Two new books from Nordicom
Communicating Risks. Towards the Threat Society
Editor: Stig A. Nohrstedt
Nordicom, University of Gothenburg 2011, 224 p. - ISBN 978-91-86523-13-8,
Communicating risks is an increasingly
complicated task in contemporary society. Risks
travel physically as well as discursively
between continents, countries and cultures.
Globalization itself has actualized new alleged
risks in politics, media and public debates.
Globalization and conflicts have become major
issues. The growth of xenophobia and populism of
various kinds has lead to dramatic changes in
geographical and mental maps. In what direction
globalization will take us depends on how the
media portray the possibilities and problems
associated with it. This volume is a
contribution to these discussions, particularly
with respect to the theme of media
representations of identity conflicts connected
to imagined dangers and risks in late modernity.
It provides analytical tools for improved
understanding of the multifaceted ways in which
communication about different kinds of threats
relates to social and cultural integration and
hence has consequences for trust and legitimacy
in society. One major focus is on the media?s
role and the consequences of mediatized risk
constructions as threats. But the authors also
study risk rhetoric in various contexts, threat
and risk communication within organizational
settings, management decisions in media
companies when a mega-news item breaks,
citizens? use of and expectations regarding
mobile emergency call techniques or how
communication systems for incident reports cause
internal identity and competence conflicts. The
authors are leading researchers in the field of
mediated risk communication and rhetoric in the Nordic countries.
For more information see
www.nordicom.gu.se/eng.php?portal=publ&main=info_publ2.php&ex=330&me=13
Diversity in Theory and Practice.
News Journalists in Sweden and Germany
Editor: Heike Graf
Nordicom, University of Gothenburg 2011, 192 p. - ISBN 978-91-86523-12-1
Research on media and diversity has mainly
focused on content analysis, or more precisely,
on how immigrants are covered by the mass media.
This book concentrates on the media workers
themselves, and on mass media organizations.
News journalists with immigrant backgrounds
responded to interview questions such as: How do
journalists with immigrant backgrounds
experience their working conditions, career
possibilities, and their possibilities of
influencing media coverage? and How does ethnic
diversity contribute to a change in the media
coverage? Field studies were conducted in both
Swedish and German newsrooms in order to explore
diversity in practice. The volume deals also
with the mass media as organization and with
diversity from a theoretical stance by
addressing the following question: What are the
possibilities and limitations of mass media
organizations in managing diversity issues in
accordance with the common ideals of equal
opportunity? Diversity management is discussed
as one possible option. This book is the result
of a multidisciplinary project that brings
together work in sociology, journalism and media
studies in order to analyze cultural diversity in media organizations.
For more information see
http://www.nordicom.gu.se/?portal=publ&main=info_publ2.php&ex=329&me=13
Best regards,
Ulla C.
Ulla Carlsson, Dr., Professor
Director
NORDICOM
University of Gothenburg
Box 713
SE 405 30 Göteborg
<https://webmail.gu.se/owa/redir.aspx?C=e72776f6e18c4c0c8996ba0e0747e266&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nordicom.gu.se>www.nordicom.gu.se
