Category: Media

How social media undermines democratic transitions

     

Egypt’s 2011 uprising has become synonymous with the successful use of social media to overthrow an entrenched authoritarian regime, note analysts Sean Aday, Deen Freelon and Marc Lynch. Popular and… Read more »

Russia urged to find masterminds of 2006 Politkovskaya murder

     

Colleagues of slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya gathered Friday at the office of her paper Novaya Gazeta exactly 10 years after the crusading reporter was shot dead, AFP reports: A… Read more »

Five ways China is more repressive

     

Respect for human-rights and rule of law have deteriorated markedly during the term of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a new U.S. government report, which blames an ideological tightening… Read more »

Zimbabwe pastor shows ‘Power in our Pockets’

     

When he posted a protest video on Facebook, wrapping himself in the national flag, the Rev. Evan Mawarire (below, right) became one of Zimbabwe’s first social media stars, the embodiment… Read more »

U.S. nominates Cuba envoy, regime ramps up repression

     

Cuba’s press, emboldened by President Raúl Castro’s call for reforms in 2010, are finding more space for critical comment, but harassment and intimidation from authorities, a legal limbo caused by… Read more »

Internet blackouts increasingly linked in African elections

     

It’s becoming commonplace in many African nations: as an election approaches, the internet goes dark. Gabon is the latest country to employ internet censorship during a closely contested election, but… Read more »

Inside Google’s AI-powered war on trolls

     

Mass harassment online has proved so effective that it’s emerging as a weapon of repressive governments, notes analyst Andy Greenberg. In late 2014, Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro reported on Russia’s… Read more »

Crowdfunding: just one option to save independent journalism

     

The media crackdown in Turkey is a major story that should make us appreciate the countless unsung reporters and editors worldwide who struggle every day to practice good journalism, no… Read more »