Baruch Shomron | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (original) (raw)

Journal Articles and Book Chapters by Baruch Shomron

Schizophrenia Research, 2024

Background: Though people with schizophrenia have been habitually stigmatized in the media, the p... more 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.

Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024

Social Science & Medicine, 2024

Chronic kidney failure poses a risk to human life and quality of life. Patients often receive ren... more 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.

Mass Communication and Society, 2024

This study examines the media representations of the four Palestinian-Israeli subgroups (Muslim A... more 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.

Western Journal of Communication, 2023

Media can play a crucial role in enabling vital capabilities during a health emergency such as th... more Media can play a crucial role in enabling vital capabilities during a health emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic. While capabilities are essential to everyone, they are especially vital to marginalized populations. Therefore, this study examined how two prominent minority groups in Israel: ultra-Orthodox Jews and Palestinian-Israelis, were portrayed in the Israeli news media during the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings revealed that the news media typically contributed to security by rendering the audience aware of risks, threats, and behaviors endangering public safety, and that the media habitually lowered potential stigma by contextualizing and explaining incidents, highlighting minority contributions, and portraying complex depictions.

First Monday, 2022

In this exploratory study we examine the hypothesis that health-promoting politician role-models ... more In this exploratory study we examine the hypothesis that health-promoting politician role-models positively influence an individual’s personal health habits. By examining the Facebook comments of individuals exposed to health-promoting personal accounts of politicians, we examine whether these individuals regard these politicians as role models in the context of health. This is done regardless of how they view these politicians from a political point of view. The importance of this study derives from its intent to examine for the first time, whether there is evidence that individuals are influenced by politicians and their mediated depictions in the context of health. Furthermore, we try to understand whether gender plays a role in this social learning. Results indicate that individuals regard politicians as role models in the context of health. Furthermore, results indicate that women are more likely than men to express their will to imitate health promoting behaviors of both female and male politicians. Thus, this study sheds light for the first time on the phenomenon of politicians’ health-promoting mediated depictions and their importance to an individual’s health.

Contemporary Jewry, 2022

Journalists can play a pivotal role in promoting a population’s security amid a health crisis suc... more Journalists can play a pivotal role in promoting a population’s security amid a health crisis such as a global pandemic. This role becomes of enhanced importance for marginalized populations as they face a compounded threat due to preexisting social inequalities and exclusion. This study focuses on the utilization of Twitter by ultra-Orthodox journalists during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. The study applies a thematic analysis of 23,110 tweets from the 20 most popular ultra-Orthodox journalists on Twitter. Findings reveal that ultra-Orthodox journalists utilized Twitter in an “ambassadorial” role to advocate their community’s security through six strategies: (1) explaining the challenges endangering ultra-Orthodox Jews during COVID-19, (2) dispelling COVID-19 accusations directed against ultra-Orthodox Jews, (3) encouraging social distancing and health guidelines, (4) highlighting the social contributions of ultra-Orthodox Jews to the general public during the pandemic, (5) criticizing wrongdoers who violated the health guidelines, and (6) calling out acts of hatred and bigotry that have been directed toward ultra-Orthodox Jews. These findings reveal the professional ethos of ultra-Orthodox journalists and their aspiration to protect their community. Furthermore, these findings shed light on the vital role Twitter can play in journalistic work through inter-social interactivity and the enablement of capabilities, particularly the capability “to be secure.” Lastly, this study expands the understanding of the social media resource contributing to policymakers tasked with formulating its fair distribution in society in accordance with the capabilities approach and its objective of promoting well-being.

Feminist Media Studies, 2023

This study examines for the first time the participation and representation of Druze women in the... more This study examines for the first time the participation and representation of Druze women in the mainstream Israeli media, and how this potentially affects their media capabilities. Though characterized by a double marginalization of gender and ethno-racial identity, the media portrayals of this unique population have not been previously examined. To answer this paucity, this study employs a qualitative thematic analysis of all of the relevant media content published in the past decade in two mainstream Israeli media venues. Findings suggest that contrary to other ethno-racial minorities, the Israeli media mostly enables Druze women’s media capabilities. This study contributes to a better understanding of the media’s role in society, especially regarding the media capabilities of marginalized populations, and for the first time, reveals the media resource enabled to Druze women in Israel.

New Media & Society, 2024

The Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in new behaviors and digital practices. This study explores how... more The Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in new behaviors and digital practices. This study explores how digital media has advanced safer behavior among ultra-Orthodox Israeli adults during the pandemic in authoritarian societies. We explored the level of adherence to government-issued health guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic by conducting a public opinion survey among a representative sample of ultra-Orthodox Israeli adults (N = 500) during the second Covid-19 wave (Autumn 2020). The results show that digital media usage significantly contributes to higher levels of adherence to health guidelines. This offers new insight into the field of new media research, revealing the significant role of digital media in promoting safer behavior in times of emergency in authoritarian communities, possibly because it bypasses Internet censorship and disinformation. It also emphasizes the need for adapting risk communication to the media habits and cultural beliefs of different social groups, in turn contributing to well-being and life itself.

The Communication Review, 2021

This study investigates how the media-portrayal of Palestinian-Israelis in the context of violenc... more This study investigates how the media-portrayal of Palestinian-Israelis in the context of violence and crime, hinders Palestinian-Israelis’ abilities to realize their capabilities. Capabilities refer to what each individual is able to do or be representing their human freedom and wellbeing. The study presents a quantitative content-analysis of Palestinian-Israeli interviewees who appeared on all news and current affairs programs broadcast on the five Israeli networks during 2016–2017. Additionally, to better understand the implications of these mediated representations on individual’s capabilities, the study also includes semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 Palestinian-Israeli individuals who consume these networks. Results suggest that essential capabilities for Palestinian-Israelis were typically hindered by the mass media, indicating the media did not fulfill their mission of advancing wellbeing.

עיונים בשפה וחברה \ Israel Studies in Language and Society, 2021

הבעת קול היא יכולת הפרט לשתף את נסיבות חייו ולהישמע בזמן שהוא עושה זאת. לפיכך היא ממלאת תפקיד חיו... more הבעת קול היא יכולת הפרט לשתף את נסיבות חייו ולהישמע בזמן שהוא עושה זאת. לפיכך היא ממלאת תפקיד חיוני בתפקוד האנושי ומזוהה כיכולת מרכזית שמימושה חיוני להבטחת שלומותו של היחיד. לפי ״גישת היכולות״ – התיאוריה שבבסיס מחקר זה – יכולות הן מה שהאדם רוצה להיות או לעשות, וחברה המאפשרת מיצוי יכולות מתוך בחירה חופשית היא חברה הוגנת, שבה יכול הפרט לשגשג. במחקר נבחנות ההזדמנויות שבהן פלסטינים-ישראלים מביעים את קולם באמצעי תקשורת ההמונים המרכזיים בישראל. ערוצים אלו הם במה מרכזית להשמעת קול בחברה, אולם קולן של אוכלוסיות מוחלשות נעדר לרוב מבימות אלו. ההתמקדות בפלסטינים- ישראלים נובעת מהיותם האוכלוסייה המוחלשת הגדולה בישראל. המחקר נערך באמצעות ניתוח תוכן כמותני של הראיונות שנערכו עם פלסטינים-ישראלים בחמשת ערוצי השידור בישראל וגם ראיונות עומק איכותניים עם צופים ומאזינים פלסטינים-ישראלים להבנת ציפיותיהם. מהמחקר עולה שהתקשורת הישראלית מונעת מפלסטינים-ישראלים להביע את קולם למרות רצונם העז לעשות זאת. המחקר תורם להבנת תפקיד התקשורת בהבטחת היכולת להביע קול וההזדמנויות הקיימות לפלסטינים-ישראלים להביעו באמצעותה.

Voicing is the capability to share life circumstances and be heard when doing so. It fulfills an important human function, vital for individuals’ wellbeing. Capabilities are what a person can do or be, and a society that enables their realization has a foundation for a theory of justice. This study examines the voicing opportunities of Palestinian-Israelis ‒ a large marginalized population in Israel ‒ through the main Israeli broadcast channels. These channels are the main platforms for voice in society, however the voice of marginalized populations is usually absent from them. We conducted a quantitative content-analysis of Palestinian-Israeli interviews on these channels, as well as in-depth qualitative interviews with Palestinian-Israeli viewers and listeners, to understand their expectations. Findings suggest that the Israeli media prevent Palestinian-Israelis from voicing, despite their strong desire to do so. The study contributes to understanding the media’s role in enabling voice, and Palestinian-Israelis’ current opportunities to voice.

Medical Humanities, 2022

Euthanasia is an important social and quality of life issue. However, it is highly controversial ... more Euthanasia is an important social and quality of life issue. However, it is highly controversial and thus continuously debated especially given its legitimacy and legality differ between countries. Little is known about the role media plays concerning this topic. To fill this gap, this study applies a mixed methods approach to a case study of Israeli media, including a quantitative content analysis of news articles (to measure the discourse of ‘civil participation’), a thematic analysis of news articles (to examine the ‘voice’) and a quantitative content analysis of Facebook comments (to measure ‘being heard’). Results indicate that while the media highly enables the media capability of ‘voice’ (both ‘voicing’ and ‘being heard’), it limits the media capability of ‘civil participation’ to a narrow array of discourse, hindering the social debate. These results reveal the role the media plays regarding euthanasia, integral to individuals’ quality of life through the realisation of their media capabilities, and in relation to the act of euthanasia itself.

International Communication Gazette, 2021

This study examines how media representations of Palestinian-Israeli politicians, can help commun... more This study examines how media representations of Palestinian-Israeli politicians, can help community members realize their capabilities. The study’s database is comprised of 1,207 interviews conducted with Palestinian-Israeli politicians on news and current affairs programs on the three national television channels and the two national radio stations in Israel, for 24 months (2016-2017). We identified and analyzed the differences in the modes of representation between national and local Palestinian-Israeli politicians and between Palestinian-Israeli parliament members in the Joint List and Palestinian- Israeli parliament members in Zionist parties, all through the capabilities prism. In this study, we demonstrated how different types of Palestinian-Israeli politicians may potentially affect the realization of different political functions and capabilities. Analyzing political representations in the media through the theoretical framework of the ‘capa- bilities approach’ contributes to a more comprehensive insight into the roles the media can play promoting people’s wellbeing and human rights, relative to traditional media theories.

Journal of Refugee Studies, 2021

The health and economic consequences of Covid-19 have not affected the different groups in societ... more The health and economic consequences of Covid-19 have not affected the different groups in society equally, particularly the weakest communities, chief among them asylum seekers who have been hit the hardest. This study focuses on the Israeli media’s role during this crisis, and whether they have advocated or hindered African asylum seekers capability ‘to be secure’. This capability is the most important in the capabilities approach, as it advocates not only quality of life but also life itself. The study reveals mixed results as the Israeli media both hinders and advocates for asylum seekers’ security during the Covid-19 pandemic. By mapping out the themes of the media coverage, this study serves as a roadmap for policymakers and media organizations for the improvement of asylum seekers’ security through mass media coverage. Furthermore, this study contributes to the debate regarding the role media should play in society, especially regarding asylum seekers in their time of need.

International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 2020

In recent years, scholars have increasingly revealed the importance of celebrities in society, am... more In recent years, scholars have increasingly revealed the importance of celebrities in society, among them celebrity politicians. These celebrities not only influence political attitudes but also serve as role models for many individuals. Yet, little is known regarding what types of role models’ politicians serve as in the context of health. To fill this gap, we examined three influential contemporary political leaders: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and the type of mediated role models each possibly comprise in the context of healthy living. By conducting a qualitative content analysis, we analyzed 90 articles from 2018 to 2019 from two leading newspapers in each of the three politician’s countries, namely Russia, the USA, and Israel as well as the respective politician’s Facebook pages. Our findings point to three types of potential role models’ as political leaders: a health-promoting model (Putin), a hybrid model (Trump), and a model of non-existence (Netanyahu), as the literature points to mediated role models influencing individuals’ beliefs and behaviors. This study contributes to the understanding of mediated types of role models’ politicians potentially serve as in the context of health vital to people’s personal health.

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

The study examines how media-portrayals of Palestinian–Israeli women, can help community members ... more The study examines how media-portrayals of Palestinian–Israeli women, can help community members realize their capabilities. We present a comparison of the frequency and context of appearances, between different media institutions, public and commercial, and between different media technologies, radio and television, based on a sample that includes all news and current affairs programs broadcast on all five Israeli broadcast networks over 24 months (2016–2017). The results, which show underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Palestinian-Israeli women, are analyzed utilizing the capabilities-approach. Additionally, to better understand the implications of media representations on women’s capabilities, we include semi-structured qualitative interviews with 15 Palestinian-Israeli women. The analysis suggests that Israeli broadcasting hinders the full realization of six distinct capabilities for Palestinian-Israeli women, which are detrimental to their wellbeing.

$Research paper thumbnail of הזכות לתקשר של פלסטינים-ישראלים בשידור הציבורי, מקרה בוחן: תאגיד השידור לעומת רשות השידור \ Palestinian-Israelis Right to Communicate on Public Media, Case Study: the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) vs. the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA)$

The Contradictions of Control – State Policies Towards Arab Citizens and the Impact on their Behavior \ שליטה וקוץ בה - תמורות במדיניות המדינה כלפי אזרחיה הערבים והשפעתן על התנהגותם, 2020

פרק זה בוחן את ההזדמנויות של פלסטינים־ישראלים למימוש זכותם לתקשר באמצעות שידורי השידור הציבורי בי... more פרק זה בוחן את ההזדמנויות של פלסטינים־ישראלים למימוש זכותם לתקשר באמצעות שידורי השידור הציבורי בישראל. על מנת לבחון זאת ביצענו ניתוח תוכן כמותני של 1,925 ראיונות שנעשו עם מרואיינים פלסטינים־ישראלים בשידור הציבורי בישראל במשך 24 חודשים ) 2016 — 2017 (. בפרק השווינו בין הראיונות שנעשו ברשות השידור לבין אלו שנעשו בתאגיד השידור, וניתחנו אותם לפי ״מודל שבע יכולות התקשורת״ — מודל שפיתחנו כדי ליישם את ״גישת היכולות״ באמצעות שימושי תקשורת. יכולות הן מדד לבחינת הגשמת ההזדמנויות של פרטים בחברה, והן נותנות ביטוי לבחינת מימושן של זכויות. בפרק נמצאו קווי דמיון רבים בין שני גופי השידור בהיקף הייצוג של פלסטינים־ישראלים, כמו גם באופני ייצוגם שהתאפיינו בתת־ייצוג מהותי ובייצוג מוטה ושלילי. ממצאים אלו מלמדים שההזדמנויות של פלסטינים־ישראלים לממש יכולות באמצעות שידורי השידור הציבורי מוגבלות, ובכך נפגעת זכותם לתקשר. פגיעה זו מועצמת משום שיש מקום להאמין שהשידור הציבורי מתאים יותר למימוש יכולות, במיוחד של קבוצות אוכלוסייה מוחלשות, לעומת השידור המסחרי, כפועל יוצא מהיעדר התלות שלו בשיקולים מסחריים ובערכי השירותיות־לכול שבבסיס האתוס השידורי שלו. מלבד זאת, העובדה שאופני הייצוג של פלסטינים־ישראלים שאפיינו את רשות השידור דומים לאלה שבתאגיד השידור, מצביעה על כך שצורת החשיבה של קובעי המדיניות הנוכחית, בדומה לזו של קודמיהם, אינה מציבה את מימוש יכולות האזרחים, ובמיוחד החלשים שבהם, כיעד.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies , 2021

This study highlights how policy makers address issues of communication rights of migrants. In or... more This study highlights how policy makers address issues of communication rights of migrants. In order to do so we conducted a qualitative content analysis of recent international migration policy papers – the UN ‘Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’ (2018) and the ‘European Agenda on Migration’ (2015) published by the European Commission. Our analysis was informed by the model of ‘media capabilities’ – which are the opportunities the media enable people to do or be – that helped us analyze which media capabilities were promoted by policy makers and what roles they attributed to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the realization of migrants’ capabilities. Our study reveals that out of seven media capabilities only two were fully addressed – ‘to be informed’ and ‘to be secure’ – other capabilities were either only partly addressed (‘identity and belonging’) or completely ignored (‘voicing’, ‘identification and imitation’, ‘civil participation’, ‘pleasure and entertainment’). The policies, as such, disregarded most of the media capabilities for migrants and ignored the role of ICTs as media capabilities enablers. We conclude that policy makers negated migrants’ ability to realize capabilities, thus hindering their ‘right to communicate.’

International Journal of Communication, 2020

The consistent underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Palestinian Israelis in Israeli media... more The consistent underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Palestinian Israelis in Israeli media have been assumed to hinder Palestinian Israelis' ability to realize their communication capabilities. We set out to understand how Palestinian Israeli individuals see their representation in the media as an issue of capabilities' realization and its effect on their right to communicate. Through semi-structured individual in-depth interviews with 20 Palestinian Israelis, we examined which capabilities they wished to realize by using Israeli media as well as what were the enablers and constraints that influenced their ability to realize these capabilities and exercise their communication rights. Findings suggest that Palestinian Israelis are aware of the way they are portrayed by the Israeli media, are bothered by it, fear its implications outside the screen and off the microphone, and although they wish to integrate in society and participate in its activities through the media, they feel rejected, thus consuming less mainstream Hebrew media. This hinders their ability to realize their capabilities through the media.

Television & New Media , 2021

This study examines how media representations of Palestinian–Israelis differ between broadcast me... more This study examines how media representations of Palestinian–Israelis differ between broadcast media outlets and their social networking sites, using the “capabilities approach” as the theoretical framework. The study presents a quantitative content analysis comparison of the frequency and context of appearances of Palestinian–Israeli interviewees on all news and current affairs programs broadcast on the five major Israeli broadcast networks over twelve months, as well as the simultaneous appearances of the interviewees on the programs’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. The results suggest that social networking sites of broadcast media are more enabling of capabilities for Palestinian–Israelis relative to the broadcast media themselves. Thus, with changing consumption patterns and technological developments, this analysis points to the importance of examining social networks in addition to traditional broadcast platforms, for a more comprehensive understanding of which capabilities are enabled through traditional mass media as they expand their reach to new technologies.

Schizophrenia Research, 2024

Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024

Social Science & Medicine, 2024

Mass Communication and Society, 2024

Western Journal of Communication, 2023

First Monday, 2022

Contemporary Jewry, 2022

Feminist Media Studies, 2023

New Media & Society, 2024

The Communication Review, 2021

עיונים בשפה וחברה \ Israel Studies in Language and Society, 2021

Medical Humanities, 2022

International Communication Gazette, 2021

Journal of Refugee Studies, 2021

International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 2020

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies , 2021

International Journal of Communication, 2020

Television & New Media , 2021

Background: Though people with schizophrenia have been habitually stigmatized in the media, the p... more 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.

International Journal of Communication, 2020

The consistent underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Palestinian Israelis in Israeli media... more The consistent underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Palestinian Israelis in Israeli media have been assumed to hinder Palestinian Israelis’ ability to realize their communication capabilities. We set out to understand how Palestinian Israeli individuals see their representation in the media as an issue of capabilities’ realization and its effect on their right to communicate. Through semi-structured individual in-depth interviews with 20 Palestinian Israelis, we examined which capabilities they wished to realize by using Israeli media as well as what were the enablers and constraints that influenced their ability to realize these capabilities and exercise their communication rights. Findings suggest that Palestinian Israelis are aware of the way they are portrayed by the Israeli media, are bothered by it, fear its implications outside the screen and off the microphone, and although they wish to integrate in society and participate in its activities through the media, they fe...

International Communication Gazette

This study examines how media representations of Palestinian-Israeli politicians, can help commun... more This study examines how media representations of Palestinian-Israeli politicians, can help community members realize their capabilities. The study’s database is comprised of 1,207 interviews conducted with Palestinian-Israeli politicians on news and current affairs programs on the three national television channels and the two national radio stations in Israel, for 24 months (2016-2017). We identified and analyzed the differences in the modes of representation between national and local Palestinian-Israeli politicians and between Palestinian-Israeli parliament members in the Joint List and Palestinian-Israeli parliament members in Zionist parties, all through the capabilities prism. In this study, we demonstrated how different types of Palestinian-Israeli politicians may potentially affect the realization of different political functions and capabilities. Analyzing political representations in the media through the theoretical framework of the ‘capabilities approach’ contributes to ...

Feminist Media Studies, 2020

The study examines how media-portrayals of Palestinian–Israeli women, can help community members ... more The study examines how media-portrayals of Palestinian–Israeli women, can help community members realize their capabilities. We present a comparison of the frequency and context of appear- ances, between different media institutions, public and commercial, and between different media technologies, radio and television, based on a sample that includes all news and current affairs pro- grams broadcast on all five Israeli broadcast networks over 24 months (2016–2017). The results, which show underrepresenta- tion and misrepresentation of Palestinian-Israeli women, are ana- lyzed utilizing the capabilities-approach. Additionally, to better understand the implications of media representations on women’s capabilities, we include semi-structured qualitative interviews with 15 Palestinian-Israeli women. The analysis suggests that Israeli broadcasting hinders the full realization of six distinct capabilities for Palestinian-Israeli women, which are detrimental to their wellbeing.

Digital Capabilities is a first-of-its-kind exploration of the capabilities that communities in p... more 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.