Articles and Book Chapters by Koen Panis
Jaarboek Armoede en Sociale Uitsluiting 2019, 2019
Dit hoofdstuk bespreekt de representatie van armoede op televisie, zowel op basis van internation... more Dit hoofdstuk bespreekt de representatie van armoede op televisie, zowel op basis van internationale literatuur als via empirisch onderzoek naar Vlaamse televisie. Het doel is knelpunten, maar evenzeer good practices te identificeren, als antwoord op twee onderzoeksvragen: hoe pluriform is de representatie van armoede in de televisieprogramma’s van de VRT? Hoe percipiëren medewerkers van armoedeorganisaties en ervaringsdeskundigen de beeldvorming van armoede in de VRT-programma’s? Die vragen worden beantwoord door middel van kwalitatieve inhoudsanalyse en focusgroepen (FG).
Media and Communication , 2019
This study examines and evaluates the representation of ethnocultural diversity in non-fiction TV... more This study examines and evaluates the representation of ethnocultural diversity in non-fiction TV programmes broadcasted by the Flemish (Belgian Dutch-speaking) public service broadcaster VRT in the 2016–2017 TV season. A qualitative content analysis of a sample comprising 36 clips and episodes of 14 non-fiction programmes was supplemented by four focus group interviews with a total of 12 participants belonging to different ethnocultural minorities. The findings suggest that despite several measures undertaken by the VRT, the representation of ethnocultural minorities is still unbalanced and biased in at least three ways: first, in presenting minorities as homogeneous groups rather than highlighting intragroup differences; second, in ‘typecasting’ people with a migration background thematically, i.e., for items on topics and issues related to their ethnocultural identity; and, third, in portraying and approaching minorities from a dominant group perspective. The article ends with the recommendation for public service media to further improve ethnocultural diversity in the workforce and to encourage their journalists and TV producers to reconsider their ‘professional pragmatics’ in order to increase their ethnocultural sensitivity and better manage the representation of super-diversity in their programmes.
The forgotten actor in media ownership debates: Audiences and their knowledge of media ownership in Flanders
The characteristics and scope of media concentration are of great concern to media and communicat... more The characteristics and scope of media concentration are of great concern to media and communication studies, especially in relation to media diversity and pluralism, considered key in democratic societies. However, to date, there have been few analyses of audiences’ knowledge of media ownership. This contribution explores knowledge of media ownership structures, and how it relates to media use and socio-demographics amongst a representative online sample of the Flemish population (N = 1100). Findings reveal limited knowledge of ownership structures, with significant differences relating to gender, age, education and media consumption. The implications hereof are discussed from a perspective of democratic citizenship, political economy studies, media literacy studies and media literacy programs, and result in a call for more research into this specific area.
Although one of the main aims of celebrities’ societal engagement is to grab the attention of a w... more Although one of the main aims of celebrities’ societal engagement is to grab the attention of a wide audience for a social cause, research about public perceptions of the phenomenon is scarce. This study wants to gain a theoretical and empirical insight into the possible influence of celebrities’ engagements on the general population. An internet survey among a sample of one thousand Flemish adults was conducted to ascertain which celebrities are considered to support social causes and how the general population perceives this phenomenon. Results show a select group of celebrity supporters, i.e. those in a deeply engaged role or with a considerable track record of engagement, to be the most popular. While most respondents consider such celebrity engagements to make a significant contribution to social-profit organisations’ goals, scepticism about the celebrities’ motives is apparent. Young adults and celebrity news followers, traditionally less involved in social causes, demonstrate a more positive attitude towards celebrity engagement than older respondents. As such, celebrities’ societal engagement might be advantageous in reaching thus far uninterested parts of society.
While media coverage is a main aim of celebrities’ societal engagement, academic analysis of its ... more While media coverage is a main aim of celebrities’ societal engagement, academic analysis of its news-making ability is scarce. As a diverse phenomenon, we argue that the ability of celebrities’ societal engagement to attract media attention depends on how certain characteristics (i.e., celebrities’ claim to fame, roles they take on and issues they support) fit news selection criteria to a greater or lesser extent. First, this article determines how the three studied components (claim to fame, role and issue) relate to each other by means of an internet search and analysis. Second, using the internet data as a benchmark, the article looks at how celebrities’ engagement is covered in Flemish newspapers. Results suggest that certain forms of celebrities’ societal engagement are more likely than others to generate media coverage, as Flemish newspapers tend to focus more on the issue of development aid, ad hoc celebrity roles, and local Flemish celebrities and issues.
Does media cross-ownership translate into cross-promotion? Analysing Flemish newspapers’ coverage of affiliated and competing television stations
Recent waves of cross-media concentration, in Flanders (Belgium) and elsewhere, reinvigorate conc... more Recent waves of cross-media concentration, in Flanders (Belgium) and elsewhere, reinvigorate concerns regarding the impact of ownership structures on media content and the way in which it is produced, including discussions about editorial autonomy. However, with a main focus on hard news, this debate pays little attention to corporate influence on soft news issues, such as media’s cross-promotion of affiliated media outlets. The current study wishes to address this shortcoming by means of a diachronic quantitative content analysis of Flemish newspapers’ coverage of television programmes. The article analyses whether media cross-ownership results in cross-promotion of press outlets’ affiliated television stations. Results partly support the thesis that newspapers cover their affiliated television stations more frequently. Yet the paper also explores alternative explanations, such as characteristics of newspapers, of target audiences and of the television programmes obtaining coverage (including broadcast frequency and genre). Hence the article points to the complexity of tackling cross-promotion and the importance of taking alternative elements into account.
The literature illustrates how media research on the energy question is characterized by a limite... more The literature illustrates how media research on the energy question is characterized by a limited focus on separate energy options, resulting in a lack of research into the diversity of and mutual relations between various energy options. This paper reports on a quantitative content analysis of eight Belgian newspapers (N=1181), focusing on whether certain energy options are systematically more covered in certain regions, types of newspapers and/or types of newspaper sections. The results show that five energy options dominate the debate and that there are minimal differences per region, but remarkable differences between types of newspapers and newspaper sections.
Putting the ‘fun’ in fundraising: The Serious Request and Music For Life radio telethons, media, and citizenship
This chapter wishes to explore telethons as media interventions by focussing on the relationships... more This chapter wishes to explore telethons as media interventions by focussing on the relationships between non-profit organisations, the media, and the public, with a stress on the latter. Therefore, our broad research question is ‘Who participates in telethons, for what reasons, and with what outcome (donation behaviour, awareness . . .)? To this end, the chapter starts with a theoretical contextualisation of telethons, discussing the usefulness of the media interventions concept compared to the concepts of media events and media spectacles. These theoretical insights enable an operationalisation and specification of the broad research question. Subsequently, this is empirically explored through the analysis of participants of the 2010 editions of Music For Life and Serious Request as they were subjected to a face-to-face survey. The results should enable us to shed more light on the civic engagement potential of telethons.
This article studies the effectiveness of Flemish celebrities as endorsers in non-profit campaign... more This article studies the effectiveness of Flemish celebrities as endorsers in non-profit campaigns. Six existing Flemish campaigns were selected and tested on the public in three regards: the recognition of the campaign, the ability to name the organisation behind it and the intention to support the organisation. Recognising specific differences between the campaigns, results show that celebrity endorsed campaigns seem to reach a wider, younger target audience, while non-celebrity based campaigns target a rather ‘classic’ donor audience.
Celebrity endorsements in de non-profitsector
Research Reports by Koen Panis
Het rapport brengt verslag uit van een publieksbevraging over de toekomstige plaats en rol van de... more Het rapport brengt verslag uit van een publieksbevraging over de toekomstige plaats en rol van de VRT in de samenleving en het medialandschap. Op basis van de resultaten van de bevraging worden conclusies en aanbevelingen geformuleerd voor het toekomstige publieke omroepbeleid in Vlaanderen, met het oog op de nieuwe beheersovereenkomst van de Vlaamse Regering met de VRT.
Referentie: Paulussen, S.; Panis, K.; Bels, A.; De Wilde, M.; Dhoest, A.; Maeseele, P.; Mortelman... more Referentie: Paulussen, S.; Panis, K.; Bels, A.; De Wilde, M.; Dhoest, A.; Maeseele, P.; Mortelmans, D.; Neels, K.; Ponnet, K.; Vandebosch, H.; Van
PhD Dissertation by Koen Panis
ISBN 978 90 572 8397 0 D/2012/12.293/36 Acknowledgments This dissertation is part of the research... more ISBN 978 90 572 8397 0 D/2012/12.293/36 Acknowledgments This dissertation is part of the research project "Celebrity activism: An empirical study of the cooperation between social movements and Flemish celebrities", financed by an external four year grant from the Flemish scientific fund FWO (application number: G.0315.09N) and an internal four year grant from the University of Antwerp BOF-NOI funds, both obtained after a competitive, peerreviewed process.
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Articles and Book Chapters by Koen Panis
Research Reports by Koen Panis
PhD Dissertation by Koen Panis