162 / 658
160
Thursday, November 10
0 9 : 0 0 – 1 0 : 3 0
PN 020
Reporting Extremism: Journalists’ Use and Evaluation of Online Information Flows
A. Grøndahl Larsen
1
1
Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway
The Internet and Web 2.0 spaces have become increasingly important platforms for extremist groups and terror organizations, and online platforms are
used for purposes such as propaganda dissemination, recruitment and interaction. For journalists, the employment of digital platforms by extremists
entail a possibly important source of information in reporting extremism, enabling journalists to better understand and report more comprehensively on
extremist ideology and groups. Through investigative reporting on extremist groups allegedly representing a terror threat journalism may contribute to
inform politicians and broader publics of social problems, thus potentially contributing to counter potential future crises. At the same time, there is the dan‑
ger that the news media, through their reporting, exaggerate alleged threats posed by specific groups, contributing to create fear and escalating social
conflict. Based on in-depth interviews with Norwegian journalists reporting on violent extremism, the aim of the present paper is to describe and discuss
journalistic sourcing practices, with emphasis on how journalists make use of online flows of information in reporting extremism and how they evaluate and
reflect on reporting this topic. Through exploring these issues, the paper contributes to shed light on journalism practice in a digital and networked media
environment, and on journalistic evaluations and choices in reporting extremism that contribute to shape the mediated debate on this issue. The anal‑
ysis shows that online platforms, and particularly the social network site Facebook, are used extensively by journalists investigating radical Islamism in
Norway. Monitoring posts, friend lists, tags, likes, comments, geolocations, and photos on social media platforms contributed to provide reporters with
information on specific individuals and networks of individuals, and their whereabouts, relations, roles, opinions, and world-view. The main purpose and
value of monitoring online platforms, as highlighted by interviewees, is mapping and identifying networks of individuals. Some do however mention other
purposes, including monitoring online extremist websites, discussion sites and groups to spot trends, tap into aspects of radicalization processes, and gain
insights into extremist viewpoints, motives and ideological beliefs. Questions pertaining to how to use this material as part of news reports are however
not straightforward. Overall, the paper demonstrates that journalists are faced with dilemmas related to how to report extremism and extremist groups.
From the perspective of reporters, it is seen as important to investigate and report on networks of domestic extremist individuals and groups highlighted as
constituting a terror threat to the country. At the same time, journalists meet challenges related to for instance the extent to which individuals and groups
promoting extremist attitudes should be granted space in the news media and how these groups are to be presented.
PN 021
Flows of Water and Information: Reconstructing the Online Communication in Austria During the 2013 Central European Floods
J. Ausserhofer
1
, E. Goldgruber
1
, G. Reimerth
1
, R. Gutounig
1
1
FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria
In late May and early June 2013, Central Europe experienced torrential rainfall. Regions in seven European countries declared the state of emergency. In
some places, the flood even surpassed the once-in-a-hundred-years flood of 2002. What was also different from 2002 was the broad adoption of social
media by citizens, journalists and emergency organizations. For the first time in Austria, a noteworthy part of the population used social media to inform
(themselves) about the event and to coordinate rescue activities. This paper focuses on the information flow during this emergency situation. In specific,
it describes the role of traditional and new key communicators and which channels they used for what purpose focusing on the region of Upper Austria.
The paper employs a mixed-method approach that involves the qualitative and quantitative analysis of interviews as well as social trace data and online
news reports. First, key communicators were identified through an analysis of different on- and offline sources. 20 individuals who were involved in commu‑
nicating the event (such as journalists, information officers and citizens) were interviewed and asked about their communication behavior as well as their
assessment of social media during the floods. Informed by these interviews, relevant publicly available data from social media were collected using API.
Next, these heterogeneous data sources were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed, tracing the flow of information during the event. Results show that
the use of social media differs from channel to
channel:Themajority of informants stated that the only relevant network for themwas Facebook.Twitter was
only important to some, while Instagram and other networks were irrelevant or not on their radar. Key communicators from rescue organizations or institu‑
tional actors barely used social media for (pro-)active communication.They rather saw it as a dangerous source of myths and half-truths, while engaged cit‑
izens on the other hand emphasized the possibility to activate potential supporters using the platforms. However, the quantitative analysis of social media
trace data reveals that also companies engaged in the dialogue on social media - either as multipliers or partly following further communication agendas or
even trying to misuse the emergency for PR purposes.The paper closes with a model of information flow during environmental emergencies that integrates
the perspectives of traditional and new communicators as well as insights from institutionalized crisis communicators such as representatives of the crisis
committee that is convoked at the federal state level in a natural disaster such as the 2013 floods.
PN 022
Crisis Authorities’ Use of Twitter in the UK and Norway During Ebola Crisis
H. Hornmoen
1
, C.J. McInnes
2
1
Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Oslo, Norway
2
Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
During a major health crisis such as Ebola, Twitter has been regarded as a promising application for crisis communicators due to its immediacy in communi‑
cation. However, in social media public users to a large extent control the information flow. Members of the public are using social media to communicate
about the situation in different phases of the crises, and they bypass traditional information gatekeepers such as organizations and traditional news media.
Crisis communicators using Twitter therefore must adjust their practices if they are to communicate effectively (Coombs, 2012). Rather than one-sidedly
feeding users with information, communicators need to listen to what Twitter users are saying and provide them with access to information. This paper
examines the use of Twitter in the UK and Norway during the 2014 Ebola crisis. Both countries demonstrate extensive use of Twitter generally, and both