Journalism and Media

Health professionals and institutions, as users and influencers, use social networks to disseminate information and knowledge about health issues, in the case of organ donation and transplantation (ODT) to spread the social benefits of the process and increase the positive attitude towards ODT. The aim of this work was to analyse the perception and use of social networks by university students of health sciences to determine whether, in their opinion, social platforms are suitable for the promotion of ODT after participating in an educational programme specialising in ODT and communication. The students indicated that social networks are a good medium for disseminating messages about ODT, with WhatsApp standing out as the most appropriate after the programme. Eighty-six per cent say that social media can positively influence the attitude towards ODT and 65% have started to follow ODT institutional accounts on social media. Addressing communication in specialisation programmes in the field of health and ODT raises awareness of the responsible use of social media among university health students and strengthens their capacity as prescribers of the social benefits of ODT. Full article

Public attitudes toward immigration in Spain are influenced by media narratives, individual traits, and emotional responses. This study examines how portrayals of Arab and African immigrants may be associated with emotional and attitudinal variation. We address three questions: (1) How are different types of media coverage and social environments linked to emotional reactions? (2) What emotions are most frequently associated with these portrayals? and (3) How do political orientation and media exposure relate to changes in perception? A pre/post media exposure survey was conducted with 130 Spanish university students. Machine learning models (decision tree, random forest, and support vector machine) were used to classify attitudes and identify predictive features. Emotional variables such as fear and happiness, as well as perceptions of media clarity and bias, emerged as key features in classification models. Political orientation and prior media experience were also linked to variation in responses. These findings suggest that emotional and contextual factors may be relevant in understanding public perceptions of immigration. The use of interpretable models contributes to a nuanced analysis of media influence and highlights the value of transparent computational approaches in migration research. Full article

Campus climate research has long been a focus of higher education scholarship; however, studies show that inequalities and a pervasive sense of not belonging continue to negatively affect students. This paper presents the results of a campus-wide survey conducted at a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), with a sample of 820 undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D., and non-degree students. The authors explore students’ experiences on campus in relation to their identities as well as students’ perceptions of campus climate. Specifically, the paper examines students’ intergroup relations and how these influence their sense of belonging. The survey instrument developed in the frame of this project also included questions designed to assess opportunities students have to develop key values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding related to intercultural and democratic competences necessary for life and work in multicultural societies. This study identifies the areas students perceive as important for development, highlighting which values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding they have had the opportunity to cultivate during their time at the university and those they would like to develop further. The authors hope these findings will inform efforts to strengthen institutional support for more inclusive practices on culturally diverse university campuses and provide evidence-based guidance for designing effective pedagogical interventions. Full article

This study analyses algorithmic biases in AI-generated images, focusing on aesthetic violence, gender stereotypes, and weight discrimination. By examining images produced by the DALL-E Nature and Flux 1 systems, it becomes evident how these tools reproduce and amplify hegemonic beauty standards, excluding bodily diversity. Likewise, gender representations reinforce traditional roles, sexualising women and limiting the presence of non-normative bodies in positive contexts. The results show that training data and the algorithms used significantly influence these trends, perpetuating exclusionary visual narratives. The research highlights the need to develop more inclusive and ethical AI models, with diverse data that reflect the plurality of bodies and social realities. The study concludes that artificial intelligence (AI), far from being neutral, actively contributes to the reproduction of power structures and inequality, posing an urgent challenge for the development and regulation of these technologies. Full article

Generational differences in news media trust are mainly studied in Western contexts and remain underexplored in non-Western societies. Drawing on the theory of generations, this study investigates the potential generational gaps in the levels and determinants of news media trust in China. Three analyses are conducted using data from the World Values Survey (WVS) in mainland China. Findings indicate a significant decline in news media trust levels from the Early PRC Generation (–1961) through the Cultural Revolution Generation (1962–1977), the Reform and Opening-up Generation (1978–1991), to the Globalization Generation (1992–). Notably, generation moderates the relationship between news media trust and its determinants. From older to younger generations, the influence of political trust on news media trust gradually weakens, while the impact of authoritarian personality increases. This study offers explanations for the dynamic changes in news media trust from the perspective of generational shifts. Full article

Social media platforms facilitate the dissemination of science and access to it. However, gender inequalities in the participation and visibility of communicators persist. This study examined the differences in reach and audience response between YouTube and TikTok from a gender perspective. To do so, the ten most influential science accounts on YouTube and TikTok were selected, with the sample divided equally between men and women, to conduct a comparative study. A total of 4293 videos on TikTok and 4825 on YouTube were analyzed, along with 277,528 comments, considering metrics of views and interaction. The results show that on YouTube, men received more likes and views, while on TikTok, audience response was more balanced. The participation of women on both platforms also had a differential impact, as the number of women engaging with content on YouTube negatively correlated with interaction levels, whereas on TikTok, their impact was slightly positive. In conclusion, TikTok emerges as a more inclusive space for scientific communication, though structural challenges remain on both platforms, encouraging further research into strategies that promote gender equity in online science communication. Full article

Studies commonly measure the effects of media narratives on the self immediately following exposure. We explored whether these effects on viewers’ self-esteem, self-efficacy and motivation are confined to the immediate post-exposure period and examined how they are related to the audience’s identification with the protagonist. In Study 1, participants watched movie clips that included inspiring narratives depicting protagonists who succeeded in accomplishing their goals. Implicit self-esteem was significantly higher immediately after watching than after a short break. Unexpectedly, identification was positively correlated only with delayed self-esteem. In Study 2 we changed the control condition and added explicit measures. The reduction in implicit self-esteem between the two measurement times was replicated in the no-treatment control group. Moreover, self-efficacy and motivation were higher than in the control group and were stable over time, and identification was positively related only to delayed implicit self-esteem and motivation. We conclude that the effect of inspiring narratives on the self extends beyond the immediate time of exposure, and identification with the characters contributes to this persistent effect. The findings are explained by theories of contrast and assimilation, identification and inspiring narratives. Full article

Brazil and Portugal are undeniably united because they share the same language, ocean, and, to a considerable extent, history. There has also been a profound rapprochement between the two countries at the media level, particularly in telenovelas. Brazil developed the “telenovela” genre in the 1950s and inspired Portuguese serial television fiction the most. First, Portugal saw a commitment to plots of Brazilian origin (1977—“Gabriela, Cravo e Canela”), a reality still observed today, albeit somewhat. Portuguese producers then studied and recruited Brazilian professionals when the first Portuguese narratives were created to absorb their knowledge and expertise. This research aims to measure how many telenovelas have been written by women since their broadcasting in the Portuguese–Brazilian market. This question unfolds into other questions, such as the following: What is the ratio of telenovelas written by men to women from 1951 to March 2025 in Portugal and Brazil? Is there a trend towards equilibrium, an increase or decrease in telenovelas written by men or women in the market being analyzed? To answer these questions, data was collected manually through information repositories such as “Observatório de TV” and “SP Televisão” and by watching generic telenovelas available on YouTube or the broadcasters’ channels. Portuguese and Brazilian television channels with national coverage were considered for this research. The data shows that 926 telenovelas were broadcast in the Portuguese–Brazilian market, of which 27.7 per cent were written by women, 64.1 per cent by men, 7.4 per cent were written in partnership between men and women, and 0.8 per cent have no information available. This study reveals a better balance between the number of male and female authors in Portugal than in Brazil and a downward trend in the number of female telenovela authors in Brazil after the military dictatorship. Full article

This article presents a comparative study of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and articles authored by professional journalists, focusing on the perspective of a Kazakhstani audience. The analysis was conducted based on several key criteria, including the structure of the article, writing style, factual accuracy, citation of sources, and completeness of the information. The study spans a variety of topics, such as politics, economics, law, sports, education, and social issues. The results indicate that AI-generated articles tend to exhibit greater structural clarity and neutrality. On the other hand, articles written by journalists score higher in terms of factual accuracy, analytical depth, and the use of verified sources. Furthermore, the research explores the significance of journalistic ethics in ensuring transparency and information completeness in content production. Ultimately, the findings emphasize the importance of upholding rigorous journalistic standards when integrating AI into media practices. Full article

This paper examines how Marley Dias’ activism on Instagram promotes racial justice, Black feminist thought, and youth mobilization through digital storytelling, representation, and audience engagement. Using a mixed-methods analysis of 744 posts published between 2016 and 2025, the study combined critical thematic coding, temporal mapping, and engagement metrics to analyze the discursive and emotional strategies behind Dias’ activism. Five key themes were identified as central to her activist work: diversity in literature, lack girl empowerment, racial justice, Black representation, and educational advocacy. The findings reveal that Dias strategically tailors her messages to suit Instagram’s unique features, using carousels and videos to enhance visibility, foster intimacy, and provide depth in education. Posts that focused on identity, aesthetics, and empowerment garnered the highest levels of engagement, while posts that concentrated on structural issues received lower, yet still significant, interaction. The paper argues that Dias’ Instagram account serves as a dynamic platform for youth-led Black feminist resistance, where cultural production, civic education, and emotional impact converge. This case underscores the political potential of digital literacies and encourages a reconsideration of how youth-driven digital activism is reshaping contemporary public discourse, agency, and knowledge production in the social media age. Full article

This study aimed to explore how social media usage influenced both parent and adolescent mental health and social identity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic through the theoretical foundational lens of social comparison theory. In-depth interviews with 24 mothers of adolescent children (ages 10–19) were conducted to address the research questions. Qualitative thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed eight emerging themes: (1) learning and entertainment, (2) maternal fears related to content binging and cyberbullying, (3) finding connection and comfort through social media during the pandemic, (4) ongoing digital care work as lasting maternal labor, (5) iterative dialogue: platform restrictions and content curation boundaries, (6) upward and downward social comparison, (7) fear of missing out (FoMO), and (8) third-person perception (TPP). The findings show that mothers perceive social media usage as either beneficial or harmful among adolescents (their children); upward and downward social comparison via social media exhibits more dynamic mechanisms. Moreover, this study enhances our theoretical understanding by linking social media usage to social identity, social comparison, and mental health during a global health crisis. Full article

This study examines the role of AI tools in improving public communication via social media analysis. It reviews five of the top platforms—Google Cloud Natural Language, IBM Watson NLU, Hootsuite Insights, Talkwalker Analytics, and Sprout Social—to determine their accuracy in detecting sentiment, predicting trends, optimally timing content, and enhancing messaging engagement. Adopting a structured model approach and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SMART PLS, this research uses 500 influencer posts from five Arab countries. The results demonstrate the impactful relationships between AI tool functions and communication outcomes: the utilization of text analysis tools significantly improved public engagement (β = 0.62, p = 0.001), trend forecasting tools improved strategic planning decisions (β = 0.74, p < 0.001), and timing optimization tools enhanced message efficacy (β = 0.59, p = 0.004). Beyond the technical dimensions, the study addresses urgent ethical considerations by outlining a five-principle ethical governance model that encourages transparency, fairness, privacy, human oversee of technologies, and institutional accountability considering data bias, algorithmic opacity, and over-reliance on automated solutions. The research adds a multidimensional framework for propelling AI into digital public communication in culturally sensitive and linguistically diverse environments and provides a blueprint for improving AI integration. Full article

This article discusses the digital activism model for advocacy of press freedom in Indonesia. This study examined the model and characteristics of digital activism and inhibiting factors in advocacy of press freedom, carried out by civil society organizations, social activists, and media professionals. Using qualitative methods, this paper provides answers to the question of how is the digital activism model aimed at countering threats to press freedom in a post-authoritarian country with a case study of Indonesia? How does digital activism emerge and form cross-sector collaboration? Given the broad scope of digital activism in Indonesia, the researchers chose two cities that represent the national and regional/provincial spectrum, namely Jakarta as the nation’s capital and Yogyakarta as a prominent student city in the country. The current study found a unique digital activism model in Indonesia that is a spectator collaboration: participants and initiators of activism are involved together in clicktivism, metavoicing, and assertion. Social activists and independent media activists develop systematic collective actions in the digital realm, such as online petitions and press releases, republication, and fundraising for the sustainability of the activism itself. This paper also found a gladiatorial model: media managers as victims and activists merged with more organized social movements, signaling that press freedom has become a collective agenda of pro-democracy advocates in Indonesia. Full article

This study examines the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) media narratives and digital literacy levels in Indonesia, focusing on their combined impact on information resilience and misinformation vulnerability. Through a mixed-methods approach involving content analysis of five major Indonesian media outlets (2022–2024), a survey of 384 respondents across South Sulawesi, and in-depth interviews with 15 media professionals, this research reveals significant gaps between AI media coverage and public understanding. The findings indicate that while 76% of Indonesian media coverage presents AI as a technological solution to misinformation, only 32% of the surveyed population demonstrates adequate digital literacy skills to evaluate AI-generated content critically. The study identifies three distinct patterns of AI media framing: technological optimism (47%), cautionary realism (33%), and dystopian skepticism (20%). These findings contribute to understanding how media narratives about emerging technologies influence public digital literacy and information resilience, particularly in developing digital economies where technological adoption often outpaces digital education initiatives. Full article

Putin’s Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and launched a massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This study is predicated on framing theory, which posits that the media contribute to the creation of individuals’ perceived reality. We analyzed how the European press presented Russian President Vladimir Putin during both episodes. Content analysis was used to examine a sample of 1009 opinion articles and editorials published in two leading newspapers in each of the five largest European economies. Subsequently, we quantified the frequency of the predominant frames as well as the tone (positive, neutral, or negative) the articles struck towards Putin. The results show that many more articles were published in 2022 than in 2014, and that the degree of negative views of Putin is also more pronounced in 2022. In both instances, historical motives were most often employed to frame Putin’s actions, such as Putin’s urge to reassert Russian influence in the former Soviet space and his reaction to the alleged lack of recognition of Russia as a superpower. Full article

Global data reveal ongoing inequalities faced by minorities, often reinforced by media portrayals that depict them as threats, victims, or passive individuals without agency. While media framing has been extensively studied, especially in terms of media content and representation, few studies have examined how journalists perceive and navigate the coverage of minorities. This study addresses that gap by examining how Greek journalists perceive mainstream media coverage of refugees and migrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with mental health challenges, with particular attention to their sourcing practices and sense of ethical responsibility. Fourteen journalists participated in semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was applied to identify key patterns. Journalists described dominant media narratives as fragmented, stereotypical, and dehumanizing, noting the frequent use of linguistic inaccuracies, misinformation, and the absence of personal stories. At the same time, they reported opportunities within their own sourcing practices to promote more inclusive and accurate coverage. Ethical concerns were expressed on three levels—union; corporate; and personal—with calls for clearer editorial guidelines and dedicated training. Many participants emphasized the role of personal ethics as a guiding compass in navigating complex newsroom pressures. Full article

This study examines content curation on the front pages of four Spanish digital newspapers: two legacy media outlets, El País and La Vanguardia, and two purely digital, elDiario.es and El Español. This exploratory and unprecedented research aims to understand the characteristics of front-page news curation in digital press in terms of themes, authorship and genre, origin and temporal range of curated content, types of sources used, the function of curated links, and techniques employed to add value to the presented information. The CAS (Curation Analysis System) methodology is used for content analysis of a selection of news items from different time slots and days of the week, following the constructed week method. The results provide a better understanding of the characteristics of curation on newspaper front pages, comparing them with other curation studies in journalistic products, such as media newsletters and live news. Full article

Push notifications are a digital strategy for outlets to provide news and a convenient way for audiences to absorb information. Past research shows the effectiveness of push notifications and how they are framed, but few studies have explored their relationship with clickbait. However, clickbait often has a negative connotation. Through an exploratory mixed methods study involving textual analysis of push notifications (n = 639) sent by three credible mainstream media outlets, namely The Associated Press, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and a survey of readers’ (n = 368) perception of push notifications and clickbait, this research explores how credible news outlets directly engage with their respective audiences by framing push notifications in the form of clickbait. This study builds on framing theory by proposing the concept of credible clickbait and illustrating how push notifications shape readers’ immediate perceptions of content being shared with them by news outlets they subscribe to. This research also aims to be a resource for journalists to increase audience interaction and foster sustained attention with stories. Full article

This article traces the development of video activism in Turkey over the past two decades, focusing on its transformation during and after the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Situating video activism as a form of radical media, it examines how activists have used digital recording technologies to document protests, amplify marginalized voices, and contest dominant narratives. Drawing on interviews with members of eight activist collectives, the article maps the evolving practices, ethics, and internal dynamics of video activism, paying close attention to tensions between visibility and security and between participation and professionalism. The Gezi protests marked a turning point, expanding video activism into a decentralized, diverse, and participatory field. In the aftermath, while collective structures weakened due to increasing repression and shrinking protest spaces, the use of video as a tool for testimony, expression, and archiving has continued to evolve. New actors, forms, and platforms have emerged, transforming video activism from a specialized practice into a broader, more diffuse form of engagement. This article argues that video activism remains a significant mode of mediated resistance, reflecting the challenges and the evolving potential of visual intervention in an ever-changing political landscape. Full article