Karen McIntyre Hopkinson – författare

Media scholars generally suggest that as people gain access to mass media content, they increasingly support democracy and reject authoritarian rule. Much of the scholarship classifying global media systems has overlooked the world's most developing nations, and among those that have included developing nations, there exists a misguided premise that nations develop in a linear fashion: from non-democracy to democracy, and from a restricted press to a free press. This book shows that much of what scholarship depicts about media systems of developing nations is wrong. In reality, the ebb-and-flow of political change, democratization and backsliding calls for more historically informed views of media systems that do not fit into the confines of existing theories.Using the perceptions of journalists in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya to examine mediascapes at varying stages of development and democracy-building, this book examines the advancement of media and press freedom at varying stages of national development. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and a cross-national survey, this book provides an updated state of press freedom in these three countries and shows how a nation's political and cultural intricacies complicate traditional media development frameworks and notions of press freedom. A detailed set of considerations are put forth for understanding media systems outside the Western world; specifically, that each country's distance from conflict, political benchmarks, international linkages, and civil society strength are central to understanding its degree of press freedom, development and democratization.

Media scholars generally suggest that as people gain access to mass media content, they increasingly support democracy and reject authoritarian rule. Much of the scholarship classifying global media systems has overlooked the world's most developing nations, and among those that have included developing nations, there exists a misguided premise that nations develop in a linear fashion: from non-democracy to democracy, and from a restricted press to a free press. This book shows that much of what scholarship depicts about media systems of developing nations is wrong. In reality, the ebb-and-flow of political change, democratization and backsliding calls for more historically informed views of media systems that do not fit into the confines of existing theories.Using the perceptions of journalists in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya to examine mediascapes at varying stages of development and democracy-building, this book examines the advancement of media and press freedom at varying stages of national development. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and a cross-national survey, this book provides an updated state of press freedom in these three countries and shows how a nation's political and cultural intricacies complicate traditional media development frameworks and notions of press freedom. A detailed set of considerations are put forth for understanding media systems outside the Western world; specifically, that each country's distance from conflict, political benchmarks, international linkages, and civil society strength are central to understanding its degree of press freedom, development and democratization.

Americans say that reading, watching, or listening to the news is a leading cause of stress. Of course journalists, as watchdogs and public informants, must disseminate information that is inherently negative, but experts argue that the news media’s emphasis on the problem has had a negative effect on the public, the press itself, and democracy. At the same time, the past sixty years have seen a rise of journalistic practices that purport to cover the news beyond the typical problem-based narrative. These genres of journalistic reporting are not positive news or fluff reporting: They are rigorous reporting philosophies and practices that share a common goal—reporting beyond the problem-based narrative, thereby exemplifying a commitment to the social responsibility theory of the press, which asserts that journalists have a duty to consider society’s best interests. However, there is little academic or professional understanding of these journalistic approaches. As such, this book provides an in-depth examination of socially-responsible news reporting practices, such as constructive journalism, solutions journalism, and peace journalism. Each chapter focuses on one reporting form, defining it and detailing its evolution and status among scholars and practitioners, as well as discussing its known effects and future direction. This edited volume is the first academic book published on these forms of reporting in the United States. It provides a comprehensive resource that explores the theoretical underpinnings of these journalistic genres that grounds these approaches and allows for a coherent line of research to follow as these approaches evolve.