Political control of television in Turkey

The study “Content is power: Cultural engineering and political control over transnational television” by Ece Algan and Yesim Kaptan from California State University investigates the effect of governmental media and cultural policies on the TV industry and its audience, with particular focus on exported TV shows. The cultural exports of Turkish television have had a … Continued


Picture: A mute LED on a modern, digital audio mixer, by Mika Baumeister, license Unsplash

Chavismo and self-censorship

In their new study, Paromita Pain and Ezequiel Korin, of the University of Nevada, studied how self-censorship has become the internalized norm for journalists starting from 1998 under the rule of Hugo Chavez, and his ideology Chavismo. The literature review shows how self-censorship exists as a continuum, ranging from explicit restrictions in authoritarian regimes to … Continued


Picture: Lost in the Ancient City, by Daniel Tong, license Unsplash

Technologization, LGBT self-media, and the the Chinese news ecology

Increasingly, social actors from outside the journalism business, including bloggers, commentators, coders, and Web analytics managers participate in the making of news and reshape journalism. This process also includes non-human actors such as algorithms and automated systems. The new article by Yidong Wang of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Valerie Belair-Gagnon of University of Minnesota, Twin … Continued


ARTICLE: Egypt’s media missed its opportunity to reform

Egyptian media enjoyed a brief period of relative freedom after the 2011 revolution that ousted then-president Hosni Mubarak. However, journalists failed to reform their professional identities and the media system, which lead to the media’s descent into highly polarized political parallelism – and eventual regression back into the new regime’s servitude. Fatima el Issawi, of … Continued


ARTICLE: How activist citizen journalists fight state surveillance in Turkey

Since the failed coup in 2016, the Turkish state has increased surveillance of activists and journalists. How do activist citizen journalists manage their work in such an increasingly hostile environment? Bora Ataman and Barış Çoban, both of Doğuş University, interviewed 22 activist citizen journalists and representatives of alternative new media initiatives, all working in Istanbul, … Continued


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ARTICLE: Alternative narratives of journalism in crisis from Singapore and Hong Kong

Much research on the crisis of journalism has been done in the Anglo-American context. Less is known about alternative media systems. Shangyuan Wu of Nanyang Technological University, examined Singapore and Hong Kong. These ‘global cities’ are exposed to Western liberal ideals but are still under a sort of authoritarian control. The research used a framework … Continued



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REPORT: Fighting impunity is crucial for journalists’ future safety

Making sure attacks against journalists do not go unpunished is “key to long term safety”, a recent report states. The report was published by the NGO International Media Support (IMS), and it details the state of journalists’ protection in seven countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, Nepal, Colombia and Afghanistan. Collaborative efforts between journalists, civil … Continued


ARTICLE: Critical journalism is in deep trouble in China

As soon as Xi Jinping came to power as president of China in 2012, the control over freedom of expression and media was immediately tightened, writes Jingrong Tong, of Brunel University London. For example, all websites, blogs etc. had to apply for and obtain government permission before they could disseminate news information. The study analyses how … Continued


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ARTICLE: Hong Kong’s news media increasingly connected to mainland China

Media capture in Hong Kong has distinctive characteristics. There is the uncensored media sector and open market economy, but the relatively small size of the region and proximity to the authoritarian markets and politics of China put pressures on the press, new research finds. The article by Nicholas Frisch of Yale University, Valerie Belair-Gagnon and … Continued