Shomron Baruch
Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 12, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Contemp Jew. 2022;42(2):263-291. doi: 10.1007/s12397-022-09436-z. Epub 2022 May 29.
Journalists can play a pivotal role in promoting a population's security amid a health crisis such as a global pandemic. This role becomes of enhanced importance for marginalized populations as they face a compounded threat due to preexisting social inequalities and exclusion. This study focuses on the utilization of Twitter by ultra-Orthodox journalists during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. The study applies a thematic analysis of 23,110 tweets from the 20 most popular ultra-Orthodox journalists on Twitter. Findings reveal that ultra-Orthodox journalists utilized Twitter in an "ambassadorial" role to advocate their community's security through six strategies: (1) explaining the challenges endangering ultra-Orthodox Jews during COVID-19, (2) dispelling COVID-19 accusations directed against ultra-Orthodox Jews, (3) encouraging social distancing and health guidelines, (4) highlighting the social contributions of ultra-Orthodox Jews to the general public during the pandemic, (5) criticizing wrongdoers who violated the health guidelines, and (6) calling out acts of hatred and bigotry that have been directed toward ultra-Orthodox Jews. These findings reveal the professional ethos of ultra-Orthodox journalists and their aspiration to protect their community. Furthermore, these findings shed light on the vital role Twitter can play in journalistic work through inter-social interactivity and the enablement of capabilities, particularly the capability "to be secure." Lastly, this study expands the understanding of the social media resource contributing to policymakers tasked with formulating its fair distribution in society in accordance with the capabilities approach and its objective of promoting well-being.
在全球大流行等健康危机期间，记者在促进民众安全方面可发挥关键作用。对于边缘化人群而言，这一角色的重要性更加凸显，因为他们由于先前存在的社会不平等和排斥现象而面临更加复杂的威胁。本研究聚焦于以色列极端正统派记者在新冠疫情最初几个月对推特的使用情况。该研究对推特上最受欢迎的20位极端正统派记者发布的23110条推文进行了主题分析。研究结果显示，极端正统派记者以“大使”角色利用推特，通过六种策略来倡导其社区的安全：（1）解释新冠疫情期间危及极端正统派犹太人的挑战；（2）消除针对极端正统派犹太人的新冠疫情相关指控；（3）鼓励保持社交距离和遵守健康准则；（4）强调极端正统派犹太人在疫情期间对公众的社会贡献；（5）批评违反健康准则者的不当行为；（6）谴责针对极端正统派犹太人的仇恨和偏见行为。这些研究结果揭示了极端正统派记者的职业精神以及他们保护其社区的愿望。此外，这些结果还阐明了推特通过社会间互动性和能力赋予，特别是“获得安全”的能力，在新闻工作中可发挥的重要作用。最后，本研究拓展了对社交媒体资源的理解，有助于政策制定者根据能力方法及其促进福祉的目标，在社会中制定其公平分配方案。
