The Covid-19 Pandemic, New Norms and the Challenge of Health News Journalists in Malaysia

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the routine of human life to a new norm. The changes sparked various implications and differences of opinion in terms of religion, social, civilization, professionalism, and universal human rights. The media industry and journalism careers are no exception and have also suffered from economic constraints, staff reductions leading to the closure of news agencies. Compliance with the Movement Control Orders and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the newly introduced norms have been adapted to the current norms which eventually led to changes in newsroom and journalistic work routines. This study is an exploration that examines the careers of health news journalists in Malaysia in adjusting aspects of their professionalism, work norms and technology while working in pandemic situations. Based on in-depth interviews with journalists, sub-editors and health news editors from various news agencies, the study found that they are able to adapt to current changes and circumstances, as well as cultivate norms of flexibility without compromising professional ethics. In a short time, health news reporters are seen to be able to act by arranging work remotely or from home, adapting to online meeting with news sources and strengthening the structure of digital newsrooms through virtual communications and social media applications. Health news journalists in Malaysia are also seen to have high aspirations and self-esteem by prioritizing social responsibility over personal concerns over the Covid-19 virus.

How COVID-19 has affected college newspapers: A mixed-methods study

This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic—with its college closures, business shutdowns, and student enrollment declines—impacted the independence of college media during the pandemic, and how those impacts will continue after the pandemic is over. Using a mixed-methods approach based on the Hierarchical Influences Model framework (Shoemaker & Reese, 2013), this study integrates the results of a survey of 126 student media news outlets with interviews from 15 well-known news organizations from universities with established independent practices, to establish a relationship between revenue sources and student participation with independence measures. Results confirmed a stronger push toward digital products and the use of a wider variety of revenue-generating techniques during the pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Newspaper Research Journal is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Journalism and COVID-19 research in Spain: academic impact, methodological approaches and disinformation

Introduction: The aim of this research is to analyze how COVID-19 was studied by the academic discipline of journalism, regarding its impact, methodology, thematic and source, and their repercussions on sites. Methodology: A universe of 124 articles is obtained through algorithmic grouping by InCites (journalism micro topic, Spanish affiliation, and COVID-19 keyword). A bibliometric analysis is performed, accompanied by a qualitative content analysis to generate common codes in methodology, themes, and use of sources. Quantitative analysis of co-occurrence and descriptive correlations between the three variables studied and their citations are carried out. Results: Articles on COVID-19 received five times more citations than the rest. The majority of cites (86%) are concentrated in the first-published articles. Classic methodologies were mostly used (49% content analysis, 16% surveys). Bibliographic review (13 cites/article) and advanced automated analysis techniques (10.75 cites/article) are the ones that receive the most citations. The main theme is disinformation (26%, 11,07 cites/article) and the most common source is the press (27%, 6,15 cites/article), although social networks (22%, 9.12 cites/article) and fact-checkers (10%, 8.50 cites/article) generated a greater impact. Discussion and Conclusions: The articles that were published during the first months generated the highest volume of citations. In journalism research, a recurrent use of classic strategies (content analysis, press) was found, although the slightly more novel approaches (advanced automated analysis techniques) are the ones that produced the most citations. Misinformation becomes one of the key issues in journalism studies. Unusual methodologies and themes receive practically no citations.Alternate :Introduction: Se analiza el impacto y el modo en el que la disciplina académica del periodismo investigó sobre el COVID-19 y su repercusión metodológica, temática y de fuentes. Metodología: Se obtiene un universo de 124 artículos mediante agrupación algorítmica por InCites (micro tópico periodismo, afiliación española y palabra clave COVID-19). Se procede a un análisis bibliométrico, acompañado por un análisis de contenido cualitativo para generar códigos comunes en metodología, temática y uso de fuentes. Se realizan análisis cuantitativos de co-ocurrencia y correlaciones descriptivas entre las tres variables estudiadas y sus citas. Resultados: Los artículos sobre COVID-19 recibieron cinco veces más citas que el resto, y la mayoría (86%) se concentran en los primeros artículos. Se emplearon mayormente metodologías clásicas (49% análisis de contenido, 16% encuestas). La revisión bibliográfica (13 citas/ artículo) y las técnicas avanzadas de análisis automático (10,75 citas/artículo) son las que reciben más citas. La temática principal es la desinformación (26%, 11,07 citas/artículo) y la fuente más común la prensa (27%, 6,15 citas/artículo), si bien generan más impacto las redes sociales (22%, 9,12 citas/ artículo) y los fact-checkers (10%, 8,50 citas/artículo). Discusión y Conclusiones: Los artículos que primero se publicaron generaron más citas. Se identificó un uso recurrente de estrategias clásicas (análisis de contenido, prensa) si bien son las aproximaciones ligeramente más novedosas (técnicas avanzadas de análisis automático) las que producen más citas. La desinformación deviene uno de los temas claves. Las metodologías y temáticas poco comunes no reciben prácticamente citaciones.

Syncing with Science: The Challenge of Knowledge-based Journalism to Report on Science in Pakistan

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the public interest in science, and thus the need to report on scientific facts and information correctly has increased. While the pandemic has posed challenges to working journalists across the globe, problems for Pakistani journalists continue to grow. The country's journalists struggle not only to report on the pandemic but also to report on other scientific matters ranging from environmental issues to technological developments. This indicates the timely need for journalists' expert knowledge to report on science. Nevertheless, science journalism research is in its nascent stage in Pakistan, and there is no prior national study that analyzes science reporting in relation to knowledge-based journalism. Therefore, informed by the conceptual model of knowledge-based journalism, this study contributes a qualitative analysis of challenges that hinder the practice of knowledge-based journalism for science reporting within the context of Pakistan. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Radio and Social Media as A Two-Way Communication Tool in Conflict- and Pandemic-Affected Communities in Burkina Faso

The article draws on the concepts of "felt needs” and "politics of listening” widely used in community development and applies them more broadly to the humanitarian crisis suffered by internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso. It investigates the two-way communication stream between radio journalists and listeners drawing on feedback collected remotely from 153 representatives of internally displaced and host communities in Burkina Faso during COVID-19. It argues that while a voice must be given to marginalised communities, it must also be listened to and acted upon. Rather than radio journalism being a loudspeaker for top-down messaging, the study argues that alternative approaches should be adopted in conflict- and pandemic-affected areas. It finds that a balance is needed between the information that listeners feel they need in their new extreme circumstances and the information that radio journalists, drawing on their expertise, feel would be strategically empowering. © 2023 The Author(s). Co-published by Unisa Press and Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Labouring the news: Management control strategies and work intensification in the digital newsroom

Using a labour process lens, this research focuses on the structured antagonism that characterises the employment relationship. This article seeks to further our understanding of how news organisations employ control strategies to extract the labour power of journalists and achieve organisational objectives, and we pay particular attention to the role of editors in this regard. We also explore the responses of journalists as workers to managerial control which can include accommodation, resistance, compliance, or consent. The findings are based on an empirical case study of a local newspaper incorporating interviews with editors and journalists. The case study reveals how journalists' work intensified with the turn to digital content, and because of reduced staffing since COVID-19, but editors ensured high levels of productivity through distribution of digital analytics and constant monitoring.