Research team
Centering care in journalism: Understanding the experiences of marginalized news subjects and journalists' perceived boundaries.
Abstract
The need for a diversity of voices in the news is clear, yet research rarely considers the perspectives of news subjects – people who are named in the news. Therefore, this project examines how LGBTQIA+ and racialized news subjects navigate their roles in Flemish news and analyzes the role of care in journalism. These empirical insights will advance the theory of journalism of care, which adopts care ethics for more inclusive journalism. First, I identify marginalized news subjects in a wide variety of media and analyze their representations through content analysis. Second, through in-depth interviews, this project analyzes news subjects' experiences and expectations. These insights are complemented by in-depth interviews with journalists who covered them, analyzing how they experience these interactions and which boundaries they draw between caring and professional conduct. The pairing of news subjects and journalists offers innovative perspectives, revealing potential gaps between their expectations and experiences. The project comprises four work packages that cover the identification and representation of marginalized news subjects (WP1), their experiences (WP2), the perspectives of journalists who cover them (WP3), and a theoretical framework for journalism of care, translated into tangible guidelines (WP4). The findings will inform academic and journalistic practice, contributing to sensitive approaches to news coverage, which can lead to more diversity in the news.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
- Co-promoter: Paulussen Steve
- Fellow: Verhoeven Emma
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Mediated homonationalism: Media discourses on homosexuality and the nation in Flanders.
Abstract
Lesbian and gay rights are increasingly included in the self-presentation of Western nations. Critics label this as 'homonationalism', pointing out how inclusion in the national ingroup comes at the price of normativity and the exclusion of (presumably) homophobic 'others', mostly originating or situated in the East or South. This project aims to contribute to existing scholarship by systematically analyzing homonationalist discourses and counter-discourses, focusing on Flanders as a specific (sub)national context, and exploring the role of media in circulating such discourses. The main research question is: To what degree and how do homonationalist discourses and counter-discourses ¬circulate in Flemish media? Sub-questions and related work packages focus on (1) the prevalence of homonationalist discourses in Flemish newspapers and news sites, (2) the characteristics of these discourses, and (3) the way such discourses circulate across legacy media (in particular newspapers), owned media (e.g. political party publications) and social media (Facebook and Twitter). Focusing on the contemporary Flemish situation, we use a mixed-method design combining quantitative content analysis with critical discourse analysis. As to data, we move from a one-year sample of all reporting on homosexuality (1), through a more focused sample of homonationalist discourses during that same year (2), to a few 'discursive moments' for which we complement legacy media with owned and social media.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
- Fellow: Verhoeven Emma
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project