The growing expansion of Internet access and mass-scale usage of social networking platforms and search engines have forced digital newspapers to deal with challenges, amongst which are the need to constantly update news, the increasing complexity of sources, the difficulty of exercising their function as gatekeepers in a fragmented environment in…

In the past two years, several Latin American nations have begun celebrating their bicentennials of independence, turning attention to questions of national identity and the legacy of independence in the twenty-first century. This reflection is sure to continue into the coming decade. This article offers a few practical suggestions for bringing…

Many Muslims truly believe that the United States is leading a new "Crusade" (to use President Bush's term) against all Islamic peoples. Many European citizens, including those in Britain, America's closest ally, believe that U.S. unilateral actions in the Middle East and elsewhere have made the world less safe than it was prior to…

One of a series on topics of concern to the U.S. media, this guide is intended to provide journalists with a critical analysis of U.S. media coverage of Africa. Section I provides an overview of the folklore about Africa and the nature and sources of stereotypes and misconceptions about Africa and the Western world. Findings and interpretations of…

A national survey examined how United States newspaper editors responded to the 6 major issues surrounding the New World Information Order (NWIO) debate at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) regarding the form and content of news flow at the international level. A 6-page questionnaire was completed by…

A Study investigated the informal methods of governmental information control used in four countries--the United States, Great Britain, West Germany, and the Soviet Union--to determine how the governments discretely and quietly limited unfavorable publicity. The examination revealed seven possible control methods: (1) preemptive leaks, (2)…

The media, which includes editorials, have been shown to play an important role in the definition of priorities in public agenda. In the domain of international matters, the public relies heavily on the media, and editorials play an even greater role. This article examines how explicit mentions of external sources of information function in the…

To provide a better understanding of the depictions of countries by the news media, it is necessary to determine whether similar portraits are presented in all types of reporting or whether there are different, or even contradictory, portrayals of foreign countries within individual newspapers considered nationally influential. A study examined…

Discusses access to information concerning environmental issues in Canada and the United States. Highlights include the cross-disciplinary nature of the field; sources of environmental information, including scientific and corporate sources and reviews; government literature; the Canadian Access to Information Act; electronic databases; and the…

To gather evidence on black-white differences in media-use habits, a study compared mass media and news exposure among university students in sub-Sahara Africa and in the United States. Two versions of a self-administered questionnaire were developed, one for each sample group. One part of the questionnaire--common to both groups--sought to…