Posted on

Take a deep breath, and keep your mask on!

by Hadas Emma Kedar 

How did Israeli television news communicate the pandemic in early 2020? In one word: Panic. If anything, I think that news should not make us anxious. Particularly in times of crisis, news should inform us, so that we can decide how to act.

Screenshot-Corona_Reshet13_29-3-2020
Screenshot from Ha’mahadura Ha’merkazit, Channel Reshet 13, 29.03.2020

Since its foundation, Israel has been entangled in a constant state of emergency (The Knesset), due to a “protracted conflict”, which evidently influences the news media’s conduct (Peri 2012, p.21) as well as its audiences. Even though the public shows low trust in the media (Mida blog, 2018), Israelis are quite ‘obsessive’ to hard news (Peri 2012, p. 20). Looking at the initial Covid-19 outbreak as communicated in the mass media, the event significantly lured television audiences: in the first Corona months, television news ratings skyrocketed to roughly 30% viewers (in particular in March 2020). Considering the numerous viewers during this health and socioeconomic crisis, I have been examining how Israeli televised news communicated the pandemic in early 2020.

In one word: Panic. But more specifically, I will share some viewing impressions to clarify that. Continue reading Take a deep breath, and keep your mask on!

Posted on

2019 on Twitter: Climate activism awakening

by Hadas Emma Kedar and Fenja De Silva-Schmidt

Shortly before 2020 is over, we will have a look back at 2019 to map the climate change debate as reflected transnationally on Twitter. Compared with the two years prior, 2019 showed a particular abundance of climate-related tweets: While the total tweets count of 2018 grew by 8% from 2017, the total count of 2019 grew by 70%. Then what triggered the climate discourse so much on Twitter that year? Continue reading 2019 on Twitter: Climate activism awakening

Posted on

Addressing the Nation: Pandemic!

How was the Covid-19 pandemic communicated by different leaders in their televised speeches and why does it matter?

by Hadas Emma Kedar

Illustration: screenshots of speeches of world leaders (between 16.-26.03.2020) [different online sources].
Six months have passed since nations of the world have locked-down against the spread of Covid-19. After its classification as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, leaders have addressed their nations to declare an emergency. These “addressing the nation” speeches are worth examining, as they deal with the same crisis at the same point of time, and it seems fair to assert that a great deal of a society’s behavior stems from its leader’s public expressions. For example, terms like war, enemy or discipline might encourage anxiety and violence among citizens, while challenge, strength and solidarity might encourage emotional strength and decrease anxiety.

Continue reading Addressing the Nation: Pandemic!

Our Bloggers: Who is who of contributors



Michael Brüggemann is Professor of Communication Research, Climate and Science Communication at the University of Hamburg.  He is also the Principal Investigator at the interdisciplinary Cluster of Excellence „Climate, Climatic Change, and Society“ (CliCCS) 2019-2025. His research explores the transformations of journalism, political and science communication from a comparative perspective. posts by Michael I website and contact 

 



Shorouk Elkobros is an aspiring science communicator and storyteller. She is pursuing a Masters in “Integrated Climate System Sciences” at the University of Hamburg’s climate cluster CliSAP. Previously, she had a Bachelor in Physics and professional experience in communications. all posts by Shorouk

 

 


Ella Karnik Hinks is currently studying her Masters in Integrated Climate System Sciences at the University of Hamburg. Having achieved her Bachelors in Astrophysics, she is interested in Science Communication, and the interface between scientific knowledge and the public. all posts by Ella

 

 


Susan JörgesSusan Jörges is a student of the Master Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Hamburg with a Bachelor in Social Sciences. As a student assistant, she is a member of Professor Brüggemann’s team and publishes articles for different media. She is interested in issues about sustainability, health and climate change. all posts by Susan

 

 


Hadas Emma Kedar is a PhD student and research assistant at the CLICCS project with Prof. Dr. Brüggemann. She is interested in news reporting in times of crisis, and in her research she compares TV news reporting of Covid-19 in different countries. She has been transitioning to social sciences after bacheloring and mastering in the humanities, namely in media art. Professionally, she taught media art in different institutions and volunteered as a news presenter for the ‘Israeli Social TV’. all posts by Hadas

 

 


Joana Kollert is an aspiring journalist currently pursuing a Masters in “Integrated Climate System Sciences” at the University of Hamburg’s climate cluster CliSAP and working as a student assistant in Prof. Brüggemann’s team. Before that, she studied Oceanography at the University of Southampton, UK. all posts by Joana

 

 


Clara NackClara Nack is a student of the Erasmus Mundus Master of Journalism and Media within Globalisation at the University of Hamburg. Previously she has studied Journalism in Denmark and Ireland and graduated with a bachelor in Comparative Literature from the FU Berlin. As a junior researcher she is now a member of Professor Brüggemann’s team, freelancing for different media and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Clara is interested in sustainability, gender equality, digitisation and cultural institutions. all posts by Clara

 


Christopher Pavenstädt is a PhD student and research assistant at the DFG-cluster CLICCS at the University of Hamburg. His interests include political discourse, climate change/sustainability and social movements. In his research, he focusses on the transformative role of future-related narratives at the interface between climate movements, science and political actors for German and US-climate politics. all posts by Christopher

 


Louisa Pröschel is currently doing her Master’s degree in Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Hamburg. Prior to that, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She is also working as a research assistant at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institute and her prime field of interest is Science Communication. all posts by Louisa

 

 


Felix Schaumann is a PhD candidate at the Max Planck Institue for Meteorology and the University of Hamburg. He works on climate-economic issues, and is thereby interested in most issues that are at the intersection of climate change science and society at large. A special focus of his work is on models that aim to connect natural science and economics in the context of climate change, such as integrated assessment models. all posts by Felix I website and contact

 


Fenja De Silva-Schmidt is coordinating the science communication project at the Hamburg Research Academy. Previously, she worked as a research assistant and received her PhD from the chair of Prof. Brüggemann in Hamburg. During Paris’ climate conference, she coordinated the “Down to Earth” study about the audience’s perceptions of news from the conference. Aside from her scientific activities, Fenja has been working as a freelance journalist. She tweets as @Fen_Ja. all posts by Fenja

 


Robin Tschötschel

Robin Tschötschel is a postdoctoral researcher in the team of Michael Brüggemann. His research interests lie predominantly in the area of public communication about political and societal aspects of climate change. His focus lies on the nexus of social justice, identity, and climate change, aiming to explore how societies can shape sustainable and just transitions. all posts by Robin I website

 

 

Former contributing authors
Max Boykoff, Associate Professor in the Center for Science and Technology Policy, University of Colorado-Boulder
Anabela Carvalho, Associate Professor at the Dep. of Communication Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal
Elisabeth Eide, professor of journalism at HiOA (Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus), Oslo, writer and journalist
Rebecca Froese, Masters Student of “Integrated Climate System Sciences” at the University of Hamburg’s climate cluster CliSAP
Reiner Grundmann, Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Nottingham (UK)
Jonas Kaiser, Research Associate at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Fellow at Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
Bastian Kießling, research assistant at the chair of Prof. Neverla in Hamburg, DFG-project “Public Discourses on Climate Change
Manuel Kreutle, Masters student in “Integrated Climate System Sciences” at the University of Hamburg’s climate cluster CliSAP, student assistant in Prof. Brüggemann’s team
Bienvenido León, associate professor of science journalism and director of the Research Group on Science Communication at the University of Navarra (Spain)
Ines Lörcher, research assistant at the chair of Prof. Brüggemann in Hamburg
Gesa Luedecke, postdoc at the CIRES Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado in Boulder
Julia Mandil, Brazilian journalist and Erasmus Mundus MA student in Journalism and Media Across Cultures in Hamburg
Joost de Moor, PhD in political science at the University of Antwerp
Brigitte Nerlich, Professor of Science, Language and Society at the University of Nottingham
Sara Nofri, researcher, an entrepreneurial linguist, a consultant, media analyst, family person and foodie
Feilidh O’Dwyer, journalist working towards his MA in Journalism and Globalisation at the University of Hamburg
Alan Ouakrat, associate researcher at CARISM, the Center of Analysis and Interdisciplinary Research on Media (University Panthéon-Assas, Paris), postdoc at the CREM, Research Centre on Mediations (University of Lorraine)
James Painter, Director of the Journalism Fellowship Programme for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University
Warren Pearce, Research Fellow on the University of Nottingham’s Making Science Public programme
Adrian Rauchfleisch, Research Associate at the Department of Science, Crisis & Risk Communication at the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ), University of Zurich
Markus Rhomberg, professor and chair of political communication at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Germany
Alexander Sängerlaub, researcher and journalist in Berlin, founder and chief editor of the utopian political magazine Kater Demos
Anne Schmitz, master student in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Hamburg
Felix Schreyer, master student in Integrated Climate Sciences at the University of Hamburg
Hans von Storch, director emeritus of the Institute of Coastal Research of the Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), professor at the University of Hamburg and professor at the Ocean University of China (Qingdao)
Felicitas Vach, master student in Journalism and Communication at the University of Hamburg
Stefanie Walter, Post-Doc at the Chair of Communication Research, Climate and Science Communication of Prof. Brüggemann at the University of Hamburg

Team

Editorial Team

Prof. Dr. Michael Brüggemann
Chief editor
M.A. Hadas Emma Kedar
Managing editor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Assistants

Sam Burton-Weiss • Editing & proofreading

Tabea Kirchner • Proofreading

Jonathan Deupmann • Social media

Emilia Peach • Proofreading

Dr. Fenja De Silva-Schmidt • Interim Managing Editor

Joana Kollert • Former Managing Editor

Dipl. Inf. Remon Sadikni • OMM project developer