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Video Games as Tools for Non-State Cultural Diplomacy: A Case Study of the Video Game 'Never Alone'

Amanda Rodríguez Espínola

Boulder: University of Colorado, doctoral thesis (2021), x, 272 pp.

"With rapidly changing digital platforms and the impact of globalization on cultural diplomacy that has provoked the increasing mediatization of the field, non-state actors are now able to expand networks and gain legitimacy by addressing new publics using digital spaces. While the research about th ... more

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Pillars of Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State (2020), 76 pp.

"Russia has operationalized the concept of perpetual adversarial competition in the information environment by encouraging the development of a disinformation and propaganda ecosystem that allows for varied and overlapping approaches that reinforce each other even when individual messages within the ... system appear contradictory. This ecosystem reflects both the sources of disinformation and propaganda—official government statements, state-funded media outlets, proxy websites, bots, false social media personas, cyber-enabled disinformation operations, etc.—and the different tactics that these channels use. Russia’s willingness to employ this approach provides it with three perceived advantages. First, it allows for the introduction of numerous variations of the same false narratives. This allows for the different pillars of the ecosystem to fine tune their disinformation narratives to suit different target audiences because there is no need for consistency, as there would be with attributed government communications. Second, it provides plausible deniability for Kremlin officials when proxy sites peddle blatant and dangerous disinformation, allowing them to deflect criticism while still introducing pernicious information. Third, it creates a media multiplier effect among the different pillars of the ecosystem that boost their reach and resonance. The media multiplier effect can, at times, create disinformation storms with potentially dangerous effects for those Russia perceives as adversaries at the international, national, and local level. In the past, Russia has leveraged this dynamic to shield itself from criticism for its involvement in malign activity. This approach also allows Russia to be opportunistic, such as with COVID-19, where it has used the global pandemic as a hook to push longstanding disinformation and propaganda narratives [...] This report provides a visual representation of the ecosystem described above, as well as an example of the media multiplier effect it enables. This serves to demonstrate how the different pillars of the ecosystem play distinct roles and feed off of and bolster each other. The report also includes brief profiles of select proxy sites and organizations that occupy an intermediate role between the pillars of the ecosystem with clear links to Russia and those that are meant to be fully deniable." (Pages 5-7) more

COVID-19 Foreign Influence Campaigns: Europe and the Global Battle of Narratives

Naja Bentzen

Brussels: European Parliament (2020), 8 pp.

"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initially concealed information about the spread of the virus. Research suggests that they thereby delayed measures to alleviate the spread of the disease. At the same time, the CCP launched far-reaching efforts to silence domestic criticism. The CCP's efforts to r ... more

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The China Story: Reshaping the World's Media
Top Insights

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (2020), 8 pp.

"Beijing is running an extensive and sophisticated long-term outreach campaign which cuts across the developed and developing world, focusing on both legacy and digital media. This is a strategic, long-term effort to reshape the global news landscape with a China-friendly global narrative. Through f ... more

China’s Media Strategy in the Pacific

Denghua Zhang, Amanda H. A. Watson

Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) (2020), 2 pp.

"The Chinese government’s media activities in the Pacific fall into five categories. First, China has expanded its official media to Pacific Island countries (PICs). The China Central Television’s English international channel (CCTV-9) has established operations in the Federated States of Micron ... more

Behind the News: Inside China Global Television Network

Merriden Varrall

Sydney: Lowy Institute for International Policy (2020), 24 pp.

"China’s efforts to use state media as a means to increase its soft power around the world have raised concerns in many quarters. With much fanfare in late 2016, China relaunched its global television network, formerly known as China Central Television, as a new global media brand, the China Globa ... more

Soft Power, Hard News: How Journalists at State-Funded Transnational Media Legitimize Their Work

Kate Wright, Martin Scott, Mel Bunce

International Journal of Press/Politics, volume 25, issue 4 (2020), pp. 607-631

"How do journalists working for different state-funded international news organizations legitimize their relationship to the governments which support them? In what circumstances might such journalists resist the diplomatic strategies of their funding states? We address these questions through a com ... more

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Public diplomacy

Thomas Jäger

In: Handbuch Politische Kommunikation

Isabelle Borucki; Katharina Kleinen-von Königslöw; Stefan Marschall; Thomas Zerback (eds.)

Wiesbaden: Springer (2020), 14 pp.

"Public Diplomacy ist eine Form von Regierungshandeln, das darauf abzielt, die Gesellschaft eines anderen Staates so zu beeinflussen, dass durch sie auf die Entscheidungen der dortigen Regierung eingewirkt werden kann. Sie nutzt hierfür unterschiedliche Instrumente der Kommunikation. Sie verfolgt u ... more

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Global Communication: A Multicultural Perspective

Yahya R. Kamalipour (ed.)

Lanham et al.: Rowman & Littlefield, 3rd ed. (2020), xxviii, 454 pp.

"Brings together diverse issues and expert perspectives of twenty-two notable and accomplished communication scholars, representing eight countries around the world. Together they discuss international communication, public relations and advertising, cultural implications of globalization, internati ... more

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Propaganda & Persuasion
Top Insights

Garth Jowett, Victoria O'Donnell

Los Angeles et al.: Sage, 7th ed. (2019), xv, 400 pp.

"Reflecting the remarkable changes in the world of propaganda due to the increasing use of social media, this updated Seventh Edition provides a systematic introduction to the increasingly complex world of propaganda. Viewing propaganda as a form of communication, the authors help you understand inf ... more

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China, Africa, and the Future of the Internet
Top Insights

Iginio Gagliardone

London: Zed Books (2019), xi, 192 pp.

"Featuring a wealth of interviews with a variety of actors – from Chinese and African journalists in Chinese media to Chinese workers for major telecommunication companies – this highly original book demonstrates how China is both contributing to the 'Africa rising' narrative while exploiting th ... more

The Implications for Democracy of China’s Globalizing Media Influence

Sarah Cook

In: Freedom and the Media: A Downward Spiral

Freedom House (2019), pp. 8-15

"Chinese authorities influence news media content around the world through three primary strategies: promoting the CCP’s narratives, suppressing critical viewpoints, and managing content delivery systems. These efforts have already undercut key features of democratic governance and best practices ... more

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The Psychology of State-Sponsored Disinformation Campaigns and Implications for Public Diplomacy

Erik C. Nisbet, Olga Kamenchuk

The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, volume 14, issue 1/2 (2019), pp. 65-82

"Policy discourse about disinformation focuses heavily on the technological dimensions of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. Unfortunately, this myopic focus on technology has led to insufficient attention being paid to the underlying human factors driving the success of state-sponsored disin ... more

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Chinese Propaganda Seducing the World

Jeanne Boden

Brussels: PUNCT (2019), 292 pp.

"In contrast to earlier publications on Chinese propaganda and media, 'Chinese propaganda seducing the world' offers the first comprehensive analysis of propaganda from Mao to today. Here lies the book’s strength. The author, Jeanne Boden, holds a PhD in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Ghent Univ ... more

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Public Diplomacy: Messung, Entstehung und Gestaltung von Landesimages

Diana Ingenhoff, Alexander Buhmann

Köln: Herbert von Halem Verlag (2019), 269 pp.

"Diana Ingenhoff und Alexander Buhmann führen in den aktuellen Forschungs- und Wissensstand zu Public Diplomacy und insbesondere zu Landesimages ein. Sie reflektieren dabei Fragen der Messung, Entstehung und Gestaltung von Landesimages und geben Antworten auf die folgenden Leitfragen: Welche Aspekt ... more

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Tiangao or Tianxia? The Ambiguities of CCTV's English-Language News for Africa

Vivien Marsh

In: China's Media Go Global

Daya Kishan Thussu; Hugo de Burgh; Anbin Shi (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2018), pp. 103-121

"Sustained media interest in African countries, funded from deep pockets in Beijing, may well attract admirers if the coverage is positive or uncritical. The forward-looking narrative promoted by 'constructive' or 'positive' reporting may help developing nations by not crushing them under too much e ... more

Russian Social Media Influence: Understanding Russian Propaganda in Eastern Europe

Todd C. Helmus, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, Andrew Radin, Mdeline Magnuson, Joshua Mendelsohn, William Marcellino, Andriy Bega, Zev Winkelman

Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation (2018), xvii, 130 pp.

"A RAND Corporation study examined Russian-language content on social media and the broader propaganda threat posed to the region of former Soviet states that include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and, to a lesser extent, Moldova and Belarus. In addition to employing a state-funded multilingu ... more