Steve Collins

Mediating the African Message: Social Influences on a Ugandan Newspaper • Steve Collins, University of Central Florida • Using in-depth interviews and participant observation, the author identified numerous factors that influence news production at Uganda’s leading independent newspaper. The factors include ethnicity (of journalists and sources), a pay system that rewards quantity over quality, a reliance on sources willing to “facilitate” reporters, and a newsroom culture that promotes self-censorship. The findings have implications for Gatekeeping Theory and journalism training in developing nations.

Gatekeeping in East Africa: Organizational Structure and Reporter Gender as Potential Influences on Newspaper Content • Steve Collins, University of Central Florida; Tim Brown, University of Central Florida • This content analysis examined two Ugandan newspapers, one owned by the government and the other seen as “the opposition paper.” The results suggest that the independent newspaper includes more voices while the government paper offers more mobilizing information. However, both are thinly sourced and under represent women. The paper also considers the potential influence of reporter gender on content.

Seeing the world through a different lens: Examining visual gatekeeping via East African photojournalists’ experiences with news organizations • Steve Collins, University of Central Florida; Kimberly Bissell, Gyro Newman, University of Alabama • The present study used in-depth interviews with four Western photographers working in East Africa to examine visual gatekeeping in the context of new media and in the context of news flow outside of the United States. Using gatekeeping and media sociology theories to guide the study framework, four photographers were interviewed to discuss their views on the way news content is produced and distributed from the East African countries of Uganda and Kenya.

Armstrong, C.L. & Collins, S.J. (2009). “Reaching Out: Newspaper Credibility Among Young Adult Readers,” Mass Communication & Society, 12(1), 97-114.

The researchers examined student perceptions of campus and community newspaper credibility at the University of Florida using a Web survey (n = 1,906) of those enrolled in a general education class. A moderate correlation (r = .28) existed between college newspaper credibility and community newspaper credibility. Using hierarchical linear regression, the researchers found interest in news content to be a statistically significant predictor of credibility for both local newspapers and college newspapers. In addition, students whose parents encouraged them to read a newspaper found both newspapers more credible than did their peers, and exposure to a newspaper was found to be a strong predictor of credibility for that newspaper. Finally, the results of this case study also suggest White respondents find local newspapers more credible than other races. Implications for researchers and practitioners were discussed.