"Charting the increase in the use of games for the dissemination of extremist propaganda, radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization, this book examines the 'gamification of extremism.' Editors Linda Schlegel and Rachel Kowert bring together a range of insights from world-leading experts in the f
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ield to provide the first comprehensive overview of gaming and extremism. The potential nexus between gaming and extremism has become a key area of concern for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to prevent and counter radicalization and this book explores key trends and debates, future directions, and potential prevention efforts. This includes the exploration of how games and game adjacent spaces, such as Discord, Twitch, Steam, and DLive, are being leveraged by extremists for the purposes of radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization. Additionally, the book presents the latest counter-terrorism techniques and promising preventing / countering violent extremism (P/CVE) measures currently being utilized in the gaming sphere and explores the ongoing challenges, controversies, and current gaps in knowledge in the field. This text will be of interest to students and scholars of gaming and gaming culture, as well as an essential resource for practitioners working in prevention and counter-extremism, professionals working at gaming-related tech companies, and policymakers". (Publisher description)
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"The threats associated with AI on safeguarding the record of the Holocaust are manifold, including the potential for manipulation by malicious actors, the introduction of falsehoods or dissemination of biased information, and the gradual erosion of public trust in authentic records. This paper prov
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ides a warning of what is at stake for the preservation of historical truth in a digital era increasingly mediated by AI. This report highlights five major concerns: 1. AI automated content may invent facts about the Holocaust. [...] 2. Falsifying historical evidence: Deepfake Technology. [...] 3. AI models can be manipulated to spread hate speech. [...] 4. Algorithmic bias can spread Holocaust denial. [...] 5. Oversimplifying history. [...]" (Executive summary)
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"Welche Auswirkungen hat der Angriffskrieg, den Russland seit Februar 2022 gegen die gesamte Ukraine führt, auf den Alltag und das Leben Einzelner? Dieser Frage ging die deutsch-amerikanische Illustratorin Nora Krug im Laufe einer einjährigen Korrespondenz mit einer ukrainischen Journalistin und e
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inem russischen Künstler aus Sankt Petersburg nach. Die daraus entstandenen illustrierten Berichte im Tagebuchstil stellen den Alltag, die Gefühle und die Gedanken der beiden nicht nur geografisch weit voneinander entfernten Protagonisten parallel dar und offenbaren extreme Unterschiede, aber auch erstaunliche Ähnlichkeiten. Sie zeigen auf der einen Seite die ukrainische Kriegsjournalistin, die zwischen Kiew, der Front und ihrer Familie im dänischen Exil, sowie zwischen Erschöpfung, Wut und Hoffnung hin und her wechselt, während die existenzielle Bedrohung allgegenwärtig ist. Auf der anderen Seite wird die Perspektive des russischen Künstlers dargestellt, der, durch den Krieg entfremdet von seinem Land, in den Westen ausreist, seine Familie in Sankt Petersburg zurücklässt und in innerer Zerrissenheit und Angst vor dem langem Arm des russischen Regimes lebt. Die persönlichen Berichte machen nicht nur greifbar, wie sich der Krieg im Laufe eines Jahres körperlich und psychisch auswirkt, sondern vermitteln auch ein differenziertes Bild davon, wie er den Blick auf zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen, kulturelle Identitäten oder die Haltung zu moralischen Fragen verändert." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"On March 9, 2022, the maternity and children’s hospital number 3 in Mariupol, Ukraine, was bombed as part of Russia’s full-scale war efforts in Ukraine. However, Russian statealigned media promoted a different narrative: namely, that the bombing itself, as well as the victims on site, were fake
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. Thus, combining concerns of war, gender, and disinformation, I analytically unfold the state-aligned news media coverage of the Mariupol case in Russia within the framework of multimodal critical discourse analysis. The analysis demonstrates how female agents are stripped of victimhood and symbolically annihilated across the material, introducing the concept of false agency. Meanwhile, the experts in the coverage are solely male and predominantly Russian, pointing to an intersectional and unequal divide based on gender and nationality. Moreover, the analysis illuminates how fact-checking is used as a deliberate tool to legitimize the disinformative coverage within the discourse of information warfare in Russian state-aligned media." (Abstract)
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"Amid increasing threats and assaults against journalists across the globe, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in northwest Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. Whereas online harassment is increasingly affecting journalists, experiences of online harassment
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of KP journalists have not been previously examined. This study explored the experiences of online harassment of regional KP journalists, the psychological ramifications of their exposure, and the association between online harassment and their ability to effectively perform their jobs in digital news environments. Of the recruited 299 journalists, nearly two-thirds reported experiencing online harassment. The experiences were generally infrequent, and were associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and occupational dysfunction. This study underscores the importance of understanding online harassment of journalists in conflicts zones, and how it may impact their ability to perform their professional duties, and proposes possible solutions and directions for future research and interventions." (Abstract)
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"This study analyses the Indian and Pakistani publics reactions of the extensive coverage of the Pulwama terror attack, through an analysis of the online comments appearing at the end of the news stories covering the attack from the two leading English newspapers: Times of India (TOI) (India), and D
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awn (D) (Pakistan). A qualitative content analysis is performed to compare and examine this dialogue emerging in the news comments sections. Findings are explored and discussed through conceptualizations of religion, nationalism, and a social psychological perspective towards exclusion of out-groups." (Abstract)
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"Sustainable Independent Media Activity (SIMA) partners the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Global Centre for Pluralism (the Centre) have developed this toolkit to support media actors in South Sudan. The purpose of this toolkit is to provide media actors with a set of analytical concepts, practic
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al tools and frameworks to support their role in promoting a more inclusive and peaceful society. By applying pluralism concepts and tools to their work, journalists can promote respect for diversity by facilitating dialogue and understanding and by contributing to social cohesion in fragile and post-conflict contexts, such as South Sudan. This toolkit aims to empower media practitioners in their important role in supporting peacebuilding. The toolkit covers comprehensive content to support media practitioners with the necessary knowledge and tools to identify and discuss issues of inclusion and exclusion in a conflict-sensitive approach. The curriculum will help media actors, including the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) and other SIMA partners, to adopt long-term practices to integrate pluralism into their day-to-day work to support unbiased, accurate and fair content development while reducing discriminatory and divisive narratives that contribute to exclusionary attitudes." (Introduction)
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"Reporting on cases of genocide presents distinct complexities and challenges for journalists, who must negotiate practical, professional, and emotional experiences that challenge traditional expectations of their role. Previous research has provided strident critiques of this reporting, arguing Wes
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tern reporting of genocide in Rwanda and Srebrenica was reductionist and biased and contributed to the lack of Western intervention. Drawing on 22 interviews with print journalists who reported on genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica, this article challenges this dominant critique by foregrounding the voices of journalists and their experience of reporting. Themes of inaccessibility, the moral imperative to report on these events, and the intersection with emotional labour on emotional effects of this reporting crucially demonstrates and acknowledges the challenges of conflict reporting. This adds to contemporary debates around how emotion, attachment and morality intertwine in journalism practice and the importance of this consideration when assessing the impact of reporting." (Abstract)
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"How are Western journalists who are killed in the course of their work remembered? Using the biographies of journalists killed covering conflict, this article investigates the discursive repertoires through which the memorialization of journalists killed while reporting conflict is accomplished. Th
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e authors argue that such journalists are consistently constructed as humanitarian, cosmopolitan witnesses engaged in supererogatory moral projects involving justice and voice for those outside of these journalists’ geopolitical home communities. This particular articulation appears to herald a recent shift in the memorialization of the journalistic dead, although it is continuous with longer discourses in fields such as photojournalism and its idea of the ‘concerned photographer’. We speculate that this shift is consistent with material changes in the field – in particular, the precaritization of conflict reporting driving journalists into the material and social world of professional humanitarianism, whose discourses around the moral worth and cosmopolitan nature of the work have colonized the subfield of conflict reporting." (Abstract)
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"This study sheds light on the unprecedented complexities of the Israel–Gaza war, offering insights into the challenges that journalists face in this conflict zone. It employs the Hierarchy of Influences Model to analyze the factors influencing conflict reporting within the dynamic landscape of co
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ntemporary war journalism." (Abstract)
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"The safety of journalists in conflict zones remains a critical concern, with myriad risks stemming from both physical and digital threats. This study aims to explore the legal strategies that can effectively protect journalists in these environments, focusing on understanding the existing legal fra
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meworks, the challenges journalists face, and the protective strategies they employ. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with 25 journalists from diverse global regions to gather in-depth insights into the challenges and strategies related to their legal protection. Theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the topic. Data was analyzed using NVivo software to facilitate thematic analysis, allowing for the systematic identification of themes and concepts within the data. Three main themes were identified: Legal Frameworks, Risks and Challenges, and Protective Strategies. Legal Frameworks revealed gaps in the enforcement of international and national laws. Risks and Challenges highlighted the physical, digital, legal, psychological, and informational threats journalists encounter. Protective Strategies emphasized the importance of safety training, legal safeguards, support networks, and advanced technology to mitigate risks. The study concludes that while various legal frameworks and protective measures exist, significant gaps in enforcement and practical application continue to leave journalists vulnerable in conflict zones. Enhanced legal provisions, combined with comprehensive safety training and technological support, are essential to ensure the safety and freedom of journalists reporting from high-risk areas." (Abstract)
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"Objective: To determine risk factors for symptoms of PTSD and depression in frontline journalists that traverse type of conflict, degree of exposure to stressors, language, and culture. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1,103 frontline journalists from 12 datasets (Balkans, 9/11 attacks, Iraq, M
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exico, Israel, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Kenya, refugee crisis, user-generated content [visually traumatic images], and moral injury project) accumulated between 2000 and 2022. Symptoms of PTSD were assessed, in the first language of participants, with validated versions of the Revised Impact of Event Scale (* = .96) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (* = .96) and symptoms of depression with validated versions of the Beck Depression Inventory-Revised (* = .92). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models to take into account inherent between-study differences. Results: Mean age and work duration were 39.12 (SD = 9.58) and 14.64 (SD = 9.13) years, respectively. Most journalists were male (66.27%), university educated (82.23%), and in a relationship (56.12%). While symptom severity scores varied considerably across studies, three variables were found that predicted symptoms of PTSD and depression in all studies, namely being female, single, and having a past history of psychiatric difficulties. Conclusions: News organizations have a moral obligation to care for journalists sent into harm's way. The identification of risk factors for symptoms of PTSD and depression common to journalists irrespective of the nature of the conflict covered, degree of exposure to conflict, and differences in language and culture is an important step in promoting this duty of care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)." (Abstract)
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"Social media provide unprecedented opportunities for the distribution of photographs capturing experiences of conflict. Instagram in particular renders conflict photography searchable, whilst also aggregating the memories of traumatised communities. This paper adds to the nascent literature in this
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area by exploring how the photosharing app is used to share photographs of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’, a low-intensity conflict that resulted in 3,600 fatalities and left many more bereaved, injured and traumatised. Two decades on from the Belfast Agreement, Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society in which competing narratives over the conflict remain deeply entrenched. This study explored photographic representation of the Troubles, with a specific focus on who was represented in these images and whether they were evoke personal memories of the conflict. A content and narrative analysis of 100 historical images tagged #thetroubles was conducted in order to explore these issues. Results indicate that images showing the ‘peculiarity’ of everyday life during the conflict, such as armed British soldiers standing in close quarters to children playing in the street, were the most prominent visual representations under this hashtag. The memories evoked by such historical photographs reinforce zero-sum narratives on conflict, rather than promote new interpretations that build support for peace in ‘post-conflict’ societies." (Abstract)
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