Drawing on folk theories , this study explores how mutual perceptions and experiences shape the journalist–activist relationship. We analyze data from two German interview studies: activists from diverse protest movements ( N = 33) and journalists covering them ( N = 38). Both groups tend to hold simplified views of each other’s work yet apply similar criteria when evaluating “good” journalism/activism and affirm the importance of their roles for democracy. Conflicts often arise from unmet expectations. The study offers insights into how journalism is understood in movement contexts and vice versa. It also clarifies the recently debated boundaries between journalism and activism.
This study examines gender representation in the Financial Times and The Economist between 1843 and 2021. Using millions of articles and name-frequency analysis, it traces the long-term evolution of women’s visibility in economic news. Results reveal a U -shaped pattern: relatively high representation in the nineteenth century, a decline through much of the 20th century, and a gradual recovery since the 1980s. Comparisons with benchmarks of women’s participation in high-status occupations and economic sectors show a persistent gap between media visibility and real-world presence. The findings point to a lasting paper ceiling in economic journalism. JEL codes: J16, N34, L82
Media coverage shapes public understanding of social problems, yet harmful events receive uneven attention even when they involve children. This study examines factors shaping media visibility of child harm in Kazakhstan. Using a corpus of more than 230,000 Telegram news posts (2020–2025), we identify 1,571 incidents involving harm to children and estimate negative binomial regression models to test explanations derived from news values and ideal victim theory. Results show that event characteristics predict media attention more strongly than victim characteristics. Fatal interpersonal violence receives more coverage, while systemic failures receive less. Victim age and gender are not significant predictors.
This study examines the relationships between exposure to news-based user-generated content on Bilibili and Chinese Generation Z’s support for hawkish foreign policies. Guided by the Narrative Policy Framework, a survey ( N = 688) shows that self-reported exposure to villain, hero, and mixed narrative strategies is positively associated with hawkish orientations, both directly and indirectly through national pride and national humiliation. These findings suggest that, within the highly performative and affectively embedded dynamics of social media, nonofficial actors may rely on dramatized storytelling and serve as a nonnegligible component of the broader rise of hawkishness within Chinese youth communities.
