News

New publication: The depiction of people with schizophrenia in news media: A cross-national analysis

We are delighted to share our new co-authored article (Tanya Zilberstein and Baruch Shomron) published in Schizophrenia Research.

"Background: Though people with schizophrenia have been habitually stigmatized in the media, the past two decades have seen a substantial rise in public awareness and anti-stigma intervention plans.
Aims: In this comprehensive cross-national study, we examine the portrayal of people with schizophrenia in the news media across four countries: the U.S., the U.K., Russia, and Israel.
Methods: We employed thematic content analysis to analyze 80 articles from four prominent middle-market and tabloid news media outlets.
Results: Findings suggest people with schizophrenia were routinely depicted in the news media as violent and dangerous perpetrators who were typically young adult white males.
Conclusions: Though some differences existed between venues in different countries, this study suggests that despite the rise in public awareness and anti-stigma intervention plans, the media overall - regardless of country origin - mostly failed to deliver the desired anti-stigma results."

For more information, see The depiction of people with schizophrenia in news media: A cross-national analysis

 

Received her PhD

Congratulations to Dr. Tanya Zilberstein for receiving her PhD from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Dr. Zilberstein who is currently a Visiting Scholar in our team, wrote her dissertation on: "From Online to Offline-Socially Anxious Individuals' Experience with Daily Internet Use and an Internet-Based Intervention Aiming to Enhance their Well-Being".

 

New publication: Communication rights and capabilities

We are delighted to share our new co-authored chapter (with Amit Schejter): Communication rights and capabilities published in the Handbook of Media and Communication Governance.

In this chapter - "We question whether and how the capability to communicate can be safeguarded by the mechanism of establishing communicating as a right. In order to do so, we define what communications are, explore the nature of rights and specifically the scope of the right to communicate and how that term relates to the notion of ‘communication rights’, and introduce the idea of the capability to communicate and the elements it is comprised of, which need to be identified in order to identify what type of right the right to communicate is and communication rights are, and to ensure the viability of these rights. The capabilities approach and its focus on positive rights serves as the main theoretical foundation for this analysis."

For more information, see Communication rights and capabilities

 

Sharing with Israeli colleagues - Presenting at IsraelLangSoc2024    

We participated at the 22nd annual conference of the Israel Association for the Study of Language and Society. This year the conference took place at the University of Haifa, Israel. We presented the following paper:

  • Shomron, B. October 7 in real-time: When the mass media went off script.

 

Summer School 2024: Psychological Warfare - Controlling the public

This summer school is organized by the SoWi?So! department of the Faculty for Social Sciences, Media and Sports of Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (JGU). We participated in the following:

  • Shomron, B. The role of mass media and social media in psychological warfare (lecture).
  • Shomron, B. Protection strategies for societies (round table discussion), with Dr. Barbara Müller, Dr. Olesia Zvezdova, and Dr. Olga Pasitselska.

For more information, see Summer School 2024: Psychological Warfare – Controlling the public

 

CRiSS - Contemporary Research in Social Sciences (2024)

CRiSS is a recurring lecture series from Faculty 02: Social Sciences, Media and Sport at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and takes place every summer semester.

We participated again in the series presenting a study titled: October 7 in real-time: When the mass media went off script.

For more information and other lectures, see CRiSS – Contemporary Research in Social Sciences.

 

Sharing with Israeli colleagues - Presenting at ISCA (2024)    

Once again, we participated at the annual conference of the Israel Communication Association (ISCA). This year, the conference took place at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel. We presented the following papers:

  • Shomron, B. Soliciting altruistic donations: Facebook and kidneys.
  • Shomron, B. & David, Y. Socialization through communication: The case of individuals who left the ultra-Orthodox community.

 

New visiting scholar: Ms. Tanya Zilberstein  

We are happy to welcome a new visiting scholar, Ms. Tanya Zilberstein from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Ms. Zilberstein, who is currently in the last stages of her PhD, focuses in her research on wellbeing, mental health (e.g., social anxiety), media and ICTs.

 

New courses on Israel in the 2024 summer semester 

  • Marginalized Populations and Media Challenges in Israel
  • The Israeli Society: Past, Present, and Future

 

New publication: The solicitation of altruistic kidney donations on Facebook

"Chronic kidney failure poses a risk to human life and quality of life. Patients often receive renal replacement therapy or a kidney transplant, with the latter considered superior, though often inaccessible due to long waiting lists. While most kidney donations originate from the deceased, Israel has transformed as the first country where most kidney donations originate from altruistic living donors. This creates a social environment in which patients are tasked with kidney solicitation which often occurs on digital social networks. This study examines the phenomenon of digital kidney solicitation by employing a thematic analysis of 76 attempts of solicitation on Facebook. The analysis revealed the act of digital solicitation comprises of reflecting the inner conflicts of solicitation and justifying the kidney donation both in general and for the particular solicitor. This study sheds light on the phenomenon of people with kidney failure attempting to save their own lives through digital social networks. A phenomenon that could influence the social-health debate concerning the fair distribution of health resources in society."

 

For more information, see The solicitation of altruistic kidney donations on Facebook

 

New publication: Media representations and capabilities: An intergroup analysis of Muslim-Arabs, Bedouin, Druze, and Christian-Arabs  

"This study examines the media representations of the four Palestinian-Israeli subgroups (Muslim Arabs, Bedouins, Druze, and Christian Arabs) in the Israeli broadcast media. This breaks with the empirical tradition to research Palestinian-Israelis as a whole while ignoring intergroup differences. The study employs a quantitative content analysis of 1,722 interviews conducted with individuals from the four subgroups on Israeli news and current affairs programs. Results reveal that each of the four subgroups was portrayed differently in the media aligning with the subgroups’ unique circumstances and their relationship with the Jewish-Israeli majority. These results relay the importance of measuring subgroups separately as each subgroup is uniquely represented and each unique representation can enable or hinder the capabilities of its members differently. Thus, this study invites a fairer distribution of media resources in society, particularly to subgroups of marginalized communities, contributing to their freedoms, prosperity, and well-being."

 

For more information, see Media Representations and Capabilities: An Intergroup Analysis of Muslim Arabs, Bedouin, Druze, and Christian Arabs

 

New courses on Israel in the 2023-24 winter semester 

  • "Startup Nation": Living in a Digitized Society
  • Diversity and Media in Israeli Society

 

Academic Ceremony celebrating the Israel Professorship with Prime Minister Malu Dreyer   

This week we celebrated the Israel Professorship in Communication Science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) with the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate Malu Dreyer.


photo/©: Peter Pulkowski / JGU

 

For more information, see
Malu Dreyer: Pflege der deutsch-israelischen Beziehungen von hoher politischer Bedeutung
and
WECHSEL DER ISRAEL-PROFESSUR – MINISTERPRÄSIDENTIN MALU DREYER: PFLEGE DER DEUTSCH-ISRAELISCHEN BEZIEHUNGEN VON HOHERPOLITISCHER BEDEUTUNG

 

New book published: Digital Capabilities: ICT Adoption in Marginalized Communities in Israel and the West Bank

We are delighted to share our new co-authored book released May 2023, titled: Digital Capabilities: ICT Adoption in Marginalized Communities in Israel and the West Bank.

"Digital Capabilities is a first-of-its-kind exploration of the capabilities that communities in positions of inequality in Israel and the West Bank seek to realize by utilizing information and communication technologies (ICT), the opportunities they have to communicate, and the way ICTs serve their desire to do so. It is the outcome of an eight-year research project in which the nine authors of this book, some of whom came from within the studied communities, conducted their work among the studied populations over an extended period of time. The capabilities approach, much discussed theoretically, takes on a life in this project and is presented as an empirically observable phenomenon for assessing whether ICTs are serving actual needs, whether communication resources are justly allocated and distributed and whether they serve the goal of a universally accessible right to communicate."

 

 

For more information, see Digital Capabilities: ICT Adoption in Marginalized Communities in Israel and the West Bank 

 

CRiSS – Contemporary Research in Social Sciences (2023)

CRiSS is a recurring lecture series from Faculty 02: Social Sciences, Media and Sport at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and takes place every summer semester.

This year we participated in the series presenting a study titled: Digital capabilities and the solicitation of altruistic kidney donations on Facebook.

For more information and other lectures, see CRiSS – Contemporary Research in Social Sciences.

 

New courses on Israel in the 2023 summer semester 

  • Media and Politics in the Holy Land
  • Media and Minorities in Israel

 

Baruch Shomron is the new holder of the Israel Professorship at the Department of Communication at Mainz University 

Prof. Dr. Baruch Shomron is the new holder of the Israel Professorship at the Department of Communication at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) starting April 2023. Dr. Shomron succeeds Prof. Dr. Yossi David, who has been appointed to a full professorship at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva in Israel.

 

For more information, see JGU press release.

 

Our lab in Paris - Presentations at the ICA 2022

We again participated at the annual conference of the International Communication Assocation (ICA). This year, the conference was held from the 26 until the 30 of May in Paris, France. We presented the following papers:

  • David, Y. “He is Not My Bride, and I Am Not His Groom:” The Effect of Gender and Stereotypical Gendered Cues on Public Opinion.
  • David, Y. Gendering Migrants: The Effects of Gendered Stereotypes on Public Opinion Toward Immigrants.
  • Gonçalves, I. (2022). Immigrants and Refugees Without Voices: Diversity of Sources and Tone of Representation in the United Kingdom and Brazil.
  • Gonçalves, I. & David, Y. Threats when close, victims and heroes when away? Framing immigrants and refugees in the United Kingdom and Brazil.
  • Lahav, H., David, Y., & Jürgens, P. When Facebook turns silent: Religiosity and social media use beyond religion and Christianity.
  • Panievsky, A., David. Y., Gidron. N., & Sheffer. L. Imagined Journalists: An Alternative Approach to Studying Audiences Perceptions of the Media.
  • Shomron, B. The media capabilities of Druze women in Israel.
  • Shomron, B., & David, Y. Protecting the community: How digital media promotes safer behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic in authoritarian communities, a case study of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel.

New project “Media Challenges in the Digital Era in Germany and Israel” together with Dr. Doron Shultziner, Hadassah Academic College (HAC), Jerusalem, Israel (Winter semester 2021-2022)

The project brings together German and Israeli students, and four lecturers, to explore the challenges that the digital era and political polarization have posed to free media and public discourse. The challenges included: fighting “fake news”, how to develop trust in traditional media, and how to prevent violence against journalists and media. The project included working groups consisting of mixed groups of German and Israel students who met with politicians and journalists and learned about relevant phenomena in the respective countries. They worked online and offline in reciprocal field study trips to one’s other countries. The results are presented in an English journalistic report to contribute to the public discourse from a cross-cultural perspective. This project is also part of the new initiatives of collaboration between the Department of Communication, the Faculty of Social Sciences, Media, and Sports at JGU Mainz together with colleges, universities and scholars in Israel.

The outcome of this project is at:

Images of our students that illustrate Jerusalem from their points of view:  https://www.instagram.com/imagining_jerusalem

New Minerva Fellow in our lab, Dr. Baruch Shomron (January 2022-December 2023)

Dr. Baruch Shomron has been awarded the Minerva Fellowship for Postdoctoral Fellows in our lab. During his time in JGU Mainz, Dr. Shomron will develop his research on the Israeli society, communication rights, digital and mass media, political communication, health communication, and marginalized populations (e.g., Palestinian-Israelis, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and migrant and refugees).

Mainz-Bar Ilan Mini-Conference on “Perspectives on media and gender in Israel” (Summer semester 2021)

We have launched the first mini-conference on "Perspectives on media and gender in Israel” “ together with the Gender Studies Program at Bar Ilan University, Israel in the Summer semester of 2021 (due to the Corona restrictions in both countries was held online). This mini-conference was also held as a part of the new initiatives of collaboration between the Department of Communication, the Faculty of Social Sciences, Media, and Sports at JGU Mainz, together with colleges, universities, and scholars in Israel.

Mainz-Jerusalem Political Communication Mini Conference (Winter semester2020-2021)

We have conducted two joint mini-conferences to expand the collaboration between the Department of Communication at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI) and the Department of Communication at JGU Mainz. The first mini-conference focuses on “Extremism and the Public” with research presentations of Prof. Christian Schemer, JGU Mainz on “Effects of hate speech and counter speech in reader comments” and Dr. Eran Amsalem HUJI, Jerusalem on “The (de)polarizing effects of extreme political rhetoric.” The second mini-conference focuses on “Trust and the Media” with research presentations of Prof. Oliver Quiring, JGU Mainz on “The Mainz longitudinal study on media trust. More than a decade of research and still not there...”, Olga Pasitselska, HUJI, Jerusalem on “Better ask your neighbor: Audience’s sense-making strategies in conflicting information environment,” and Tali Aharoni, HUJI, Jerusalem on “Dynamics of (dis)trust between the news media and their audience: The case of the April 2019 Israeli exit polls.” Due to the Corona restrictions in both countries were held online.

Launching a new collaboration with the Department of Communication at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Winter semester 2019-2020)

We have launched the collaboration between the Department of Communication at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI) and the Department of Communication at JGU Mainz with a visit of three faculty members from the Department of Communication at HUJI (Prof. Ifat Maoz, Dr. Christian Baden, and Dr. Meital Balmas-Cohen) in our department. During this visit, they present their research in our departmental colloquium and hold meetings with the Dean and faculty regarding potential joint projects and collaborations.

New Israel Professorship in Communication Science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Yossi David from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem will be the first Israel Professor at Mainz University starting in October 2018.

For more information, see JGU press release “New Israel Professorship in Communication Science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz” and JGU Magazine “‘We talk about one another rather than with each other’”.