Routledge Focus on Communication and Society – serie

Drawing on research from multiple disciplines and international case studies, this book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of online disinformation and its potential countermeasures. Disinformation and Manipulation in Digital Media presents a model of the disinformation process which incorporates four cross-cutting dimensions or themes: bad actors, platforms, audiences, and countermeasures. The dynamics of each dimension are analysed alongside a diverse range of international case studies drawn from different information domains including politics, health, and society. In elucidating the interrelationship between the four dimensions of online disinformation and their manifestation in different international contexts, the book demonstrates that online disinformation is a complex problem with multiple, overlapping causes and no easy solutions. The book’s conclusion contextualises the problem of disinformation within broader social and political trends and discusses the relevance of radical innovations in democratic participation to counteract the post-truth environment. This up-to-date and thorough analysis of the disinformation landscape will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of journalism, communications, politics, and policy as well as policymakers, technologists, and media practitioners.This research received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825227.

Drawing on research from multiple disciplines and international case studies, this book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of online disinformation and its potential countermeasures. Disinformation and Manipulation in Digital Media presents a model of the disinformation process which incorporates four cross-cutting dimensions or themes: bad actors, platforms, audiences, and countermeasures. The dynamics of each dimension are analysed alongside a diverse range of international case studies drawn from different information domains including politics, health, and society. In elucidating the interrelationship between the four dimensions of online disinformation and their manifestation in different international contexts, the book demonstrates that online disinformation is a complex problem with multiple, overlapping causes and no easy solutions. The book’s conclusion contextualises the problem of disinformation within broader social and political trends and discusses the relevance of radical innovations in democratic participation to counteract the post-truth environment. This up-to-date and thorough analysis of the disinformation landscape will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of journalism, communications, politics, and policy as well as policymakers, technologists, and media practitioners.This research received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825227.

Using expert interviews and focus groups, this book investigates the theoretical and practical intersection of misinformation and social media hate in contemporary societies. Social Media and Hate argues that these phenomena, and the extreme violence and discrimination they initiate against targeted groups, are connected to the socio-political contexts, values and behaviours of users of social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, ShareChat, Instagram and WhatsApp. The argument moves from a theoretical discussion of the practices and consequences of sectarian hatred, through a methodological evaluation of quantitative and qualitative studies on this topic, to four qualitative case studies of social media hate, and its effects on groups, individuals and wider politics in India, Brazil, Myanmar and the UK. The technical, ideological and networked similarities and connections between social media hate against people of African and Asian descent, indigenous communities, Muslims, Dalits, dissenters, feminists, LGBTQIA communities, Rohingya and immigrants across the four contexts is highlighted, stressing the need for an equally systematic political response.This is an insightful text for scholars and academics in the fields of Cultural Studies, Community Psychology, Education, Journalism, Media and Communication Studies, Political Science, Social Anthropology, Social Psychology, and Sociology.

Using expert interviews and focus groups, this book investigates the theoretical and practical intersection of misinformation and social media hate in contemporary societies. Social Media and Hate argues that these phenomena, and the extreme violence and discrimination they initiate against targeted groups, are connected to the socio-political contexts, values and behaviours of users of social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, ShareChat, Instagram and WhatsApp. The argument moves from a theoretical discussion of the practices and consequences of sectarian hatred, through a methodological evaluation of quantitative and qualitative studies on this topic, to four qualitative case studies of social media hate, and its effects on groups, individuals and wider politics in India, Brazil, Myanmar and the UK. The technical, ideological and networked similarities and connections between social media hate against people of African and Asian descent, indigenous communities, Muslims, Dalits, dissenters, feminists, LGBTQIA communities, Rohingya and immigrants across the four contexts is highlighted, stressing the need for an equally systematic political response.This is an insightful text for scholars and academics in the fields of Cultural Studies, Community Psychology, Education, Journalism, Media and Communication Studies, Political Science, Social Anthropology, Social Psychology, and Sociology.

Focusing on the unique story of the "recolonisation" of Hong Kong since 2019, this book describes the environment of news gathering and publishing during this period and studies how this has connected to wider political, economic, and social changes.Media, Internet and Social Movements in Hong Kong considers the operation of the news media in this divided region to illuminate the unparalleled experience of the transfer of sovereignty of the territory from a liberal democracy to a semi-authoritarian regime. This book examines key aspects of news production that constrain media freedom in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) including the routines and concrete cases of censorship exercised by state authorities; self-censorship by news organisations, and the roles of the Chinese and HKSAR governments as key sources of news. The authors also discuss the norms and values of journalists and citizens in Hong Kong as forces resisting control as well as the popular use of social media in mobilising anti-government protests.This compelling text will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of journalism, media, and area studies, particularly those focusing on Greater China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Focusing on the unique story of the "recolonisation" of Hong Kong since 2019, this book describes the environment of news gathering and publishing during this period and studies how this has connected to wider political, economic, and social changes.Media, Internet and Social Movements in Hong Kong considers the operation of the news media in this divided region to illuminate the unparalleled experience of the transfer of sovereignty of the territory from a liberal democracy to a semi-authoritarian regime. This book examines key aspects of news production that constrain media freedom in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) including the routines and concrete cases of censorship exercised by state authorities; self-censorship by news organisations, and the roles of the Chinese and HKSAR governments as key sources of news. The authors also discuss the norms and values of journalists and citizens in Hong Kong as forces resisting control as well as the popular use of social media in mobilising anti-government protests.This compelling text will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of journalism, media, and area studies, particularly those focusing on Greater China and the Asia-Pacific region.

This book explores how leading news media responded to the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, showing how journalists regularly framed discussions about post-crisis regulatory reform in ways that reinforced the same market liberal policy paradigm that had ushered in the crisis.Drawing on an analysis of nearly three years of news coverage and on interviews with journalists who covered the financial crash for major media groups, Adam Cox demonstrates how this framing of issues, often focusing on the costs of tighter regulation rather than the preventive benefits, formed the basis of a post-crisis narrative in the United States that undermined the role of the state, despite the wreckage that had just occurred. He looks at how state actors, think tanks and the financial industry worked in concert to encourage such a narrative, ultimately lending support to a market liberal worldview that was being seriously challenged for the first time in decades. While highlighting journalists’ ability to resist agenda-building efforts by powerful actors, this book offers a methodology for considering media narratives based on quantitative analysis of framing patterns.News Media and the Financial Crisis is aimed at students and researchers working at the intersection of communications, journalism, political economy and public policy.

This book explores how leading news media responded to the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, showing how journalists regularly framed discussions about post-crisis regulatory reform in ways that reinforced the same market liberal policy paradigm that had ushered in the crisis.Drawing on an analysis of nearly three years of news coverage and on interviews with journalists who covered the financial crash for major media groups, Adam Cox demonstrates how this framing of issues, often focusing on the costs of tighter regulation rather than the preventive benefits, formed the basis of a post-crisis narrative in the United States that undermined the role of the state, despite the wreckage that had just occurred. He looks at how state actors, think tanks and the financial industry worked in concert to encourage such a narrative, ultimately lending support to a market liberal worldview that was being seriously challenged for the first time in decades. While highlighting journalists’ ability to resist agenda-building efforts by powerful actors, this book offers a methodology for considering media narratives based on quantitative analysis of framing patterns.News Media and the Financial Crisis is aimed at students and researchers working at the intersection of communications, journalism, political economy and public policy.

Since the election of President Hugo Chavez in 1998, Venezuela has become an important news item. Western coverage is shaped by the cultural milieu of its journalists, with news written from New York or London by non-specialists or by those staying inside wealthy guarded enclaves in an intensely segregated Caracas. Journalists mainly work with English-speaking elites and have little contact with the poor majority. Therefore, they reproduce ideas largely attuned to a Western, neoliberal understanding of Venezuela. Through extensive analysis of media coverage from Chavez’s election to the present day, as well as detailed interviews with journalists and academics covering the country, Bad News from Venezuela highlights the factors contributing to reportage in Venezuela and why those factors exist in the first place. From this examination of a single Latin American country, the book furthers the discussion of contemporary media in the West, and how, with the rise of ‘fake news’, their operations have a significant impact on the wider representation of global affairs. Bad News from Venezuela is comprehensive and enlightening for undergraduate students and research academics in media and Latin American studies.

Taking a qualitative approach based on original case studies, this book offers a detailed overview of the contemporary media system in Malta.Three Maltese news organisations are examined to understand the editorial routines, ownership and management structures, and social and cultural factors that affect the day-to-day business of creating news. In-depth interviews with key stakeholders of each organisation are conducted alongside qualitative textual analysis of the content they publish. Contrary to previous research, the work finds that advocacy continues to dominate Maltese journalism, indicating that the country has retained similarities to other media systems within its geographic region. While recognising that the gold standard in journalism is judged to be objectivity and balance, a case is made for a responsible, measured form of advocacy journalism to extend media diversity and contribute to a high level of national political engagement.Presenting an informed case for the need to pay closer attention to small states, especially at a time when many countries are seen to be becoming increasingly socially and politically divided, The Construction of News in a Polarised State is an insightful text for scholars and academics in the fields of media and communication studies, political science, and sociology.

Taking a qualitative approach based on original case studies, this book offers a detailed overview of the contemporary media system in Malta.Three Maltese news organisations are examined to understand the editorial routines, ownership and management structures, and social and cultural factors that affect the day-to-day business of creating news. In-depth interviews with key stakeholders of each organisation are conducted alongside qualitative textual analysis of the content they publish. Contrary to previous research, the work finds that advocacy continues to dominate Maltese journalism, indicating that the country has retained similarities to other media systems within its geographic region. While recognising that the gold standard in journalism is judged to be objectivity and balance, a case is made for a responsible, measured form of advocacy journalism to extend media diversity and contribute to a high level of national political engagement.Presenting an informed case for the need to pay closer attention to small states, especially at a time when many countries are seen to be becoming increasingly socially and politically divided, The Construction of News in a Polarised State is an insightful text for scholars and academics in the fields of media and communication studies, political science, and sociology.

This book offers a fresh perspective on central questions related to right-wing alternative media: Can right-wing media be alternative? Why do they exist? Are they a threat to the existing order and what have the reactions been from mainstream politicians and media actors?The rise and success of right-wing populism in the political life of many western countries, along with several new and apparently successful alternative media operations on the right, has caused surprise and confusion among researchers and debaters. How should this challenge to mainstream politics and media be understood? Journalistic, political and academic discourse has struggled to explain these tendencies and tend to focus on sensational and extreme examples, with little attention directed towards other aspects. This book critically discusses existing theoretical frameworks related to alternative media in general, analysing a wide scope of cases to illustrate the diversity of voices in alternative media on the right and highlighting the importance of intellectual coolness and common sense in discussions about this important but ideologically and politically charged area.An important addition to the current discourse of contemporary media, Right-Wing Alternative Media is ideal for researchers, students and anyone interested in politics and public discourse.

Drawing on the structural-constructivist framework of journalistic field and habitus, Reporting China on the Rise examines the internal and external dynamics which are shaping the work of foreign correspondents in China during Xi Jinping’s tenure.This study presents findings from extensive surveys and interviews with current and former correspondents based in China. It aims to explore how they have responded, and continue to respond, to pressures from within the journalistic field (such as a transforming media industry), as well as from constant shifts in global geopolitics, and China’s increasingly restrictive journalistic environment. These factors are shown to work together to relationally define the news production practice of these correspondents and, ultimately, shape the final news product.Journalism in modern China has become a widely discussed, yet gravely under-researched topic, both for policy-makers and academics. Reporting China on the Rise seeks to open up discussions around the role of the foreign press in generating meaningful media coverage of this growing superpower. It will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers of Journalism and Media Studies.

This book offers a common set of concepts to help make sense of online shaming practices, accounting for instances of discrimination and injury that morally divide readers and at times risk unjust and disproportionate harm to those under scrutiny.Digital media denunciation has become a primary form of expression and entertainment across media environments, with new socially desirable forms of accountability under movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter addressing longstanding forms of systematic and interpersonal abuse. Building on recent scholarship on shaming, surveillance and denunciation in fixed contexts, this study generates a cross-contextual and multi-actor account of practices like ‘cancel culture’, ‘doxing’ and ‘status degradation ceremonies’. It addresses instances of moral ambivalence by discussing how digital shaming becomes normalised and embedded across socio-cultural and institutional settings. The authors establish key actors and practices in online denunciations of individuals in a range of cases and contexts, including responses to COVID-19, political polarisation, and social justice movements, as well as more local and quotidian circumstances. They draw from empirical data including interviews with nearly 100 individuals targeted by mediated shaming and/or involved in these practices, as well as ethnographic observations of digital vigilantism and discourse analysis of press coverage and online comments relating to online shaming. Diverse applications and contexts, including China, the UK, Russia, and Central Asia, are considered, advancing an ambivalent understanding of media and denunciation that reconciles progressive and regressive practices, as well as celebratory and critical accounts of these practices.This book is recommended reading for advanced students and researchers of online visibility and harm across media studies, cultural studies and sociology.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.This research was funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), project number 276-45-004 and file number 36.201.097.

This book offers a common set of concepts to help make sense of online shaming practices, accounting for instances of discrimination and injury that morally divide readers and at times risk unjust and disproportionate harm to those under scrutiny.Digital media denunciation has become a primary form of expression and entertainment across media environments, with new socially desirable forms of accountability under movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter addressing longstanding forms of systematic and interpersonal abuse. Building on recent scholarship on shaming, surveillance and denunciation in fixed contexts, this study generates a cross-contextual and multi-actor account of practices like ‘cancel culture’, ‘doxing’ and ‘status degradation ceremonies’. It addresses instances of moral ambivalence by discussing how digital shaming becomes normalised and embedded across socio-cultural and institutional settings. The authors establish key actors and practices in online denunciations of individuals in a range of cases and contexts, including responses to COVID-19, political polarisation, and social justice movements, as well as more local and quotidian circumstances. They draw from empirical data including interviews with nearly 100 individuals targeted by mediated shaming and/or involved in these practices, as well as ethnographic observations of digital vigilantism and discourse analysis of press coverage and online comments relating to online shaming. Diverse applications and contexts, including China, the UK, Russia, and Central Asia, are considered, advancing an ambivalent understanding of media and denunciation that reconciles progressive and regressive practices, as well as celebratory and critical accounts of these practices.This book is recommended reading for advanced students and researchers of online visibility and harm across media studies, cultural studies and sociology.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.This research was funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), project number 276-45-004 and file number 36.201.097.

Considering the profound impact of growing up—including working, playing, and forming relationships—in a fully digital world, this book charts the political, social, economic, and personal effects of digital mediation on Korean digital natives.Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations of young Korean adults, the author proposes a digital modus vivendi comprising four intersectional and transformative parts: pragmatic, entrepreneurial, political, and solitary. Across each of these domains, questions are addressed concerning how these people have developed, what aspirations they hold, and what forms of social and political collectives they have forged in their digital lives. Taking a combinational view of interlacing social structures (politics, economics, culture, personal life) and affective subjectivity (participatory, entrepreneurial, practical, and solitary) allows for readers to compare not only their harmonious and developmental features, but also their difficult and at times contradictory nature.Situated in between cultural, philosophical, and critical studies on digital media, this book contributes significantly to our understanding of platform capitalism and the multifaceted reality of young lives in the present day.

This book constitutes a first-of-its-kind synthesis of the development of journalism in Brazil, considering both its mediations with national social and political life and its relationships of influence and dependence on international economic centers. The author suggests that Brazilian journalism has so far known four phases: doctrinal political journalism, narrative literary journalism, industrial news journalism, and multimedia infotainment journalism. Devoting a chapter to each phase, Daros presents a critical map of the genesis and metamorphosis of journalistic practices in the country. The analysis goes beyond a mere study of national history to mark the points of connection between the Brazilian case and other geographic spaces, showing how the profession moved between two Western paradigms and was continually shaped by the economic, political, and cultural context from which it emerged and was inserted. The final part of the book reflects critically on the state of Brazilian journalism today, considering the new social media culture, the increasing focus on costs over quality of news products, and the failed social responsibility of the profession to inform national public opinion. This study is an important touchstone for researchers of Brazilian and Latin American journalism and those interested in the ways in which the media shapes and is shaped by a country’s socio-political climate.

This book constitutes a first-of-its-kind synthesis of the development of journalism in Brazil, considering both its mediations with national social and political life and its relationships of influence and dependence on international economic centers. The author suggests that Brazilian journalism has so far known four phases: doctrinal political journalism, narrative literary journalism, industrial news journalism, and multimedia infotainment journalism. Devoting a chapter to each phase, Daros presents a critical map of the genesis and metamorphosis of journalistic practices in the country. The analysis goes beyond a mere study of national history to mark the points of connection between the Brazilian case and other geographic spaces, showing how the profession moved between two Western paradigms and was continually shaped by the economic, political, and cultural context from which it emerged and was inserted. The final part of the book reflects critically on the state of Brazilian journalism today, considering the new social media culture, the increasing focus on costs over quality of news products, and the failed social responsibility of the profession to inform national public opinion. This study is an important touchstone for researchers of Brazilian and Latin American journalism and those interested in the ways in which the media shapes and is shaped by a country’s socio-political climate.

Incorporating perspectives of various key stakeholders, this book critically explores the state and future of public service media (PSM), and maps areas of consensus upon which a renewed social contract for PSM could be built.Broadening the debate beyond normative frameworks and drawing on perspectives other than elite and expert opinions, this book represents a vital contribution to the discussion over PSM’s present and future. The study uses the Czech Republic as a case study, a representative Central and Eastern European (CEE) country that, following the fall of its Communist regime, successfully transformed its former state-run media propaganda system into PSM. Employing a mixed-methods research design, it provides empirically-based insights from three groups, namely: the general public, PSM’s audience and source of funding; politicians and members of PSM supervisory bodies; and PSM journalists and managers. This book synthesises the perspectives of these three groups, focusing on the common ground in their expectations and evaluations, and exploring where the societal consensus lies in terms of the public service PSM should provide and the public value it should bring. The analysis pays particular attention to the unique position of PSM in smaller countries and within the CEE region.Reimagining Public Service Media is recommended reading for advanced students and researchers in fields including Media Ownership, Media Regulation, and Media and Politics.

This study examines the transformation of Israel's public sphere through two distinct communicative arenas: radio phone-ins and online commenting (Tokbek).Using ethnomethodology and discourse analysis, the author reveals how these sites function as institutions where ordinary citizens engage with political topics, tracing a shift from rational community-based discussion to polarized identity-driven exchanges. The radio phone-in emerges as a space closely aligned with Habermas's vision of a functional public sphere, where listeners reasonably discuss social issues within a community framework. In contrast, the Tokbek presents an opportunity for anonymous participants to express extreme political views while disparaging opposing perspectives, exemplifying what the author terms "inverted identity politics." Beyond documenting this transformation, this book explores the structural factors behind the shift, considering both Israel's unique context and broader neoliberal influences. The analysis reveals how the fragmentation of Israeli society, declining hope regarding the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian conflict, and the transition from welfare state to neoliberal economy, have collectively reshaped public discourse.This book offers valuable insights for scholars of media studies, political discourse analysis, Israeli society, and online participation.

This book investigates the long-term impact of digital communication networks on civil society organizations, with a particular focus on Taksim Solidarity (TS), the broad-based coalition that emerged during the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Turkey.Moving beyond the commonly studied short-term mobilization effects of social media, this study centres on what happens after the protests fade—a critical yet under-researched phase in the lifecycle of social movements. Drawing on a decade of empirical material, the author examines how digital platforms have influenced the cohesion, communication practices, and endurance of TS as a civic collective under growing authoritarian constraints. Key themes include digital fragmentation, online-offline disjuncture, the erosion of deliberative culture, and the challenges of maintaining activist infrastructures in the absence of continued mass mobilization. Through a mixed-methods approach – including social network analysis, discourse analysis, an original civil society survey, and in-depth interviews – the study provides a comprehensive account of TS’s transformation over the past ten years and leads to an understanding of whether and how digital networks help sustain collective action over time, particularly in hostile political environments.Digital Networks and the Transformation of Civil Society is aimed at academics, researchers, and graduate-level students in the fields of political communication, digital activism, social movement studies, and Middle Eastern politics.

This book offers a fresh perspective on central questions related to right-wing alternative media: Can right-wing media be alternative? Why do they exist? Are they a threat to the existing order and what have the reactions been from mainstream politicians and media actors?The rise and success of right-wing populism in the political life of many western countries, along with several new and apparently successful alternative media operations on the right, has caused surprise and confusion among researchers and debaters. How should this challenge to mainstream politics and media be understood? Journalistic, political and academic discourse has struggled to explain these tendencies and tend to focus on sensational and extreme examples, with little attention directed towards other aspects. This book critically discusses existing theoretical frameworks related to alternative media in general, analysing a wide scope of cases to illustrate the diversity of voices in alternative media on the right and highlighting the importance of intellectual coolness and common sense in discussions about this important but ideologically and politically charged area.An important addition to the current discourse of contemporary media, Right-Wing Alternative Media is ideal for researchers, students and anyone interested in politics and public discourse.

Since the election of President Hugo Chavez in 1998, Venezuela has become an important news item. Western coverage is shaped by the cultural milieu of its journalists, with news written from New York or London by non-specialists or by those staying inside wealthy guarded enclaves in an intensely segregated Caracas. Journalists mainly work with English-speaking elites and have little contact with the poor majority. Therefore, they reproduce ideas largely attuned to a Western, neoliberal understanding of Venezuela. Through extensive analysis of media coverage from Chavez’s election to the present day, as well as detailed interviews with journalists and academics covering the country, Bad News from Venezuela highlights the factors contributing to reportage in Venezuela and why those factors exist in the first place. From this examination of a single Latin American country, the book furthers the discussion of contemporary media in the West, and how, with the rise of ‘fake news’, their operations have a significant impact on the wider representation of global affairs. Bad News from Venezuela is comprehensive and enlightening for undergraduate students and research academics in media and Latin American studies.