Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mass Media Reform In China: Toward A New Analytical Framework, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

Historically, analyses of change in mass media systems have tended to draw upon a ‘dissident vs state’ framework, derived largely from the western historical experience. In the case of China, a ‘state vs market’ scenario has been superimposed on this basic framework, in the context of which the Chinese Communist party-state is often portrayed as a monolithic entity intent on promoting market-oriented reform in China’s economic base, while keeping a tight grip on the country’s mass media system and political superstructure. These dominant analytical frameworks tend to mask a number of important dynamics unique to Chinese history and society, that …

Role Perception As Predictor Of Editors' Job Satisfaction, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

This survey of newspaper editors find s those who see their roles as disseminators or interpreters more satisfied than those who see their role as adversary or watchdog.

Framing And Ideology: A Comparative Analysis Of U.S. And Chinese Newspaper Coverage Of The Fourth United Nations Conference On Women And The Ngo Forum, Roya Akhavan-Majid, Jyotika Ramaprasad

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

In this study, we examined framing in the U.S. and Chinese press coverage of the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women and the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum in Beijing in 1995. This study had 2 objectives: (a) to systematically assess the coverage of this global feminist event and the extent to which its critical areas of concern were communicated to the public, and (b) to illuminate the dynamics of framing in a comparative context and contribute to its further theoretical development. Employing quantitative and qualitative methods, this study found evidence of the operation of an anticommunist and an antifeminist frame in …

Chain Ownership, Organizational Size, And Editorial Role Perceptions, Roya Akhavan-Majid, Timothy Boudreau

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationship between chain ownership and editorial role perceptions to illuminate the impact of chain ownership on content. Based on 258 questionnaires returned by a nation-wide sample of daily newspaper editors, the study found the editors of chain-owned newspapers to be more likely than their independent counterparts to subscribe to activist role perceptions. The tendency toward activist values increased as the size of the chain increased. Further, in general, editors of larger news organizations tended to subscribe to activist values more than did editors in smaller organizations.

How Community Involvement Affects Editors' Role, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

The majority of editors surveyed indicated some degree of community involvement, but such involvement does not seem to have substantial effect on their watchdog role.

Telecommunications Policymaking In Japan, 1970-1993: A Case Study In Elite Conflict, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

Since the early 1970s, the term “Japan Inc.” has provided a familiar heuristic in the field to describe the prevailing mode of industrial policymaking in Japan. Based largely on the post-war studies of Japan’s rise to the status of an economic superpower, the “Japan Inc.” model depicts Japan’s industrial policymaking as a harmonious process of cooperation between the Japanese government (working through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, MITI) and the country’s big business.

Despite its applicability to the dynamics of government-business cooperation in Japan during the country’s ascent to the status of an advanced industrialized society, however, the …

Chain Ownership And Editorial Independence: A Case Study Of Gannett Newspapers, Roya Akhavan-Majid, Anita Rife, Sheila Gopinath

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

A comparison of the editorial positions taken on three public issues in 1989 by 56 newspapers in the Gannett group with a matched set of 155 other newspapers finds that Gannett newspapers were more likely to take positions, but also less likely to vary in the positions taken. (Also, 72% of the Gannett newspapers responded to the survey of editors versus 52% of the matched set of editors queried.) The study did not seek to find evidence that the newspapers were influenced by higher headquarters, but does suggest a number of ways that subtle influences may work within groups.

American Mass Media And The Myth Of Libertarianism: Toward An "Elite Power Group" Theory, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

This paper presents evidence of the demise of Libertarianism in the U.S. mass media system and proposes an “elite power group” model as an alternative explanation of the workings of the mass media in the United States. In sharp contrast to the structural characteristics implied by the Libertarian model, the U.S. media industry is organized as an elite power group characterized by

• growing concentration and conglomeration,
• integration with other power elites, and
• ability to exercise self-serving control on the government even as it is controlled by it.

The Press As An Elite Power Group In Japan, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

A lengthy field study in Japan using interviews and other sources and focusing on the nation's five leading national newspapers and Tokyo's major television stations finds evidence of much overlap between industry and the news media, through interlocking directorships and social club memberships, for example. Also journalists and other industrial leaders tend to be educated at the same exclusive universities and journalists also belong to professional clubs in which common values are shared. There already is a concentration of ownership of Japanese mass media and, through the mean sketched in this study, one can find how the mass media are …

Telecommunications Policymaking In Japan: 1980s And Beyond, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

The major law which provided for the privatization of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in 1984 is up for review by the Japanese government in April 1990. Given the continuing domination of Japan's telecommunications market by NTT, ultimate divestiture of the privatized NTT remains a likely outcome of the review. Against this backdrop, this study presents an analysis of the forces which have shaped Japan's privatization and liberalization policy throughout the period 1980-89, and are likely to lead to additional reforms in Japan's telecommunications system in the course of the upcoming policy review.

Dbs Policymaking In Japan: An Interpretive History, Roya Akhavan-Majid

Mass Communication Faculty Publications

Despite Japan's successful experimentation with DBS technology, fundamental conflicts of interest between NHK and Japan's commercial broadcasters continue to chart an uncertain course for the future of Japan's DBS programme. This study traces the history of DBS policy-making in Japan, focusing on the role of the conflict between the two power groups in shaping Japanese DBS policy. The author highlights important policy considerations and discusses how the conflict between NHK and the commercial broadcasters must be resolved in order for Japan's DBS programme to be successfully implemented.