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Freedom of Expression: A Myth or Reality? A Case of Pakistani Television Journalists

Awais Hameed, Tabassum Saba, Ali Haider Saeed

Journal of Media and Communication Studies, volume 2, issue 2 (2022), pp. 1-16

"This study is aimed at investigating the impact of security threats on the freedom of expression of Pakistani Television (TV) journalists. It has been observed that a growing trend of curtailment of freedom of expression is becoming new normal in the country. One of the significant problems related ... more

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The Smiling Dragon – China’s Soft Power in Southeast Asia: Implications for Germany and the EU

Céline-Agathe Caro (ed.)

Bangkok: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2022), ix, 149 pp.

"This publication aims to analyse China’s soft power strategies in selected ASEAN countries and issue recommendations for Germany and the European Union (EU) in this field. The subject of China’s grow ing influence on a global scale is of the highest importance for decision-makers and interested ... more

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Media Environment and Safety of Journalists During the Crisis in Georgia: Threats and Supportive Instruments

Mariam Gersamia, Maia Toradze

Environment and Society, volume 5, issue 5 (2022), 1 pp.

"Viable, free media is a crucial component of democratic progress in Georgia. Thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining independence, the safety of journalists while carrying out professional duties continues to be one of the critical indicators of progress in the country's med ... ia democracy. This research was triggered by the actualization of the acute and, in some ways, spontaneous media threat that arose during the pre-election period. More specifically, on July 5, 2021, two months before Georgia's local self-government municipal elections, media workers fell victim to a premeditated attack by pro-Russian radical groups during the coverage of demonstrations. As a result, 52 journalists from more than ten media outlets, camera operators, and photographers were assaulted. A TV Pirveli cameraman, Lekso Lashkarava, died a few days later due to severe injuries received during the demonstration. The research aims to distinguish the traits prevalent in the media environment during times of crisis and, even more specifically, during the pre-and post-election periods (particularly during the 2021 local government elections in Georgia). The research also responds to how political polarization and crises affect media and the macro and micro threats they reveal. The study identifies these media threats and assesses the reality of the media environment as seen through journalists' eyes. The research covers topics recommended by UNESCO (Towards a Research agenda on the safety of journalists) and examines seven of those ten recommended issues. A mixed research methodology was chosen for research design, more specifically, a sequential explanatory design. The research was conducted in two phases: the first phase involved the accumulation of quantitative data (through an online survey of 183 respondents from 56 media sources) and analysis, followed which the second phase involved qualitative research (3 focus group discussions). The research answers the questions as follows: How safe do media workers feel when performing their professional duties? What kind of threats have emerged during the 2021 pre-election media environment, and what are the expectations? What are some of the support mechanisms for improving the media environment, and what needs to be done to create a safer environment for media workers? Macro (4) and micro (6) media threats were identified during the research process. They are analyzed in sub-chapters in greater detail. These threats are interconnected and have their structure and aims. Media threats, which emerged during the discussion, contribute to self-censorship and escalation of fear, media credibility, reduction of support, and destabilizing media institutional viability. Political polarization and polarization between media organizations were identified as major macro media threats. Micro threats that were identified as a result of polarization are: Stigmatization of journalists and media (labeling them as biased towards certain political parties) and attempted smear campaigns; They are disrupting the execution of journalist duties. Among such actions are creating obstacles to providing a balanced narrative and bringing a quality media product to the public, primarily reflected in a premeditated restriction to sources and surveillance to disrupt the work process. One macro threat that emerged from the online survey and focus-group analysis was the incitement of physical and verbal violence towards journalists (this includes hate speech and the use of aggressive rhetoric by the state). These media threats reinforce self-censorship and fear, destabilize media institutions' viability and negatively affect the demonstration of solidarity and support toward media. One identified macro-threats towards journalists was the lack of investigation of crimes committed against journalists and impunity as an encouraging factor. Additionally, we could consider the malign nature of the Russian propaganda and malign influence in general as an additional factor, which serves as a leitmotif for the entire discussion on another macro threat. As a result of this study, recommendations have been put forward for various stakeholders. Implementing these recommendations will help create a supportive media environment, encourage solidarity, and improve coordination between different stakeholders during and after crises. Research conducted is by the Media and Communication Educational and Research Center (Georgia) with support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s South Caucasus Office and the Federal Republic of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office." (Abstract) more

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The State of Freedom of Expression, Press Freedom, and Access to Information in Cambodia. Annual Report: 1 September 2021 – 31 August 2022

Cambodia Center for Human Rights (2022), 42 pp.

"The present report outlines key information pertaining to the rights to freedom of expression, press freedom, and access to information and findings regarding the state of these rights in the Kingdom of Cambodia over a period of a year, starting from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022. This annual ... more

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How We Follow Climate Change: Climate News Use and Attitudes in Eight Countries

Ejaz Waqas, Mitali Mukherjee, Richard Fletcher, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2022), 40 pp.

"In this report, we use online survey data collected in August and September 2022 to document and understand how people in eight countries - Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, the UK, and the USA - access news and information about climate change. A large majority of our respondents ac ... more

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Afghanistan Media Landscape Guide

Atefeh Givian (coord.)

CDAC Network (2022), 24 pp.

"This Media Landscape Guide provides a snapshot of the media in Afghanistan, including the audiences, the producers, the preferences of different groups in the community, the communications culture, and the languages associated with the media. It gives an insight into the role of media in developmen ... more

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Contested Disaster Nationalism in the Digital Age: Emotional Registers and Geopolitical Imaginaries in COVID-19 Narratives on Chinese Social Media

Chenchen Zhang

Review of International Studies, volume 48, issue 2 (2022), pp. 219-242

"This article examines how affective narratives of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese social media reinforce and challenge established scripts of national identity, political legitimacy, and international geopolitical imaginary. Taking theoretical insights from the scholarship on trauma, disaster nati ... more

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Labelling Fake News: The Politics of Regulating Disinformation in Thailand

Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

Perspective (ISEAS), issue 34 (2022), 14 pp.

"In Thailand, determining what news is true or fake appears to be a political matter. The Thai authorities associate "fake news" with public harm and as a national threat, giving rise to stringent regulatory responses. Official hostility toward "fake news" is influenced by virulent political conflic ... more

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Controlling China’s Digital Ecosystem: Observations on Chinese Social Media

Jennifer Pan

China Leadership Monitor, issue 72 (2022), 10 pp.

"Nowhere is the effort to control the flow of digital information more extensive and sustained than it is in China. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses a wide range of tools and strategies to achieve two related, but distinct, goals of digital information control: to shape public knowledge and to ... more

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Media and Democratic Backsliding: Lessons from the Turkish Case

Eylem Yanardagoglu

Athens; Berlin: Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP);Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) (2022), 7 pp.

"In Turkey, the AKP came to power in 2002 at a time marked by a relatively pro-European Union and pluralistic outlook in politics. The democratic backsliding in Turkey has been more obvious since 2007 and the start of the AKP’s second term in power. It deepened especially after the 2016 coup attem ... more

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Human Rights Online in India: Joint Stakeholder Report. Universal Periodic Review, 41st Session - India

Access Now;Association for Progressive Communications (APC);Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (2022), 19 pp.

"This joint stakeholder report focuses on key issues relating to human rights online in India, including internet shutdowns, digital exclusion, freedom of speech and expression online, online harassment and hate speech, privacy, surveillance and data protection. The report draws on extensive and ong ... more

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Their Story. Research: How Indonesian Media Views Non-Normative Sexuality and Genders (LGBT)

Widia Primastika, Nurhajati Lestari, Dina Listiorini, Marina Nasution, Luviana, Reka Kajaksana

Jakarta: Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI);USAID (2022), 134 pp.

"This study by Konde.co with the support of Internews was conducted with the objective of uncovering Indonesian media newsroom policies with regards to issues related to individuals or groups with diverse gender expression and non-normative sexuality, which are collectively labeled as "LGBT". In thi ... more

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Chinese Crisis Communication in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Discourse Analysis of 'People’s Daily' News Articles in Response to Threatening International News Coverage

Maximilian Ernst, Cesare Scartozzi, Ceinwen Thomas, Wang Yigong

Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, volume 51, issue 2 (2022), pp. 169-193

"This paper examines China’s international communication strategy during the initial phase of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2020, Western governments and media began criticising the systematic lack of transparency and accountability in the Chinese political system in relation to t ... more

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Let the Net Work: Internet Shutdowns in India 2022

New Delhi: SFLC (2022), 48 pp.

"The observations made in this report make emphatically clear the failings of the current legal framework in defending human rights in the context of access to the internet. As seen in the report, the disruption of access to the internet is triggered at the most menial of instances, including for re ... more

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Comparing Impacts on Media Freedom in Southeast Asia: Connotative Context Factors in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand

Melanie Radue

Global Media and Communication, volume 18, issue 2 (2022), pp. 157-179

"Cross-national media freedom comparison is often based on Western-biased indices published by organizations such as Freedom House or Reporters Without Borders. Additionally, Eurocentric analysis and comparison are endorsed by the application of hegemonic media systems models to compare media enviro ... more

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Counter-Hegemonic Collaborations or Alliances of the Underdogs? The Case of TeleSUR with Al-Mayadeen, RT and CGTN

Pablo Sebastian Morales

Global Media and Communication, volume 18, issue 3 (2022), pp. 365-382

"This study explores how news channels from the Global South challenge western narratives by co-producing TV programmes. It focuses on Telesur (Venezuela) and its collaborations with RT (Russia), Al-Mayadeen (Lebanon) and CCTV/CGTN (China). By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, this pap ... more

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TikTok/Douyin Use and its Influencer Video Use: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Chinese and US Users

Yang Yang

Online Media and Global Communication, volume 1, issue 2 (2022), pp. 339-368

"This cross-cultural comparison study between China and the US aimed to examine the short video-sharing social media platform, TikTok/Douyin, particularly its use in the two countries. Because China and the US have some evident differences in cultural values, they are ideal for cross-cultural compar ... more

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Solidarity and Survival: The Story of South Asia. Bangladesh Country Report

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (2022), 6 pp.

"This document was produced by the IFJ and focuses on the following issues that the media faces in Bangladesh: struggles since the 50 years of the country´s independence, surge and rise of new media, issues of harassment to journalists, persecution via law, power of the protest, use of laws to rout ... more

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Solidarity and Survival: The Story of South Asia. Afghanistan Country Report

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) (2022), 5 pp.

"An independent media is essential to tell the world the complex unfolding story of Afghanistan. Journalists remaining in Afghanistan, as well as those who have left, desperately need support from the international community. There is need for solidarity and interventions on several fronts. The Afgh ... more

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Using Markers for Digital Engagement and Social Change: Tracking Meaningful Narrative Exchange in Transmedia Edutainment with Text Analytics Techniques

Roel O. Lutkenhaus, Hua Wang, Arvind Singhal, Jeroen Jansz, Martine P. A. Bouman

Digital Health, volume 8 (2022), pp. 1-18

"While social media offer an unprecedented opportunity for orchestrating large-scale communication campaigns, it is often difficult to track audience responses on various digital platforms over time and to ascertain if their engagement is aligned with the original intention. In this article, we shar ... more