The June issue of the journal Communication & Society is published. It features 10 articles from a variety of topics, including journalism, filmmaking, political communication and television. Especially interesting for journalism scholars are two articles.

Martin Elena of Pompeu Fabra University examines the framing of the Egypt’s coup of July 2013, part of the so-called Arab Spring. The article examines the positions of two major TV networks, Al-Jazeera English and CNN, during the coup. The results show matching frames regarding the definition of conflict, military power and the legitimacy of democracy. Differences can be found in how the coup is portrayed: CNN news saw the coup more as a necessary evil, where Al-Jazeera focused more on the democratic legitimacy of the event.

Concepción Fernández Villanueva of Complutense University of Madrid studies types of factual violence broadcasted in the mass media and how viewers either feel involved or distance themselves from the events. A discourse analysis of 16 focus groups was conducted. The results show different kinds of identification which have emotional and moral implications. The author also finds diverse mechanisms of estrangement, such as denying the facts presented in the images and attributing responsibility to the victims.

Read these and the rest of the articles from the website of this open access journal.

Picture: Egypt’s Mubarack is in a Cage by Surian Soosay, license CC BY 2.0