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An unbroken spirit: Afghanistan exiled media since the Taliban takeover
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Berlin: JX Fund (2024), 44 pp.

"A large portion of independent media has relocated to United States of America, Canada, and European countries such as Germany, France, UK, Ireland after the Taliban took over. The teams of many of these outlets operate in a hybrid model with editorial leadership in exile and staff members and free ... lancers in Afghanistan. Just over half of Afghan exiled media (57%) were founded in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over, but others (42%) were established in exile after August 15, 2021. Exiled media publish their content in multiple languages, including both the official languages of Afghanistan: Pashto and Dari (Farsi). Out of 47 media surveyed, 35 also publish their content in English. Afghan women journalists have founded several media outlets spanning various platforms, including online publications, radio and television channels, social media platforms, and podcasts. Through these outlets, they amplify the voices of Afghan women and shed light on the challenges they face under Taliban rule. In exile, ethnic, religious, linguistic, and political affiliations continue to influence the content and ownership of some media outlets, with direct consequences on their credibility. Afghan exiled media mostly aim for nation-wide coverage (90%). Only 10% of exiled media focus on regional coverage. Media consumption in Afghanistan has shifted towards exiled media. In addition, since the Taliban takeover, audiences increasingly relied on the internet, particularly social media platforms, to access information and entertainment programs. The study reveals that Facebook, X, and YouTube are the most popular social media platforms for exiled media outlets – both for audiences to consume content and interact with publishers. Television still stands as the predominant broadcasting platform in Afghanistan, with urban areas exhibiting a higher prevalence of household TV ownership compared to rural regions. Television coverage extends to nearly 40 percent of Afghanistan’s population. At least 12 Afghan TV exiled projects are accessible via satellite, web, social media, apps and streaming platforms. Fact-checking information coming from on-the-ground sources is becoming harder. The Taliban severely restricted information flows. Most Afghan exiled media rely on citizen journalism and anonymous sources. Lack of financial sustainability is a major concern. Afghan exiled media have lost their previous funding opportunities and need to cover budget gaps from international organizations or other philanthropic sources." (Executive summary, page 3) more

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The emergence of China's smart state

Rogier Creemers, Straton Papagianneas, Adam Knight (eds.)

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield (2024), ix, 250 pp.

"China’s emergence as a technology leader has become a major factor in geopolitics, transforming global political and economic relationships. In its bid to achieve digital great power status, China’s government has reformed laws and policies, drastically increased investment, and become more ass ... more

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Russische Medien außerhalb Russlands: Wer liest sie, und wozu benötigt man sie?

Ksenia Luchenko

Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2024), 10 pp.

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Women and the media in Afghanistan: How to support female media workers in a challenging landscape

Catharine Buckell, Mahdi Zaki, Shukrana Azizi Suzanne Devai

London: BBC Media Action (2024), 50 pp.

"Women in Afghanistan continue to have less access to information than men, particularly through TV and the internet. At least 33% of women (more in rural areas) rely on family as a key source of information, while men prioritise other information sources. Yet Afghan women’s information needs have ... never been more pronounced – due to restrictions on their activities, many are confined to their homes. Women in Afghanistan with media access rely on this more than ever to keep updated on issues that concern them, and spend more time accessing and using media: "Now women are in the confines of their homes… The virtual space is the only window for us to learn about what is happening." (Female FGD participant, Herat). Two-thirds (65%) of female survey respondents say that the media is “very important” in their daily lives, compared with half (51%) of male respondents. Despite various efforts to cater to female audiences, 67% of female and male respondents feel that Afghan media only “somewhat” or “rarely” meets women’s needs. Reflecting restrictions on media content, respondents complain that domestic media contains too much religious content and not enough entertainment. However, educational content is still allowed, providing women and girls who are denied access to schooling with a vital source of education. Respondents are more satisfied with the balance of content in international media and media run by Afghans in exile, and they are more likely to watch some types of entertainment, such as movies, on international than domestic TV. However, a number of international media outlets are inaccessible from Afghanistan. Journalists inside Afghanistan are banned from working with international TV/radio channels or news sites, and some have been arrested for doing so. 87% of respondents say the presence of women in the media in Afghanistan has decreased since August 2021. Only 41% could name a female presenter or journalist. Almost all of those named by respondents worked in the media before 2021, or currently work from outside Afghanistan. Audience members support women featuring in news and educational programmes but are less supportive of them featuring in comedy and sports content. Over half (54%) of the general survey respondents say they would support a female relative to work as a journalist. A further 12% would support a female relative under certain conditions, including wearing the hijab and travelling with a mahram (women cannot leave their home without a male chaperone)." (Executive summary, page 6) more

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Pop-up-Propaganda: Epikrise der russischen Selbstvergiftung. Mit einem illustrierten "Ratgeber für das Überleben"

Irina Rastorgueva

Thomas Martin (Nachwort)

Berlin: Matthes & Seitz (2024), 337 pp.

"Während innerhalb Russlands das Verbot kritischer Medien und die Gleichschaltung der verstaatlichten Sender eine beinahe karikaturhafte Erzählung über traditionelle Werte und die Notwendigkeit der "Militärischen Spezialoperation" hervorbringen, arbeiten sorgfältig geplante Propagandaaktionen i ... more

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Wild paroxysms of the turbulent 90s: How 'The Traitors' documentary exposed the Russian liberal milieu

Lev Kadik

Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2024), 13 pp.

"The story which The Traitors tells is pretty simple and well known to academic scholars who deal with the modern Russian state: it was corrupt from its inception and Putin’s regime is in no way an aberration, but smooth continuity of the Yeltsin system. The documentary precipitated a wave of slan ... more

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Länderkurzinformation Afghanistan: Informationslage

Nürnberg: Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (2024), 6 pp.

"Die beschriebene Quellenlage stellt auch für die Länderanalyse eine Herausforderung dar. Afghanische Medien geben einen guten Überblick darüber, wie die Taliban sich präsentieren möchten. Auch neue Verordnungen und Erlasse der Zentralregierung sind so nachvollziehbar. Dies gilt jedoch nicht f ... more

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Dialogue with the Dictator: Authoritarian Legitimation and Information Management in Putin's Russia

Hannah S. Chapman

Cambridge et al.: Cambridge University Press (2024), xvi, 253 pp.

"Dialogue with the Dictator illuminates the ways in which authoritarian regimes structure interaction between citizens and leaders to simultaneously manage information dilemmas and build regime legitimacy. In doing so, it demonstrates the conditions under which managed participation can reinforce or ... more

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Visible and Invisible Bars: Political Imprisonment, Civil Death, and the Consequences of Democratic Erosion

Amy Slipowitz, Mina Loldj

Washington, DC: Freedom House (2024), 32 pp.

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Mapping Belarusian Online Propaganda: Main Themes, Emphases and Trends in 2024

Marat Lesnov, Alesia Rudnik

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2024), 18 pp.

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42 razones contra la ley antisocial: Argumentario contra la Ley de Fiscalización, Regularización, Actuación y Financiamiento de las Organizaciones no Gubernamentales y Afines

Caracas: Acceso a la Justicia (2024), 2 pp.

"En nuestro argumentario recopilamos 42 razones contra la Ley de Fiscalización, Regularización, Actuación y Financiamiento de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales y Afine (Ley Antisociedad), cuya aprobación anulará el derecho de asociación en Venezuela y cerrará aún más el espacio cívico. ... more

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Data-centric authoritarianism: How China's development of frontier technologies could globalize repression

Valentin Weber

Washington DC: National Endowment for Democracy (NED); International Forum for Democratic Studies (2024), 38 pp.

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Decoding Social Media’s Role in Taliban 2.0 and its Implications for Afghan Youth

Muhammad Akram, Asim Nasar, Shama Perveen

Honolulu: East-West Center (2024), 8 pp.

"The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021 after two decades of fighting on the ground and manipulating narratives online, particularly on social media. Their tactical use of social media was more evident in 2021 when they were advancing their territorial gains and posting on social ... more

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Russia's Legislative Minefield: Tripwires for Civil Society Since 2020

Human Rights Watch (2024), 205 pp.

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Social Media Activism for Civilian Supremacy in Myanmar and Pakistan

Qamar Abbas Jafri

Tokyo: Toda Peace Institute (2023), 14 pp.

"In Myanmar and Pakistan, anti-democratic forces including an alliance of military and right-wing political factions are dominating political affairs despite both countries’ constitutions defining democratic processes. Consequently, the authoritarian rule has been looming in these countries. The a ... more

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China’s Media Propaganda in Africa: A Strategic Assessment

Joshua Eisenman

Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace (USIP) (2023), 23 pp.

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Journalistic practices in restrictive contexts: A sociological approach to the case of Iran

Banafsheh Ranji

London; New York: Routledge (2023), 131 pp.

"Based on fieldwork conducted in Iran, this book discusses how it is possible for journalism to exist and function in a restrictive context. The book brings together a range of structural (macro), organizational (meso), and individual (micro) processes to analyse journalistic practice in a political ... more

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Dictatorship and Information: Authoritarian Regime Resilience in Communist Europe and China

Martin K. Dimitrov

New York: Oxford University Press (2023), xix, 470 pp.

"This study offers a systematic theory of the institutional solutions to the dictator’s dilemma, which arises from the incapacity to calibrate repression and concessions due to the lack of information about elite and popular discontent. Empirically, the book presents a detailed discussion of the t ... more

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Media Capture Strategies in an Islamic Authoritarian Context: The Case of the Taliban

Faisal Karimi

Human Rights Institute (2023), 43 pp.

"This paper explores the Taliban government's media capture strategies since retaking the country on August 15, 2021, and how journalists and media outlets have responded to these strategies. In particular, it focuses on the Taliban government's approach to the media, given the recent political tran ... more

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Decoding Social Media’s Role in the Resurgence of the Taliban: A Literature Review

Nassir Ul Haq Wani

Kabul: Kardan University, Kashmir Research Information System (2023), 22 pp.

"The study assesses the extent to which Taliban 2.0 utilised social media as a political mobilisation strategy and provides a response through discourse analysis and a literature review. The study results indicate that the tactical use of social media was more apparent in 2021 when they were promoti ... more

An unbroken spirit: Afghanistan exiled media since the Taliban takeover Top Insights

An unbroken spirit: Afghanistan exiled media since the Taliban takeover
Top Insights