Abstract Parents’ responses to their LGBTQ+ child are varied, often intense, and have important consequences for the child. To examine how media depictions may shape responses, a pre-registered online experiment of 494 parents tested effects of viewing two TV narratives, depicting either control (non-LGBTQ+) family interactions, parental rejection, gradual growth toward acceptance, or unalloyed acceptance, of a lesbian or transgender teen, on parents’ support and behavioral intentions regarding their own LGBTQ+ teen. Guided by theories of vicarious contact and inspiring media, we assessed mediation via identification with characters, and via feelings of inspiration and manipulation, testing baseline support as a moderator. Effects of condition were indirect-only, and contingent on baseline support. Among highly supportive parents, growth and acceptance narratives (vs. control) increased feelings of inspiration, which predicted positive behavioral intentions. Among less supportive parents, rejection and (unexpectedly) growth narratives reduced identification with depicted LGBTQ+ teens, indirectly decreasing support and behavioral intentions.
Abstract In response to the continued convergence and hybridization of news and entertainment media content, this research explores the roles of enjoyment and appreciation in contemporary news use. Three studies (two surveys and one experiment) show a clear link between enjoyment, appreciation, and news use. Both enjoyment and appreciation are positively related to agreement, value alignment, attitude change, and attitude reinforcement in the context of news use. News enjoyment is related to increased positive and decreased negative emotions, while news appreciation is connected to an increase in and tolerance of mixed emotions. Importantly, news enjoyment decreases actual knowledge while facilitating greater affective polarization. News appreciation increases more positive feelings toward other people. These results illustrate the value of merging research on entertainment and news media, and they also suggest that news enjoyment is a driving factor in the growth of less democratic news use outcomes.
Abstract This essay, an expanded version of a Presidential Address delivered at the 2026 conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), addresses the global erosion of academic freedom and its implications for communication scholarship. Drawing on a survey of 546 ICA members, the article documents substantial restrictions on academic freedom, alongside widespread occupational intimidation. Most survey respondents have personally experienced hostility or intimidation related to their work, most commonly through social media and personal insults. Nearly half of them report altering their academic practice—e.g., by adjusting their teaching content and research topics or speaking out less publicly. While most attacks originate from the public and political actors, the survey shows that a significant amount of intimidation originates from colleagues and other academics. The essay argues that these findings demand a coordinated collective response, including institutional advocacy, solidarity networks, and recognition of academic freedom as an indispensable human right.
Purpose: This study investigates the corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies of Nigeria’s most reputable banks. It examines the prevalence of different strategies and the organisational factors shaping their selection. Methodology: The study adopts a multi-method design to analyse how and why leading Nigerian banks disseminate CSR information. Data were generated through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with elite key informants, the heads of corporate communications of the banks. These were complemented by a rigorous qualitative content analysis of the banks’ annual reports (2024 to 2025) and Facebook CSR communications (2024 to 2025). The integration of these data sources provides a holistic understanding of the banks' strategic CSR communication practices. Findings: The findings reveal that while Nigeria’s most reputable banks employ both informing and engaging CSR communication strategies, the informing approach predominates, with engagement remaining limited. The results further indicate that strategy selection is primarily driven by reputation management objectives, although CSR communication is viewed as a strategic communication function that serves multiple organisational goals. However, the adoption of the more dialogic, engaging strategy is significantly constrained by internal cultural conservatism and budgetary constraints, leading the banks to exhibit strategic dialogic restraint. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study extends CSR communication scholarship by providing a multi-method examination of CSR communication strategy in the underexplored African banking context. It enriches stakeholder and legitimacy theories by demonstrating that organisational considerations such as reputation management priorities, internal culture, and resource limitations mediate the translation of theoretical ideals into practice. For communication practitioners, the findings provide evidence-based guidance for developing more balanced CSR communication programmes that move beyond the “inform button” of predominantly one-way information dissemination toward greater stakeholder engagement.
Abstract Recent research suggests that changes to the media environment have contributed to loneliness in the United States. This work focuses on smartphones and social media, with the decline of local news receiving little attention. We argue that local news promotes social well-being by informing residents about their communities, fostering attachment and a sense of belonging that can reduce loneliness. We provide evidence in two studies. First, using state-level data and multiple measures of news availability, we show that loneliness is higher in states with fewer options for local news. Second, we find in a nationally representative survey that people who rarely consume local journalism report greater loneliness than regular local news consumers. There is some evidence that the relationship is strongest in rural areas, which have experienced severe declines in local news access. We conclude by proposing a research agenda to further explore how community news may support social well-being.
