Global Media Journal

Volume 7, Issue 12 | Spring 2008 | Table of Contents

A Note from the Guest Editor for this Issue

Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to the Spring 2008 issue of the Global Media Journal which highlights work presented at the 2007 Global Fusion Conference. Gathering articles for the refereed section proved extremely challenging this year. There were a very limited number of papers and I extend sincere thanks to those who submitted their papers for review. Unfortunately, none of the pieces were selected for publication, so the issue does not include a refereed section. However, I am pleased to present three papers in the invited section of the journal.

“Women Making News: Gender and Media in South Africa,” by Professor Margaretha Geertsema of Butler University, explains that the South African media remains in a state of transformation, which was brought on by the country’s transition to democracy in 1994. Ensuring equal and fair representation to the entire population is among the problems the media industry is currently struggling with. More specifically, Professor Geertsema’s work reveals that women remain marginalized in the South African media industry, but actually have more female reporters than the global average.

Additionally, Professor Basyouni Ibrahim Hamada of Cairo University, details how satellite television has introduced a new public space for Egyptians to engage in debate about relevant sociopolitical issues in “Satellite Television in Egypt: Is there a Link?” Although satellite television has provided a new quasi-liberal public sphere, Professor Basyouni illustrates that there has been no noticeable improvement in the democratic quality of political institutions and political life in Egypt.

“Communicating the Negative Impact of Pack Journalism to Media Reporters,” a collaboration between doctoral student, Gerald-Mark Breen, and Professor Jonathon Matusitz, both of the University of Central Florida, demonstrates how and why “pack journalism,” is a negative and unethical media practice that can have a dramatic impact on news reporters and audience members alike. With that in mind, the paper also works as a preventative strategy, encouraging reporters to steer away from “pack journalism” in favor of techniques that better serve the public interest.

Finally, Professors Kristin C. Moran and Leeva C. Chung of the University of San Diego, analyze the intersection among identity, globalization, and television in “Global or Local Identity?: A Theoretical Analysis of the Role of Viacom on Identity Formation Among Children in an International Context.” Particularly, the article discusses Viacom’s history and impact on the global market, and how the company’s programs lead viewers to form “glocal” identities.

I hope that you enjoy the papers presented in this issue.

Sincerely,

Dr. Novotny Lawrence
Guest Editor, Spring 2008 Issue
Southern Illinois University, USA

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