Journalism as research: Developing radio documentary theory from practice

Journalism academics around the world face the challenge of having their journalism practice recognised as academic research. This dissertation presents a model of how journalism practitioner-academics can present their in-depth journalistic practice in ways that make clear its standing as legitimate academic research. Informed by Candy’s (2006) framework for practice-led and practice-based research, the thesis defines two research methodologies: research on practice and research through practice. Using the radio documentary as the focus, research on practice is represented by fieldwork studies involving international radio documentary producers to provide new insights into the creative process. To demonstrate research though practice the researcher applies the theory generated in the first part of the study to reflect on her own practice as she produces a one-hour radio documentary, Deadly Dust commissioned by Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National. Each part of this study would independently contribute new insights and knowledge into the under-researched area of radio studies in general and radio documentary practice specifically. However, taken together, the two parts present a compelling argument for why the practice of radio documentary production can be seen as a legitimate research process with legitimate research outcomes

2000-luvun vaeltajien motiivit Camino de Santiagon pyhiinvaellusreitillä

Pyhiinvaelluksen suosio on kasvanut viime vuosina paljon. Yhdessä Euroopan merkittävimmässä kristillisessä pyhiinvaelluskohteessa Camino de Santiagolla tilastoitiin yli 300 000 pyhiinvaeltajaa vuonna 2017. Tänä päivänä pyhiinvaelluksesta voidaan puhua kasvavana ilmiönä, joka tuottaa suurta matkailutuloa. Vanhoja reittejä on löydetty uudestaan ja pyhiinvaellukset ovat myös maallistuneet merkittävästi. Pyhiinvaellus on yksi hengellisen matkailun toteutusmuoto ja tarkoittaa pyhälle paikalle vaeltamista. Entisajan pyhiinvaeltajat lähtivät vaelluksille kiitos tai avunpyyntö motiivinaan. He lähtivät usein kotioveltaan ja vaelsivat pitkiäkin aikoja. Tutkimuksessani perehdyn motiiveihin tämän päivän vaelluksille Camino de Santiagolla. Tutkin myös pyhiinvaelluksen hengellisiä tekijöitä, pyhiinvaelluksen alkuperäistä tarkoitusta kunnioittaen. Tutkimusmenetelmäni olivat laadullisia ja tutkimuksen toteutin haastatteluilla sekä omilla havainnoillani. Tutkimusta varten haastattelin kuutta Camino de Santiagolla vaeltanutta pyhiinvaeltajaa. Tutkimus toteutettiin keväällä 2018. Tutkimuksessa selvisi, että 2000-luvun vaellukselle Camino de Santiagolle ei johda pelkästään hengelliset tai uskonnolliset syyt. Vaeltajia lähtee matkaan myös urheilullisin syin ja osa lähtee pyhiinvaellusreitille uuden elämänkokemuksen perässä. Camino de Santiago koetaan kiinnostavana kohteena elämänkatsomuksesta riippumatta, kuitenkin pyhiinvaelluksen tavoitteet voivat olla hyvinkin erilaiset. Merkittäviä hengellisyyden tekijöinä olivat fyysinen rasitus, uskonnolliset elementit ja luonto. Tutkimus myös osoitti, että vaelluksesta voi muodostua matkan aikana hengellinen kokemus, vaikka se ei olisikaan ollut alkuperäinen tavoite. Tutkimuksen tulos antaa tietoa matkanjärjestäjille tai reiteillä palveluita tarjoaville yrityksille pyhiinvaelluksen syistä Camino de Santiagolla. Yritykset voivat hyödyntää tutkimusta monipuolisesti suunnitellessaan ja toteuttaessaan palveluja eri motiiveilla liikkeellä oleville pyhiinvaeltajille

Understanding media publics and the antimicrobial resistance crisis

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) imperils health for people across the world. This enormous challenge is being met with the rationalisation of prescription, dispensing and consumption of antimicrobials in clinical settings and in the everyday lives of members of the general population. Individuals need to be reached outside clinical settings to prepare them for the necessary changes to the pharmaceutical management of infections; efforts that depend on media and communications and, therefore, how the AMR message is mediated, received and applied. In 2016, the UK Review on Antimicrobial Resistance called on governments to support intense, worldwide media activity to promote public awareness and to further efforts to rationalise the use of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals. In this article, we consider this communications challenge in light of contemporary currents of thought on media publics, including: the tendency of health communications to cast experts and lay individuals in opposition; the blaming of individuals who appear to ‘resist’ expert advice; the challenges presented by negative stories of AMR and their circulation in public life, and; the problems of public trust tied to the construction and mediation of expert knowledge on the effective management of AMR

Gyllebo Slott

Gyllebo är en mycket vacker, historisk anläggning, belägen på en holme i den lilla Gyllebosjön, ungefär 1,5 mil nordväst om Simrishamn i Skåne. I denna rapport har vår uppgift varit att beskriva slottets park- och trädgårdshistoria genom århundradena. Vidare har uppgiften inneburit att, utifrån kunskap inhämtad under den kurs som uppgiften löpt genom, ta ställning till den insamlade informationen - och utifrån den arbeta fram ett utvecklingsunderlag för anläggningen. Vi har genom fältinventeringar, litteratur- och arkivstudier sökt efter ledtrådar kring slottets park- och trädgårdshistoria. Från delar av anläggningens historia har vi funnit utförlig information emedan den från andra visat sig vara mycket knapphändig. Kartor, illustrationer och beskrivningar i äldre texter har hjälpt oss att skapa en bild, om än suddig och bitvis mycket detaljfattig, av hur Gyllebos historia kan ha sett ut. Belägg för Gyllebos ursprung finns så långt bak i tiden som i slutet av 1200-talet. Då var det antagligen i ett stenhus ute på holmen som man bodde. Under 1400-talet påbörjades bygget av den borg från vilken det idag finns rester i den murgrönsbevuxna ruinen bredvid slottet. Dagens slott på Gyllebo började byggas 1813 och stod klart 1818. Mellan borg- och slottstiden fanns en period på ungefär 70 år då man flyttade boendet till fastlandet där man byggde ett korsvirkeshus. Slottet har under största delen av sin historia varit i privat ägo, med undantag för cirka 50 år under 1900-talet då Kristianstad läns landsting bedrev sjukhem i byggnaden. 1800-talets anläggning, perioden under 1900-talet då slottet inrymde sjukhem samt tillägg gjorda under 1980-talet är de perioder som i arbetet med historien framträtt tydligast. Under 1800-talet fanns siktlinjer, lusthus och parker medan man under första hälften av 1900-talet, då sjukhemsverksamheten fanns på Gyllebo, hade köksträdgårdar och nyttjade parken kring slottet flitigt. Under slutet av 1900-talet var ägarbytena på Gyllebo många och slottet och dess anläggningar förföll i omgångar. Tiden då Gyllebo borg beboddes är för oss helt tom på trädgårdsinformation och vi har bara kunnat anta att man odlat på de sätt som var brukligt under medeltiden. Gyllebos park- och trädgårdsanläggningar har utvecklats och förändrats kontinuerligt och kommer att fortsätta att göra så både under nuvarande och kommande ägare. Med vår inventering och dokumentation av dagens växtlighet och bebyggelse/-rester ger vi en utgångspunkt för kommande utveckling av historiska och samtida delar av anläggningen.Gyllebo is a very beautiful, historic establishment situated on an islet in the little Lake of Gyllebo about 15 kilometres northwest of Simrishamn in Skåne. In this report our task has been to describe the history of the parks and the gardens of Gyllebo estate throughout the centuries. Further on the task has involved to, with a basis in the knowledge learnt during the course module of this task, make a standpoint on the collected information and from this develop a future development foundation. We have, through field inventories, literature- and archive studies, searched for clues about the history of the parks and gardens of Gyllebo. In parts of the history of the establishment we have found detailed information while it in other parts has been very poor. Maps, illustrations and descriptions in older texts have helped us create an image, although blurry and partly very poor in details, of the history of Gyllebo. There is evidence of the origins of Gyllebo from as early as the end of the 13th century. Back then its inhabitants lived in a stone house on the islet. During the 15th century the building of the stronghold began, of which remains can still be seen today in the ivy clad ruins situated beside the estate. The estate as it is today was built between 1813 and 1818. During the time between the stronghold and the estate, a period of about 70 years, the owners of Gyllebo lived in a half-timbered house on the mainland. The estate has been private owned during the main part of its history, with exceptions of a 50 year period during the 20th century when it was owned by the county council of Kristianstad who transformed the estate into a nursing home. The evidence of history during the different periods of the establishment has been most clear in the information of the 19th century, in the information from the nursing home during the 20th century and in the additions done in the 1980’s. During the 19th century there were views, pavilions and parks while there in the first half of the 20th century, when Gyllebo was a nursing home, were kitchen gardens and a high usage of the existing parks. In the end of the 20th century there were many owner changes at Gyllebo and the estate and its gardens disrepaired in sets. The time when Gyllebo stronghold was inhabited is to us totally empty of garden information and the only thing we have been able to do is to assume that the cultivation was prosecuted as was custom in the medieval ages. The parks and gardens of Gyllebo have been developed and changed continuously and will remain doing so both under present and future owners. With our inventory and documentation of the vegetation and of the settlement-/remains existing today we will create a starting point for upcoming development of historic and present parts of the establishment

The Role of Journalism on YouTube: Audience Engagement with ‘Superbug’ Reporting

Journalism has gradually become ‘normalized into social media’, and most journalists use social media platforms to publish their work (Bruns, 2018). YouTube is an influential social media platform, reaching over a billion users worldwide. Its extensive reach attracts professional and amateur video producers who turn to YouTube to inform, entertain and engage global publics. Focusing on YouTube, this study explores the place for journalism within this media ecology. This study uses a mixed-method approach to examine forms of audience engagement to YouTube videos about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or so called “superbugs”, caused by overuse and misuse of antibiotics. The analysis focuses on the most viewed YouTube videos about AMR between 2016 and 2018, and compares engagement themes expressed in comments to journalistic videos with popular science videos. The most viewed videos about AMR on YouTube are professionally produced educational popular science videos. The qualitative analysis of 3,049 comments identifies seven main forms of high-level engagement, including expressions of emotions, blame and calls for action. This study shows that journalism plays an important role on YouTube by generating audience discussions about social and political accountability. Our findings demonstrate that journalism videos were associated with propositions for political, economic and social/lifestyle actions, while popular science videos were associated with medicines, scientific or pseudo-scientific, and medical practice changes

A year in the public life of superbugs : news media on antimicrobial resistance and implications for health communications

News media can be an important source of information about emerging health threats. They are also significant sites for the production of narrative on threats to life that help to condition and reflect the responses of governments and publics. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one such health threat with particular significance because it represents the failure to manage the risks to antibiotics and other antimicrobials, health technologies that have provided the basis for modern medicine. Knowledge of how news media address this situation is an important element for an effective public health response to AMR and helps to extend the social analysis of health and media. Based on an analysis of television, printed and digital news for 2017 in Australia, this paper examines the patterns and meanings of AMR news. It shows that AMR is a fragmented story mainly framed by scientific discovery. These stories reassure audiences that science is seeking out the means of arresting AMR and, therefore, also constructs lay publics as passive witnesses to the AMR story. This pattern of AMR story-telling furthers the social standing of science and scientists, but it also neglects deliberation on collective action, important lacunae in the social response to AMR

Biocultural diversity (BCD) in European cities : interactions between motivations, experiences and environment in public parks

Urban green spaces (UGS) provide multiple benefits, and public parks in particular have a key role in supporting ecological and social sustainability in cities, contributing to human-nature interactions. We studied the interrelationships between uses, experiences and the environment by adopting a novel concept of urban biocultural diversity (BCD). The concept identifies three interlinked spheres of urban BCD: materialised, lived and stewardship. We conducted place-based research in 33 parks located in four European capitals: Helsinki, Berlin, Bucharest and Lisbon. A total of 1474 visitors were interviewed concerning their motivations to use the park and their experiences during the visit. Using an open-ended survey, we revealed more than 50 motivations for park use and over 100 features people enjoyed during their visits. On the other hand, visitors mentioned far fewer things that disturbed them (60). We revealed that despite the fact motivations to use parks were strongly human-oriented, visitors widely enjoyed the environmental characteristics of parks, and especially nature. We found that parks located in neighbourhoods with low socio-economic status and outside the central area of the city were structurally less diverse than parks located in the city core. The structurally diverse parks enhanced motivations to use them, and increased overall enjoyments of the environment. We revealed clear differences in motivations and enjoyments between cities, implying that the day-to-day practices of people using and experiencing nature varies between cities.peerReviewe

COVID-19 in people aged 18-64 in Sweden in the first year of the pandemic: Key factors for severe disease and death

Background: Studies on risk factors for severe COVID-19 in people of working age have generally not included non-working persons or established population attributable fractions (PAFs) for occupational and other factors. Objectives: We describe the effect of job-related, sociodemographic, and other exposures on the incidence, relative risks and PAFs of severe COVID-19 in individuals aged 18–64. Methods: We conducted a registry-based study in Swedish citizens aged 18–64 from 1 January 2020 to 1 February 2021 with respect to COVID-19-related hospitalizations and death. Results: Of 6,205,459 persons, 272,043 (7.5%) were registered as infected, 3399 (0.05%) needed intensive care, and 620 (0.01%) died, with an estimated case fatality rate of 0.06% over the last 4-month period when testing was adequate. Non-Nordic origin was associated with a RR for need of intensive care of 3·13, 95%CI 2·91–3·36, and a PAF of 32·2% after adjustment for age, sex, work, region and comorbidities. In a second model with occupation as main exposure, and adjusted for age, sex, region, comorbidities and origin, essential workers had an RR of 1·51, 95%CI, 1·35–1·6, blue-collar workers 1·18, 95%CI 1·06–1·31, school staff 1·21, 95%CI 1·01–1·46, and health and social care workers 1·89, 95%CI 1·67–2·135) compared with people able to work from home, with altogether about 13% of the PAF associated with these occupations. Essential workers and blue-collar workers, but no other job categories had higher risk of death, adjusted RRs of 1·79, 95%CI 1·34–2·38 and 1·37, 95%CI 1·04–1·81, with adjusted PAFs of altogether 9%. Conclusion: Among people of working age in Sweden, overall mortality and case fatality were low. Occupations that require physical presence at work were associated with elevated risk of needing intensive care for COVID-19, with 14% cases attributable to this factor, and 9% of deaths

Multiplexed experimental strategies for fragment library screening against challenging drug targets using SPR biosensors

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor methods are ideally suited for fragment-based lead discovery. However, generally applicable experimental procedures and detailed protocols are lacking, especially for structurally or physico-chemically challenging targets or when tool compounds are not available. Success depends on accounting for the features of both the target and the chemical library, purposely designing screening experiments for identification and validation of hits with desired specificity and mode-of-action, and availability of orthogonal methods capable of confirming fragment hits. The range of targets and libraries amenable to an SPR biosensor-based approach for identifying hits is considerably expanded by adopting multiplexed strategies, using multiple complementary surfaces or experimental conditions. Here we illustrate principles and multiplexed approaches for using flow-based SPR biosensor systems for screening fragment libraries of different sizes (90 and 1056 compounds) against a selection of challenging targets. It shows strategies for the identification of fragments interacting with 1) large and structurally dynamic targets, represented by acetyl choline binding protein (AChBP), a Cys-loop receptor ligand gated ion channel homologue, 2) targets in multi protein complexes, represented by lysine demethylase 1 and a corepressor (LSD1/CoREST), 3) structurally variable or unstable targets, represented by farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS), 4) targets containing intrinsically disordered regions, represented by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), and 5) aggregation-prone proteins, represented by an engineered form of human tau (tau K18M). Practical considerations and procedures accounting for the characteristics of the proteins and libraries, and that increase robustness, sensitivity, throughput and versatility are highlighted. The study shows that the challenges for addressing these types of targets is not identification of potentially useful fragments per se, but establishing methods for their validation and evolution into leads