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Media and Uncertainty. Understanding the Institutional Precarity of Journalism: A Macro Approach to the Civil Diminishment of Journalism

Sara Torsner

International Journal of Communication, volume 16 (2022), pp. 3885-3897

"This article develops a conceptual framework for understanding risk to journalism, more specifically, risk to the standing of journalism as a civil institution generated by macro-level state and market forces of civil diminishment. While the state and market arguably belong to the most well-studied ... more

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The Chilling: A Global Study of Online Violence Against Women Journalists
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Julie Posetti, Nabeelah Shabbir (eds.)

International Center for Journalists (ICFJ);UNESCO (2022), 325 pp.

"This ground-breaking three-year global study on gender-based online violence against women journalists represents collaborative research covering 15 countries. It is the most geographically, linguistically, and ethnically diverse scoping of the crisis conducted up until late 2022. The research draw ... more

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Understanding the link between a media and information literate citizenry and the (un)-safety of journalism

Silvia Chocarro, Jackie Harrison, Sara Torsner, Albana Shala

Paper Presented at the Academic Conference on the Safety of Journalists, World Press Freedom Conference 2020 (2020), 17 pp.

"The very basis for journalism to perform its societal role of enabling a well-informed citizenry through the factual reporting of news, grounded in professional standards of accuracy, sincerity and objectivity is that it is undertaken safely. Indeed, the ability of journalism to pursue what we here ... name a “civil role” (Harrison, 2019), which fosters solidarising inclusion among members of society in support of a shared communicative civil life, is conditioned by its inextricable relationship with a well-informed citizenry. Key to this relationship is a media and information literate public that is able, not only to critically evaluate media, but also has the capability to understand the societal value of journalism. This paper therefore argues that strategies to secure journalistic safety must consider how this relationship between journalism and a media and information literate citizenry is prone to attack by divisive anti-civil forces (e.g. from illegitimate state and market intrusion) that produce conditions of civil diminishment and un-safety for journalists (Harrison, 2019 and Torsner, 2019). This paper first develops a theoretical understanding of the link between a media and information literate citizenry and the (un)-safety of journalism. It establishes how journalistic safety is both positively linked to a media and information literate public that functions as a potential bulwark against attacks targeting journalism – forms of civil resistance, and negatively interlinked with a media and information illiterate citizenry that engenders hostility towards journalism. We conclude that strengthening the media and information literacy of society should be considered as a strategy to safeguard a free, independent and safe environment for journalism. Second, the paper uses empirical case studies to illustrate the role of citizens and communities of audiences in protecting journalism through expressions of solidarity that articulate an understanding of the societal value of journalism. Doing so the paper examines how a strong relationship of trust between journalism and communities of audiences, and between journalism and members of society, via media and information literacy, can serve to protect journalism in contexts where independent journalism is restricted and regularly attacked." (Abstract) more

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Measuring journalism safety. Methodological challenges

Sara Torsner

In: The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression

Ulla Carlsson; Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)

Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), pp. 129-140

"The effectiveness of any measures taken to address the problems of journalism safety ultimately depends on our ability to understand the complex nature and dynamics of risk to journalists. Mapping the scale of the problem through the systematic collection of data on threats over time is therefore a ... more

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The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
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Ulla Carlsson, Reeta Pöyhtäri (eds.)

Göteborg: Nordicom (2017), 363 pp.

"To support joint efforts to protect journalism, there is a growing need for research-based knowledge. Acknowledging this need, the aim of this publication is to highlight and fuel journalist safety as a field of research, to encourage worldwide participation, as well as to inspire further dialogues ... more

Media and Uncertainty. Understanding the Institutional Precarity of Journalism: A Macro Approach to the Civil Diminishment of Journalism

The Chilling: A Global Study of Online Violence Against Women Journalists Top Insights

Understanding the link between a media and information literate citizenry and the (un)-safety of journalism

Measuring journalism safety. Methodological challenges

The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression Top Insights

The Chilling: A Global Study of Online Violence Against Women Journalists
Top Insights

The Assault on Journalism. Building Knowledge to Protect Freedom of Expression
Top Insights