School of Journalism and Communication

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https://hdl.handle.net/1794/3081

The UO School of Journalism and Communication offers programs leading to bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. undergraduate students major in one of six areas: advertising, electronic media, communication studies, magazine journalism, news-editorial, or public relations. For more information on the School and its programs visit the School's web site.

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Open Access
The politics of indigeneity: decolonizing historical memory and education in Colombia
(Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 2024-02) Cortes, Diego
This article explores how the Misak (Guambianos) from the Colombian southwest are revitalising their collective memory and militant politics in a nation that has historically prioritised its Spanish heritage. Through the analysis of twenty-month collaborative research conducted by three Misak University (MU) students and the article’s author (a non-Indigenous Colombian affiliated with a university from the Global North), the article claims that political engagement results from this community’s autonomous educational institutions and pedagogical practices. The MU is one of these Misak autonomous efforts engaging with non-traditional pedagogies, such as caminar el territorio, to promote a ‘militant indigenous identity’ committed to their cultural differentiation. These educational practices evolved from other methods for memory reproduction embraced by the Misak since colonial times. As the tearing down of the statues of Spanish conquistadores in 2020 shows, the Misak’s educational efforts have cultivated a new indigenous generation that seeks to make a political and cultural impact beyond their territory.
Open Access
World Press Trends Outlook 2023-2024
(WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers), 2024-01-25) Radcliffe, Damian; Nel, François; Henriksson, Teemu; Roper, Dean
After the sobering read seen in our 2022-23 report, this year’s World Press Trends study strikes a more cautiously optimistic note, with more than half of the respondents conveying a positive outlook about their companies’ business prospects for the foreseeable future. This is despite publishers grappling with challenges on various fronts, including elevated inflation and interest rates, surging paper and printing expenses, continual shifts within advertising markets and audience behaviours, as well as wider geopolitical uncertainty reflected in conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and elsewhere. Meanwhile, wider strategic challenges such as the surge of Generative AI, changing relationships with platforms and continued challenges to press freedom and freedom of expression, also continue to vex many journalists and publishers. In response, news publishers are inevitably looking closely at their revenue strategy, investment priorities, areas of focus, cost management, and their stance on areas such as AI and other technologies. We delve into these themes extensively within this report. This report is primarily based on the findings of an online survey distributed to WAN-IFRA members and other senior media executives between July and September 2023, and was available in four languages (English, French, Spanish and German). Survey participants were typically members of the senior team at a newspaper or a newspaper group. Based on the information provided by our respondents, a third (66%) are C-Suite (CEOs, Publishers, Managing Directors). A further third is either a Commercial Director/Heads of Strategy or Executive Editor. We received 175 complete responses from 60 nations around the world. Using classifications developed by the World Bank, 58% of respondents come from developed economies and 42% from developing economies. Our sample also features a wide range of different countries with respondents coming from countries as diverse as Argentina, Canada, Russia, and Indonesia. They also came from some of the world’s largest media markets, including Germany, India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Through the data and insights that they provided, we are able to comprehend the attitudes of today’s industry leaders in a variety of business and editorial roles. Their observations, regarding the sector’s present and future, can be seen throughout this report. As ever, we want to express our appreciation to everyone who participated in this annual survey. This report would not be possible without their contributions.
Open Access
Redefining News: A Manifesto for Community-Centered Journalism
(Agora Journalism Center, 2023-09-21) Radcliffe, Damian; Lawrence, Regina; DeVigal, Andrew
This forward-thinking report makes the case for embracing a more inclusive, community-focused model of journalism, one that prioritizes listening to and collaborating with communities to produce relevant, equitable and impactful news and storytelling. The report features an actionable framework to put the principles of Community-Centered Journalism into practice and explains how this approach differs from traditional models of journalism, with potential benefits including rebuilding trust, tackling inequities, and fostering civic engagement.
Open Access
Building a Stronger Local Media Ecosystem: The Role of Media Policy
(Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, 2023-04-20) Radcliffe, Damian; Mathews, Nick
This paper plays out against a backdrop of continued closures and diminished local news reporting across much of the United States. It explores the role that media policy can and should play in supporting local journalism. In examining this topic, we investigate three fundamental questions: What is local media policy? What are the key existential issues and/or problems local media policy must wrestle with? What potential solutions to the local news crisis can media policy potentially help address? The core of our response to these questions is derived from a series of five public webinars hosted by the Tow Center. Through these events, we invited a range of industry and academic experts to share their perspectives on areas related to these major themes. Our conversations explored the scope of media policy, barriers to implementation, opportunities for policy to make a difference, and some of the unique characteristics that shape U.S. media policy and attitudes toward potential policy interventions. To this, we have added further context and updates on some of the latest policy developments, based on a literature review and our continued interest in this subject.
Open Access
Social Media in the Middle East 2022: A Year in Review
(University of Oregon, 2023-03-31) Radcliffe, Damian; Abuhmaid, Hadil; Mahliaire, Nii
Welcome to the latest annual study on Middle East Social Media Trends. This report, the eleventh in a series dating back to 2012, provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of social media in the Middle East. As the most comprehensive and up-to-date study of its kind, it is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the region's digital landscape. In this report, we examine the most popular social media platforms and the ways in which people are using them. We explore the impact of social media on politics, business and culture in the region. Our findings will be of interest to anyone interested in how social media shapes the way we connect with one another, as well as the ways in which we consume and find information. These trends are relevant to marketers, journalists, brands and businesses, as well as government agencies and public bodies. Over the past decade, the Middle East has seen a significant increase in social media adoption. Today, it boasts some of the highest penetration rates of social media in the world, making it a key market for platforms and businesses looking to engage with Arab audiences. From staying in touch with friends and family to consuming news and entertainment, social media - as it is around the world - is an integral part of daily life in the region. Social media is also playing an increasingly important role in politics, with many politicians and activists using the platforms to connect with the public and mobilize support for their policies.
Open Access
World Press Trends Outlook 2022-2023
(WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers), 2023-03-09) Radcliffe, Damian; Nel, François; Roper, Dean; Henriksson, Teemu
The latest World Press Trends report shows that business sentiment in the industry has taken a downturn, in a context where multiple challenges face news publishers around the world. Yet there are causes for optimism, as revenue diversification progresses and publishers double down on new revenue sources and editorial products. This year’s World Press Trends study makes for a sobering read after the optimism of our previous report. The mood in the industry has changed, and publishers find themselves in a more unpredictable business environment due to a number of challenges, including high levels of inflation, rising paper and print costs, as well as ongoing changes to advertising markets. The change in business sentiment is one of the main findings of the new World Press Trends Outlook report. As in the previous years, the analysis is based on an online survey distributed to industry leaders. 167 news executives from 62 countries took part in the survey in Fall 2022 – a big thank you to them for sharing their insights, results and strategies. WAN-IFRA also works with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Zenith for key performance indicators (global revenues and circulation). For audience insights, we work with analytics specialist Chartbeat. World Press Trends is supported by Protecmedia, the content management provider. Damian Radcliffe, longtime industry analyst, journalist and academic, authored most of the report, offering his analysis and context to the survey and emerging trends. Dr. Francois Nel, also a longtime analyst, well-known academic within our industry and longtime contributor to WPT, provided his analysis, contribution and data analysis of all our collected data. WAN-IFRA’s Andrew Heslop shared his analysis on our Press Freedom data, and WAN-IFRA’s Teemu Henriksson helped to coordinate the project along with Dean Roper.
Open Access
The Most Popular Social Media Accounts in the Middle East (H1 2022)
(New Media Academy, 2022-12-31) Radcliffe, Damian
For the first time, this report brings together in a single chart the most popular accounts originating in MENA on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Each of these platforms is explored in more detail in this report, but below we outline the account with the largest number of followers, likes and subscribers, across MENA as well as the region's four biggest markets: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Featuring news and music channels, content creators, religious figures, politicians and sports stars, this chart shows the breadth of activity seen on different social media channels and the different ways in which users utilize them. Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah is the only person to be featured twice. The Liverpool player, and captain of the Egyptian national team, has the most popular Instagram and Twitter account stemming from Egypt. The report was made by possible by support from the New Media Academy and data from Emplifi. My thanks to them both.
Open Access
Virtual reality and music's impact on psychological well-being
(Frontier Media, 2022-08-11) Foxman, Maxwell; Pimentel, Danny; Alexanian, Stephen
Quality of life is bound to psychological well-being, which in turn is affected by the frequency and magnitude of negative mood states. To regulate mood states, humans often consume media such as music and movies, with varied degrees of effectiveness. The current investigation examined the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) vs. two-dimensional (2D) online interventions with various stimuli (audiovisual vs. visual only vs. audio only) to assess which interventions were most effective for improved well-being. Additionally, this study examined which groups displayed the highest amount of perceived presence to understand what components are essential when maximizing a person’s subjective feeling of being “in” a new place and if this translated toward therapeutic results. Our data suggests that even though VR participants generally experienced more presence and had similar benefits as 2D groups for increasing positive mood, only participants in the 2D groups had a reduction in negative mood overall with 2D audiovisual participants experiencing the best results. These results contradict past studies which indicate that there could be other psychological and theoretical considerations that may play a role in determining what online experiences are more effective than just examining presence and immersive stimuli. Further research and development into using VR as a tool for improved wellbeing is needed to understand its efficacy in remote and in-person setting.
Open Access
World Press Trends Outlook 2021-2022
(WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers), 2022-05-06) Radcliffe, Damian; Nel, François; Henriksson, Teemu; Roper, Dean
This edition of WAN-IFRA’s annual flagship research and report reveals an industry challenged but optimistic about its business. It examines the results of publishers’ business in 2021, their forecasts for 2022 and beyond, and the trends and issues shaping the industry. Our research shows news publishers feel confident about tackling the ongoing coronavirus crisis, and that some of their early pandemic-era pivots are beginning to pay dividends. However, publishers still need to navigate considerable transformation and turmoil, even if there are signs of a resurgence in global advertising markets and a maturing of many reader revenue strategies. The invasion of Ukraine has further undermined companies’ plans, as how that conflict will unfold can have long-lasting effects on industries across the board, in addition to the humanitarian crisis it is causing. As in the previous years, the World Press Trends Outlook analysis is based on an online survey distributed to industry leaders. 162 news executives from 58 countries took part in the survey in Fall 2021 – a big thank you to them for sharing their insights, results and strategies. In addition, WAN-IFRA works with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and ZenithOptimedia for key performance indicators (revenue, circulation and ad spend). For additional audience insights, we work with analytics specialist Chartbeat.
Open Access
How the Middle East Uses Social Media: 2021 edition
(New Media Academy, 2022-03-10) Radcliffe, Damian; Abuhmaid, Hadil
This is the tenth report in a series of annual studies exploring the latest social media trends across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It dives into developments on major networks (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter), emerging platforms (TikTok, LinkedIn and Clubhouse) as well as messaging apps (WhatsApp, Yalla and Telegram). It also examines the role of Influencers, and how COVID-19 and Online Misinformation played out on social media in 2021.
Open Access
eCommerce in Publishing: Trends and Strategies
(What's New In Publishing, 2022-02-18) Radcliffe, Damian
The eCommerce bump witnessed over the last two years looks set to be a revenue trend that will only grow in importance for publishers. According to Group M, by 2024 retail-focused eCommerce will amount to $7 trillion in annual sales activity, making eCommerce a revenue stream that publishers ignore at their peril. Meanwhile, the COVID crisis has “accelerated” efforts by publishers to generate money through eCommerce, with 30% of commercial publishers surveyed indicating that this would be an “important” or “very important” revenue stream in 2022. eCommerce’s moment has come. A combination of shifting consumer behaviors, coupled with the urgency to diversify revenue streams, means that growing numbers of publishers are ready to cross the online shopping Rubicon. This new report from What's New in Publishing and sponsored by Sovrn offers best practices, case studies and key insights into how publishers can successfully leverage eCommerce, as well as partner with platforms, retailers and other service providers to offer online shopping experiences that consumers now demand.
Open Access
Life at Local Newspapers in a Turbulent Era: Findings from a survey of more than 300 newsroom employees in the United States
(Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, 2022-01-04) Radcliffe, Damian; Wallace, Ryan
The observations in this report are based on an online survey conducted between Tuesday, August 4, 2020 and Tuesday, September 8, 2020. We received 324 eligible responses from a mix of editors, reporters, publishers, and other roles at small-scale local newspapers — print publications with a circulation below 50,000 — in the United States. Set against the backdrop of COVID-19, survey respondents shared how the pandemic — as well as wider deep-rooted challenges — were redefining their work. Building on a similar survey conducted in late 2016, this study also gives us an opportunity to see how local journalism is changing. We did this in two ways: by comparing findings across the industry snapshots captured in 2016 and 2020, and by asking respondents to compare their working experiences in 2020 with three years prior (the period just after our last survey). Despite a challenging financial landscape, coupled with wider issues such as trust in journalism, our 2020 cohort — like their predecessors in 2016 — retained a sense of optimism about the future of their industry. In particular, they highlighted the importance of hyperlocal news, embracing digital and filing information gaps by covering stories not offered elsewhere. In doing this, respondents are alive to the economic challenges their sector faces, as well as the difficulty of attracting younger audiences and issues of retention, especially of midcareer journalists. Many are also conscious of the need to address issues of engagement and diversity more fully, but tell us that they often lack the bandwidth to do so. Elsewhere, we encountered journalists keen to reinvent the sector and let go of legacy attitudes and behaviors, as well as those who wanted to focus more fully on principles of objectivity and detachment, from which they felt the industry had drifted. Subsequently, despite seeing potential for the industry, 61 percent of respondents in 2020 hold a “slightly negative” or “very negative” opinion about the prospects for the future of small-market newspapers. Four years ago, the situation (to our surprise) was reversed, with 61 percent of 2016’s sample being “very positive” or “slightly positive” about the future of their industry. Through these findings, our data further underline the complexity of this sector and its lack of homogeneity. The breadth of the local newspaper landscape, and the range of experiences within it, are both an opportunity ― and a challenge ― for anyone interested in helping to preserve, strengthen, and enhance local journalism in 2021 and beyond.
Open Access
50 Ways to Make Media Pay: 2021 edition, fully revised and updated
(What's New In Publishing, 2021-11-17) Radcliffe, Damian
Newly revised for 2021, this report is an essential, exhaustive look at the multiple revenue opportunities available to publishers today, from new ideas to existing strategies. Topics include: Subscriptions, paywalls, and micropayments, eCommerce and affiliate partnerships, Programmatic and native ads, and much more!
Open Access
Understanding and Implementing Innovation in News Media and Journalism
(The Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS), 2021-10) Radcliffe, Damian
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a media company in possession of a good fortune (an audience, brand recognition and decent revenues), must (still) be in want of innovation. The pace of change in our industry means that even the biggest, most successful, companies need to continually innovate, refresh and reinvent what they do and how they do it. Those who don’t risk being left behind, overtaken by digital upstarts, or blown away by more established players with deeper pockets and a longer transformational runway. I asked 10 experts — leading media practitioners, researchers and scholars around the world — for their insights around what constitutes innovation, the barriers to implementing it, and how to overcome these roadblocks. -- This report is based on a series of in-depth email interviews with ten leading media practitioners, researchers and scholars around the world. It would not have been possible without the thoughtful and insightful contributions provided by Federica Cherubini, Professor Lucy Kueng, Joon-Nie Lau, Nic Newman, Rishad Patel, Professor Devadas Rajaram, Thomas Seymat, Professor Jane Singer, Patricia Torres-Burd and Dr. Gillian Youngs. The report was produced as part of the Journalism Breakthroughs project, The Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS); a research center for the study of media, communication, and information policy and its impact on society and practice.
Open Access
How the Middle East used Social Media in 2020
(New Media Academy, 2021-03) Radcliffe, Damian; Abuhmaid, Hadil
This report is the ninth in an annual series of publications, dating back to 2012, showcasing the latest developments in social media across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This year’s study is produced in partnership with the New Media Academy. The New Media Academy was inaugurated in June 2020, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and ruler of Dubai, to work within the space of development, with a focus on harnessing opportunities in the digital space. Using a broad range of industry, academic and media sources, we dive into the trends - and biggest stories - which shaped MENA’s relationship with social media during the past year. Not surprisingly, this study is heavily influenced by the impact of COVID-19. The novel coronavirus impacted on everyone’s lives around the world, including the Middle East. One by-product of the pandemic could be seen in our changing media habits. Social media usage - across all platforms - increased during the early stages of the outbreak. More widely, given the importance of social media in our media diets, platforms, industry and governments alike sought to use these networks to promote public health messages, as well as counter misinformation related to the COVID crisis. Alongside these developments, we have also seen continued investment in content on social media platforms - especially during Ramadan - and growing partnerships between traditional media players and social media channels and influencers. These developments reflect the popularity of high quality digital content consumed on social media, and a desire to reach audiences on these platforms, or bring existing social audiences onto other networks. We expect that this synergy will only rise, not least because many media habits developed during the pandemic may well continue post-COVID. As a result, social networks will become an increasingly important source for talent spotting, as well as a key avenue for content and information consumption. This trend, as we outline at the end of this report, matters for brands, creators and influencers, as well as governments and other public entities. Social media is already an important part of digital media habits and digital marketing strategies. In 2021, that importance looks set to continue and grow even further.
Open Access
The Impact of COVID-19 on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South
(Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2021) Radcliffe, Damian
This report explores the untold story of how the COVID crisis has impacted on journalists – and journalism - in Emerging Economies and the Global South. It’s a story told not only through the insights of industry leaders, advocates and media experts – but critically, through the voices of the journalists themselves, too often unheard or silenced. It is the first report of its kind to bring together both fact-based data and first-hand experience with this regional focus. Taking a deep dive into the critical challenges faced by the profession, the report examines issues including the pandemic’s impact on the personal safety and welfare of journalists, the structure of newsrooms and disruption to business models, the proliferation of fake news, and surging threats to media freedom. The study also identifies best practice and innovative approaches that have been developed as a response to the challenges of COVID-19. Contributing alumni from TRF’s journalism training programmes span 26 countries, sharing their own experiences to illustrate the reality of journalism outside of North America and Western Europe.
Open Access
The Quest for Indigenous Autonomy: Communication Media, Internal Conflicts, and Policy Reform in Colombia
(Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology, 2021) Cortes, Diego
In 2013, the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) and the national government signed Agreement No. 547, which commissioned to the five main national indigenous organizations of the country the drafting of a bill to propel the strengthening of the indigenous media in Colombia. This political reform would represent a significant advance in the democratization of the historically monopolized and exclusive Colombian media landscape, thus fulfilling one of the mandates of the 1991 Colombian multicultural Constitution. However, due to internal conflicts within the indigenous leadership, these five organizations failed to present any bill to the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, wasting this historic opportunity. Based on this case, the discussion on "radical" Zapatista autonomy, and the concept of "indigenous utopias" proposed by Rappaport (2005) (rather than impossible dreams, objectives to strive for), this article argues that a robust autonomous indigenous governance depends on the constant search for a "utopian balance" between legal protections ( centripetal forces) and de facto practices (centrifugal actions). [territorial autonomy, neoliberal state co-optation, indigenous media producers, de facto autonomous practices]
Open Access
Book Review: Guerrilla marketing counterinsurgency and capitalism in Colombia by A. L. Fattal, University of Chicago Press, 2018
(Communication Review, 2020-07) Cortes, Diego
Every year, scholars add a significant quantity of academic production to the already long list of publications on the Colombian conflict. For this reason, the media anthropologist Alexander Fattal, author of Guerrilla Marketing: Counterinsurgency and Capitalism in Colombia, started his book’s introduction discussing his initial doubts about embracing another academic project on the political violence of that nation. The complexities he found at first glance around the Program for Humanitarian Attention to Demobilized, or PAHD, persuaded Fattal to pursue this academic project, resulting in the publication of one of the most awarded scholarships in the areas of Anthropology, Latin American Studies and Media Studies in 2018.
Open Access
The Publisher’s Guide to eCommerce: Case Studies
(What's New In Publishing, 2020-06) Radcliffe, Damian
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected most industries, including the publishing and media sectors. Arguably, the advertising downturn associated with the pandemic makes it clearer than ever that companies need to diversify their revenue streams. Facing an "extinction event," as the current crisis has been called, may encourage publishers to look again at eCommerce and its potential. In doing this, it makes strategic sense for publishers to identify propositions which build on their existing relationship with audiences; and which play to their strengths. Audience data and insights, coupled with trust and name recognition, are valuable commodities which can be harnessed to support eCommerce activities. Historically, as BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti noted at the start of 2020, media companies have not done a good job of this. “….A longstanding problem in the media industry where content creators provide the inspiration to buy a new product, go on a vacation, or watch a new show–but don’t capture much of the economic value created," he argued. "This is sometimes referred to as the “attribution problem,” where Google and other middlemen end up capturing value they didn’t create. We see a real opportunity for us to reclaim some of that profit.” Peretti, as this new report shows, is not alone in this optimism. If publishers can further understand, and anticipate, the user journey - including the role of content as a driver for purchase decisions - then this remains a firm foundation on which eCommerce products and properties can be built.
Open Access
Social Media in the Middle East: 2019 in review
(2020-01-11) Radcliffe, Damian; Abuhmaid, Hadil
This report is the eighth in an annual series of publications, dating back to 2012, designed to share the latest stories, trends and research in social media usage from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Using a wide variety of academic, industry and media sources, this White Paper identifies important insights from social media’s development over the previous year. Of particular note in 2019 is the continued, growing, importance of social media in the lives of Arab Youth, outside of Saudi Arabia and Turkey the declining usage of Twitter (once the poster child social network for the Arab Spring,) as well as greater scrutiny of social media usage by platform owners and governments alike. Last year’s report highlighted the increasing weaponization of social networks, a trend which continued in 2019. Facebook, Twitter and Telegram each closed hundreds of accounts due to inappropriate use by state sponsored actors and terrorist groups. Social networks were also the target of governments across MENA, in the midst of protests in many countries throughout the region. Meanwhile, the importance of social video and visually-led social networks, continued to grow from strength to strength. Snapchat introduced new advertising formats to the region and other exclusive functionality, Google highlighted the importance of YouTube in supporting parents and parenting, and in major markets such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Twitter has emerged as a leading platform for online video consumption. The year ahead is likely to result in a continuation of many of the trends outlined in this report, as social media becomes increasingly engrained across the lives of businesses, governments and residents across the MENA region.