Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper addresses questions crucial to the “overspecialized” field of communication: “Are the ‘mainstream’ and the critical research reconcilable?” “Has the replacement of the limited-effects paradigm with the concept of powerful effects provided a meeting point for the two approaches?” It juxtaposes two concepts of powerful effects – the “critical” homogenization explicated by the Frankfurt School and the extensively researched “mainstream” agenda setting. Despite identified brides between the two, this paper points to seemingly insurmountable differences. It also addresses the issue of applicability of homogenization and agenda setting to the new media environment, as the reconceptualization of production, dissemination and reception of content might have decreased the validity of the powerful effects generally, and of the distinction between “critical” and “administrative” specifically. It concludes by presenting how the two approaches change due to the new ICTs, how they might adapt, and how they should be researched.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study shows that civic participation is often characterized by group inequalities, with mainstream organizations having considerably higher levels of political presence than ethnic organizations. Measures of civic participation that treat all civic participation the same – whether it be with the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, or the Korean American Federation – ignore crucial components of group inequalities that include financial resources, access to future resources, and various aspects of social and cultural capital that relate to an organization’s relative prominence and influence in local affairs. Not only do mainstream groups have more political presence, they also do little to recruit immigrants and nonwhites into their ranks of members and leaders. This, in turn, lays the groundwork for persistent gaps in immigrant political incorporation at the local level.

Supporting Publications:
Supporting Document

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Based on concepts related to cultural studies and detailed discourse analyses of top four mainstream women's Web sites, this study examined the level of discourse regarding feminist identity based on five specific categories: 1. Empowerment, 2. Sexuality, 3. Justice and equality, 4. Action for Social, Political and Economic Change, and 5. Other Pertinent Themes.

The Web sites analyzed in this study were ChickClick , Cybergrrl , iVillage , Women.com Networks .

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In recent decades, audience alternatives for current affairs information have been multiplying. Both globalization and media segmentation present citizens with alternative outlets for political information, in addition to those offered by the mainstream communication channels, which once dominated every nation state. In this paper, survey data gathered in Israel (n = 1122) are analyzed to examine the association between media skepticism and exposure. Findings show that skepticism toward the mainstream news media is indeed related to alternative news consumption; however, it is not related to consumption of alternative media exclusively. Results are discussed in light of theories of the public sphere.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In its nine-year history, the Arab satellite news network Al Jazeera has been the subject of much debate. From glorification to vilification, the station has been described as “radical” by its detractors and as an “alternative” medium by its admirers. Since the launch of the war in Afghanistan in October 2001, Al Jazeera, already of immense popularity in the Arab world, solidified its reputation as the go-to source for “alternative” news for much of the Western hemisphere. Currently, the station is in an ambivalent position vis-à-vis its regional and global audiences -- in some instances serving as the sole voice of discursive dissent and in others acting as the major mainstream broadcaster in the Arab world. This paper assesses the narratives of “nativity” and “alterity” as they pertain to Al Jazeera, thereby comparing its corporate institutional “wholesaler” properties to the station’s seemingly contradictory role as an alternative news provider. Does Al Jazeera fall into the category of “alternative media?” In its current structure, how do characterizations of the station as “counter-hegemonic” fare?