Overcoming the Dark Side: Seeing through the spin of public relations in the news

In its current state, news literacy curriculum covers all the information types that consumers will see when they read, watch, listen to, and interact with news content. While current lessons do explain how press releases distribute information in the “promotion / publicity” neighborhood, there is much more nuance to the practice of PR that impacts information people read as ‘news’. In today’s climate of political spin cycles, it is more important than ever for news consumers to understand what public relations is and how its strategies influence news content. Because the practice of public relations is so often misunderstood and because brand management and media relations strategies, by nature, can mislead news consumers, we as news literacy educators have an opportunity – and responsibility – to shed a brighter light on the practice of public relations, its relationship with journalism, and how it influences news content so that news consumers can better recognize the influence of public relations before taking action. Further, if more news consumers demanded transparency and forthright information from PR practitioners, the ability of journalists to obtain helpful information would increase. An advanced news literacy course that focuses more specifically on public relations in the news can also help inform other much-needed advanced topics in news literacy. To build on this course, in-depth curriculums on political economies of news media, digital news media, and social media and the news can also give news consumers more context on what influences news content, including their government’s policies, the expansion of web-based content and how it impacts traditional news media, and how they (unintentionally) impact what other users are exposed to on social media

What Do Reviewers Want? Reflections on Editing the Journal for the Past Year

The peer review process can be challenging. In this essay, the journal’s editor and editorial assistant present a summary of reviewers’ comments to authors from the past year. In presenting themes across 79 reviews, this essay arms authors with knowledge about reviewers’ expectations for manuscripts submitted to the journal. A secondary aim of this essay is to encourage reviewers to continue providing supportive and helpful feedback. As the journal heads into its third year of publishing, we are well on our way to creating the first home for high-quality risk and crisis communication research from around the globe

"I'm Scared of the Disappointment": Young Adult Smokers' Relational Identity Gaps and Management Strategies as Sites of Communication Intervention

While cigarette smoking is decreasing among young adults, rates of nicotine consumption through other devices, most notably electronic cigarettes, are on the rise. Framed by communication theory of identity, this study examines young adult smokers' experiences with relational others in regard to their smoking. Focus group discussions and individual interviews convened with 20 young adult cigarette and electronic cigarette smokers revealed identity gaps implicating the relational layer of identity, including personal-relational, enacted-relational, and personal-enacted-relational identity gaps. Participants used communicative and behavioral strategies to manage relational discrepancies. The documented identity gaps and management strategies present opportunities for targeted smoking cessation interventions that amplify dissonance created through identity gaps as a motivational tactic.18 month embargo; published online: 22 February 2018This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Australians underestimate social compliance with coronavirus restrictions: Findings from a national survey

Objective: We assessed differences between Australians’ perceptions of their own compliance with coronavirus restrictions and their perceptions of community compliance. Methods: We surveyed a national quota sample of 1,691 Australians in August and September 2020. Participants reported their level of compliance with coronavirus restrictions and estimated compliance from others in their state/territory. Results: Overwhelmingly, most people reported complying with restrictions. They believed their fellow community members were much less compliant. Age and other demographics were only weakly associated with self-reported compliance and perceptions of others’ compliance. Conclusions: The results are consistent with prevalent cognitive biases, including the tendency to believe one is better-than-average, and to more easily recall instances of deviances from social norms. Implications for public health: We recommend public health messaging avoids amplifying instances of social transgressions of coronavirus restrictions. Instead, the widespread nature of social compliance with restrictions across the country should be emphasised

Support for climate-driven migration in Australia : testing an ideology-based threat model

We examine Australians’ preferences for resettling people displaced by climate change from overseas (‘climate refugees’), from within Australia (‘internal climate refugees’), and people displaced by war. Across three studies (Study 1N = 467, Study 2N = 1679, Study 3N = 492), our findings reveal greater support for resettling refugee groups already residing in the nation: internal climate refugees and refugees of war. Although support for all three groups was reasonably high, participants were consistently and significantly less supportive of resettling international climate refugees. Both groups of international refugees (relocating due to war or climate changes) were viewed as posing greater threat than internally displaced Australians. Endorsement of right-wing ideological attitudes predicted lower support for climate refugees, which was mediated by symbolic and realistic threat perceptions. These findings highlight the potential of ideology, economic and cultural concerns to undermine support for resettling those displaced by climate change

COMMUNICATING THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOID USE: SELF-CATEGORIZATION AS AN INTRINSIC MESSAGE FEATURE THAT INFLUENCES CONSTRUAL LEVEL

The opioid crisis presents a challenge for risk communicators because the judicious short-term use of prescription opioids for noncancer pain may benefit quality of life but also poses risks such as the development of opioid use disorder, thus prompting calls for messaging to reduce the demand for prescription opioids. Communicating the possibility for benefits of short-term prescription opioid use and the risks is therefore ethically required, but message characteristics that simultaneously reduce the demand for opioids while offering complete information about its benefits would be most useful and ethical. Construal level theory posits that altering the level of abstraction of one’s mental representation of a choice meaningfully affects one’s cognitions and behaviors regarding said choice. However, in this theoretical framework changing the mental representation of a choice is usually achieved by methods unsuitable for public health messages that are communicated to a large audience (e.g., priming or changing the characteristics of a choice to be more psychologically distant) or interpersonally. Recognizing the limitations of these approaches, I suggest that self-categorization with its focus on self-construals at increasingly abstract levels may act as a potential intrinsic message feature that can affect construal level without altering the characteristics of the choice being evaluated. A thought-listing pilot study demonstrated that self-categorizing at the relational (i.e., significant other) versus subordinate level (i.e., individual) affects the type of salient behavioral beliefs. Study 1 experimentally demonstrated that altering self-categorization changes the extent to which participants focus on the pros of prescription opioid use (high construal level beliefs) but not their focus on the cons of use or psychological distance. However, psychological distance, pro focus, and con focus all predicted intent to use prescription opioids. Study 2 experimentally demonstrated that altering self-categorization in a message about pros and cons of using prescription opioids significantly indirectly predicted attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control over prescription opioid use mediated by identity salience. Attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control in turn predicted behavioral intent to use prescription opioids. This dissertation integrates construal level theory and self-categorization theory to provide an intrinsic message feature that alters behavioral intention to use prescription opioids

Innovative real estate development finance – evidence from Europe

© 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose – This research aims to provide an insight into large-scale real estate projects in Europe and how they are using a more innovative blend of finance. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology involved a mix of desk-based study, interviews and case studies. Interviews were held with financiers, policymakers, developers, investors, fund managers and academics. The specific case projects were Battersea Power Station Development in London; Leipziger Platz site in Berlin; and the Lammenschans site in the city of Leiden, The Netherlands. Findings – The research found that there is growth in the blend of financial products used in real estate development within large-scale mixed-use projects. This new blend is set with greater equity financing, often from domestic and foreign consortiums generating institutional funds – alongside private debt financing – that utilise a mix of large-scale multi-bank finance. Practical implications – The scale of the challenge in financing real estate development allied with capital budget constraints has meant that the appetite for innovative finance mechanisms has gained considerable momentum in practice and policy. This research investigates current examples in development finance and provides a discussion of the opinion of key multi-stakeholder participants in the individual cases, and trends more strategically at a broader level. Originality/value – This detailed study of three major development sites and at a more broader strategic level is significant, in that it provides a better understanding of the differing blends of finance that are being used

Weekly group tummy time classes are feasible and acceptable to mothers with infants: a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial

2020, The Author(s). Background: The World Health Organization recommends 30 min of tummy time daily for improved motor development and reduced likelihood of plagiocephaly. As only 30% of infants meet this recommendation, parents require strategies and support to increase this proportion. Methods: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a group intervention to promote tummy time. The design is a cluster randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis. Five groups of healthy infants (N = 35, baseline mean (SD) age 5.9 (2.8) weeks) and their mothers attending local mother\u27s groups (Australia) were randomly allocated to the intervention or control group. The intervention group received group tummy time classes in addition to usual care. The control group received usual care with their child and family health nurse. Primary outcomes were intervention feasibility and acceptability. Secondary outcomes were tummy time duration (accelerometry), adherence to physical activity guidelines, head shape, and motor development. Measures were taken at baseline, post-intervention, and when infants were 6 months of age. Analyses were by linear mixed models and Cohen\u27s d statistic. Results: Recruitment, retention, and collection of objective data met feasibility targets. Acceptability was also met with intervention mothers reporting the information, goal planning, and handouts significantly more useful and relevant than control group mothers (p \u3c 0.01). Moderate effect sizes were also found at post-intervention for tummy time duration, adherence to physical activity guidelines and infant ability in prone and supine favoring the intervention group (intervention infants had a mean of 30 min and 30% adherence to guidelines (95% CI 0 to 60.6 min) compared to the control infants who had a mean of 16.6 min and 13% adherence to the guidelines (95% CI 0 to 42.1 min, Cohen\u27s d = 0.5). Limitations were the small sample size, 4-week intervention, limited accelerometer use, and a homogenous sample of participants. Conclusion: Group tummy time classes delivered in a mother\u27s group setting were shown to be feasible and acceptable. A larger randomized controlled trial is warranted. Trial registration: ANZCTR, ACTRN12617001298303p. Registered 11 September 201

Assessment of an established dialysis nurse practitioner model of care using mixed methods research

Aims and Objectives: To assess a dialysis nurse practitioner ( NP ) model of care by examining satisfaction, quality of life ( QOL ) and clinical outcomes of haemodialysis patients and explore experiences of dialysis nurses. Design: Mixed methods. Methods: Database analyses of dialysis indices amongst a sample ( n = 45 ) of haemodialysis patients; a survey ( n = 27 ) examining patient experience, satisfaction and QOL; and in-depth interviews with a sample ( n = 10 ) of nurses. Results: Nurses commended the NP role, with five themes emerging: “managing and co-ordinating”, “streamlining and alleviating”, “developing capability”, “supporting innovation and quality” and “connecting rurally”. Patients’ average age was 66 years and 71% were male. Patients’ satisfaction with the care they received was rated 3.5/4 or higher across seven parameters and the average QOL score was 7.9/10. Conclusion: The NP model of care is effective in enhancing patient care within a collaborative framework. The challenge is to sustain, and enhance the model, through mentorship programs for potential candidates

Emotion and Virality of Food Safety Risk Communication Messages on Social Media

This study investigates how the emotional tone of food safety risk communication messages predicts message virality on social media. Through a professional Internet content tracking service, we gathered news articles written about the 2018 romaine lettuce recall published online between October 30th and November 29th, 2018. We retrieved the number of times each article was shared on Twitter and Pinterest, and the number of engagements (shares, likes, and comments) for each article on Facebook and Reddit. We randomly selected 10% of the articles (n = 377) and characterized the emotional tone of each article using machine learning, including emotional characteristics such as discrete emotions, emotional valence, arousal, and dominance. Conveying negative valence, low arousal, and high dominance, as well as anger and sadness emotions were associated with greater virality of articles on social media. Implications of these findings for risk communication in the age of social media are discussed