Observatorio (OBS*)

**El plagio cinematográfico de Letty Lynton (1932) y su impacto en la industria fílmica estadounidense: análisis del proceso judicial y de su cobertura mediática**

Este artículo presenta un exhaustivo análisis del proceso judicial relativo al film Letty Lynton (1932), que, pese a ser un emblema del periodo clásico de Hollywood, fue prohibido en 1936, tras la denuncia de dos dramaturgos que acusaron a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer de haber plagiado una de sus obras. El pleito evidenció una complejidad en materia de infracción del copyright que la justicia estadounidense no había afrontado hasta el momento, entre otros motivos porque la cinta partía de unos hechos reales acontecidos durante el siglo XIX y la productora había adquirido los derechos de una novela que también los relataba. Los continuos recursos y resoluciones judiciales finalizaron, tras ochos años, con el pronunciamiento del Tribunal Supremo. Esta investigación analiza con detalle el examen del caso a través del estudio de tres fuentes: los materiales literarios relacionados con el film, los pronunciamientos judiciales que generó la demanda por plagio y la cobertura periodística llevada a cabo por cuatro importantes publicaciones cinematográficas especializadas. Los resultados permiten trazar una cronología del proceso, evaluar su resonancia mediática e identificar el impacto que tuvo tanto en el ámbito de la justicia como en el de la industria de Hollywood.

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the judicial proceedings concerning the film Letty Lynton (1932). The movie, despite being an emblem of the classical period of Hollywood, was banned in 1936, following a suit filed by two playwrights against Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for plagiarism. The lawsuit revealed a complexity that US courts had not addressed so far in copyright infringement matters, not least because the film was based on a true story that took place during the nineteenth century but also because the motion picture company had acquired the rights to a novel that also told the facts. The continuing resources and judgments ended after eight years with the ruling of the Supreme Court. This paper analyses in detail the examination of the case by studying three sources: literary materials relating to the film, judicial pronouncements generated by the demand for plagiarism and the media coverage offered by four contemporary trade papers. The results allow establishing a chronology of the process, evaluating the media coverage it got and identifying the impact both in the field of justice and in the Hollywood industry.

Establishing and Demonstrating US Hospital Brands Through Facebook

Medical treatment, patient satisfaction, and hospital brand equity are positively related to three communication contexts: interpersonal, internal, and corporate. To integrate those contexts and expand that line of research, visceral analysis suggests that social media are transforming the impact of institutional communications conducted by hospitals. Specifically, questions continue to need answered to fill gaps in, clarify and reinforce previous research. To that end, this article analyzes the strategic impact of social media networks in spreading the brand architecture of hospitals. To this end, the Facebook profiles of 400 hospitals in the United States were analyzed. Each profile was examined to determine whether it utilized 10 indicators related to brand architecture. The results indicate that regarding the leading hospitals in the United States 94% of the surveyed hospitals have an active profile on Facebook but one that only utilized 3 to 5 of the recommended indicators. The professional management of this social media, the more widespread use of corporate video and a strategic orientation toward results have become cornerstones for the effective dissemination of hospital brands through Facebook.

Estudio empírico-conceptual de la crisis económica y cultural en la prensa española

Esta investigación muestra el tratamiento que la prensa otorga a las noticias relativas sobre la crisis cultural en términos económicos, conceptos tan polisémicos como influyentes en los imaginarios sociales. Cómo se sustancia la cultura en la trastienda de la crisis y en la política, produce un marco periodístico afín a una ideología y a un relato político concreto. La presencia de estas informaciones en la prensa, sin duda condicionan los modos de acción y de organización de las empresas culturales, y además anuncian el epicentro de una lucha política. Se propone abordar esta cuestión desde un análisis de contenido complejo y el descubrimiento de los encuadres noticiosos mediante el paradigma framing con el que extraer la perspectiva de la información, la elección y el énfasis, reconstruir la estructura latente y las dimensiones subyacentes del tratamiento informativo respecto de estas informaciones. Mediante un proceso de covariación y prueba t de Student, quedarán expuestos los encuadres noticiosos de las tres primeras cabeceras españolas; El País, El Mundo y el Abc, sobre esta realidad social y cultural durante doce meses (enero 2014 a febrero 2015).

The present research shows press management of news on the cultural crisis in economic terms, which are very polysemic and influential concepts on social imagination. The way culture is shaped in the back room of the crisis and politics produces a news framework associated to a specific ideology and political party. The presence of this information in press undoubtedly conditions the action and organization of cultural firms and, besides, forecasts the epicentre of a political battle. This issue is proposed to be dealt with by means of analysis of complex content and news frames through the framing paradigm, as it allows determining the analysed information's perspective, election, and emphasis so as to reconstruct the latent structure and the underlying dimensions of information management in these news items. Statistic tools and a covariation and factor process allow analysing the news frames on the three main Spanish newspapers: El País, El Mundo, and Abc regarding this social and cultural issue throughoout 12 months (January 2014 to February 2015).

El debate de la actualidad periodística española en Twitter: Del corporativismo de periodistas y políticos al activismo ciudadano

La información periodística adquiere una nueva dimensión en redes sociales como Twitter. Desde esta plataforma, los ciudadanos debaten y condicionan asuntos hasta ahora reservados a los medios de comunicación. Los periodistas ya no se limitan únicamente a informar. Los políticos disponen de un nuevo canal para comunicarse directamente con los votantes. También los movimientos sociales aprovechan la viralidad de Twitter para denunciar los abusos cometidos por el poder. Para evaluar el alcance de estos cambios en el periodismo y la comunicación política, este artículo examina las estrategias que cada tipo de usuario despliega en Twitter, mediante las metodologías del análisis de contenidos y el estudio del encuadre aplicadas a los casos de #ArdeValencia (incendios forestales de Valencia) y #25N (elecciones de Cataluña). Ambos hashtags aluden a hechos ocurridos en España en 2012. Los resultados muestran que los actores tradicionales en la esfera pública, como periodistas y políticos, tienden a autopromocionarse sin interactuar con terceros, mientras que los colectivos ciudadanos parecen interesados en fiscalizar a la clase política, al menos durante las campañas electorales. Además, se advierte el uso partidista de la etiqueta #ArdeValencia para desacreditar al Gobierno valenciano.

News acquire a new dimension due to social networks like Twitter. In this platform, citizens discuss and gain influence in issues traditionally reserved to media. Journalists are no longer limited only to inform. Politicians have a new line to talk directly with voters. Social movements take benefit of the viral nature of Twitter to denounce the abuses of power. To evaluate the reach of these changes in journalism and political communication, the strategies used by each kind of actor on Twitter are examined in this paper through the methodologies of the content analysis and framing studies applied in the cases of #ArdeValencia (forest fires in Valencia) and #25N (elections in Catalonia). Both hashtags refer to events happened in Spain in 2012. Findings show that traditional actors in the public sphere, such as journalists and politicians, tend to promote themselves without interacting with others, while collectives of citizens seem interested in supervising political parties and politicians at least during electoral campaigns. Furthermore, a partisan use of tag #ArdeValencia is detected in order to discredit the Valencian Government.

Os jovens e o acompanhamento da informação sobre a atualidade: questões a partir da análise de Relatórios sobre usos e práticas mediáticas

Com base em dados provenientes de relatórios estatísticos nacionais e internacionais, procurou-se refletir sobre as tendências de acompanhamento da informação da atualidade no quotidiano dos jovens, questionando-se como as práticas atuais podem contribuir para a participação dos mais novos na sociedade. Nos três estudos analisados (Trends in News Consumption: 1991-2012,, do The Pew Research Center, Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2013, do Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism e Anuário de Media & Publicidade 2013, do Grupo Marktest), observou-se que, de um modo geral, tem ocorrido um declínio no interesse pelo acompanhamento de notícias e um aumento da preferência por conteúdos mediáticos situados entre a esfera da informação e do entretenimento, em detrimento dos assuntos políticos. Ao refletir sobre o acompanhamento da atualidade, por parte dos jovens, alguns autores argumentam que o infotainment ou as soft news podem comprometer o futuro do jornalismo e da democracia (Mindich, 2005; Barbur & Goodnow, 2011; Barnhurst & Wartella, 1998; Currah e Franklin, cit. em Nguyen, 2012; Baumgartner & Morris, 2006; entre outros), enquanto outros defendem impacto positivo na sobrevivência dos media e na formação dos jovens cidadãos (Barnet, Schudson e Brewer & Marquardt cit. em Nguyen, 2012; Armstrong, 2005; entre outros). Apesar do debate controverso, argumenta-se que o caminho para a cidadania reside no desenvolvimento de competências críticas sobre a informação e da capacidade dos jovens cidadãos exprimirem interesses e ideologias, fazendo uso das potencialidades das novas ferramentas (Dahlgreen, 2011; Buckingham, 2000). Este artigo enquadra-se no projeto de doutoramento O (des)interesse dos jovens pela atualidade: estudo sobre o papel dos media na informação sobre o mundo (SFRH/BD/94791/2013) financiado pela FCT, QREN e POPH.

Based on data from national and international statistical reports, we try to reflect on the trends about news uses in the daily lives of young people, in recent years, and how current practices contribute to an increase of civic participation. In the three studies analyzed (Pew Research Center (2012), Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2013) and Marktest (2012), respectively), it was observed that there has been a decline in the interest of news in general and an increase in the preference for media content located between the sphere of information and entertainment, at the expense of political affairs. Reflecting upon news uses by young people, some authors argue that the infotainment or soft news could jeopardize the future of journalism and democracy (Mindich, 2005; Barbur & Goodnow, 2011; Barnhurst & Wartella, 1998; Currah and Franklin, cit in Nguyen, 2012; Baumgartner & Morris, 2006; among others), while others advocate a positive impact on the survival of the media and training of young citizens (Barnet, Schudson and Brewer & Marquardt cit in Nguyen, 2012; Armstrong, 2005; among others). Despite the controversial debate, it is stated that the path to citizenship resides on the development of critical skills about information and the ability of young citizens to express their interests and ideologies making use of the potentialities of new media (Dahlgreen, 2011; Buckingham, 2000). This article is part of the PhD Scholarship "The (dis)interest of young people in actuality: study on the role of the media in information about the world" (SFRH/BD/94791/2013) funded by FCT, QREN and POPH.

Music for everyone? El fracaso de la radio musical pública en España en los servicios de música en streaming

Se realiza una aproximación a la relación de la radio musical pública en España con los servicios de música en streaming. La Red ofrece a la industria musical nuevas formas de distribución y los servicios de música en streaming tienen una posición relevante en este escenario. Su personalización e inmediatez pueden suponer una amenaza pero también una oportunidad para la radio musical pública, tradicionalmente asociada a prescripción y legitimidad. Además, Internet refuerza la relación de la radio con los oyentes y especialmente entre los más jóvenes, un aspecto que ha sido extensamente estudiado, aunque no tanto en relación con los servicios de música en streaming. Por ello se aborda este asunto con una metodología que combina el análisis descriptivo con las entrevistas. Los resultados muestran una escasa presencia de la radio musical pública en España en los servicios de música en streaming que entra en confrontación con la misión de servicio público.

It is intended an approach to the relationship of music public radio in Spain with streaming music services. The Internet provides the music industry new forms of music distribution and streaming music services have an important role in this scenario. Personalisation and immediacy may be a threat, but also it could be an opportunity for music public radio, usually associated with prescription and legitimacy. In addition, the Internet strengthens the relationship between radio and listeners and especially among young people, an aspect that has been extensively studied, but less so in relation to streaming music services. Therefore, this issue is addressed with a methodology that combines content analysis with interviews. The results show a scarce presence of music public radio in Spain on streaming music services that faces the public service mission.

Information and opinion in the representation of scientific consensus and skepticism on climate change, in Spanish language online publications

This paper explores the representation of scientific consensus and skepticism on Climate Change (CC), in online Spanish language publications, by means of a content analysis of the results of a search of quinto informe IPCC (5th IPCC report) on Google. Results indicate that legacy media represent exclusively the scientific consensus, whereas other online publications represent the skeptic voices. Legacy media tend to differentiate information from opinion, whereas other online publications tend to mix information and opinion, situating the IPCC report at the same epistemological level of other scientific and non-scientific sources. This leads to a non-rigorous representation of the current scientific consensus on climate change.

Tendências atuais na publicação científica: o português como língua de ciência

A partir de um inquérito lançado junto da comunidade científica nacional, este trabalho examina as diferentes culturas de publicação de ciência em Portugal. Modelos estabilizados nas Ciências Naturais, mudança de arquétipo nas Ciências Sociais e Humanidades, que replicam o paradigma das congéneres, compelidas para a publicação em língua inglesa. Avaliam-se as consequências, os aspectos positivos e negativos das opções tomadas por cada área, ao mesmo tempo que se verifica como a comunidade se mobilizou para a criação de indicadores de avaliação próprios que possam, nas Ciências Sociais e Humanidades, desencorajar o desaparecimento do português como língua de ciência

In order to examine the changes and evolution of scientific publication cultures in Portugal, this work relies on an extensive survey among the national scientific community. The results showed we're dealing with stabilized practices in the Natural Sciences, whilst Humanities and Social Sciences are struggling with paradigm changes, mainly oriented to the replication of Natural Sciences publication model, and with a growing tendency to publish in English, despite a natural preference for writing in Portuguese, most researcher's mother language. A reflection on the consequences, strengths and downsizes of this shift also examines the way the national scientific community mobilized for the generation of output measuring instruments that can encourage the survival of Portuguese as a science language in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Identities in Flux: An Analysis to Photographic Self-Representation on Instagram

Based on a review of literature and on a content analysis of nearly 12,000 photographs from 104 Instagram's users, this paper analyses the uses of photography as a self-representational device, comparing traditional vernacular usages with the new practices that emerged on Instagram. It seeks to understand the motivations underlying Instagram's uses, particularly focusing on its identitary functions, that helps to create visual self-representations in online environments. Identitary construction is understood as an active performance, in which each user is their own author, inventing and re-inventing themselves at each moment, in a continuous flux of imagetic creation that expresses a sense of identity open to constant reinvention. This paper explores not only the creation of selfies, a practice analogous to the self-portrait, but also the parallel strategies used to avoid the discomfort often caused by direct self-representation.

Muslim journalists in Western media: Maria TV reported by Spanish Telecinco, CNN and the BBC

This article analyses and compares, in terms of five analytical categories, how three Western news channels (Telecinco, CNN and the BBC) cover a news story about a new Egyptian channel called Maria TV presented by Muslim women wearing the niqab. Although the Western TV channels narrate the same event, they build different representations of reality. The paper concludes with a reflection on how, in focusing on different aspects of the story, the Western TV channels inevitably distort a holistic view of the event.