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Browsing by Author "Mazo, Lucille"

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    Journalistic independence: how social media are reshaping power structures in news broadcasting
    (2015) Kohle, Fritz; Raj, Sony Jalarajan; Mazo, Lucille
    Content provided via social media from various conflict hotspots raises the question as to how social media are changing news broadcasting. Social media are and still continue playing a major role in the on-going Arab Spring, Occupy, and Wall Street movements. Developments such as this highlight the important role of social media regarding the opinion forming process in the public domain during times of war and social unrest. The conflict in Ukraine serves as an example: news broadcasters have been reproached of one sided reporting, i.e. the role of neo-fascists in the new Ukrainian government has been understated and Russia stands accused to have sent troops into Ukraine. Social media are increasingly used by news organisations and citizens alike to report from the frontlines. Can social media deliver on its promises of more democracy and transparency in news broadcasting? At the same time it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between real user-generated content and content provided by questionable sources delivering social media propaganda. An example is the portrayal of Arseni Jakzenjuk, former and unelected president of Ukraine: manipulated pictures of him have been circulating online creating the impression that he was greeting visitors to a rally with a Nazi saluteii. The civil conflict in Ukraine demonstrates how social media challenge the domination of traditional mass broadcast media. User generated content and the unique characteristics of social media are challenging the traditional relations between media and political authorities. Responding to these new developments, political authorities are changing their audience outreach strategies. This paper examines how users are reading mainstream news and are participating in the production of information on social media. Are social media providing a real alternative to mainstream news? Can citizens make better choices based on social media information? How much misinformation is saturating social media to confuse the public domain?
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    No one is an island: the misdirection of the individual climate impact narrative
    (2023) Hutchinson, Heather; Colville, Elyse; Pratch, Grace; Mazo, Lucille
    This paper seeks to examine, through secondary, mixed methods research, the ability of the individual to affect positive change regarding the climate crisis through their specific choices. By reading myriad scholarly, scientific, and journalistic sources, we found that though positive changes can be made on a smaller government scale, individuals’ ability to reduce environmental harm through their own choices and habits is minimal. Further, corporations and others in positions of power engage in both long- and short-term efforts to actively sabotage efforts of groups working to make societal changes or bring attention to the issues of the climate crisis. The researchers suggest that ecological communications should change direction from scolding the individual to emphasizing systemic change. It is recommended that further study be conducted of cohesion in activist organizations and collectives and the effects of education in rhetoric.
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    The siren song remains the same: cult recruitment: tactics and rhetoric
    (2024) Homeniuk, Emily; Hutchinson, Heather; Dorsey, Candas Jane; Mazo, Lucille
    Stories of cults, particularly those fueled by accounts of violence, have captivated the public throughout history. Beyond the fascination with high-profile cases lies a genuine curiosity about the factors that lead people to join and remain in cults. Particularly interesting are the methods cults use to persuade their followers to embrace self-annihilation willingly. While communication’s role in cult recruitment may seem obvious, it remains an unexplored realm of study. Therefore, this research sought to shed light on the communication and rhetorical strategies employed by established cults like the Peoples Temple (Moore, 2013), the Branch Davidians (Rifkind & Harper, 1994), and Heaven’s Gate (Robinson, 1997), compared to the tactics employed by the self-help organization Teal Eye LLC (Swan, 2020). By examining the details and impact of Teal Eye LLC’s (Swan, 2020) communication methods, the study aimed to determine if this organization employs a cult-like stratagem. This research employed historical, content, and critical discourse analysis to determine what communication tactics cults use to attract and retain followers. Moreover, this investigation addressed the scarcity of research and the strength of virtual connections in contemporary cult dynamics, considering the influence of digital platforms and online interactions.
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    A strategic communication model for sustainable initiatives in higher education institutions
    (2017) Mazo, Lucille; Macpherson, Iain
    Communicating sustainable initiatives in higher education institutions presents a challenge, given that few to no universities possess or maintain a strategic communication plan that addresses the need to share this information effectively to stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community advocates). Drawing on secondary and primary research across universities in three countries, each representing distinct regional and national orientations – Canada, Ecuador, and Ukraine – the authors explain a sustainability/environmental communication model designed to be flexible enough for universal application, while providing strategic guidelines tailored to higher education institutions in each of its four described steps. The strategic communication model is informed by the critical synthesis of secondary research into two main areas of literature: (1) strategic communication theory and best practice; and (2) the organizational dissemination of sustainability initiatives, particularly within post-secondary institutions. Such secondary literature informs, and is in turn contributed to by, the authors’ primary research that was conducted, which consists of three parts: (1) discourse analysis of relevant institutional documents and promotional materials; (2) interviews about current practices in sustainability-related communication, conducted with higher education sustainability administrators; and, (3) focus groups with students, examining participant awareness and assessment of their institution’s sustainability communications. Based on such study, the authors advance a strategic communication model for sustainable initiatives, which comprises a four-step process based on a series of eight questions, with the first step providing comprehensive explication of a seven-component strategic planning framework that scales downward from the most abstract considerations to concrete tactics. In summary, the primary- and secondary-research data suggests that most universities, even if they implement sustainability initiatives or officially incorporate environmentalism into their institutional identity statements (mission, vision, etc.), fail to communicate these actions informatively and persuasively, thereby establishing widespread need for this paper’s offered strategic guidance.