenon. This shift extends beyond mere curiosity, evolving into new and lasting habits linked to the online media landscape. As online journalism establishes its position in society, it has simultaneously led to a noticeable decline in the use of print newspapers. This transformation highlights the need for traditional newspapers to adapt and evolve to stay relevant in the ever-changing world of media consumption.

In recent decades, scholars have made great efforts to analyse and monitor audiences’ levels of trust in news and information. To capture these levels, research has primarily relied on concepts such as news (dis)trust, media scepticism or cynicism. While these concepts provide valuable insights, they also tend to oversimplify news consumers as either trusting or distrusting of the news, thereby ignoring the presence of uncertainty and variability in news evaluations. To fill this gap, this article explores variable experiences of news doubt, moments when people feel uncertain about the accuracy of a news story. Based on 31 semi-structured interviews with news consumers, this article first empirically explores how and when news doubt is experienced. Second, at a more theoretical level, it considers whether news doubt can truly be seen as a concept distinct from other related concepts such as news distrust or media scepticism. The results show that all participants experience moments of news doubt, but that it is interpreted in different ways and caused by a variety of triggers (e.g. sensationalism, partisanship). Conceptually, the findings suggest that news doubt may have explanatory value as a theoretical concept on its own.

Tabloids are still thriving in the United Kingdom, but few studies have specifically explored the issue of how British tabloids have been affected by the digital turn. To the best of authors’ knowledge, no study has addressed what changes have taken place in the characteristics of tabloids in this emergent environment. This research therefore compares the digital manifestation of British tabloid newspapers with their analogue counterparts in order to ascertain whether online tabloids are adapting technology to amplify their print siblings’ traditional character, creating new features or becoming a digital tabloid hybrid. We selected two highly successful and representative online tabloids, Sun online and MailOnline, and their paper counterparts. The sample period for this study spans from 20 December 2021 to 20 February 2022, encompassing two months. The analysis aims to demonstrate how tabloids are adapting to the logic of the internet in order to maintain and even increase their commercial success. Conceptually, therefore, this research applies a discussion of tabloidization and includes more contemporary discussions of the place of tabloid newspapers and websites within the broader tabloid culture. It explores the changes in online tabloids compared with print tabloid newspapers through quantitative content analysis and qualitative interviews.