219 research outputs found
Why do pluralistic media systems emerge? Comparing media change in the Czech Republic and in Russia after the collapse of Communism
A quarter century after the collapse of Communism in the former Eastern bloc, a wide range of scholarly projects have been undertaken to compare and theorize processes of media change in the region. One question that scholars have sought to address is: what were the factors that crucially impacted how these media landscapes evolved? This essay aims to contribute to this debate by juxtaposing media change in two selected cases: the Czech Republic (as a best-case scenario in terms of convergence with the Western model) and Russia (as a scenario where convergence has been limited). Based on secondary analysis of a wide range of sources, the essay systematically exposes 11 crucial differences between the two countries and illustrates how these have impacted the processes of media change. The conclusion sets out how these findings could serve as a starting point and source of inspiration for future comparative research
Internet votes as a novel digital tool to stabilize non-democratic rule in Russia
Extant research on the consequences of the Internet for non-democratic
politics has focused on how oppositional activists leverage new digital tools.
By contrast, still, relatively little is known about how authoritarian elites
proactively deploy digital technologies to legitimize their rule. This article
contributes to filling this gap by scrutinizing one highly innovative tactic
that has recently been adopted repeatedly by Russia’s ruling elites: the
organization of ‘Internet votes’ to staff advisory bodies to the government.
In contrast to online petitions, online votes are aimed at aggregating citizen
preferences not on issues but on candidates, that is, on individuals who later
act as political representatives. The article presents an in-depth case study
of the first such Internet vote conducted in Russia in 2012. It concludes that
ruling elites deployed the tool swiftly to (1) disempower oppositional
activists and (2) convey to the mass public the image of a transparent,
accountable and responsive government
Toward a Discourse Approach to the Comparative Study of Media and Politics
Leading communication scholars have recently called for questions of meaning
and ideology to be brought back into comparative media research. This article
heeds that call by delineating a discourse approach to the comparative study
of media and politics. This discourse approach is introduced with reference to
a formerly influential but recently stigmatized strand of research in the
tradition of Four Theories of the Press by Siebert, Peterson, and Schramm
(1956/1973), although it abandons and goes well beyond this work. To
illustrate the benefits of such an approach, a case study of the media-
politics discourse dominant in Russia in 2012–2013 is presented. The findings
are then marshalled to unravel three seemingly paradoxical observations about
the Russian media landscape
Comment Sections of News Websites as Counterpublic Spaces
Research scrutinizing political talk online has been developed largely against
the backdrop of deliberative discursive norms and considered political talk
without a systematic analysis of surrounding mass-mediated discourses. By
contrast, this study operationalizes counterpublic theory as an alternative
theoretical perspective and analyzes comments on news websites as a reaction
to hegemonic mainstream public spheres. It juxtaposes a qualitative framing
analysis of all articles about a new anti-Euro party in devotedly pro-European
Germany published on 9 news websites in the week following the 2013 elections
(n = 22) with a content analysis of all comments posted below these articles
(n = 3,154). It finds counterpublic spheres differently shaped in comment
sections of right- and left-leaning, and tabloid and nontabloid, outlets.
Consequences for democracy are discussed
Targeting dominant publics: How counterpublic commenters align their efforts with mainstream news
This study illustrates how the emphasis structure of counterpublic discourses surfacing online can be predicted by that of the dominant publics that these counterpublics—at the argumentative level—so resolutely oppose. Deploying a single common case study design, the article scrutinizes a counterpublic discourse that surfaced in the comment sections of Germany’s opinion-leading news websites in the week after the surprising electoral success of a new anti-Euro party, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Quantitative content analysis identifies 75% of all comments posted (N = 2955) to all articles about the AfD (N = 19) as part of an anti-Euro counterpublic. While this counterpublic sharply opposed the editorial lines of Germany’s unanimously pro-common-currency media, it still aligned its efforts closely with this dominant public—albeit at a deeper level. As the findings demonstrate, the frequencies with which commenters adopted six emphasis frames were significantly predicted by the frequencies of these frames in mainstream news
The effect of collagenase, water and calcium chloride on the removal of <i>Salmo salar</i> (salmon) and <i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i> (trout) pin bones
The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the fillet structure on the deboning force required to remove salmon and trout pin bones. Salmon and trout fillets with differing fillet structure were used, in order to study the importance of the fillet structure on the deboning process. In the first test naturally gaping and non-gaping fillets were compared. To confirm the role that the collagen plays within the fillet structure, the fillets underwent series of treatments. Fillets were put into (i) a collagenase solution to remove the collagen in the fillet (ii) a calcium chloride solution to determine if collagen was the main influential factor. Both treated salmon and trout fillets were again compared to untreated fillets from the same batch. The results indicate that collagenase and calcium chloride have a large interaction on deboning force compared to water or no treatments
Impact of PEF (Pulsed Electric Fields) on Olive Oil Yield and Quality
Olive oil holds significant importance in the European diet and is renowned globally for its sensory attributes and health benefits. The effectiveness of producing olive oil is greatly influenced by factors like the maturity and type of olives used, as well as the milling techniques employed. Generally, mechanical methods can extract approximately 80% of the oil contained in the olives. The rest 20% of the oil remains in the olive waste generated at the end of the process. Additionally, significant amounts of bioactive compounds like polyphenols are also lost in the olive pomace. Traditionally, heat treatment, enzymes, and other chemicals are used for the enhancement of oil extraction; however, this approach may impact the quality of olive oil. Therefore, new technology, such as pulsed electric field (PEF), is of great benefit for nonthermal yield and quality improvements
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Mapping the website and mobile app audiences of Russia’s foreign communication outlets, RT and Sputnik, across 21 countries
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, policymakers worldwide have taken measures to curb the reach of Russia’s foreign communication outlets, RT and Sputnik. Mapping the audiences of these outlets in 21 countries, we show that in the quarter before the invasion, at least via their official websites and mobile apps, neither outlet reached more than 5% of the digital populations of any of these countries each month. Averaged across all countries, both outlets’ website and mobile app reach remained approximately constant between 2019 and 2021, was higher for men, and increased with audiences’ age
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