Divergent Directions (Asynchronous - Online Only)
Opinion Formation through Social Networks in the Baby Boomer Generation: Is There a Relationship between Fake News Recognition Skills and Baby Boomer Affiliation? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Susanne Ardisson, Laura Kobsch
Compared to Generation Z, which has been the focus of much research on opinion formation via social networks and the study of fake news, disinformation, and misinformation, little attention has been paid to the baby boomer generation. Baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) did not grow up with cell phones or the Internet, so, unlike subsequent generations, there is no natural anchoring and use of digital information. Much of the news is instead consumed via traditional media. However, as several surveys show, not only are baby boomers now equipped with Internet-enabled devices, but their presence in and use of social media has increased in recent years. Digital information, in particular (fake) news shared via social media, also contributes to the formation of their political opinion. Results on the sharing behaviour of over-50s during the 2016 U.S. presidential election show that this age group belongs to the so-called "supersharers" who are responsible for a large share of disseminated false news, especially via Facebook. This paper addresses the question of whether there is a relationship between fake news recognition skills and baby boomer affiliation. In order to be able to answer the research question, the current state of research from academia and practice is presented. The central is a quantitative study designed and evaluated by the authors themselves based on the presumed connection between the ability to recognize fake news and belonging to the baby boomer generation.
Identifying Media Bias in Japan's Local Newspapers View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Akio Torii
A media bias is empirically identified in the page space allocation for news articles in Japanese local newspapers. The existence of such bias can be empirically identified by the correlation between an index representing a characteristic of the selected articles and external factors, indicating that the appearance of reality is subject to change depending on external factors. Identifying the correlation needs an econometric model because the level of bias is determined endogenously. The model constructed in this paper is a simultaneous equation model with two endogenously determined variables, level of bias and profit. The model is applied to explain large variance observed in a scandal reporting by 46 local newspapers in Japan. The scandal concerned the former Minister of South Korea. There is a reason to assume that the articles are not to convey the information about international affairs but to entertain readers. Papers that devoted more spaces for the scandal reporting should have abandoned the opportunity to convey the reality in the globe as faithfully as possible. The empirical result shows that readers in Japan tend to appreciate less informative news and the directors/editors face trade-off between conveying more information and earning more profit. The higher voter turnout for the ruling conservative party shifts the preference of the paper in the direction for more intense reporting, while the larger circulation number tends to make the paper strive to avoid over-reporting. Thus, observed structure of resource allocation for the scandal is considered to prove the existence of a bias.
Pakistan’s English Language Newspapers, Framing, and Aurat March: Study of Editorials View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shiza Nisar
This study examines how editorials in Pakistan’s English-language newspapers represent the Aurat March in Pakistan, which is held on International Women’s Day, 8 March, to reclaim public spaces for women. There was a public outcry against the controversial movement, sparked by the key messages and slogans used to communicate with the masses. The objective of this research is to study non-western news frames used by Pakistan’s leading English-language newspapers—Dawn, The Express Tribune, The News, and The Nation—for the portrayal of Aurat March since 2018. The findings show how these editorials construct and reinforce the concept of feminism being threatened by the dangerous other thus it contributes to the understanding of Pakistan’s elite discourse.
