An hibernal update

Abstract

Welcome to Issue No. 2 of 2023. In this issue, you will find a diverse selection of scholarly articles emanating from different places across our Asia-Pacific region as well as from Africa. This issue opens with a methodological piece that considers if a new research paradigm is needed to study the creative industries. It then shifts into a ‘representational’ mode, with one comparative piece examining media power in the construction of the aged-care debate in Australian and Malaysia, followed by a fascinating discussion of autism in Vietnamese digital news media. Discussion on COVID-19 continues in this issue with an article critiquing strategic tweets and stories from Chinese authorities during the pandemic. We also have an interesting qualitative study on the use of extension agents in connecting rural people to food security programs in eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. The issue concludes with two papers focusing on two different aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand: biodiversity conservation and post-gay identities. The former explores the communication of the Predator Free 2050 Strategy by the Department of Conservation, while the latter undertakes a narrative analysis of homomasculinity among gay and queer men in Aotearoa New Zealand. I am certain you will enjoy most, if not all, of the papers in this issue. Speaking of Aotearoa New Zealand, the 2023 Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) will take place in Wellington, the nation’s capital. The conference theme is ‘Ka mua, ka muri: Bridging communication pasts and futures’. As most of our readers know, Communication Research and Practice is an ANZCA journal and we would usually reserve a special issue dedicated to papers presented at the conference. There is nothing like being in-attendance and in-person, so do consider joining us in November 2023. More information can be obtained from the conference website (www.anzca2023. com), which notes on the homepage: