Benefits of whiteness?:a case study on missing white woman syndrome in news discourse

Abstract. The aim of this thesis is to uncover if, and how Missing White Woman Syndrome is represented in the language of news coverage of missing persons cases. Missing White Woman Syndrome is an intersectional theory, which describes the gender and racial disparities in the mass media news coverage of missing persons cases. Previous research has shown that missing white women are more likely to receive media attention than men or other ethnic groups, and their cases are more likely scandalized. The data for the analysis is collected from CNN and ABC News websites. The focus of the thesis is on the news on disappearances of two white females and two black females. From these cases the most relevant articles were chosen for analysis while articles published after finding the individual were not taken into consideration. As analytical framework, the thesis utilizes critical discourse analysis and feminist social theory while focusing on the language use in news discourse. The findings of this study showcase that racial disparities can be recognized in the news coverage of the analyzed cases. White women seem to be portrayed as victims more easily and their cases seem to be more scandalized through lexical choices. However, the topic requires more research in order to identify reoccurring patterns of language used to create these gender and racial disparities.Tiivistelmä. Tämän kandidaatintutkielman tarkoituksena on tutkia, miten kadonneen valkoisen naisen syndrooma ilmetessään esiintyy yhdysvaltalaisten katoamistapausten uutisoinnissa. Kadonneen valkoisen naisen syndrooma on intersektionaalinen teoria, joka kuvaa eroavaisuuksia naisten ja miesten sekä eri etnisten vähemmistöjen edustajien katoamistapausten uutisoinnissa. Valkoisen kadonneen naisen syndrooma tarkoittaa, että tyypillisesti valkoisten naisten katoamiset saavat enemmän mediahuomiota ja tapauksia skandalisoidaan. Tutkimuksen aineistona käytetään yhdysvaltalaisten CNN ja ABC News uutistoimistojen verkossa julkaisemia uutisartikkeleita kahden valkoihoisen ja kahden tummaihoisen naisen katoamistapauksista. Uutisartikkeleista analysoitavaksi valittiin vain täysin katoamistapauksia käsittelevät uutisartikkelit. Uutisdiskurssin ja siinä käytetyn kielen analysoinnissa käytetään viitekehyksenä kriittistä diskurssianalyysia ja feminististä yhteiskuntateoriaa. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että uutisartikkeleista voidaan tunnistaa eroavaisuuksia valkoisten naisten sekä tummaihoisten naisten katoamistapausten uutisoinnissa. Sanallisten valintojen avulla valkoihoiset naiset esitettiin tummaihoisia naisia herkemmin uhreina ja heidän tapauksissaan oli enemmän merkkejä skandalisoinnista. Aihe vaatii kuitenkin lisätutkimuksia, jotta näiden eroavaisuuksien toistuvia malleja pystytään tunnistamaan

“She deserves that right, like any other white woman would”:critical discourse analysis on news coverage of missing women on CNN

Abstract. Missing White Woman Syndrome is an intersectional theory and a name coined for the prevalent racial and gender bias in the mass media news coverage of missing persons cases. It defines the media’s concentration on missing persons cases of White women who are young, conventionally attractive and often from wealthier backgrounds while disregarding the disappearances of non-White women as well as men. Previous research of the topic has shown the disparity in the amount of news coverage and also studied if the phenomenon is manifested in the language and content of the news coverage. However, more empirical research on the latter is needed in order to understand how the multifaceted phenomenon is represented in the news coverage. Therefore, this thesis examines if and how the news coverage of White and non-White women on differ in terms of themes, language and imagery. More specifically, the analysis answers the research question of how the missing person is depicted and if the depiction is influenced by the race, social status, age, and appearance of the missing person as well as how the need for public attention of the case is manifested in the news articles. Critical Discourse Analysis is used as an approach to this study, as it aids in the examination of how the societal issue of Missing White Woman Syndrome is manifested in the analyzed news articles. In addition, Multimodal Discourse analysis is used as an additional approach to evaluate also the visual elements of the news articles. Based on the analytical framework an analysis will be conducted on eight news articles collected from the website of the Caple News Network, CNN which focus on the disappearances of Gabby Petito, Jashyah Moore, Miya Marcano, and Mary Johnson. After the analysis, the thesis will discuss the results before moving to the final conclusion. The results of the study suggest that the disappearances of White women are not sensationalized only in the amount of news coverage, but also in the themes, language and imagery. An example of such news coverage was the case of Petito in which this was represented through theatrical presentation and emphasis on the dramatic aspects of the case. Such representation was not seen to the same extent of the news coverage of the cases of Moore, Marcano and Johnson. The results also support the previous research which has claimed that in order for a disappearance of a non-White woman to be seen as ‘newsworthy’, the positive characteristics of the person need to be emphasized. Furthermore, in the news coverage of the cases Moore and Johnson, additional discussion on the societal issue of Missing White Woman Syndrome was included to increase the newsworthiness of the stories

Auditing scholarly journals published in Malaysia and assessing their visibility

The problem with the identification of Malaysian scholarly journals lies in the lack of a current and complete listing of journals published in Malaysia. As a result, librarians are deprived of a tool that can be used for journal selection and identification of gaps in their serials collection. This study describes the audit carried out on scholarly journals, with the objectives (a) to trace and characterized scholarly journal titles published in Malaysia, and (b) to determine their visibility in international and national indexing databases. A total of 464 titles were traced and their yearly trends, publisher and publishing characteristics, bibliometrics and indexation in national, international and subject-based indexes were described

Peningkatan Efisiensi Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Surya Dengan Reflektor Parabola

This paper present the result of reserch on improving the solar power plant efficiency using two parabolic reflectors. The designed parabolic reflectors are asymmetrical concentrators placed on a horizontal surface so that radiation from each angle can be collected. Two monocrystalline solar modules, each with 0.639 m length and 0.294 m width are used, which can produce 20.124 W maximum power, 1.3 A short circuit current, and 21.2 V open circuit voltage on 1000 W/m2 solar irradiation and 25 °C temperature. The solar module itself has 10.71% efficiency which is used as the reference efficiency. A solar module with parabolic reflectors can produce 11.13% average efficiency or 1.039 times higher than the reference efficiency. The whole system with two solar modules and parabolic reflectors can produce 13.111 W maximum power and 11.92% highest efficiency or 1.113 times higher than the reference efficiency. Makalah ini merupakan hasil penelitian tentang peningkatan efisiensi pembangkit listrik tenaga surya dengan reflektor parabola. Reflektor parabola yang dirancang berupa konsentrator asimetris yang ditempatkan pada permukaan horizontal agar radiasi dari setiap sudut dapat dikumpulkan. Dua modul surya yang digunakan dari jenis monokristal masing-masing berukuran panjang 0,639 m dan lebar 0,294 m dapat menghasilkan daya maksimum 20,124 W, arus hubung singkat 1,3 A, dan tegangan terbuka 21,2 V pada iradiasi matahari 1000 W/m2 dan temperatur 25 °C. Modul surya sendiri memiliki efisiensi referensi sebesar 10,71 %. Satu modul surya dengan reflektor parabola dapat menghasilkan efisiensi rata-rata 11,13 % atau 1,039 kali lebih tinggi dibandingkan efisiensi referensi. Keseluruhan sistem pembangkit dengan dua modul surya dan reflektor parabola dapat menghasilkan daya maksimum 13,111 W dan efisiensi tertinggi sebesar 11,92 % atau 1,113 kali lebih tinggi dibandingkan efisiensi referensi

Effects Of Vitex doniana (Sweet) stem bark aqueous extract on ketamine anaesthesia in rabbits

The effects of Vitex doniana (sweet), black plum, stem bark aqueous extract alone on vital parameters (temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate), and sleeping time as well as the effects of the extract on the same parameters before and after ketamine anaesthesia in rabbits were investigated. Twenty rabbits were randomly separated into four equal groups and were administered 400, 600, 800 and 1200mgkg-1 respectively of the aqueous extract of Vitex doniana (sweet) stem bark intraperitoneally. The temperature, respiratory and heart rates of the rabbits were taken before and after extract administration at 10th, 20th, 30th, 60th and 180th minutes. Fifteen other rabbits were randomly selected and separated into three groups of five each. Group I was administered 50mg/kg of ketamine alone intramuscularly. Groups II and III were administered 200 and 400mg/kg body weight respectively of the extract intraperitoneally 30 minutes prior to the administration of the same dose of ketamine as in group I. Temperature, heart and respiratory rates, as well as onset of, and recovery from, anaesthesia were measured prior to and after the administration of the agents. The administration of the extract alone to rabbits produced increase in temperature and decrease in respiratory rate and in heart rate. The increase in temperature and respiratory rates was associated with presence of reducing sugars in the extract and its analeptic/toxic effects respectively, while the decrease in all the parameters was associated with central nervous system depression. The administration of the extract prior to ketamine administration produced less significant (P<0.05) decrease in respiratory rate and higher percentage decrease in heart rate but no significant (P>0.05) effect on temperature compared with ketamine used alone. It is therefore concluded that the aqueous extract of Vitex doniana (sweet) stem bark used alone altered the vital parameters while it has a reversal action on respiratory rate and it intensifies the depression of heart rate when used prior to ketamine anaesthesia

Plasma Disposition of Ampicillin following Thiopentone Sodium Anaesthesia in Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculi)

Nigerian Veterinary Journal, Vol. 32(2): 2011; 97 - 10

Teacher students’ narratives about their language identities and future as language-aware teachers

Abstract. This study examined teacher students’ narratives about their language identities and future as language-aware teachers. The importance of the topic arises both from the current educational discussion around the topic, and the lack of research examining the connection between language identity and language awareness. In the theoretical framework, identity was explored through its flexible and multidimensional nature, as well as its connection to language and language learning. The complexity of multilingual identity and the importance of supporting multilingual identity in a classroom setting were discussed. Language awareness was studied from the societal perspective, and linguistic and critical approaches to the concept were introduced. The linguistic approach was found to comprise metalinguistic and cross-linguistic awareness, while the critical approach emphasized appreciation of multilingualism in the society. Language-aware practices connected to these approaches were examined. A narrative approach was used to conduct the study. Three narratives were collected in the form of theme interviews and the data was analyzed through thematic narrative analysis. The themes found from the data were divided under three main categories: personal themes, social themes, and themes related to the participants’ future role as language-aware teachers. The study revealed that language identity was a sensitive issue for the participants and that they saw language awareness essential in supporting students’ language identities. The study emphasized that by supporting students’ language identities and through language-aware practices, equality, learning and the holistic development of students are enhanced.Tiivistelmä. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tarkastella opettajaopiskelijoiden kertomuksia heidän kieli-identiteeteistään sekä tulevaisuudestaan kielitietoisina opettajina. Aiheen tärkeys nousee esiin ajankohtaisesta kasvatustieteellisestä keskustelusta aiheen ympärillä, sekä vähäisestä tutkimuksesta kieli-identiteetin ja kielitietoisuuden yhteydestä. Teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä tutkittiin identiteetin joustavaa ja moniulotteista luonnetta, sekä sen yhteyttä kieleen ja kielen oppimiseen. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin monikielisen identiteetin kompleksisuutta ja sen tukemisen tärkeyttä koulukontekstissa. Kielitietoisuutta tutkittiin yhteiskunnallisesta sekä kielellisestä ja kriittisestä näkökulmasta. Kielellisen näkökulman todettiin viittaavan metakielelliseen tietoisuuteen sekä tietoisuuteen kielten välisistä suhteista. Kriittisen näkökulman nähtiin painottavan monikielisyyden arvostamista yhteiskunnassa. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin kielitietoisiin käytänteisiin liittyviä näkökulmia. Tutkimus toteutettiin soveltamalla narratiivista lähestymistapaa. Aineisto koostui kolmesta narratiivisesta teemahaastattelusta, ja sen analyysissä sovellettiin temaattisen narratiivisen analyysin periaatteita. Aineistosta löytyneet teemat jaettiin kolmen pääkategorian alle: yksilöllisiin teemoihin, sosiaalisiin teemoihin sekä teemoihin liittyen osallistujien tulevaisuuteen kielitietoisina opettajina. Tutkimus osoitti, että kieli-identiteetti oli sensitiivinen aihe osallistujille, ja he näkivät kielitietoisuuden välttämättömänä osana oppilaiden kieli-identiteetin tukemista. Tutkimus painottaa oppilaiden kieli-identiteetin tukemisen tärkeyttä sekä kielitietoisten käytänteiden merkitystä oppilaiden oppimisen ja kokonaisvaltaisen kehityksen sekä tasa-arvon edistämisessä