Social Influence and Political Communication Commons^™

Communication And The Common Core: Disciplinary Opportunities, Joesph M. Valenzano

Joseph M. Valenzano III

The subject of how to strengthen primary and secondary education in the United States is widely discussed in news and popular media. While an extensive range of opinions have been expressed, the common thread is that these issues are normally situated in the domain of politicians and K-12 teachers. Primary and secondary education are rarely addressed by scholars who publish in Communication Education. This divide between Communication researchers in higher education and K-12 practitioners reflects generally weak connections between the two domains. As seems fitting for our changing times, that situation is also ripe for change. In tandem with the …

Mass Media Coverage Of Environmental Issues: Impact On Disaster Public Policy, John R. Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

The Role Of The Common Core In The Gubernatorial Elections Of 2014, Jonathan Supovitz, Bobbi Newman, Ariel Smith

Bobbi Newman

After the Spring 2014 primaries, the Common Core State Standards were viewed as a political hot potato. As former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said, “the Common Core has become toxic, I think it’s radioactive…It has become an incredibly controversial topic on both the left and the right.” Even so, the Common Core turned out to play a role in some of the governor’s races in November 2014. In this analysis of candidate positions and the role of the Common Core across the 36 gubernatorial races of 2014, CPRE researchers Bobbi Newman, Jonathan Supovitz and Arial Smith used campaign websites, debate …

Using Student Case Study Research To Verify Twitter Usage In Disasters, John R. Fisher, Jared Pitcher, Gary Noll

Dr. John R. Fisher

In disaster situations, Twitter has become the preferred means of transmitting information to the news media and the public. This study examines the inter-relationship among the various parties who share and produce information in a disaster situation. Student case studies of disaster situations serve as the primary database for analysis. A preliminary examination of the case studies and the Twitter trails of information seem to support the view that Twitter can be a source of gathering and relaying information in a disaster situation and that first-responder agencies, the media, and the informed public can use Twitter for information they can …

Research Translation: Informing Evidence-Based Policies, Anna G. Hoover

Anna G. Hoover

This presentation describes the need for evidence-based policy, outlines strategies for researchers and communities to inform various policy stages, and provides a case study example of research generated specifically to inform policy implementation.

Cold War Ii: Those Evil Russkie He-Men Are Making Us Frack Ourselves,, Michael I. Niman Ph.D.

Michael I Niman Ph.D.

You have to admit, the timing is convenient, both for us handsome free Americans and for the cursed Russians. If you’re Russian, forget about the regular jailing of protesters and musicians, your he-man government and its bizarre hatred of gay folks, the degradation of your environment and rape of your natural resources, and the rise of a billionaire mafioso class. You now have rude hubristic Americans to monopolize your hate and fear. Ditto for Americans. Forget every issue we were fretting about the day before masked, Russian-speaking troops swarmed over the border and “did not invade” Crimea, annexing it and …

Media Impact On Disaster Public Policy, John R. Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

Decades of research suggest the media play a secondary role in the development of public policy. This appears to be equally true in media coverage of disasters. While the media may heighten awareness of an issue, individual public opinion leaders, particularly the wealthy and influential, have greater impact on the formation of public policy.

A Convergence-Building Model Of Superfund Site Communication: Building On Lessons From The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Anna G. Hoover, Lindell Ormsbee

Anna G. Hoover

Best practices approaches have guided governmental risk communication efforts at Superfund and other chronic risk sites for more than two decades, playing an important role in the ways in which those most affected by contamination make sense of risk. Such approaches can affect the information environment in two separate but related ways: 1) directly, through the explicit sharing of information, and 2) indirectly, through ongoing stakeholder interpretations of the processes by which that information is shared. To date, the indirect, process-related effects have not been addressed in assessments of communicative efficacy at Superfund sites. Thus, it increasingly is necessary to …

La Larga Marcha De Los Presidenciables, Augusto Reina, Maximo Reina

Augusto Reina

Tras el match electoral que supuso un revés para el gobierno nacional, ya circula la tentación de definir los candidatos presidenciales. Pero claro, todos las fuerzas que aspiren al poder en el 2015 tienen el desafío de ser sustentables por 18 meses. Esto es toda una panacea para la política argentina.

¿Cuántos de ellos tienen las capacidades para hacerlo? En este articulo, nos centramos en la larga marcha que deberán hacer los presidenciables. Haciendo un balance de su posición actual, sus ventajas comparativas y los desafíos a futuro.

Examining Question Form And Function In The Disaster Press Conference, John Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

This study uses a structural functional perspective in examining the form and function of questions in a presidential disaster press conference on May 27, 2010 about the Deepwater BP Oil Spill. Clayman and Heritage (2002) proposed a framework to examine the questions and responses in a press conference while Fisher (1991) offered a method to study media function. These were both applied to the disaster press conference. Findings were used to develop recommendations for public officials and PIOs in working with the media. Despite the fact that this case suggests an adversarial relationship between public officials and the media, public …

Emergency Service Leader Perceptions Of Legitimacy, John R. Fisher, R. Jeffery Maxfield

Dr. John R. Fisher

This study adds to the qualitative data showing how leaders in the emergency services perceive legitimacy and the bases of power. The study examines leader perception of the reasons their subordinates view their leadership as legitimate. Two definitions of legitimacy are presented: the traditional viewpoint of French and Raven (1959) associating legitimate power “with having status or formal job authority” and the other proposed by Maxfield (2012) in the LEAP leadership model basing legitimacy more on the characteristics leaders bring to their positions. Emergency service students interviewed leaders in their career fields, determining their view of legitimacy. They found that …

The Disaster Press Conference: Form And Function, John R. Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

This study uses a structural functional perspective in examining the form and function of a presidential disaster press conference on May 27, 2010 about the Deepwater BP Oil Spill. Clayman and Heritage (2002) proposed a framework to examine the questions and responses in a press conference while Fisher (1991) offered a method to study media function. These were both applied to the disaster press conference. Findings were used to develop recommendations for public officials and PIOs in working with the media. Despite the fact that this case suggests an adversarial relationship between public officials and the media, public officials need …

Wie Verändert Das Internet Die Demokratie?, Ralf Lindner

Ralf Lindner

Obwohl seit dem Aufstieg des Internets zum Massenmedium in den 1990er Jahren Ernüchterung über die Demokratisierungswirkung der neuen Medien eingetreten ist, werden regelmäßig weitreichende Erwartungen über der politische Transformationspotenzial des Internets formuliert. So wird häufig postuliert, dass das Internet demokratische Politik über kurz oder lang fundamental verändern werde, indem universeller Informationszugang ermöglicht, etablierte Machtstrukturen unterminiert und politische Partizipation gesteigert werde. Der Beitrag erörtert zunächst die Hintergründe für populäre Fehlschlüsse, die die Debatte um elektronische Demokratie begleiten. Auf der Grundlage einer kritischen Reflexion mit den ideologisch-normativ imprägnierten Erwartungen an das Internet werden theoretisch wie empirisch robustere Überlegungen zum Beitrag der neuen …

La Comunicación Escrita En El Ámbito Público: Una Experiencia En La Provincia De Buenos Aires, Federico Del Giorgio Solfa, Luciana Mercedes Girotto

Federico Del Giorgio Solfa

The Disaster Press Conference: Form And Function, John R. Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

This study uses a structural functional perspective in examining the form and function of a presidential disaster press conference on May 27, 2010 about the Deepwater BP Oil Spill. Clayman and Heritage (2002) proposed a framework to examine the questions and responses in a press conference while Fisher (1991) offered a method to study media function. These were both applied to the disaster press conference. Findings were used to develop recommendations for public officials and PIOs in working with the media. Despite the fact that this case suggests an adversarial relationship between public officials and the media, public officials need …

Winning The Story War: Strategic Communication And The Conflict In Afghanistan, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

In conflicts of the information age success in the application of force depends less on the outcome of tactical operations on the battlefields but more on how the war's purpose, course and conduct is viewed by public opinion at home as well as within the theatre of operations. Therefore western allies in Iraq and Afghanistan are not only involved in a physical struggle but also in a struggle over perceptions, for no long-term engagement of troops is possible without support from home, nor can a counterinsurgency succeed without the support of the local population. While the ability to exert influence …

Designing An Information-Experience Using Creativity Science & Tools, Stephanie Belhomme

Stephanie Belhomme

An “information-experience” encapsulated by a technological/digital audio-visual tool presents data and potentially meaningful information to prompt actionable knowledge concerning: “unspoken creative process elements;” their profound impacts on both how well our “physiology of creativity” functions but also; how well foundational creative thinking and behavioral prerequisites (energy, motivation, imagination, and ownership) are leveraged.

The product: 1) introduces the user to one component of the CPS (Creative Problem Solving) Facilitation Process - Exploring the Challenge; 2) features a content specific component which prompts exploration of the many correlations between societal, organizational / community, human physiological / behavioral data, and the direct relationships …

You Say You Want A (Nonviolent) Revolution, Well Then What? Translating Western Thought, Strategic Ideological Cooptation, And Institution Building For Freedom For Governments Emerging Out Of Peaceful Chaos, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

With nonviolent revolution in particular, displaced governments leave a power and governance vacuum waiting to be filled. Such vacuums are particularly susceptible to what this Article will call “strategic ideological cooptation.” Following the regime disruption, peaceful chaos transitions into a period in which it is necessary to structure and order the emergent governance scheme. That period in which the new government scheme emerges is particularly fraught with danger when growing from peaceful chaos because nonviolent revolutions tend to be decentralized, unorganized, unsophisticated, and particularly vulnerable to cooptation. Any external power wishing to influence events in societies emerging out of peaceful …

Operationele Ontwikkeling Van De Nederlandse Special Operations Forces, 2005-2010, George Dimitriu, Gijs Tuinman, Martijn Van Der Vorm

George Dimitriu

Between 2005 and 2010 Dutch Special Operations Forces (SOF) carried out three mission in Afghanistan. The authors describe these missions in which both Army SOF and Marine SOF took part. They describe SOF and analyze the planning and execution of SOF missions. Further, they discuss the insights and developments that resulted from these experiences. By doing this, they not only clarify but also explain recent developments in the Dutch SOF realm. The lessons learned and best practices identified are a sound foundation for the future of Dutch SOF. (article in Dutch).

Tongzhi Today, Tomorrow, Jennifer Q. Zhang

Jenn Z

This is a multi-media project composed of a research paper and short film on an emerging new identity of affluent urban Chinese men. The research paper begins with a brief background on socially accepted cultural phenomenon of pederasty and same-sex relations in dynastic China. These practices are removed and medicalized in late pre-modern China. The high-culture role of family in relation to the individual and the nation is largely due to continued loyalty toward Confucian doctrines. The struggle of urban gay men against these socio-historical factors is offset with the availability of the internet, digital resources and a digital community …

Disclosure's Effects: Wikileaks And Transparency, Mark Fenster

Mark Fenster

Employing Critical Reflection In An Online Emergency Services Course, R Maxfield, John Fisher

Dr. John R. Fisher

Non-traditional students in an online course in Homeland Security used the DEAL model of critical reflection to describe (a) what they learned, (b) how they learned it, (c)why it matters, and (d) what they will do with what they learned. Online discussion of readings proved to be the most effective learning technique used in the course because it incorporated reflective practices and allowed application of real-life experiences.

Ondervraging Van Irakese En Afghaanse Insurgents: De Nederlandse Ervaringen, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

Gedurende de afgelopen jaren is de Nederlandse Krijgsmacht een aantal jaren actief geweest in Irak en Afghanistan waarbij honderden mensen gevangen zijn genomen en zijn ondervraagd. In tegenstelling tot veel andere landen die ook in Irak en Afghanistan actief zijn of waren, zoals de Verenigde Staten, Groot-Brittannië, Spanje en Canada, is Nederland tot op heden gevrijwaard gebleven van een groot martelschandaal of een binnenlandse discussie. Afgezien van een incident in 2006 toen krantenkoppen Nederlanders betichtten van marteling tijdens de missie in Irak, is er maar weinig voorgevallen. Bovendien luwde de ophef over het vermeende martelincident in Irak al snel. Hoe …

De Missie In Uruzgan Als Strategisch Narratief, George Dimitriu, Beatrice De Graaf

George Dimitriu

In dit artikel willen we stilstaan bij het belang van maatschappelijk draagvlak in westerse democratieën voor langdurige missies, waarbij de primaire landsbelangen niet direct op het spel staan en waarbij de noodzaak tot oorlogsvoering niet buiten kijf staat. We nemen de ISAF-evaluatie als uitgangspunt, maar willen het punt uitwerken dat in deze evaluatie buiten beschouwing is gelaten: de relatie tussen troepeninzet voor missies en het maatschappelijke draagvlak. Die relatie krijgt vorm in publieke en politieke debatten, in lobby's en stemmingen in de Kamer. Er is inmiddels een rijk onderzoeksveld ontstaan rond vraagstukken van maatschappelijk draagvlak, publieke opinie en oorlogsvoering. Uit …

Community Voices: New State Voting Districts In Final Stages, Carroy U. Ferguson Dr.

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Last week the Massachusetts Legislature produced redistricting legislation that will forever change the direction of state politics for blacks, Latinos and Asians. By this time next year, the number of state house elected officials of color can increase by 100 percent, from 10 to 20 members. And communities of color will be well positioned to elect a person of color to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in the history of the state.

Strategische Communicatie In Afghanistan: Alles Draait Om Perceptie, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

Tijdens conflicten is beïnvloeding van de verschillende relevante doelgroepen – tegenstanders, de lokale bevolking en het eigen thuisfront – altijd al van doorslaggevend belang geweest. Maar door de geglobaliseerde nieuwe vormen van media dat heeft geleid tot ongekende beïnvloedings-mogelijkheden, de verwevenheid van target audiences en de communicatiesuccessen van terroristen is het belang van de ideologische strijd vandaag de dag enorm toegenomen. De westerse bondgenoten zijn in Afghanistan niet alleen in een fysieke strijd verwikkeld maar ook in een strijd om percepties. Zonder draagvlak van het thuisfront is langdurige inzet van troepen immers niet mogelijk en zonder steun van de lokale …

Broadening Participation Through E-Petitions? An Empirical Study Of Petitions To The German Parliament, Ralf Lindner

Ralf Lindner

Petitioning is a well established form of political participation in most liberal democracies, but little is known about petitioners, their socio-demographics, motivations and assessments of petitioning processes. In 2005, the German parliament introduced public e-petitions which are submitted, signed and discussed on the Internet. This article reports a 2007 survey of 571 traditional and 350 e-petitioners. The results indicate that both petitioner samples are characterised by an above average level of general political participation and Internet use. Users of the e-petition system are younger than traditional petitioners, but the group continues to be dominated by men and those with higher …

The Dutch Counterinsurgency Approach: Political And Military Lessons, George Dimitriu, Beatrice De Graaf

George Dimitriu

In the past, military defeat has led to resignations of Ministers of Defence. But in February 2010, it was the first time that a ruling party in the Netherlands, the social democrat party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA), brought down the coalition government, as a protest against extending a military mission. This historical moment even inspired the Taliban to congratulate the social democrats: ‘We congratulate the Dutch for this courageous and independent decision,’ said Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi. The Taliban expressed the hope that other countries would follow the Dutch example. After four years of intensive commitment to the …

‘Holding’ For Companies And Platoons In Counterinsurgency, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

In August 2010, the Dutch redeployed their forces after being active in Afghanistan for four years, aiding and abetting ISAF with around 2000 troops each rotation. Initially, the contribution after August had been discussed fiercely, but the collapse of the Netherlands’ coalition government in February 2010 meant also the end of the discussion about prolongation of the mission of Task Force Uruzgan; the withdrawal of troops is definite and more or less completed by the time of writing. In a recently published article about the performance of the Dutch forces in Uruzgan, which I wrote together with Dr. B.A. de …

El Desarrollo De La Ciencia Política En México. Una Mirada A Través De Los Estudios Sobre El Estado De La Disiciplina, J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

Se presenta una revisión de los títulos publicados hasta 2009 que han analizado la situación de la ciencia política en México o algún aspecto de ésta. Destaca el crecimiento y la diversificación de autores e instituciones, de las revistas publicadas y de los enfoques y temas recurrentes. Hasta fines de los años noventa se ven autores recurrentes y momentos de auge en las publicaciones asociados a coyunturas como congresos, procesos de modificación a planes de estudio, etc., Después de estos años hay la emergencia de nuevos autores y enfoques de estudio, y que el desarrollo de estos trabajos en su …