Nutshell Paragraphs, Fact-Base or Propaganda: How Do Nutshell paragraphs in five news media reflect an international crisis?
Abstract
Abstract
Thesis: 15 hp
Program and/or course: Master’s program in Investigative Journalism (MIJ), Master´s
thesis in Investigative Journalism, JU2603
Level: Second Cycle
Semester/year: St/2023
Supervisor: Mathias Färdigh
Examiner: Annika Bergström
Keyword: The nut graph, the nutshell paragraph, the nut graf, fact,
propaganda, agenda setting, comparative analysis, content analysis,
international crisis, the Libyan crisis, NATO, journalism,
journalist, editor, editorial manipulation, newspaper, TV, media,
news media, Swedish news media, print news media, news writing,
audience, Global Times, Dagens Nyheter, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the
Guardian, the New York Times.
Purpose: The aim of the study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the
contents of nut graphs written by five print news media outlets:
Dagens Nyheter, Global Times, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, The
Guardian, and The New York Times, regarding the Libyan crisis,
in order to examine whether they set media agendas through the
nut graph. This study will be carried out from an agenda-setting
perspective, focusing on the media agenda, aiming to gain insights
into how these news outlets from China, Russia, Sweden, the UK,
and the US reflected the Libyan crisis in their nut graphs.
Furthermore, the thesis aims to explore how the Swedish news
media handle the nut graph.
Theory: The theoretical framework of this thesis is centered around content
analysis of the nut graph written by Dagens Nyheter, Global
Times, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, The Guardian, and The New York
Times in the framework of second level of agenda-setting theory.
In the context of this study, the agenda-setting theory provides a
lens through which to analyze how the five selected news media
construct their narratives of the Libyan crisis through the use of the
nut graph. By examining the emphasis placed on specific aspects
of the crisis within the nut graph, this framework allows for a
deeper understanding of how the media outlets shaped the
significance of specific issues in the minds of their audiences. In
addition, Dagens Nyheter, a Swedish news media, is specifically
examined to investigate distinctive features of its possible nut
graphs in contrast to other selected news media outlets.
Method: This study employs a qualitative method to gather the data needed
for a comparative analysis of nut graphs within news articles
addressing the Libyan crisis across the five selected news outlets.
Central to this study is the qualitative content analysis of nut
graphs, which concisely capture an article's core message.
Complementing the content analysis, email interviews are
conducted with participants from both categories – editors and
journalists, and field experts and academics – affording them
ample time to contemplate questions and provide insights that
enrich the qualitative investigation.
Result: The study suggests avoiding a nut graph about international crisis
news articles is better than including a weak one, as the latter could
mislead the audience. Given that the nut graph summarizes a news
article's 'so what' essence effectively, editors can potentially use it
as a tool for setting agendas consciously or unconsciously.
However, this study could not establish conclusive evidence of
media agenda setting through the nut graph written by the selected
news media about the Libyan crisis. While a few examples hint at
media agenda through the nut graph by the selected news media,
they are insufficient to generalize and prove the hypothesis. One of
the most important findings of the study is that editors of the
Swedish news media, Dagens Nyheter, typically do not compose
the nut graph for their news articles. To conclude, the researcher
found out through the literature that, the nut graph could present a
fact or a hypothesis.
Degree
Student essay
Collections
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Date
2023-10-10Author
Maleki, Javad
Keywords
The nut graph, the nutshell paragraph, the nut graf, fact, propaganda, agenda setting, comparative analysis, content analysis, international crisis, the Libyan crisis, NATO, journalism, journalist, editor, editorial manipulation, newspaper, TV, media, news media, Swedish news media, print news media, news writing, audience, Global Times, Dagens Nyheter, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Guardian, the New York Times
Series/Report no.
MGV23_1
Language
eng
Metadata
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