"Es gibt kaum noch Zeitzeugen des Holocaust. Die letzten erzählen von ihrer Erinnerung als Kinder in den Konzentrationslagern der Nationalsozialisten und über die Verfolgung und Ermordung ihrer Familien. Um diese Erinnerungen vor dem Vergessen zu bewahren, haben die Zeichnerinnen Barara Yelin, Mir
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iam Libicki und der Zeichner Gilad Seliktar mit vier Holocaust-Überlebenden gesprochen und ihre schmerzvollen Kindheitserfahrungen von Flucht, Untergrund oder dem knappen Überleben in drei Graphic Novels fließen lassen. Gemeinsam ist allen Geschichten, dass das Erlebte das gesamte weitere Leben der Protagonisten geprägt hat und dass sie sich in der Folge dafür einsetzten, diese Erfahrungen an jüngere Generationen weiterzugeben. Gerade das Wissen um Genozide aus der Sicht der Überlebenden könne als Mahnmal für zukünftige Generationen fungieren und stellen ein Gegengewicht zu historischen Überlieferungen aus Tätersicht dar." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This book analyses the marketing techniques that terrorist organisations employ to encourage people to adopt their ideology and become devoted supporters. The book's central thesis is that due to the development of digital technologies and social media, terrorist groups are employing innovative mar
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keting techniques and advertising strategies to foster an emotional connection with their audiences, particularly those in younger demographics. By conducting thematic and narrative analyses of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) propagandist magazines, as well as looking at the group's online communities, the book demonstrates that terrorist groups behave as commercial brands by establishing an emotional connection with their potential recruits. Specifically, groups and their potential supporters follow the logic of emotional choice. The book emphasizes that while ISIS became the first group that discovered and benefited from the power of marketing, it did not have a supernatural power and thus it is possible to find a response to it, which is particularly important now. The book eventually poses a question about whether terrorism has become the product of marketing in the same way as any mainstream consumer product is, and asks what can we do to battle the appeal of marketing-savvy terrorist groups." (Publisher description)
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"This report covers key trends and developments in terrorist and violent extremist (TVE) use of the internet over 2022. It aims to highlight the principal shifts in TVE behaviour and tactics online, and to inform more comprehensive, cross-industry responses to countering TVE exploitation of the inte
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rnet. TVE entities have expanded their exploitation of infrastructure providers through the ongoing creation and maintenance of terrorist and violent extremist operated websites (TOWs); despite the increasing prominence of TOWs in the online ecosystem, these service providers are frequently left out of the discussion of countering TVE exploitation of the internet. We have highlighted in this report some of our successes of 2022, which include domain level disruption of TVE entities online as well as our broader support for the entire tech ecosystem." (Introduction, page 4)
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"Can residents of Ukraine discern between pro-Kremlin disinformation and true statements? Moreover, which pro-Kremlin disinformation claims are more likely to be believed, and by which audiences? We present the results from two surveys carried out in 2019—one online and the other face-to-face—th
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at address these questions in Ukraine, where the Russian government and its supporters have heavily targeted disinformation campaigns. We find that, on average, respondents can distinguish between true stories and disinformation. However, many Ukrainians remain uncertain about a variety of disinformation claims’ truthfulness. We show that the topic of the disinformation claim matters. Disinformation about the economy is more likely to be believed than disinformation about politics, historical experience, or the military. Additionally, Ukrainians with partisan and ethnolinguistic ties to Russia are more likely to believe pro-Kremlin disinformation across topics. Our findings underscore the importance of evaluating multiple types of disinformation claims present in a country and examining these claims’ target audiences." (Abstract)
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"This paper examines the journalistic discourse on the Instagram project @ichbinsophiescholl, initiated by Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR). The project is based on a fictional premise in which the resistance fighter Sophie Scholl uses the social media platform Instagram during t
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he last few months before her arrest and murder in 1943. This thought experiment and its implementation in 2021 attracted a great deal of media attention and, at its peak, more than 900,000 mostly young people were following Sophie Scholl, played by Luna Wedler, on Instagram. The PR departments of SWR and BR communicated the number of followers and the extensive reporting as a major success and vindication of their approach to reaching young people. This analysis reconstructs discursive patterns, discourse strands, and discourse positions in the reporting on the project between May 1, 2021 and July 20, 2022. Based on the findings, we discuss the extent to which »the« journalism has fulfilled its public role and the various functions assigned to it." (Abstract)
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"While most research on the Syrian revolution has been focussing on content analysis about how Western mainstream media cover and frame the conflict, this paper aims at exploring journalistic practices by Syrian journalists. We look at three concrete aspects: the socio-labor profile of the practitio
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ners and their circumstances, the dynamics of journalistic practices when covering the war and the perception of “objectivity” when doing so. A mixed method approach is employed in this study through a survey, answered by 86 Syrian journalists, and semi-structured interviews with 12 practitioners to enrich the data. Participants are members or collaborators of SIRAJ (Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism). The concept of “communities of interpretation” has been adopted to fit the role and work of both “professional” and “citizen journalists” within the sample. Findings show that local journalists, a heterogeneous group of different socio-labor backgrounds, have a preference for humanitarian topics, stories about conflicts between the government and the opposition, as well as the international global consequences of the conflict. On the other hand, there is an important gap between practitioners “positive” perceptions about their ability to achieve “objectivity” and the practical constraints they encounter when working in such extraordinarily difficult and risky circumstances." (Abstract)
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"If a society does not come to terms with horrific atrocities of the past, tensions may fast escalate into new strife. People must know the truth. The causes of violence must be spelt out and the perpetrators must be named. Otherwise, a new sense of mutual trust cannot grow. Such trust is needed for
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competent and reliable institutions of governance. Where, by contrast, the wounds of the past keep festering, a shared understanding of the common good cannot emerge, so a peaceful future stays unlikely." (Page 2)
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"Gaza has experienced five near-total communications blackouts since since 7 October 2023.1 People cannot access critical information. They cannot reach loved ones. Aid agencies cannot contact staff or coordinate assistance. Media coverage and documentation is further restricted." (Page 1)
"Applying an inclusive concept of ‘conflicted societies’ that goes beyond those affected by violent conflict to include traditionally ‘stable’ but increasingly polarised democracies, such as the UK and the USA, contributors engage with longstanding questions and new challenges surrounding co
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ncepts of responsibility, trust, public service, and public interest in journalism. The unique span of studies offers international scope, including societies often overlooked in media and journalism studies, such as Northern Ireland, Turkey, Cyprus, Pakistan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. Chapters also feature contemporary case studies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as a route into understanding the pertinent issue of fake news, and the ‘local turn’ in journalism." (Publisher description)
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"In contexts where young people feel prohibited from reflecting openly on sensitive political issues, they may explore alternative ways to communicate and negotiate their opinions and beliefs. Internet memes are popular digital artifacts that offer a space for such debates. This research focuses on
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the Internet memes that were created and used as an unconventional method for discussing post-genocide peacebuilding processes among Rwandan youth. These memes were made in storytelling workshops that involved interacting with transmedia projects and creating stories about peacebuilding and reconciliation processes in Rwanda, Guatemala and Cambodia. Within this context, this study approaches memes as participatory tools that allow (1) youth inclusion in post-genocide peacebuilding, often considered an ‘adult topic’ and (2) the mapping out of the social imaginaries of peace by young people in post-genocide societies. The paper analyzes how and why young Rwandans negotiate peacebuilding processes through memes and the ambivalence of utilizing memes for youth participation. The results suggest that meme-making emerged mainly as a response to intergenerational differences in discussing the genocide and peace-related issues. Humor in the memes unveiled differences in the ways of addressing peacebuilding processes. Detachment from other contexts resulted in more sarcastic articulations, whereas proximity led to more positive reflections on how peacebuilding should unfold in post-genocide societies. While meme-making proved to be useful for sparking discussions and manifesting imaginaries of peace, it also showed how certain dominant discourses about peacebuilding processes are embraced and often not contested within memes due to self-censorship." (Abstract)
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"Rita Kohlmaier stellt 30 Kriegsberichterstatterinnen und -fotografinnen aus verschiedenen Ländern stellvertretend für den ganzen Berufstand vor. Sie bezahlten oftmals einen hohen Preis: psychische Belastungen, Entfernung von ihren Familien, ständige Unsicherheit. Einige starben bei einem ihrer E
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insätze, wie die Fotojournalistin Anja Niedringhaus oder die amerikanische Kriegsberichterstatterin Dickey Chapelle. Andere wurden ermordet, wie die russische Journalistin Anna Politkowskaja. Ihre Zeugnisse bleiben wichtige Zugänge zum Zeitgeschehen, und ihre Leistungen werden durch internationale Preise gewürdigt. Einzelne ziehen sich, wie Lee Miller nach ihrer umfassenden Dokumentation der letzten Monate des Zweiten Weltkriegs, ins Private zurück und sprechen nicht mehr über das Erlebte. Andere wiederum widmen sich ihr ganzes Leben öffentlich der Frage, wieso Menschen Krieg führen und zu den dokumentierten Gräueltaten fähig sind. Gemeinsam sei ihnen das Bestreben, Mitgefühl für die betroffene Zivilgesellschaft zu wecken, nicht zuletzt, um ihr Publikum zu einem Umdenken zu bewegen und einen Weg zum Frieden vorzubereiten." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Die grausamen Handlungen dschihadistischer Gruppierungen wie der „Al-Qaida“ oder des „Islamischen Staates“ schockieren und verbreiten Angst. Immer wieder scheinen neue Attentäter nachzurücken, ein Phänomen, das Asiem El Difraoui mit den stets nachwachsenden Köpfen einer Hydra vergleicht
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. Um sie zu bezwingen, müssten das Wesen des Dschihadismus und die Bedingungen seiner Verbreitung besser verstanden werden. El Difraoui versteht die Bewegung mit ihren Heilsversprechungen als Sekte, die ihre islamischen Ursprünge verzerre und missbrauche. Im Kampf gegen sie müssten die vielen Ursachen für das Wachstum dschihadistischer Gruppierungen angegangen werden: klandestine Netzwerke müssten enttarnt, die Propaganda eingedämmt sowie Prävention und Deradikalisierung weitergedacht werden. Zudem müssten westliche Staaten selbstkritischer mit den Folgen ihrer kolonialen Vergangenheit, den Diskriminierungserfahrungen von Minderheiten und den destabilisierenden Wirkungen ihrer militärischen Einsätze umgehen. El Difraoui fordert, weltweit soziale Gerechtigkeit, wirtschaftliche Perspektiven und funktionierende Zivilgesellschaften zu unterstützen. So würden junge, nach Sinn suchende Menschen resilienter gegen radikale Verführungen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This article presents and discusses results from an exercise in comparative content analysis of news articles about issues of conflict produced by Afghan journalists before and after participating in an internationally sponsored training and mentorship programme in Peace Journalism. The programme w
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as part of a Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) project, intended to create community resources for resilience, in the information sphere, towards conflict issues contributing to recruitment by non-state armed groups such as Islamic State–Khorasan Province (IS–KP). Peace Journalism is familiar as the basis for media development aid in contexts of conflict; however, its use in an intervention aimed specifically at PVE is relatively new. The results showed that the programme was effective, it is argued, in terms of benefits transferred to and applied by participating journalists. A sample of articles after the training showed a markedly higher Peace Journalism quotient than a baseline sample of articles by the same journalists before it. This suggested that the training and mentorship had successfully stimulated and enabled journalistic agency, taking account of constraints imposed by media structures and wider political and social contexts. The latter have become steadily more onerous under the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) government, in power since August 2021, according to international monitoring organisations. Implications are considered, in light of the findings, for future media development aid to Afghanistan." (Abstract)
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"Due to the increasing number of journalists being killed, kidnapped, and imprisoned across the globe, the safety of journalists seems to be deteriorating. The level of violence against journalists varies over time and from area to area, even within the same country. This article analyzes the violen
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ce faced by journalists in the conflict areas of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. The collected data were analyzed thematically using the research question themes, namely threats and challenges affecting journalists; gender-specific risk; the number of affected journalists; types of risk factors involved in conflict reporting; and the recommendations for promoting conflict reporting and peace journalism education. Semi-structured questionnaires were designed, which entailed questions that were best suited in terms of the objectives of the study. Responses from the selected respondents (80) were recorded and then data from 1992 to 2020 were statistically analyzed. In conflict areas (Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan), the highest number of deaths were recorded due to crossfire (45.8%). The findings illustrate that among three countries Iraq had the highest number of male (48.4%) and female (4.2%) journalists in terms of gender-specific risk. Further results show that military officials and political groups are the deepest risk factors causing threats to the lives of journalists. In conclusion, a journalist's geographic location, workplace environment, religion, and culture can influence their moral behavior, sense of judgment, general mindset, and psychological disposition, all of which influence journalists’ overall behavior and attitude. However, adopting safety measures by journalists does not always reduce the challenges of conflict areas." (Abstract)
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"Die im demokratischen Deutschland etablierte Erinnerungskultur gilt vielen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern als ein Erfolgsmodell, auf das sie mit einem gewissen Stolz blicken können. In der Tat war es ein langer Weg von der weitgehenden Verdrängung der nationalsozialistischen Verbrechen bis zu ihrer ö
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ffentlichen Anerkennung in einer durch Rituale geprägten, identitätsstiftenden Gedenkkultur. Der Publizist und Lyriker Max Czollek weist jedoch auf die Widersprüche, blinden Flecken und problematischen Aspekte dieser Erinnerungskultur hin und leuchtet diese aus. So werde die Erinnerung an die Verbrechen vielfach gleichgesetzt mit deren Wiedergutmachung und diene als Geste einer vermeintlichen Versöhnung mit den Opfern und ihren Nachkommen. Jüdinnen und Juden würden hier, wie der Autor im Anschluss an Michal Bodemann konstatiert, für die positive Identitätsstiftung der Deutschen instrumentalisiert. Czollek sieht die Gefahr, dass eine solche Gedenkkultur fortbestehende diskriminierende Machtstrukturen unhinterfragt lasse und sogar als Ressource eines neuen Nationalismus in Anspruch genommen werde. Für Czollek hingegen gilt: Wer Erinnerung ernst meine, müsse akzeptieren, dass vergangenes Unrecht durch sie nicht wiedergutgemacht, die zugefügten Wunden nicht geschlossen werden können – und dass mit dem Erinnern der Auftrag verbunden sei, diskriminierende Strukturen auch in der Gegenwart zu benennen und zu bekämpfen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Kolonialismus ist Teil vieler europäischer Familiengeschichten: Bis heute bewahren Familien Tagebücher, Militaria oder Beutestücke auf, die VorfahrInnen als koloniale AkteurInnen nach Hause gebracht haben. Sie bezeugen nicht nur familiäre Verstrickungen, sondern haben obendrein über Jahrzehnte
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hinweg kollektive Vorstellungen über die koloniale Vergangenheit geprägt. Fotografien waren daran - als vermeintlich authentische Zeugnisse - ganz wesentlich beteiligt. Über den Tod der "Erlebnisgenerationen" hinaus vermittelten sie koloniale "Erfolgsgeschichten", wodurch Familien zu einem Hort kolonialer Geschichtsmythen, etwa der "anständigen" KolonialherrInnen, wurden. Dieses Buch nimmt die kolonialen Bildbestände von Familien in der italienischen Provinz Bozen / Bolzano in den Blick, deren (Groß-)Vätergeneration am faschistischen Kolonialkrieg gegen das Kaiserreich Abessinien (1935-1941) teilgenommen hatte. Markus Wurzer untersucht die "sozialen Leben" kolonialer Bilder, also wie und wozu diese durch Soldaten und ihre Familien (re-)produziert, gebraucht und über Generationen hinweg weitergegeben wurden." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"In conflict-ridden countries, the news media has a pivotal role to perform as an active advocate of human rights and societal peace, as well as a facilitator of conflict mitigation and resolution through the gathering and dissemination of non-partisan information. While today the world witness arme
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d conflicts in more forms than ever before, some countries are more sensitive to conflict and violence—such as Pakistan. The country is recognized as one of the riskiest places for working journalists by virtue of recurrent political, ethnic, and religious conflicts. The Pakistani journalists work in a climate of fear and risks and with opposing groups seeking to influence the news media, which creates more difficulties for them to report unbiased and accurate news to the public. The practice of ethics has become more challenging for the Pakistani journalists because the country lacks an effective and standardized code of conduct to report on conflict. Therefore, drawing on the theory of the conflict triangle by Galtung, this study seeks the Pakistani journalists’ perspectives about the ethics of conflict sensitive reporting. In doing so, this study uses the quantitative method of survey and the qualitative method of in-depth interviews. The study uses descriptive analysis to present the survey findings in the form of percentage and thematic analysis to present the findings of interview data." (Abstract)
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"Das Internet hat in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten einen historisch einzigartigen globalen Kommunikationsraum geschaffen. Doch zunehmend zeigen sich nicht nur die Möglichkeiten, sondern auch die Gefahren dieser Vernetzung: Kriminelle Hacker nutzen aktiv Sicherheitslücken aus, um Privatpersonen oder
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Unternehmen zu erpressen oder zu berauben. Staatliche Akteure und Sicherheitsdienste setzen ausgeklügelte, im Geheimen entwickelte Software zu Spionagezwecken ein. Seit 2010 sei ein Trend hin zur digitalen Kriegsführung zu beobachten, so die Journalistin Eva Wolfangel: Hacker greifen, wie aktuell beim russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine zu beobachten sei, im staatlichen Auftrag gezielt die kritische Infrastruktur anderer Staaten an, etwa Kraftwerke oder Kliniken. Anhand zahlreicher Beispiele veranschaulicht die Autorin die Gefahren der digitalen Welt und zeigt das Vorgehen der beteiligten Akteure auf. Sie zeichnet die größten „Coups“ der jüngeren Vergangenheit und damit die Entwicklung von Cyberkriminalität und Cyberkriegsführung bis heute nach. Wolfangel macht deutlich, dass potenziell jede und jeder von Cyberkriminalität bedroht sei und legt dar, was Unternehmen, Behörden und Einzelpersonen zum eigenen Schutz tun können." (Verlagsbeschriebung)
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