JOUR 482 Study Guide: Global Journalism and Media Systems

Vocabulary flashcards covering all six readings for JOUR 482 (Dr. Semati), spanning global media systems, news flows, communication technology, media freedom, journalistic cultures, and public diplomacy.

Global Journalism

A journalistic perspective and practice that investigates how everyday issues and events are interconnected globally rather than framing them solely through a domestic lens.

-Grows out of globalization

-Goes beyond domestic foreign divide

-Production & consumption increasingly cross borders

-Journalism remains rooted in national media systems

International Journalism

The practice of reporting news across national borders, typically focusing on foreign events and foreign affairs through the perspective of a specific national home base. People get their news online or direct tv instead of satellite.

-International news agencies

-Free flow of info

-Global news flow

Areas of International Journalism

National Media systems

Remains heavily in laws, cultures, and governance of individual nation-states.

Global media systems

Digital networks and transnational corporations.

Comparative media systems

Is an academic field that studies how different countries structure, regulate, and fund their mass media, and how those media interact with politics and society.

Systems perspective

-Media institute interact with one another

-Media are embedded in wider social systems

-Political & economic systems are influential

Media Dependency Theory

A theoretical framework stating that the more individuals and societies rely on media to fulfill information needs, the more powerful and influential the media become in shaping attitudes and behaviors.

Normative theories

Non-normative theories

Four Theories of the Press

Authoritarian, Libertarian, Soviet-Communist. and Social Responsibility

Characteristics of the Four Press Theories

Principles of Normative Media Theory

Limitations of the Four Theories of the Press

Development Media Theory

A normative press theory proposing that media in developing societies should support national development, nation-building, and economic growth rather than taking an adversarial stance against the government.

-Media expected to support national development

-Economic & social goals may outweigh press freedom=luxury

-Health, agriculture, & education are major priorities

-Communication is treated as tool for social change

Democratic-Participant Media Theory

A normative media theory advocating for non-commercial, bottom-up media organizations that prioritize public access, citizen participation, and grassroots community expression over corporate or state dominance.

-Challenges top-down media institutions

-Favors decentralized, small-scale communication

-Community media enable participation & social action

-Citizens become producers as well as audience

Three Models of Media and Politics (Hallin and Mancini)

A comparative framework classifying media systems into the Polarized Pluralist (Mediterranean), Democratic Corporatist (North/Central Europe), and Liberal (North Atlantic) models based on political parallelism, mass circulation, professionalization, and state intervention.

Filter Bubbles

Personalized digital environments created by algorithms where users are exposed primarily to content matching their previous preferences, isolating them from contrasting viewpoints.

World System Theory

A macro-sociological approach applied to international news flow that categorizes nations into core, semi-peripheral, and peripheral zones, illustrating structural global information inequalities.

MacBride Commission

A UNESCO-appointed international commission that investigated communication imbalances worldwide and published the landmark 1980 report 'Many Voices, One World.'

New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO)

A UNESCO-supported initiative aimed at addressing structural inequalities and flow imbalances in international communication and news distribution between the Global North and Global South.

Power–Proximity Model

An international news flow framework proposing that news attention is governed by multidimensional aspects of power as well as geographic, cultural, economic, and political proximity between countries.

Push and Pull Mechanisms

The dual modes of information distribution in the digital era: 'push' involves publishers and algorithms delivering content to consumers, while 'pull' involves users actively searching for and retrieving information.

CNN Effect

The concept that 24-hour real-time television coverage of international humanitarian crises and conflicts influences domestic governments to alter their foreign policy and intervene.

Misinformation

False, inaccurate, or misleading information that is created or spread without a deliberate intent to deceive or cause harm.

Disinformation

Deliberately fabricated or manipulated information distributed with the explicit intent to mislead, deceive, or undermine public trust.

Political Microtargeting

The practice of using data analytics and psychographic profiling to deliver personalized political messaging to hyper-specific segments of voters on digital platforms.

Internet Research Agency (IRA)

A Russian-based organization that engages in state-sponsored online influence operations, using troll networks and social media manipulation to conduct active measures abroad.

Cyber Sovereignty

The assertion that national governments have the absolute right to control, regulate, and censor digital infrastructure, cyberspace, and data within their sovereign borders.

Post-Truth Public Diplomacy (PTPD)

An international communication approach by state actors that leverages emotional appeals, information manipulation, and polarization rather than objective facts to influence foreign publics.

Freedom House

A non-governmental organization that conducts research and produces annual rankings and reports assessing the state of political rights, civil liberties, and press freedom globally.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

An international non-governmental organization dedicated to defending freedom of information, renowned for publishing the annual World Press Freedom Index.

Media Capture

A condition where media outlets are systematically controlled or co-opted by political and economic elites, compromising their editorial independence and public watchdog function.

SLAPP Lawsuits

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation: legal actions filed by powerful individuals or corporations to intimidate, silence, and financially drain journalists and critics through costly litigation.

Journalistic Culture

The shared institutional values, professional norms, belief systems, and practices that collectively define how journalists view their work and fulfill their social purpose.

Role Conceptions

The internalized professional beliefs, ideals, and normative expectations journalists hold regarding what functions they ought to perform within society.

Role Enactment

The observable realization and performance of journalistic roles as demonstrated in actual published news stories and editorial content.

Role Negotiation

The ongoing process wherein journalists balance and adapt their normative ideals against organizational constraints, market demands, and political realities.

Public Diplomacy

A form of statecraft and strategic communication aimed at engaging, informing, and influencing foreign publics to support a nation's foreign policy and advance its national interests.

Nation Branding

The deliberate application of corporate branding and marketing strategies to construct, project, and manage a country's reputation and competitive identity internationally.

Soft Power

The ability to achieve foreign policy objectives through attraction, culture, political values, and diplomatic persuasion rather than force or coercion.

Hard Power

The coercive use of military strength, economic sanctions, or direct financial pressure to compel or incentivize changes in the behavior of other states.

Gatekeeping Perspective

A theoretical framework in news production that focuses on how editorial gatekeepers filter, select, shape, and discard incoming information before it reaches the public.

National media systems

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Global media systems

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Comparative media systems

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System perspective

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Normative theories

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Non-normative theories

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Characteristics of the Four Press Theories

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Principles of Normative Media Theory

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Limitations of the Four Theories of the Press

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Four Dimensions of the Three Models of Media and Politics

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Other Models and Approaches to Global Media Systems

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Major Determinants of National Media Development

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