Irene Photiou | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (original) (raw)

Papers by Irene Photiou

Intellect Books, Apr 16, 2020

Central European Journal of Communication, 2017

This paper discusses the role and utilization of journalistic sources in the process of communica... more This paper discusses the role and utilization of journalistic sources in the process of communicating the transitional path of a society in crisis towards economic and sustainable growth. It is mainly concerned with the general tendency of the press to display a high degree of manipulation of public opinion by reduction of the diversity of sources and/or their misuse. Cyprus was selected as a case study not only because newspapers still play a dominant role in shaping public opinion in contrast to New Media, but also because sustainable growth has been the basic argument and rhetoric in governmental communication policy, which promoted it as one of the main means in overcoming the ongoing economic/banking crisis the country has been facing since the bailout of the banking sector in 2013. The aim of this research is to examine which categories of journalistic sources shape this topic in the current public sphere and the ways journalists perceive and practice the utilization of their ...

Th is article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in... more Th is article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in visual artefacts employed in the news. Using a case study, we examine the photographs published in the digital media to report on the negotiations between the Greekand Turkish-Cypriot communities, which took place in 2016 and 2017. A four-level visual framing analysis is used to identify a consistent set of frames. It aims to identify the political ideologies that appear to be behind the visual infotainment in these pictorial reports, and the specifi c ways in which hard news can be transformed into soft news. Our research confi rms the presence of visual infotainment elements of personalisation, emotion, morbidity and sensationalism. Overall, the study shows that visual infotainment serves to establish visual frames produced by and for contradictory propagandas, one of which favours ethnic nationalism while the other promotes confl ict resolution.

Journal of Media Critiques

This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Usi... more This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Using the Greek-Cypriot press as a case study, we contrast news reporting during 2013 (after the onset of the banking crisis) to the preceding year. In the course of the study, both quantitative and qualitative analytical methods are employed; formal content analysis used to investigate the occurrence of various infotainment features in news stories, and framing analysis to explore how these are established. This study shows a significant rise of infotainment characteristics in the news during times of crisis, while in new items/reportages where infotainment characteristics are present, stories seem to be presented in predominantly humanitarian frames, indicating an effort to present hard and soft news in a socially relevant manner. Although a significant increase in its occurrence is observed after the onset of the banking crisis, infotainment does not become a dominant, or even a major, journalistic type.

Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 2017

International Journal of Social Science Studies, 2016

Patriotism and triumph are directly affiliated to historical memories and to every country"s hist... more Patriotism and triumph are directly affiliated to historical memories and to every country"s history, since every nation / society"s need to proclaim its national achievements in every aspect of daily life, from politics to economy, science and beyond. Following several countries" turbulent history, since their origins, traditionally the media tend to express the feeling of patriotism that overwhelms the local society. In this perspective, patriotism and triumph concerning national achievements seem to be among the traditional characteristics in the journalistic content of the press. However, although evident in the media content, it is not yet identified in what extend they exist and through which characteristics. This papers addresses these two issues in the content of the current national press in Cyprus, aiming to examine the specific characteristics of patriotism and triumph and the extend up to which they are evident today in the journalistic practices. Taking into account the loyalfacilitator model of journalism, the research is based both on content analysis of the national newspapers with the higher circulation and on a survey concerning the journalists" opinion that work for these newspapers. The sample of content analysis includes an extensive number of news items, since the research was conducted in a two years period of time, while more than two thirds of the journalists working in these newspapers participated in the survey. The aim of this paper is to clarify whether the national press remains attached to practices of the past or new modes of journalism have arisen.

inter-disciplinary.net

1 Representation of Gender Relations in Cypriot popular culture: the cases of the Cypriot Radio S... more 1 Representation of Gender Relations in Cypriot popular culture: the cases of the Cypriot Radio Sketch and Cypriot lifestyle magazines Dr Theodora Maniou and Irene Photiou ABSTRACT: ... William and Kate Middleton is used as a spark to recount all the love stories of the ...

MedieKultur: Journal of media and communication research

This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in ... more This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in visual artefacts employed in the news. Using a case study, we examine the photographs published in the digital media to report on the negotiations between the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot communities, which took place in 2016 and 2017. A four-level visual framing analysis is used to identify a consistent set of frames. It aims to identify the political ideologies that appear to be behind the visual infotainment in these pictorial reports, and the specific ways in which hard news can be transformed into soft news. Our research confirms the presence of visual infotainment elements of personalisation, emotion, morbidity and sensationalism. Overall, the study shows that visual infotainment serves to establish visual frames produced by and for contradictory propagandas, one of which favours ethnic nationalism while the other promotes confl ict resolution.

Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2019

This article examines the representation of gender stereotypes in contemporary television enterta... more This article examines the representation of gender stereotypes in contemporary television entertainment series, using a comparative case-study analysis of the Greek-Cypriot and the Greek versions of the series, Cosmote TV). Un Gars, Une Fille, a sketch comedy series from Canada is especially suited to this kind of comparative study; during its long runtime (close to 20 years, including various reruns), a large number of adaptations have been continually produced in almost 30 different countries and markets, including the ones selected here. Our methodology utilizes a framing analysis of various multimodal devices of Me and You and I Love You, You Love Me, including elements from the character discourse and non-verbal communication, their interactions and displays of emotion, scenes and plotlines of the sketch. Additionally, we conducted interviews with production personnel in Cyprus. The aim is to examine the female and male stereotypes represented by the protagonists in the series. Furthermore, we investigate whether and how these stereotypes relate dialectically to cultural elements, with special focus on the societal influences of both adaptations.

Jebril, N. et al. (2020). (eds.). Journalism, Society and Politics in the Digital Media Era. Bristol, UK: Intellect, pp.112-135., 2020

In order to expand the practice of democracy in any society, journalistic freedom has been – and ... more In order to expand the practice of democracy in any society, journalistic freedom has been – and needs to be – a key concept for every media system. This is especially true in the case of political reporting, where the amount of freedom journalists enjoy relates absolutely to the quality of information the public receives. The popularity and immediacy of digital technologies is considered an important factor in promoting journalistic freedom. However, in some cases, journalists seem to fail in taking advantage of the freedom associated with digital technologies and this often leads to a marring in the democratic practices of the media.
This paper presents the results of a survey conducted in January 2016 on a sample of 48 Greek-Cypriot journalists specialising in political reporting and employed by the printed and digital editions of the five newspapers with the highest circulation in the country. The main aim is to determine their practices and to compare them to the methods they perceive as ideal journalistic performance, in order to discuss the manifestation and level of professional freedom they enjoy within the current digital environment.
The journalists answered 28 questions concerning their personal characteristics, routine practices and perception of ideal journalistic performance. We used the chi-square statistic to test the correlation between demographic variables and journalistic practices, and Pearson correlation to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables, including the comparisons between actual journalistic practices and those perceived as ideal.
The results show that although most journalists in our sample seem to aspire to the performance of watchdog journalism, they do not enjoy the autonomy to practice it. Lack of journalistic freedom is evident despite age, gender, position, education and experience, which implies that they have little effect on their profession and its changes. Nevertheless, we can discern some attempts to pursue some of these ideal practices (e.g., in exposing cases of abuse of power, monitoring political leaders).

Mediekuktur: Journal of Media and Communication Research, 66, pp.75-100, 2019

This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotain-ment found in... more This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotain-ment found in visual artefacts employed in the news. Using a case study, we examine the photographs published in the digital media to report on the negotiations between the Greek-and Turkish-Cypriot communities, which took place in 2016 and 2017. A four-level visual framing analysis is used to identify a consistent set of frames. It aims to identify the political ideologies that appear to be behind the visual infotainment in these pictorial reports, and the specifi c ways in which hard news can be transformed into soft news. Our research confi rms the presence of visual infotainment elements of personalisation, emotion, morbidity and sensation-alism. Overall, the study shows that visual infotainment serves to establish visual frames produced by and for contradictory propagandas, one of which favours ethnic nationalism while the other promotes confl ict resolution.

The Fugue of the Five Senses and the Semiotics of the Shifting Sensorium , 2019

Social-media games are platforms in which the emotional mood of the users interacts with contempo... more Social-media games are platforms in which the emotional mood of the users interacts with contemporary popular culture. The investigation of the motives and emotional background of users while playing a game may be important in identifying the mechanics of their organization and function, particularly since these applications often figure prominently in the day-to-day practices of their users (Jarvinen, 2009). In addition to their previously investigated features – their storytelling, promotion of socialization and intimacy between gamers, and their substitution (in part) of interpersonal interaction – new characteristics seem to arise which explain and/or enhance their popularity. With the transition from Web 2.0 to 3.0, the latest versions of these applications offer their users new experiences based on the interaction of their senses within the game as well as between players. This work uses social semiotics to study two popular Facebook games, as case-studies. Specifically, we approach them as multimodal texts and examine how the engagement of the senses of the users is attempted and/or achieved. Our aim is to investigate whether and how they modify the gaming experience and challenge the traditional hierarchy of the senses.

EJTA 2018 Conference Proceedings Crisis Reporting, 2019

This article examines the ways in which modern students of Social Sciences (including Journalism)... more This article examines the ways in which modern students of Social Sciences (including Journalism) identify the, so called, ‘fake news’. The aims of this work are to identify the factors that enable students to distinguish between fake and real news, as well as any differences between students of Journalism compared to those of other Social Sciences, in order to be able to formulate adequate teaching curricula that can enhance students’ ability to distinguish disinformation and fake news. Focus group interviews were used in order to investigate how students conceive of fake and real news. The sample consisted of forty undergraduate students, ten of whom from the field of Journalism, separated into groups of ten students for the interviews. All groups were given items of fake and real news published in new media and were then questioned on distinguishing them and their characteristics. The results show that the majority of journalism students and a significant number of students in other Social Sciences were able to discern fake from real news items supplied, although a small proportion were confused in identifying them. Students who were successful, pointed out that they perceived the combination of titles, photographs and content in fake stories as inconsistent, factors which may enable academics to design curricula in all Social Sciences.

Το 2015 έκανε την εμφάνισή του στο πρώτο τηλεοπτικό κανάλι του Ραδιοφωνικού Ιδρύματος Κύπρου (ΡΙΚ... more Το 2015 έκανε την εμφάνισή του στο πρώτο τηλεοπτικό κανάλι του Ραδιοφωνικού Ιδρύματος Κύπρου (ΡΙΚ) το σήριαλ Καμώματα τζι' Αρώματα, στο πλαίσιο της εκπομπής Κυπριώτικο Σκετς. Το Κυπριώτικο Σκετς, που πρωτοεμφανίστηκε το 1953 στο ραδιόφωνο και το 1957 στην τηλεόραση του ΡΙΚ, πραγματεύεται ποικίλα θέματα της αγροτικής-παραδοσιακής κουλτούρας της Κύπρου, μια βασική μορφή δημοφιλούς κουλτούρας της τοπικής κοινωνίας. Μεταδίδεται στην κυπριακή διάλεκτο, τόσο με τη μορφή σήριαλ όσο και με τη μορφή αυτοτελών επεισοδίων μικρής διάρκειας. Ιστορικά, το σκετς «ακολούθησε» την πορεία της δημόσιας ραδιοτηλεόρασης, ξεκινώντας δυναμικά, περνώντας κρίση με το ξεκίνημα της ιδιωτικής τηλεόρασης τη δεκαετία του 1990 και επανακάμπτοντας με την έλευση της επίγειας ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας. Στην παρούσα έρευνα, τα Καμώματα τζι' Αρώματα αποτελούν μελέτη περίπτωσης. Εστιάζουμε στην κατασκευή των ταυτοτήτων των χαρακτήρων μέσα από τις σχέσεις και συγκρούσεις, που αναπτύσσονται μεταξύ των γενεών και των φύλων, και τις κοινωνικές πρακτικές που τις πλαισιώνουν, χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης πλαισίωσης. Παράλληλα, μέσα από τη διεξαγωγή συνεντεύξεων ομάδων εστίασης, διερευνώνται οι λόγοι της δημοτικότητας του σήριαλ και η πιθανή τους διασύνδεση με το περιεχόμενο της. Λέξεις κλειδιά: Κυπριώτικο Σκετς, τηλεόραση, νοσταλγία Διαθέσιμο στη διεύθυνση: http://www.epikentro.gr/index.php?isbn=9789604588435

Journal of Media Critiques, 2017

This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Usi... more This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Using the Greek-Cypriot press as a case study, we contrast news reporting during 2013 (after the onset of the banking crisis) to the preceding year. In the course of the study, both quantitative and qualitative analytical methods are employed; formal content analysis used to investigate the occurrence of various infotainment features in news stories, and framing analysis to explore how these are established. This study shows a significant rise of infotainment characteristics in the news during times of crisis, while in new items/reportages where infotainment characteristics are present, stories seem to be presented in predominantly humanitarian frames, indicating an effort to present hard and soft news in a socially relevant manner. Although a significant increase in its occurrence is observed after the onset of the banking crisis, infotainment does not become a dominant, or even a major, journalistic type.

The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the Europea... more The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the European Union, which usually peaks in times of crises. Such a crisis occurred in June-July 2015 when Greece experienced a fresh culmination of its ongoing financial and socio-political stalemate. The negotiations between the Greek government and the EU administration led to a strain on the banking system, a dividing referendum and social movements in the country, resulting in the national elections of September 2015. Greeks around the world perceived this crisis in multiple ways, but for Greek-Cypriots, it brought forth memories of the 2013 banking crisis (at least). It is of interest to examine the role of national media, and specifically television, in the process of European and national identity making in times of crisis. The aim of the case study is to scrutinize and understand the portrayal of the 2015 Greek crisis as presented to the Cypriot society through the national television channels. Engaging in a qualitative framing analysis, this article investigates the political and social aspects in which the crisis in Greece was portrayed, as well as political problematizations concerning conflicts between the European, Hellenic and Cypriot aspects of the national identity, all or some of which many Greek-Cypriots consciously claim to adopt. As this research indicates, the framing of television news during the crisis was ideologically, rather than ethnically, motivated, while the events precipitated deviations from traditional positions on national identity in all ideological groups of the country. Importantly, this study uncovers a subtle trend to promote a new, European awareness in the national identity, attempting to generate sympathy for this multicultural and multinational community of rival politics and opportunity.

SEARCH: The Journal of the South East Asia Research Centre for Communication and Humanities , 2017

The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the Europea... more The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the European Union, which usually peaks in times of crises. Such a crisis occurred in June-July 2015 when Greece experienced a fresh culmination of its ongoing financial and socio-political stalemate. The negotiations between the Greek government and the EU administration led to a strain on the banking system, a dividing referendum and social movements in the country, resulting in the national elections of September 2015. Greeks around the world perceived this crisis in multiple ways, but for Greek-Cypriots, it brought forth memories of the 2013 banking crisis (at least). It is of interest to examine the role of national media, and specifically television, in the process of European and national identity making in times of crisis. The aim of the case study is to scrutinize and understand the portrayal of the 2015 Greek crisis as presented to the Cypriot society through the national television channels. Engaging in a qualitative framing analysis, this article investigates the political and social aspects in which the crisis in Greece was portrayed, as well as political problematizations concerning conflicts between the European, Hellenic and Cypriot aspects of the national identity, all or some of which many Greek-Cypriots consciously claim to adopt. As this research indicates, the framing of television news during the crisis was ideologically, rather than ethnically, motivated, while the events precipitated deviations from traditional positions on national identity in all ideological groups of the country. Importantly, this study uncovers a subtle trend to promote a new, European awareness in the national identity, attempting to generate sympathy for this multicultural and multinational community of rival politics and opportunity.

Τα χρέη των τραπεζών και το σχέδιο διάσωσης της οικονομίας στην Κύπρο οδήγησαν στην τραπεζική κρί... more Τα χρέη των τραπεζών και το σχέδιο διάσωσης της οικονομίας στην Κύπρο οδήγησαν στην τραπεζική κρίση του Μαρτίου 2013. Το κούρεμα των καταθέσεων ακολούθησαν συγκεκριμένα οικονομικά μέτρα, τα οποία επηρέασαν όλους τους τομείς της καθημερινότητας στην τοπική κοινωνία. Όπως ήταν αναμενόμενο, η κρίση είχε ως συνέπειες αλλαγές στην καθημερινότητα των Κυπρίων και διαμόρφωση νέων δομών για την τοπική κοινωνία. Το άρθρο παρουσιάζει την επικοινωνιακή πολιτική, μέσω της οποίας, ο τύπος στην Κύπρο επέλεξε να προβάλει την τραπεζική κρίση του Μαρτίου 2013. Ειδικότερα, η έρευνα επικεντρώνεται στην ανάλυση των ρεπορτάζ των εφημερίδων με την υψηλότερη κυκλοφορία στη χώρα το χρονικό διάστημα που προέκυψε η κρίση και αφού ξεκίνησαν οι διαπραγματεύσεις με την Τρόικα. Χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης λόγου (discourse analysis), εξετάζει τους τρόπους με τους οποίους παρουσιάστηκαν στην κοινή γνώμη οι διαπραγματεύσεις Κυβέρνησης και Τρόικας, καθώς επίσης και η απόφαση για το κούρεμα καταθέσεων. Στη συνέχεια, ακολουθεί ανάλυση περιεχομένου των δημοσιευμάτων των εφημερίδων καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του 2013, ώστε να εξηγηθούν τα αφηγηματικά πλαίσια, υπό τα οποία επικοινωνήθηκε η αντιμετώπιση/διαχείριση της κρίσης.

Intellect Books, Apr 16, 2020

Central European Journal of Communication, 2017

This paper discusses the role and utilization of journalistic sources in the process of communica... more This paper discusses the role and utilization of journalistic sources in the process of communicating the transitional path of a society in crisis towards economic and sustainable growth. It is mainly concerned with the general tendency of the press to display a high degree of manipulation of public opinion by reduction of the diversity of sources and/or their misuse. Cyprus was selected as a case study not only because newspapers still play a dominant role in shaping public opinion in contrast to New Media, but also because sustainable growth has been the basic argument and rhetoric in governmental communication policy, which promoted it as one of the main means in overcoming the ongoing economic/banking crisis the country has been facing since the bailout of the banking sector in 2013. The aim of this research is to examine which categories of journalistic sources shape this topic in the current public sphere and the ways journalists perceive and practice the utilization of their ...

Th is article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in... more Th is article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in visual artefacts employed in the news. Using a case study, we examine the photographs published in the digital media to report on the negotiations between the Greekand Turkish-Cypriot communities, which took place in 2016 and 2017. A four-level visual framing analysis is used to identify a consistent set of frames. It aims to identify the political ideologies that appear to be behind the visual infotainment in these pictorial reports, and the specifi c ways in which hard news can be transformed into soft news. Our research confi rms the presence of visual infotainment elements of personalisation, emotion, morbidity and sensationalism. Overall, the study shows that visual infotainment serves to establish visual frames produced by and for contradictory propagandas, one of which favours ethnic nationalism while the other promotes confl ict resolution.

Journal of Media Critiques

This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Usi... more This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Using the Greek-Cypriot press as a case study, we contrast news reporting during 2013 (after the onset of the banking crisis) to the preceding year. In the course of the study, both quantitative and qualitative analytical methods are employed; formal content analysis used to investigate the occurrence of various infotainment features in news stories, and framing analysis to explore how these are established. This study shows a significant rise of infotainment characteristics in the news during times of crisis, while in new items/reportages where infotainment characteristics are present, stories seem to be presented in predominantly humanitarian frames, indicating an effort to present hard and soft news in a socially relevant manner. Although a significant increase in its occurrence is observed after the onset of the banking crisis, infotainment does not become a dominant, or even a major, journalistic type.

Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 2017

International Journal of Social Science Studies, 2016

Patriotism and triumph are directly affiliated to historical memories and to every country"s hist... more Patriotism and triumph are directly affiliated to historical memories and to every country"s history, since every nation / society"s need to proclaim its national achievements in every aspect of daily life, from politics to economy, science and beyond. Following several countries" turbulent history, since their origins, traditionally the media tend to express the feeling of patriotism that overwhelms the local society. In this perspective, patriotism and triumph concerning national achievements seem to be among the traditional characteristics in the journalistic content of the press. However, although evident in the media content, it is not yet identified in what extend they exist and through which characteristics. This papers addresses these two issues in the content of the current national press in Cyprus, aiming to examine the specific characteristics of patriotism and triumph and the extend up to which they are evident today in the journalistic practices. Taking into account the loyalfacilitator model of journalism, the research is based both on content analysis of the national newspapers with the higher circulation and on a survey concerning the journalists" opinion that work for these newspapers. The sample of content analysis includes an extensive number of news items, since the research was conducted in a two years period of time, while more than two thirds of the journalists working in these newspapers participated in the survey. The aim of this paper is to clarify whether the national press remains attached to practices of the past or new modes of journalism have arisen.

inter-disciplinary.net

1 Representation of Gender Relations in Cypriot popular culture: the cases of the Cypriot Radio S... more 1 Representation of Gender Relations in Cypriot popular culture: the cases of the Cypriot Radio Sketch and Cypriot lifestyle magazines Dr Theodora Maniou and Irene Photiou ABSTRACT: ... William and Kate Middleton is used as a spark to recount all the love stories of the ...

MedieKultur: Journal of media and communication research

This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in ... more This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotainment found in visual artefacts employed in the news. Using a case study, we examine the photographs published in the digital media to report on the negotiations between the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot communities, which took place in 2016 and 2017. A four-level visual framing analysis is used to identify a consistent set of frames. It aims to identify the political ideologies that appear to be behind the visual infotainment in these pictorial reports, and the specific ways in which hard news can be transformed into soft news. Our research confirms the presence of visual infotainment elements of personalisation, emotion, morbidity and sensationalism. Overall, the study shows that visual infotainment serves to establish visual frames produced by and for contradictory propagandas, one of which favours ethnic nationalism while the other promotes confl ict resolution.

Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2019

This article examines the representation of gender stereotypes in contemporary television enterta... more This article examines the representation of gender stereotypes in contemporary television entertainment series, using a comparative case-study analysis of the Greek-Cypriot and the Greek versions of the series, Cosmote TV). Un Gars, Une Fille, a sketch comedy series from Canada is especially suited to this kind of comparative study; during its long runtime (close to 20 years, including various reruns), a large number of adaptations have been continually produced in almost 30 different countries and markets, including the ones selected here. Our methodology utilizes a framing analysis of various multimodal devices of Me and You and I Love You, You Love Me, including elements from the character discourse and non-verbal communication, their interactions and displays of emotion, scenes and plotlines of the sketch. Additionally, we conducted interviews with production personnel in Cyprus. The aim is to examine the female and male stereotypes represented by the protagonists in the series. Furthermore, we investigate whether and how these stereotypes relate dialectically to cultural elements, with special focus on the societal influences of both adaptations.

Jebril, N. et al. (2020). (eds.). Journalism, Society and Politics in the Digital Media Era. Bristol, UK: Intellect, pp.112-135., 2020

In order to expand the practice of democracy in any society, journalistic freedom has been – and ... more In order to expand the practice of democracy in any society, journalistic freedom has been – and needs to be – a key concept for every media system. This is especially true in the case of political reporting, where the amount of freedom journalists enjoy relates absolutely to the quality of information the public receives. The popularity and immediacy of digital technologies is considered an important factor in promoting journalistic freedom. However, in some cases, journalists seem to fail in taking advantage of the freedom associated with digital technologies and this often leads to a marring in the democratic practices of the media.
This paper presents the results of a survey conducted in January 2016 on a sample of 48 Greek-Cypriot journalists specialising in political reporting and employed by the printed and digital editions of the five newspapers with the highest circulation in the country. The main aim is to determine their practices and to compare them to the methods they perceive as ideal journalistic performance, in order to discuss the manifestation and level of professional freedom they enjoy within the current digital environment.
The journalists answered 28 questions concerning their personal characteristics, routine practices and perception of ideal journalistic performance. We used the chi-square statistic to test the correlation between demographic variables and journalistic practices, and Pearson correlation to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables, including the comparisons between actual journalistic practices and those perceived as ideal.
The results show that although most journalists in our sample seem to aspire to the performance of watchdog journalism, they do not enjoy the autonomy to practice it. Lack of journalistic freedom is evident despite age, gender, position, education and experience, which implies that they have little effect on their profession and its changes. Nevertheless, we can discern some attempts to pursue some of these ideal practices (e.g., in exposing cases of abuse of power, monitoring political leaders).

Mediekuktur: Journal of Media and Communication Research, 66, pp.75-100, 2019

This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotain-ment found in... more This article introduces the concept of visual infotainment, the aspects of infotain-ment found in visual artefacts employed in the news. Using a case study, we examine the photographs published in the digital media to report on the negotiations between the Greek-and Turkish-Cypriot communities, which took place in 2016 and 2017. A four-level visual framing analysis is used to identify a consistent set of frames. It aims to identify the political ideologies that appear to be behind the visual infotainment in these pictorial reports, and the specifi c ways in which hard news can be transformed into soft news. Our research confi rms the presence of visual infotainment elements of personalisation, emotion, morbidity and sensation-alism. Overall, the study shows that visual infotainment serves to establish visual frames produced by and for contradictory propagandas, one of which favours ethnic nationalism while the other promotes confl ict resolution.

The Fugue of the Five Senses and the Semiotics of the Shifting Sensorium , 2019

Social-media games are platforms in which the emotional mood of the users interacts with contempo... more Social-media games are platforms in which the emotional mood of the users interacts with contemporary popular culture. The investigation of the motives and emotional background of users while playing a game may be important in identifying the mechanics of their organization and function, particularly since these applications often figure prominently in the day-to-day practices of their users (Jarvinen, 2009). In addition to their previously investigated features – their storytelling, promotion of socialization and intimacy between gamers, and their substitution (in part) of interpersonal interaction – new characteristics seem to arise which explain and/or enhance their popularity. With the transition from Web 2.0 to 3.0, the latest versions of these applications offer their users new experiences based on the interaction of their senses within the game as well as between players. This work uses social semiotics to study two popular Facebook games, as case-studies. Specifically, we approach them as multimodal texts and examine how the engagement of the senses of the users is attempted and/or achieved. Our aim is to investigate whether and how they modify the gaming experience and challenge the traditional hierarchy of the senses.

EJTA 2018 Conference Proceedings Crisis Reporting, 2019

This article examines the ways in which modern students of Social Sciences (including Journalism)... more This article examines the ways in which modern students of Social Sciences (including Journalism) identify the, so called, ‘fake news’. The aims of this work are to identify the factors that enable students to distinguish between fake and real news, as well as any differences between students of Journalism compared to those of other Social Sciences, in order to be able to formulate adequate teaching curricula that can enhance students’ ability to distinguish disinformation and fake news. Focus group interviews were used in order to investigate how students conceive of fake and real news. The sample consisted of forty undergraduate students, ten of whom from the field of Journalism, separated into groups of ten students for the interviews. All groups were given items of fake and real news published in new media and were then questioned on distinguishing them and their characteristics. The results show that the majority of journalism students and a significant number of students in other Social Sciences were able to discern fake from real news items supplied, although a small proportion were confused in identifying them. Students who were successful, pointed out that they perceived the combination of titles, photographs and content in fake stories as inconsistent, factors which may enable academics to design curricula in all Social Sciences.

Το 2015 έκανε την εμφάνισή του στο πρώτο τηλεοπτικό κανάλι του Ραδιοφωνικού Ιδρύματος Κύπρου (ΡΙΚ... more Το 2015 έκανε την εμφάνισή του στο πρώτο τηλεοπτικό κανάλι του Ραδιοφωνικού Ιδρύματος Κύπρου (ΡΙΚ) το σήριαλ Καμώματα τζι' Αρώματα, στο πλαίσιο της εκπομπής Κυπριώτικο Σκετς. Το Κυπριώτικο Σκετς, που πρωτοεμφανίστηκε το 1953 στο ραδιόφωνο και το 1957 στην τηλεόραση του ΡΙΚ, πραγματεύεται ποικίλα θέματα της αγροτικής-παραδοσιακής κουλτούρας της Κύπρου, μια βασική μορφή δημοφιλούς κουλτούρας της τοπικής κοινωνίας. Μεταδίδεται στην κυπριακή διάλεκτο, τόσο με τη μορφή σήριαλ όσο και με τη μορφή αυτοτελών επεισοδίων μικρής διάρκειας. Ιστορικά, το σκετς «ακολούθησε» την πορεία της δημόσιας ραδιοτηλεόρασης, ξεκινώντας δυναμικά, περνώντας κρίση με το ξεκίνημα της ιδιωτικής τηλεόρασης τη δεκαετία του 1990 και επανακάμπτοντας με την έλευση της επίγειας ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας. Στην παρούσα έρευνα, τα Καμώματα τζι' Αρώματα αποτελούν μελέτη περίπτωσης. Εστιάζουμε στην κατασκευή των ταυτοτήτων των χαρακτήρων μέσα από τις σχέσεις και συγκρούσεις, που αναπτύσσονται μεταξύ των γενεών και των φύλων, και τις κοινωνικές πρακτικές που τις πλαισιώνουν, χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης πλαισίωσης. Παράλληλα, μέσα από τη διεξαγωγή συνεντεύξεων ομάδων εστίασης, διερευνώνται οι λόγοι της δημοτικότητας του σήριαλ και η πιθανή τους διασύνδεση με το περιεχόμενο της. Λέξεις κλειδιά: Κυπριώτικο Σκετς, τηλεόραση, νοσταλγία Διαθέσιμο στη διεύθυνση: http://www.epikentro.gr/index.php?isbn=9789604588435

Journal of Media Critiques, 2017

This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Usi... more This study examines the characteristics of Infotainment Journalism in a society under crisis. Using the Greek-Cypriot press as a case study, we contrast news reporting during 2013 (after the onset of the banking crisis) to the preceding year. In the course of the study, both quantitative and qualitative analytical methods are employed; formal content analysis used to investigate the occurrence of various infotainment features in news stories, and framing analysis to explore how these are established. This study shows a significant rise of infotainment characteristics in the news during times of crisis, while in new items/reportages where infotainment characteristics are present, stories seem to be presented in predominantly humanitarian frames, indicating an effort to present hard and soft news in a socially relevant manner. Although a significant increase in its occurrence is observed after the onset of the banking crisis, infotainment does not become a dominant, or even a major, journalistic type.

The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the Europea... more The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the European Union, which usually peaks in times of crises. Such a crisis occurred in June-July 2015 when Greece experienced a fresh culmination of its ongoing financial and socio-political stalemate. The negotiations between the Greek government and the EU administration led to a strain on the banking system, a dividing referendum and social movements in the country, resulting in the national elections of September 2015. Greeks around the world perceived this crisis in multiple ways, but for Greek-Cypriots, it brought forth memories of the 2013 banking crisis (at least). It is of interest to examine the role of national media, and specifically television, in the process of European and national identity making in times of crisis. The aim of the case study is to scrutinize and understand the portrayal of the 2015 Greek crisis as presented to the Cypriot society through the national television channels. Engaging in a qualitative framing analysis, this article investigates the political and social aspects in which the crisis in Greece was portrayed, as well as political problematizations concerning conflicts between the European, Hellenic and Cypriot aspects of the national identity, all or some of which many Greek-Cypriots consciously claim to adopt. As this research indicates, the framing of television news during the crisis was ideologically, rather than ethnically, motivated, while the events precipitated deviations from traditional positions on national identity in all ideological groups of the country. Importantly, this study uncovers a subtle trend to promote a new, European awareness in the national identity, attempting to generate sympathy for this multicultural and multinational community of rival politics and opportunity.

SEARCH: The Journal of the South East Asia Research Centre for Communication and Humanities , 2017

The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the Europea... more The clash between European and national identities has generated an ongoing debate in the European Union, which usually peaks in times of crises. Such a crisis occurred in June-July 2015 when Greece experienced a fresh culmination of its ongoing financial and socio-political stalemate. The negotiations between the Greek government and the EU administration led to a strain on the banking system, a dividing referendum and social movements in the country, resulting in the national elections of September 2015. Greeks around the world perceived this crisis in multiple ways, but for Greek-Cypriots, it brought forth memories of the 2013 banking crisis (at least). It is of interest to examine the role of national media, and specifically television, in the process of European and national identity making in times of crisis. The aim of the case study is to scrutinize and understand the portrayal of the 2015 Greek crisis as presented to the Cypriot society through the national television channels. Engaging in a qualitative framing analysis, this article investigates the political and social aspects in which the crisis in Greece was portrayed, as well as political problematizations concerning conflicts between the European, Hellenic and Cypriot aspects of the national identity, all or some of which many Greek-Cypriots consciously claim to adopt. As this research indicates, the framing of television news during the crisis was ideologically, rather than ethnically, motivated, while the events precipitated deviations from traditional positions on national identity in all ideological groups of the country. Importantly, this study uncovers a subtle trend to promote a new, European awareness in the national identity, attempting to generate sympathy for this multicultural and multinational community of rival politics and opportunity.

Τα χρέη των τραπεζών και το σχέδιο διάσωσης της οικονομίας στην Κύπρο οδήγησαν στην τραπεζική κρί... more Τα χρέη των τραπεζών και το σχέδιο διάσωσης της οικονομίας στην Κύπρο οδήγησαν στην τραπεζική κρίση του Μαρτίου 2013. Το κούρεμα των καταθέσεων ακολούθησαν συγκεκριμένα οικονομικά μέτρα, τα οποία επηρέασαν όλους τους τομείς της καθημερινότητας στην τοπική κοινωνία. Όπως ήταν αναμενόμενο, η κρίση είχε ως συνέπειες αλλαγές στην καθημερινότητα των Κυπρίων και διαμόρφωση νέων δομών για την τοπική κοινωνία. Το άρθρο παρουσιάζει την επικοινωνιακή πολιτική, μέσω της οποίας, ο τύπος στην Κύπρο επέλεξε να προβάλει την τραπεζική κρίση του Μαρτίου 2013. Ειδικότερα, η έρευνα επικεντρώνεται στην ανάλυση των ρεπορτάζ των εφημερίδων με την υψηλότερη κυκλοφορία στη χώρα το χρονικό διάστημα που προέκυψε η κρίση και αφού ξεκίνησαν οι διαπραγματεύσεις με την Τρόικα. Χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της ανάλυσης λόγου (discourse analysis), εξετάζει τους τρόπους με τους οποίους παρουσιάστηκαν στην κοινή γνώμη οι διαπραγματεύσεις Κυβέρνησης και Τρόικας, καθώς επίσης και η απόφαση για το κούρεμα καταθέσεων. Στη συνέχεια, ακολουθεί ανάλυση περιεχομένου των δημοσιευμάτων των εφημερίδων καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του 2013, ώστε να εξηγηθούν τα αφηγηματικά πλαίσια, υπό τα οποία επικοινωνήθηκε η αντιμετώπιση/διαχείριση της κρίσης.

Mass media concurrently shape and are shaped by social norms, in Cyprus as in all other cultures.... more Mass media concurrently shape and are shaped by social norms, in Cyprus as in all other cultures. Specific images, speech and/or actions are gendered in the media and such gendering is both linked to, and influential of, wider social and cultural norms, attitudes, and practices. This paper investigates gender and gender conflict as they are represented in two popular Cypriot media forms. The first, the Radio Sketch, is a radio entertainment programme that is unique in the media of Cyprus and which was one of the most popular media outputs in Cyprus from the 1950s until the late 1980s. The second mass medium considered in this paper is lifestyle magazines, one of the most popular contemporary Cypriot mass culture forms. This paper identifies and analyses specific features of the representations of gender relations that predominate in each of these media forms. As the entire spectrum of gender relations cannot be fully explored in a single project, we have chosen to focus our research to the investigation of how gendered images and characteristics manifest gender relations, and to explore the power relations conjured in and through these representations. Finally, we compare and contrast the findings from our studies of the Sketches and lifestyle magazines. This enabled us to reflect on the changes in gendered images, and thereby gender relations, in popular Cypriot media over the period from the 1970s until today, and to consider how social change might relate to the alterations in these gendered media representations. We view this review as a first step in a larger investigation of the representations of gender relations in the most popular Cypriot media. 2