Social Media and Press Freedom

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Korhan Kocak ◽  
Özgür Kıbrıs
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Press Freedom ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
The Press ◽  
The World ◽  
Internet Penetration

Abstract As internet penetration rapidly expanded throughout the world, press freedom and government accountability improved in some countries but backslid in others. We propose a formal model that provides a mechanism that explains the observed divergent paths of countries. We argue that increased access to social media makes partial capture, where governments allow limited freedom of the press, an untenable strategy. By amplifying the influence of small traditional media outlets, higher internet access increases both the costs of capture and the risk that a critical mass of citizens will become informed and overturn the incumbent. Depending on the incentives to retain office, greater internet access thus either forces an incumbent to extend capture to small outlets, further undermining press freedom; or relieve pressure from others. We relate our findings to the cases of Turkey and Tunisia.

scholarly journals A day for freedom

1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-85
Author(s):  
Reporters Sans Frontieres
Keyword(s):  
Annual Report ◽  
Press Freedom ◽  
Freedom Of The Press ◽  
The Press ◽  
The World ◽  
The Right

On 3 May 1996, International Press Freedom Day, Reporters Sans Frontieres published its seventh Annual report on freedom of the press throughout the world, which gave an account of infringements of the right to be informed in 149 countries.    

Citizens’ media use and the accuracy of their perceptions of electoral integrity

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde Coffé
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Analysis ◽  
Press Freedom ◽  
The Internet ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
The World ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Positive Effect

Combining data from the sixth wave (2010–2014) of the World Values Survey (WVS) and the 2012–2013 Perceptions of Electoral Integrity (PEI) expert survey, this study looks at the link between the frequency of citizens’ informational use of traditional media (newspapers, magazines, radio and TV) and the internet, and the accuracy of their perceptions of the electoral process, and investigates how this link varies depending on countries’ levels of press freedom. A multilevel analysis including data from 16 countries shows that the frequency of the use of traditional media has a significantly more positive effect on the accuracy of citizens’ perceptions of electoral integrity in countries with high levels of press freedom compared with countries with low levels of press freedom. The frequency of the use of the internet relates similarly to the accuracy of perceptions of electoral integrity in countries with high and low levels of press freedom.

scholarly journals (A335) Emergent use of Social Media: A New Age of Opportunity for Disaster Resilience

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s94-s94 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Keim
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Privacy Rights ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The World ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Use Of Social Media

BackgroundSocial media (SM) are forms of information and communication technology disseminated through social interaction. SM rely upon peer-to-peer (P2P) networks that are collaborative, decentralized, and community-driven transforming people from content consumers into content producers. The role of SM in disaster management galvanized during the world response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. (Pew 2010) During the immediate aftermath, much of what people around the world were learning about the earthquake originated from SM sources. (Nielsenwire 2010) During the first 2 weeks following the earthquake, “texting” mobile phone users donated over $25 million to the American Red Cross. (Sysomos 2010) Both public and private response agencies used Google Maps™. Millions joined MySpace™ and Facebook ™discussion groups to share information, donate money, and offer support. SM has also been described as “remarkably well organized, self correcting, accurate and concentrated”, calling into question the ingrained view of unidirectional, official-to-public information broadcasts. (Sutton, et al 2008) SM may also offer potential psychological benefit for vulnerable populations gained through participation as stakeholders in the response. (Sutton, et al 2008) (Laor 2003)DiscussionHowever, widespread use of SM also involves several important challenges for disaster management. Although SM is growing rapidly, it remains less widespread and accessible than traditional media. Also, public officials often view person to person communications as “backchannels” with potential to spread misinformation and rumor. (Akre 2010) In addition, in absence of the normal checks and balances that regulate traditional media, privacy rights violations can occur as people use SM to describe personal events and circumstances. (Palen 2007)

Hashtag Diplomacy and Its Use in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-156
Author(s):  
Suzanne Graham
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
International Policy ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
The World ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Internet Penetration ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
Heads Of State ◽  
Foreign Ministries

"Hashtag diplomacy or ‘Twitter’ diplomacy, sometimes referred to as twiplomacy, is an emerging tool used by international policy actors, such as heads of state and diplomats, to conduct public diplomacy and to reach out to worldwide audiences. In a 2018 study of government Twitter users around the world, 951 Twitter accounts were identified as belonging to state leaders and foreign ministries in 187 countries. Therefore, close to 100% of United Nations members states (193 members) consider Twitter to be a valid enough tool to employ on a frequent basis. These users have a combined audience of close to 490 million followers. But what of Twitter’s value for individual diplomats, foreign ministries and heads of state and government in Africa? Can this tool be of use in the management and implementation of public diplomacy in a continent where internet penetration is 40% of the combined population and if so, what are these foreign policymakers using it for? This chapter intends to address these questions by exploring the use of hashtag diplomacy in Africa, and other regions, in reference to select examples. It will begin by situating this type of diplomacy under the umbrella of public diplomacy and it will then move on to consider feasibility and reach of this social media platform in Africa. Keywords: hashtag/Twitter diplomacy; Africa; social media "

Traditional Media

2019 ◽  
pp. 167-206
Author(s):  
Terry L. Schraeder
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
News Article ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Important Public Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Press ◽  
The World ◽  
The Media ◽  
Medical Journalism ◽  
Professional Guidelines

Physicians who participate in the media may perform an important public health service for their communities. Physicians who understand the media (and their influence) may decide to engage and work with the press to inform society on a variety of issues in medicine. Physicians have access to information and knowledge as well as experience, a perspective and a point of view valuable to the public. They have something to say and something to teach the public because they do it every day in their practice, in their profession, and with their patients. Improving their understanding of reporters’ roles, responsibilities, and professional guidelines, along with an overview of the world of medical journalism, may help reduce physicians’ anxiety and potentially help them relate to journalists and interact with the press. Physicians will want to learn important guidelines from the American Medical Association and other organizations regarding their involvement with the media, whether writing a news article or being interviewed on television. This chapter includes the “what, why, how, when, and where” regarding all of the information and advice physicians need before working with or in traditional media.

scholarly journals COMBINING MULTIPLE DISINFORMATION COUNTERMEASURES TO REGULATE ELECTION DISRUPTIONS: THE SOUTH KOREAN CASE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soyun Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Freedom Of Speech ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
The Public ◽  
South Korean ◽  
The Press ◽  
The World ◽  
Pros And Cons

Disinformation spread through social media has been widely detected around the world in recent years. Researchers, the press, and the public alike have expressed strong concerns about disinformation influencing public discourse and elections, perceiving it as a direct threat to democracy. Democratic countries once reluctant to restrict freedom of speech are now actively examining countermeasures to disinformation. Such measures could be divided into four categories: Regulating platforms, criminalization of offenders, governmental monitoring, and relying on civil society. The existing literature so far has focused more on examining the pros and cons of individual policy directions rather than providing an overview of the entire dynamics when multiples measures are combined in practice. It is due to most countries still being at their infancy discussing and inventing a disinformation regulation suitable for their legal freedom of speech protection structure. South Korea is unique in that it has operated a system dealing with disinformation for over a decade now, and in that it has a system specifically dedicated to election protection combining three of the four measures introduced above. Through scrutinizing both the legal framework and execution practices of the multiple disinformation countermeasures in South Korea, this research expands the existing literature by offering insights on how combining measures could result in unforeseen discounts of freedom of speech.

How Is Networked Press Freedom a Question of Infrastructure?

2018 ◽  
pp. 99-120
Author(s):  
Mike Ananny
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Press Freedom ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
The Press

This chapter aims to trace the broadcast origins of press freedom, connect them to journalism's early computational tools and practices, and show how these influenced thinking about press freedom and social media. The main goal, though, is to argue that contemporary press freedom involves sociotechnical work. This is not only because today's news work involves connecting with diverse systems of people and machines but, more fundamentally, because the power to make publics—ideally, the press' chief concern—exists in subtle, often invisible, but always powerful relationships between humans and nonhumans that define the conditions under which shared consequences can be seen. The chapter shows that because publics arise from infrastructures of people and machines, so too must press freedom.

scholarly journals The press struggles for credibility in the face of info-toxification: new strategies emerge to counter decentralized hoaxes

2021 ◽  
pp. 39-51
Author(s):  
James G. Breiner
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Social Media Networks ◽  
The Past ◽  
Technology Platforms ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Face ◽  
Media Ecosystem ◽  
New Strategies

The emergence of search engines and social media networks in the past two decades created a new media ecosystem that allowed the instantaneous creation, distribution, manipulation, and sharing of content to a global audience by anyone with a smartphone and internet access. This ecosystem was ripe for exploitation by actors with aims of profit or propaganda to disrupt society and threaten democratic processes. Their disinformation sowed distrust and undermined the credibility of the press. The dispersed, decentralized nature of this communication has made it hard to police. However, new countermeasures are emerging based on international collaboration on systems for rating trustworthiness of publications and journalists. The technology platforms are collaborating on some of these efforts, but are resisting efforts to have regulators interfere with their business model.

Integrating Social Media and Traditional Media within the Academic Environment

2014 ◽  
pp. 676-686
Author(s):  
Swati Jaywant Rao Bute
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Academic Environment ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Teachers Perspectives

With the advancement of technology, new modes of communication have emerged and are being used in the field of academics. Traditional media played a pivotal role in spreading knowledge in all sections of societies in the world. Traditional media proved to be a powerful tool in the process of making learning and teaching more effective, interesting, and simple to insure everyone benefits to the maximum. Social media are newly-emerged communication networks which are in use not only for sharing information but also for education, knowledge transfer, and for building a global community of academicians. Different tools of social media are in use in different streams of education. Over the years, it has been realized that both traditional and social media have much potential and use in education at all three levels e.g. primary, secondary, and higher education. But, the integration of traditional and social media still has a long way to go in terms of acceptance. This chapter highlights some major points related to changing academic environment, with the use of technology in classes, students vs. teachers' perspectives on learning and teaching, academics, and use of media – Traditional vs. New media in classes and integrating traditional and social media within the academic environment.

Integrating Social Media and Traditional Media within the Academic Environment

2013 ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swati Jaywant Rao Bute
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Academic Environment ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Teachers Perspectives

With the advancement of technology, new modes of communication have emerged and are being used in the field of academics. Traditional media played a pivotal role in spreading knowledge in all sections of societies in the world. Traditional media proved to be a powerful tool in the process of making learning and teaching more effective, interesting, and simple to insure everyone benefits to the maximum. Social media are newly-emerged communication networks which are in use not only for sharing information but also for education, knowledge transfer, and for building a global community of academicians. Different tools of social media are in use in different streams of education. Over the years, it has been realized that both traditional and social media have much potential and use in education at all three levels e.g. primary, secondary, and higher education. But, the integration of traditional and social media still has a long way to go in terms of acceptance. This chapter highlights some major points related to changing academic environment, with the use of technology in classes, students vs. teachers’ perspectives on learning and teaching, academics, and use of media – Traditional vs. New media in classes and integrating traditional and social media within the academic environment.

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