Multimedia Planning Strategies as a Tool for International Journalism and Alternative Media Studies

News development is currently affected by digitalization. Therefore, media scholars using digital means to cover the news must develop the so-called “multimedia mindset” among professional journalists and media students. It is not enough to teach the technology—the scholars have to embrace new journalism tools to incorporate them with the story planning activities. This article aims to look into how the aforementioned planning activities are used in the curriculum for Russian media students and professionals in the field of international journalism. The paper is qualitative and descriptive based on secondary data reported in hybrid written media. Also, this research uses a case study dealing with a proposed new program “International News Production” a track within the Contemporary Journalism Master program including alternative media at the High School of Economics Media Institute in Moscow. The findings of this study shed light on the skills needed in new alternative media. Students undergoing the proposed new program in alternative and international media enhance their professional skills and qualifications while experiencing Russian culture. Graduates from the program shall have ample opportunities to pursue careers in various areas of the media industry, including visual journalism, data journalism, storytelling, production, and newsroom management at various international newsrooms. Teaching new alternative media methods can be easily projected to the work with practicing journalists in news channels and information agencies

Artificial Intelligence and Fake News

Artificial intelligence depends on digital devices’ performance to perform tasks regularly, requiring human intelligence, using special software to accomplish work easier and faster, carrying out data-packed tasks, and providing useful analytics or solutions. It also requires a specialized laboratory that provides high-performance computing capabilities and a technical platform for deep machine learning. These resources will enable the artificial intelligence platform to master the machine learning techniques of using, developing, simulating, predicting models, and building ready-to-use technological solutions such as analytics platforms. In general, the artificial intelligence system manipulates and manages large amounts of training data to form correlations and patterns used in building future predictions . A limited-memory artificial intelligence system can store a limited amount of information based on the data that have been processed and dealt with previously to build knowledge by memory when combined with pre-programmed data. Consequently, one may ask how artificial intelligence applications contribute to verifying the truthfulness of the media through digital media. How do they contribute to preventing the spread of misleading and false news? This study tries to answer the following question: What methods and tools are adopted by artificial intelligence to detect fake news, especially on social media platforms and depending on artificial intelligence laboratories? This paper is framed within automation control theory and by defining the needed control tools and programs to detect fake news and verify media facts

An Assessment of the University Usage of Social Media Platforms: Case from Lebanon—Theoretical Foundations—Part 1

This paper, part of two, aims to assess how a selection of Lebanese Universities utilizes social media platforms to attract potential student candidates. Social Media is considered a significant recruitment tool universities use to attract high school graduates from the millennium digital generation. Different universities have dealt differently with social media, so capturing recorded activity is essential to assess such efforts and pinpoint gaps to justify student recruitment investments by universities. This study uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. A descriptive comparative analysis is carried out based on collected data from the different university social media platforms to help categorize selected universities in their efforts, successes, and gaps. However, this paper, the first part of two, represents the theoretical foundations needed for the study. Paper part two (2) will follow to illustrate the numerical and graphical analysis. Results show a lack of motivation schemes to attract potential candidates and encourage them to interact with such platforms. Moreover, universities lack specialized digital marketing staff to produce the appropriate content and design marketing strategies that are attractive, interactive, and with high response rates to inquiries

Technical Analysis: Exploring MACD in the Lebanese Stock Market

The stock markets have shown a great growth in the financial world that required traders to deal with many quantitative methods to analyze markets in order to predict commodities’ future prices. This study assesses the effect of technical analysis on the Lebanese stock markets by using a tool known as the Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) oscillator that explores how MACD can be utilized to optimize profits in the Lebanese stock exchange, during the trading process. The study is performed on closing prices of shares of six Lebanese banks and a real estate company, over a time period extending from the beginning of the year 2004 till the end of the year 2014. Results are meant to indicate whether MACD is able to optimize profits and forecast the Lebanese stock prices. It is concluded that the application of MACD in the decision making process for investing in the Lebanese stock market does not significantly contribute to the maximization of profitability on investments

An Assessment of the University Usage of Social Media Platforms: Case from Lebanon—Analytics—Part 2

This paper, the second part of two, aims to provide results and findings to support the main objective of the research, i.e., to assess how a selection of Lebanese Universities utilizes social media platforms to attract potential student candidates. Social Media in the last decade has become a significant recruitment media adopted by universities around the globe, including Lebanon, to attract and effectively recruit millennial high school graduates who are digitally proficient and smart. Six universities were involved, so capturing recorded activity is essential to assess such efforts and pinpoint gaps that must be addressed to justify student recruitment investments by universities. This study is based on a mixed approach though with a concentration on the quantitative, deductive, and descriptive approaches capitalizing on collected data from the different university social media platforms and performing the required analysis to help categorize selected universities in their efforts, successes, and gaps. This paper shows the numerical, graphical, and discussion analyses of the results. Results confirm there is a lack of motivation schemes to attract potential candidates and encourage them to interact with such platforms. Moreover, universities lack specialized digital marketing staff to produce the appropriate content and design marketing strategies that are attractive, interactive, and with high response rates to inquiries

Forensic Analysis of WhatsApp SQLite Databases on the Unrooted Android Phones

WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging mobile application all over the world. Originally designed for simple and fast communication, however, its privacy features, such as end-to-end encryption, eased private and unobserved communication for criminals aiming to commit illegal acts. In this paper, a forensic analysis of the artefacts left by the encrypted WhatsApp SQLite databases on unrooted Android devices is presented. In order to provide a complete interpretation of the artefacts, a set of controlled experiments to generate these artefacts were performed. Once generated, their storage location and database structure on the device were identified. Since the data is stored in an encrypted SQLite database, its decryption is first discussed. Then, the methods of analyzing the artefacts are revealed, aiming to understand how they can be correlated to cover all the possible evidence. In the results obtained, it is shown how to reconstruct the list of contacts, the history of exchanged textual and non-textual messages, as well as the details of their contents. Furthermore, this paper shows how to determine the properties of both the broadcast and the group communications in which the user has been involved, as well as how to reconstruct the logs of the voice and video calls. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-02-06 Full Text: PD

A Descriptive Analysis of Job Satisfaction among Faculty Members: Case of Private Vocational and Technical Education Institutions, Baabda, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon

The study aimed to assess Job Satisfaction (JS) among teaching staff in private vocational and technical education institutions in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon. The study is descriptive and analytic, using a sample of 200 teachers from 13 schools and institutes chosen according to the coordinated random method. A questionnaire created and validated by Warr, Cook, and Wall is adopted to measure job satisfaction. This questionnaire includes personal information like job status, educational level, number of years of work, monthly income, age, gender, and social status. Using a seven-level Likert scale, it also contains 15 items to measure various dimensions of job satisfaction (internal and external factors). Results show a low overall mean of 4.69 out of 7 with a standard deviation of 1.15 for job satisfaction, based on data analysis using the SPSS program. Also, the majority of respondents are not satisfied with the wage received (the overall mean of job satisfaction=3.83, with a standard deviation of 2.00); there is a low level of JS among teachers concerning the degree of job security (mean=4.13 with a standard deviation of 1.91); there are no statistically significant differences in JS among teachers due to demographics. Capitalizing on the results, recommendations are made

Students\u27 Perceptions of Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) Process

Researchers have mixed views about Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) as means to evaluate teaching where some agreed and others viewed SET as being biased. This study aims to measure students’ perceptions of the effectiveness and appropriateness of the evaluation process in Lebanon. A survey questionnaire was administered to students from five Lebanese universities. Findings revealed that students were positive and perceived the evaluation process as effective and appropriate to evaluate teaching. Students identified students’ perceptions, instructors’ behavior, and course characteristics as variables that may impact the process. Results and implications were discussed for future research

An Assessment of Students’ Preferences Using Social Media Platforms on Their Selection of Private Universities in Lebanon

This paper assesses the behavior of prospective students of private universities in Lebanon on social media platforms; classifies them according to the extent and the way they use these platforms, and investigates students’ preferences using social media to choose a private University. A quantitative approach was adopted using a structured questionnaire administered to a convenient sample of 527 students from private universities in Lebanon who responded willingly. Collected data were analyzed using the SPSS program employing descriptive statistics. The university sample consisted of six Lebanese Higher Education Institutions that belong to different socio-economic categories, diverse cultures, many geographic locations, and varying chronological seniority. Results showed the influence of university pages on these platforms on students’ decisions and their adoption as a primary source of information before making their choices. Universities were unsuccessful in providing an effective communication channel with students or enabling two-way communication and motivating participation in comments, content creation, sharing experiences related to the universities, or sharing posts from their pages. Authors recommend universities review their motivational schemes for students to interact on university platforms regarding access to information and communication. For marketing, it is necessary to hire qualified staff, and provide a consistent and updated policy

Leaderships’ Role in Managing Crisis in the Lebanese Health Sector: An Assessment of Influencing Factors

This paper aims to assess the healthcare leadership’s role in crisis management, examine, and investigate the influencing factors. A quantitative analysis approach with a positivism philosophy is adopted. Primary data are collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample of hospital employees in Lebanon. Data analysis used IBM SPSS version 25; whereby descriptive statistics (i.e., frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (i.e., factor analysis, multivariable linear regression) were obtained. Results revealed that leaders’ traits and skills like proactivity and communication, gender, hospital location, organization’s culture, and stakeholders’ engagement influence the effectiveness of leaders’ decision-making in a crisis management context. Also, the results confirmed the alternative hypotheses that the explanatory factors have a direct and statistically significant relationship with leaders’ decision-making effectiveness. Outcomes of this research serve as an eye opener to policymakers, health care managers, and stakeholders that a fully integrated effort is a must to mitigate serious crisis consequences