All RISJ Publications

by Robert G. Picard and Minhee Yeo

This report reviews what is known about medical and health news in UK media and shows that research on the subject is spotty, weak, and outdated. It suggests a research agenda for better understanding the roles and performance of UK media in conveying medical and health information. 

by Paolo Mancini

This book argues that while there are aspects of the political adventure of “Il cavaliere” that  are linked to well-rooted aspects of Italian culture and history, at the same time Berlusconi represents the prototype of a new model of politics that can be identified in some other democracies— mostly in countries with similar features to Italy.

by James Painter

Poles Apart is a wide-ranging comparative study on the prevalence of climate scepticism in the media around the world. It focuses mainly on newspapers in Brazil, China, France, India, the UK, and the USA. It concludes that climate scepticism is found most frequently in the US and British newspapers and explores the reasons why this is so.

by Lara Fielden

In this book Lara Fielden reviews standards regulation across media platforms. She illustrates regulatory inconsistencies through a range of case studies, finds evidence of consumer confusion and provides examples of international responses to the challenge of convergence. She draws on her experience in both journalism and regulation to argue for a new regulatory settlement across the media. 

by John Lloyd

The reporting of news is now commodified; the market for gossip and scandal has grown greatly with the rise of the Internet and now constitutes an area of the media at once popular and at times politically powerful or destructive.  This study reveals the nature of one of the major trends of our time, and tells stories of those laying down the lines on its development.

by Nic Newman

Social media have helped UK newspapers and broadcasters gain traction around the world, but news organisations are becoming increasingly worried about the potentially disruptive effect of social media on their business models.  This paper offers an important contribution to understanding the implications of these changes for the quality of news and the future of journalism.

Edited by David A. L. Levy and Robert G. Picard

This book explores the rationales and context of the push for charitable and trust structures, how structures affect control and operations of news organisations, and why they are important in the UK and elsewhere. It provides explanations of some of the most notable existing arrangements in the UK, France, Canada and the United States and how alternatively structured start-up news organisations are being created in the digital age.

by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen with Geert Linnebank

This report examines the main forms of direct and indirect public sector support for the media in six developed democracies (Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States), shows how the main beneficiaries of the hundreds of millions of Euros worth of subsidies provided remain broadcast and print industry incumbents, and discusses the prospects for reform.

by Mel Bunce

This report examines the Sudanese-national journalists who provided an important portion of the global news coverage on the crisis in Darfur. The results point to a potential crisis in the discursive nature of contemporary international news.

by Abiye Megenta

In this report, we explore the changing ways in which citizens are chipping away the power of authoritarian regimes in Africa, including Egypt, through the use of online participatory media.

by Glenda Cooper

This research discusses how disaster reporting has changed since the 2004 tsunami and how a duet – aid agencies and the media – has become a trio with the introduction of user-generated content into the lexicon.

Edited by Stephen Coleman

This study explores the first-ever British televised prime ministerial debates with a view to understanding how they were received by the public; how they were depicted in the press and on television; and how far they registered online. 

by Anne Geniets

This report examines attitudes to trust in domestic, regional and international news media across the whole population in five developing countries: Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, India and Pakistan.

by Richard Sambrook

News organisations are having to adapt and redefine themselves in the face of turbulent changes to how we learn about the world.  In this study, author Richard Sambrook analyses the changes underway and points towards fresh ways of reporting the world. 

Are Foreign Correspondents Redundant?

by Anne Geniets

This report examines changing news consumption patterns across the whole population in six African countries, India and Pakistan in the context of increased competition and media liberalisation in these eight markets.

Edited by David A.L. Levy and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

This book is the first systematic international overview of how the news industry is dealing with current changes and offers nuanced scrutiny of the threats and opportunities facing legacy news organisations across the world in countries as diverse as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Finland, Brazil, and India as they transition to an increasingly convergent media landscape.

•  Buy online now

by James Painter

In this wide-ranging study, James Painter has produced a detailed analysis of the coverage of the summit across the globe through studying more than 400 articles published in two print media in 12 countries.  The analysis reveals that articles written principally about the science of climate change represented less than 10 per cent of all those surveyed. 

by Brian Rotheray

This report is based on reviews of the main international broadcasters, news agenda analysis of local and international broadcasters and studies of the media environment in eight countries in Africa and Asia.

• Download here

by Haiyan Wang

This working paper begins by asking whether or not investigative journalism in China takes the same adversarial position towards officialdom as do its Western counterparts and, if not, what the relationship looks like.

• Download here

by Nic Newman

This study by Nic Newman, Future Media Controller, BBC Journalism, examines how newspapers and broadcasters in the UK and US are responding to a wave of participatory social media, and a historic shift in control towards individual consumers.

• Download here

by John Kelly

This report looks at the growing influence of ‘citizen journalism’, made possible by new technology available to all, and questions the relationship between both the journalist and the public in generating the news today.

By Stephen Whittle and Glenda Cooper

This report aims to address some of the questions over the changing nature of privacy, which private matters can be revealed by journalists in the public interest and whether the increasing use of the Human Rights Act to safeguard an individual’s privacy is creating a ‘chilling’ effect on journalism.

by Stephen Coleman, Scott Anthony & David E. Morrison

This pathbreaking study questions how far the news media are trusted by ordinary people and identifies the large implications for journalists.

by Jeremy Hayes

Jeremy Hayes of BBC Radio 4’s ‘The World Tonight’ and a recent BBC fellow at the Reuters Institute presents a progress report on the Freedom of Information Act. 

• Download here

by Nik Gowing

The study highlights how in a moment of major, unexpected crisis the institutions of power - whether political, governmental, military or corporate – face a new, acute vulnerability of both their influence and effectiveness.

by Andrew Currah

Dr Andrew Currah examines the implications of this digital revolution, and offers recommendations for the way ahead.

by Dr Henrik Örnebring

Dr Henrik Örnebring, Axess Research Fellow in Comparative European Journalism, analyses the changes in journalistic occupation.

• Download here

by Dr Henrik Örnebring

Dr Henrik Örnebring, Axess Research Fellow in Comparative European Journalism, gives an overview of the current research in the field in his recent e-publication.

• Download here

by James Painter

In this pioneering study, James Painter examines two major and controversial new channels—the world network which is Al Jazeera English and Venezuela’s Telesur. 

by Floriana Fossato and John Lloyd 
with Alexander Verkhovsky

The promise of the internet is often held to be one of liberation. But how far is its reach and impact still dependent on the nature of the society in which it is being used.

• Download here

A report by Julia Hobsbawn and John Lloyd

Published by Editorial Intelligence Ltd, in association with the RISJ, this report is the first look at the subject of 'op-ed' comment and its role in shaping debates. How much power do the media commentators - the leader writers, columnists and bloggers - really have?

• Download here
• Purchase the full report here

Edited by Tim Gardam and David A. L. Levy

A joint publication between Ofcom and the RISJ, The Price of Plurality examines whether plurality can be sustainable in a fully digital and on-demand world. The book brings together a wide variety of perspectives on this critical issue, from producers and broadcasters, academic experts, politicians and policy-makers.

• Download here