"Authoritarian practices are not strictly limited to authoritarian states; they are employed by regimes that span the political spectrum. The research approach argues for expanding the understanding of key authoritarian strategies to include persuasion alongside coercion and cooptation, which are id
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entified in academic literature as key approaches to consolidating power and building stability in authoritarian states. States are not only restricting access to information technologies, but are also actively investing in technologies of control, as well as shaping media ecosystems. States employ a range of strategies that often work in combination, such as: restricting information access, targeting expression, and pushing narratives. State opacity about the extent of their repressive capacities is a feature, not a bug. This allows states to make claims about their capabilities that create fear and distrust even if inaccurate or untrue. The combined use of information technologies to surveil, censor, and shape information ecosystems aid in “preventative repression,” making resistance and opposition more difficult and costly. Policy recommendations to help resist authoritarian practices face the complicated challenge of how to regulate dual-use and surveillance technologies that were developed for security and commercial applications, but that also facilitate authoritarian practices. There is an active debate about whether surveillance for commercial or consumer purposes, border controls and policing is mostly or inherently authoritarian in practice." (Summary of observations, page 6-7)
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"With the crackdown on radio, TV, and newspapers since 2007, the Venezuelan population is largely dependent on digital spaces: social media is generally the main source of information across the country, and digital media has taken over other types of press and completely changed the media ecosystem
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in Venezuela. However, digital authoritarianism has rapidly advanced in the country since 2014, with Maduro’s arrival in power. Within Venezuela’s political and economic crisis, complex humanitarian emergency, and polarised context, digital authoritarianism is used to crack down on dissident voices and control freedom of expression, press, and opinion. Strategies behind digital authoritarianism in Venezuela range from internet blocking against digital media, censorship, the detention of people who use social media to express themselves against Maduro’s government, electrical outages that hinder internet access, surveillance of private communications without legal justification, electoral manipulation through technology, and misinformation and disinformation campaigns, to inorganic promotion through paid social media users. Venezuela’s opposition parties also take part in misinformation and export digital propaganda to countries like El Salvador." (Analysis and conclusion)
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"La Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP), el Círculo de Periodistas de Bogotá y Cifras & Conceptos presentan los resultados de la "Encuesta de Libertad de Expresión y Acceso a la Información". En la encuesta participaron 585 periodistas y columnistas en 6 regiones del país y 9 de ellos
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residentes en el exterior. La encuesta refleja las características del medio en que trabajan, una autocrítica al ejercicio profesional, el ambiente para la libertad de expresión en Colombia y la identificación de agresiones en el ejercicio de su profesión, datos que permitirán trabajar en pro del ejercicio periodístico en el país. Entre los hallazgos, resaltamos que las y los periodistas consideran que los mandatarios y funcionarios públicos dificultan el acceso a la información y que las estigmatizaciones por parte de estos actores son más comunes. Así mismo, incluimos un análisis sobre el manejo de pauta publicitaria ya que casi la mitad de las y los encuestados conoce algún medio de comunicación de su departamento que haya dejado de publicar por miedo a perder pauta publicitaria. En el documento también incluimos algunos resultados divididos en seis regiones: Bogotá, Oriente, Centro sur, Pacífico, el Eje Cafetero y Caribe." (https://flip.org.co/publicaciones)
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"¿Cómo proteger a la prensa en un país violento? Desde el 2020, cada año se impone un nuevo récord de amenazas contra periodistas. La cifra del 2022 fue de 218, la más alta de los últimos quince años. Además, dos periodistas fueron asesinados, para un total de cinco en los últimos tres añ
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os. Con estas violencias ocurren múltiples heridas que fracturan la confianza de la gente, que instalan el miedo en los poros de la comunidad y que van trazando un país con puntos ciegos y verdades ahogadas. Estos ataques frustran la posibilidad de compartir información, de hacer seguimiento a los problemas que afectan a la comunidad y poner freno a las arbitrariedades, esas que con frecuencia ocurren en las zonas más conflictivas del país. Ahí, quienes hacen periodismo son blanco de grupos criminales, ya sea porque el Estado no les protege o porque es cómplice. ¿Cómo pedirle a los gobiernos y a las figuras políticas que protejan al periodismo cuando son ellos quienes estigmatizan y desacreditan? Entre abril y julio del año pasado, la campaña electoral para elegir presidente se convirtió en otro campo de batalla. La discusión política transcurrió en medio de altísimos niveles de violencia y se caracterizó por constantes y hostiles mensajes contra la prensa. ¿Quiénes son los nuevos guardianes del territorio? Se trata de periodistas ciudadanos, cuyas figuras emergen especialmente en aquellos municipios, pueblos y veredas donde prácticamente no existen empresas de comunicación. No tienen un guión y la mayoría han aprendido su oficio de manera empírica. Su trabajo es cuestionado por figuras públicas quienes les tildan de activistas, militantes e incluso opositores, buscando agredir a esas voces que vigilan y controvierten al poder local. Es necesario responder a estas tres preguntas para poder entender mejor la radiografía de la violencia que, como en décadas pasadas, vuelve a enfilarse contra la prensa en todo el país. Hacer ese repaso por quiénes son, por qué los amenazan y cuáles son las consecuencias de esos ataques, también supone anticipar que esta situación podría empeorar." (https://flip.org.co)
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"According to the most recent Afrobarometer survey, Angolans broadly agree that the media should act as a watchdog over the government, constantly investigating and reporting on government mistakes and corruption. Citizens value media freedom and reject the notion that public information should be t
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he exclusive preserve of government officials. However, views are mixed on whether media freedom exists in practice. Television and radio still outpace social media and the Internet as popular news sources in Angola, but not by much – especially among young and educated citizens." (Summary)
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"Democracies must say no to the technologies, platforms, standards, and frameworks shrewdly proposed by China in various international fora and technical or standards bodies in order to make our Internet more like the one in China. Internet governance must be kept open and participatory for all stak
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eholders, not just governments. Research into and the development of privacy-preserving and anti-censorship technologies must be supported. A vision for a free and open global Internet must be integrated into future foreign policy formulation, not only because it should be, but also because China has already begun to integrate its own contrary vision." (Executive summary)
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"This policy paper highlights significant threats to press freedom in Kenya despite legal protections and media development progress. These challenges encompass various aspects, including legal, political, economic, and internal issues within the media industry. Both civil society and the internatio
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nal community, usually key defenders of press freedom, have faced limitations in their efforts to protect the media from these diverse challenges. The political environment poses significant challenges, with the government and politicians showing little tolerance for press freedom. Troublingly, government officials, including high-ranking figures, have been involved in attacks on journalists, raising concerns due to their influential positions. The government‘s manipulation of advertising exacerbates the assault on media freedom, as advertising revenue is crucial for media sustainability. Financial stability is essential for countering external pressures. The financial strain on media organizations has worsened due to Covid-19-related austerity measures, resulting in staff cuts, wage reductions, and limitations on content development. This financial hardship has driven government officials, advertisers, and media owners to exert control over media content, leading to self-censorship in newsrooms. To address these challenges and promote media freedom in Kenya, civil society and the international community must reengage actively. Their advocacy and support can counterbalance the identified challenges. Implementing the recommendations outlined below is crucial to improving the media landscape in Kenya and protecting press freedom." (Conclusions, page 14)
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"The purpose of this report is to provide the first step towards a global overview of the weaponization of the law as a prominent threat to media freedom. In doing so, we offer a resource that can be used to empower those seeking to navigate the shifting legal environment and support those working t
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o protect the continued coverage of the world’s most sensitive and critical issues – including corruption, organized crime, and human rights. This is also the first report of its kind to bring together substantial insights into these global legal trends from two significant constituencies: journalists from around the world, and media freedom experts. The report draws on global research conducted through the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, alongside the contributions of dozens of leading media freedom experts and the firsthand experience of nearly 500 journalists from the Thomson Reuters Foundation network, to identify and examine eight key legal threats to the profession. It provides a critical springboard into further research that might map in more detail the scale, nature, and geographic spread of these threats – essential to identifying how best to counter them. Nearly 50% of journalists in the Foundation’s alumni network who responded to a survey said that they or their media organisation were facing legal threats, illustrating the sheer scale of this war on journalism. The physical, emotional and financial consequences are enormous for journalists who are continually facing the risk of going to jail, being bankrupted, or repeatedly being dragged into court. Allowed to spread unchecked, the weaponization of the law will continue to curtail media freedom by hampering coverage of critical public interest matters, undermining accountability, and eroding trust in journalism – with catastrophic effects on democracies and freedoms globally.ponisation of the law against journalists and a springboard into future research." (Executive summary, page 8)
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