http://hdl.handle.net/10034/6983 Collection of journal articles/book chapters/conference papers/other research materials written by members of the Department of Media during their employment at the University of Chester Thu, 23 May 2013 06:06:51 GMT 2013-05-23T06:06:51Z http://hdl.handle.net/10034/230251 Title: Reportage in the lands of the ‘semi-free’: A comparative study of online political journalism in Georgia and Ukraine Authors: Roberts, Simon Gwyn Abstract: Studies examining the democratizing potential of new media have tended towards a somewhat myopic anglocentrism, which has characterised much of the ensuing debate and therefore failed to fully predict the effects in other contexts and cultures. While the obviously deficient media environment of the Arab world attracted global attention post Arab Spring, and some attempts have been made to examine the impact in other overtly authoritarian regimes, this article argues that the most revealing dynamic is elsewhere: in ‘west-facing’ post-Soviet countries which embrace concepts of media freedom and democracy yet fail to fully implement them. In these media environments, sometimes described as ‘semi free’ (Robakidze, 2011), web access is often very high, partly driven by the failures of the mainstream independent press to capitalise on the post-Communist environment combined with recent limitations on the freedom of the press. Two countries on similar political trajectories, Ukraine and Georgia, are examined in this article. Both experienced so-called ‘colour revolutions’ in the early 2000s, with ‘media freedom’ a fundamental part of protestor’s demands, yet the underpinning cultural context differs considerably. Through the use of immersive interviews with journalists in both countries, the article identifies the emergence of ‘hub websites’ specialising in independent political journalism, around which an engaged and politically active population is coalescing. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10034/230251 2011-11-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10034/215971 Title: Clear red water? Devolved education policy and the Welsh news media audience Authors: Roberts, Simon Gwyn Abstract: The long-running debate about the information gap between the Welsh voting public and the processes of devolution tends to revolve around structural, cultural and economic deficiencies in the media. However, there is little empirical evidence for assertions about the effects of these alleged deficiencies on public opinion, which typically argue that an inadequate news media fails to properly inform Welsh residents about the evolution of, and rationale for, devolved policy. The earlier work of Thomas, Jewell and Cushion (2003) examined the public consumption of news about Welsh Assembly elections, finding that ‘very substantial’ proportions of the population consumed little or no news relating to devolved politics. But fewer attempts have been made to examine the ways in which audiences understand specific areas of devolved policy via the media. This article focuses on a key area of devolved decision-making, education, and attempts to quantify that alleged ‘disconnect’ through the use of focus groups in which the parents of children progressing through the foundation stage of a Welsh primary school (a key post-devolution policy difference) are questioned about their understanding of the main issues. Description: Preprint submitted to Participations, 2012. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10034/215971 2012-03-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10034/215970 Title: ‘Half a loaf is better than none’: The framing of political and national identity in Welsh border newspapers in the aftermath of the Mold Riots, 1869-1870 Authors: Roberts, Simon Gwyn Abstract: The Mold Riots of 1869 came at a time of social and cultural upheaval throughout Wales. Several distinct contexts intersect, and this paper will attempt to synthesize and interpret them by analyzing archival coverage of the events in the local press. The period was a dynamic one for local newspapers across the UK, with Benson arguing that the English provincial press at the time was ‘less cautious, more calculating, and more sensationalist than much of the existing literature would lead one to suppose’. Welsh newspapers have, however, been hitherto largely ignored by that literature. This would seem to be something of an oversight, because Welsh identity became politicized for the first time in the 1860s. In the particular context of North-East Wales, where - as in many border regions - identity is contested, the coverage of the Mold Riots in the local press offers an instructive opportunity to examine early attempts to negotiate identity politics in what was already a mixed, semi-anglicised region in which questions of religion, language, class and loyalty were emerging as potentially divisive political issues. The paper will examine local newspapers’ rhetorical frames, in which audiences are encouraged to interpret events in ways sympathetic to the actions of the authorities. This paper sees the event as a pivotal example of changing interpretations of political and national identity in local newspapers with a cross-border remit. Description: Preprint submitted to Media History, 2012. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10034/215970 2012-03-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10034/69377 Title: The ballard of Mark Chapman Authors: Duffett, Mark Abstract: This article discusses extreme fans, using the example of Mark Chapman. Description: This article is not available through ChesterRep. It can be accessed at http://www.kindamuzik.net/features/article.shtml?id=8099 Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10034/69377 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z