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Media Capture in Africa and Latin America: Power and Resistance

Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara, Bethia Pearson (eds.)

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2025), xliii, 388 pp.

"How can current debates on ‘media capture’ be understood within the contexts of Africa and Latin America? This edited collection provides a nuanced exploration of media capture—a critical yet contested concept that examines and illuminates how media can become skewed in favour of power—whil ... more

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The Media Coverage of Women's Rights and Feminist Movements in Lebanon: Between the Late 1800s and the Early 2020s

Marwan Issa

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2025), 64 pp.

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Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025
Top Insights

Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, Craig T. Robertson, Amy Ross Arguedas, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (eds.)

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2025), 170 pp.

"• Engagement with traditional media sources such as TV, print, and news websites continues to fall, while dependence on social media, video platforms, and online aggregators grows. This is particularly the case in the United States where polling overlapped with the first few weeks of the new Trum ... p administration. Social media news use was sharply up (+6pp) but there was no ‘Trump bump’ for traditional sources. • Personalities and influencers are, in some countries, playing a significant role in shaping public debates. One-fifth (22%) of our United States sample says they came across news or commentary from popular podcaster Joe Rogan in the week after the inauguration, including a disproportionate number of young men. In France, young news creator Hugo Travers (HugoDécrypte) reaches 22% of under-35s with content distributed mainly via YouTube and TikTok. Young influencers also play a significant role in many Asian countries, including Thailand. • News use across online platforms continues to fragment, with six online networks now reaching more than 10% weekly with news content, compared with just two a decade ago. Around a third of our global sample use Facebook (36%) and YouTube (30%) for news each week. Instagram (19%) and WhatsApp (19%) are used by around a fifth, while TikTok (16%) remains ahead of X at 12%. • Data show that usage of X for news is stable or increasing across many markets, with the biggest uplift in the United States (+8pp), Australia (+6pp), and Poland (+6pp). Since Elon Musk took over the network in 2022 many more right-leaning people, notably young men, have flocked to the network, while some progressive audiences have left or are using it less frequently. Rival networks like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon are making little impact globally, with reach of 2% or less for news. • Changing platform strategies mean that video continues to grow in importance as a source of news. Across all markets the proportion consuming social video has grown from 52% in 2020 to 65% in 2025 and any video from 67% to 75%. In the Philippines, Thailand, Kenya, and India more people now say they prefer to watch the news rather than read it, further encouraging the shift to personality-led news creators. • Our survey also shows the importance of news podcasting in reaching younger, better-educated audiences. The United States has among the highest proportion (15%) accessing one or more podcasts in the last week, with many of these now filmed and distributed via video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. By contrast, many northern European podcast markets remain dominated by public broadcasters or big legacy media companies and have been slower to adopt video versions. • TikTok is the fastest growing social and video network, adding a further 4pp across markets for news and reaching 49% of our online sample in Thailand (+10pp) and 40% in Malaysia (+9pp). But at the same time people in those markets see the network as one of the biggest threats when it comes to false or misleading information, along with Facebook. • Overall, over half our sample (58%) say they remain concerned about their ability to tell what is true from what is false when it comes to news online, a similar proportion to last year. Concern is highest in Africa (73%) and the United States (73%), with lowest levels in Western Europe (46%). • When it comes to underlying sources of false or misleading information, online influencers and personalities are seen as the biggest threat worldwide (47%), along with national politicians (47%). Concern about influencers is highest in African countries such as Nigeria (58%) and Kenya (59%), while politicians are considered the biggest threat in the United States (57%), Spain (57%), and much of Eastern Europe." (Executive summary, page 10-11) more

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State of digital development and trends in the Arab States region: Challenges and opportunities

Geneva: ITU (2025), iv, 53 pp.

"This report offers a comprehensive snapshot of the region’s digital landscape, highlighting both remarkable progress and persisting challenges. Ninety-five per cent of the population in this region is covered by mobile broadband networks, and more than half of the countries have already achieved ... more

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Israel und Gaza in den arabischen Medien: Die Berichterstattung zum Gaza-Krieg in den Medien des arabischen Raums

Bernhard Hillenkamp

Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb) (2025)

"Fragen nach israelbezogenem Antisemitismus stellen sich in Ländern, die sich teilweise im Kriegszustand mit Israel befinden oder – wie Libanon, Irak, Saudi-Arabien und Katar – keine offiziellen Kontakte zu Israel unterhalten, anders dar als in Ländern wie Deutschland. Die hierzulande präsent ... e Diskussion um Israelkritik in Form und Inhalt spielt in den arabischen Leitmedien keine Rolle. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist dann auch die in Deutschland vorherrschende Problematisierung von Begriffen wie "vom Fluss zum Meer", Genozid und Apartheid im Zusammenhang mit dem Nahost-Konflikt in der arabischsprachigen Öffentlichkeit nicht relevant. Hier sind die arabischen Leitmedien eher dem internationalen Presse- und Wissenschaftsdiskurs und der juristischen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Nahostkonflikt (Internationaler Gerichtshof, Internationaler Strafgerichtshof) näher. Weder Vernichtungsfantasien gegen Israel noch platte monokausale Argumentationen spielen in den arabischen Leitmedien eine dominierende Rolle – gleichwohl gibt es natürlich auch israelfeindliche Beiträge. Wiederum gehören – auch staatliche – israelische Stimmen zum "Informationsbuffet" der arabischen Medien. Häufig wird auch die Rolle des Westens kritisiert und dessen Haltung als einseitig angeprangert. Immer wieder wird Gaza mit der von Russland angegriffenen Ukraine verglichen und die Unterschiede in der Positionierung insbesondere der USA und europäischer Staaten als Doppelmoral kritisiert. Traditionelle antisemitische Diskurse, wie sie Shaykh Qaradawi vor 15 Jahren auf Al Jazeera pflegte, sind in der aktuellen Debatte der arabischen Leitmedien dagegen selten. Vielfach ist ein Verlautbarungsjournalismus zu beobachten, der Vertretern und Sprechern der verschiedenen Konfliktparteien Raum für ihre medienwirksamen Äußerungen gibt. Gleichzeitig wird die Entwicklung der Kampfhandlungen und der politischen Lage durch eine Art Verlaufsjournalismus begleitet, in dem politische Analysten und auch Militärexperten das Tagesgeschehen darstellen und einordnen. Palästinensische Perspektiven und Anliegen werden in den Medien des arabischen Raums stärker gewichtet als in Europa. Das ist naheliegend und insofern nachvollziehbar. Die Darstellung und auch die Interpretation der Ereignisse könnte sich dennoch auch im hoch emotionalen Kontext des aktuellen Gaza-Krieges durch mehr Neutralität und Ausgewogenheit auszeichnen. Insgesamt dreht sich die Berichterstattung über den Gaza-Konflikt aber vor allem um die Entwicklungen auf dem Schlachtfeld und um territoriale Ansprüche, Antisemitismus spielt dagegen eine eher untergeordnete Rolle. Wie die Berichterstattung jenseits der Leitmedien, insbesondere in den Medien der jeweiligen politischen Gruppierungen und in den Social-Media-Kanälen aussieht, bleibt in diesem Zusammenhang aber unbeantwortet und muss an einem anderen Ort geklärt werden." (Fazit) more

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Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Levant region
Quick Overview

Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet, Ghias Al Juni, Aida Ail-Kaisy

Brussels: Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2025), 11 pp.

"Using the OECD Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment as a lens, the GFMD mapping highlights several pressing issues. 1.The dominance of governmental funding, particularly from the United States, underscores the sector’s heavy reliance on a narrow r ... more

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The power of humour

D+C: Development and Cooperation, issue 4 (2025), pp. 28-54

"All over the world, satirists courageously stand up for democratic values, often under extremely difficult conditions. Through their art, they create spaces for freedom and challenge authorities. On the other hand, extremists use humour for their political purposes too: They ridicule those who diss ... more

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Rabbis in Israel, Public Relations and Advertising

Yoel Cohen

Religion and Social Communication, volume 23, issue 2 (2025), pp. 303-321

"This article discusses public relations (PR) and advertising in the work of the rabbi in Israel. The rabbi's influence is felt within the religious population such as through the Sabbath sermon from the synagogue pulpit to congregants, but the media is an additional channel to spreading the rabbi's ... more

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Iraks christliches Erbe: Vom Überleben im Zweistromland

Matthias Kopp

Freiburg: Herder (2025), 872 pp.

"Erstmals wird mit diesem Buch eine alle Epochen umfassende Monographie über den Irak bis zur Gegenwart vorgelegt, und zwar aus Sicht des Christentums. Die religionswissenschaftliche Untersuchung rückt dabei auch die islamischen Strömungen sowie weitere religiöse Minderheiten und Ethnien, insbes ... more

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The Epistemic Modes of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Charisma Production on Hybrid Media

Ali Alsayegh

Populism, volume 8 (2025), 26 pp.

"Muqtada al-Sadr’s charismatic authority helps enable his power to emotionally motivate millions from the religious populist Sadri movement to partake in elections, protests, and armed struggle in Iraq. Hybrid media is a significant space that promotes his charisma via ‘epistemic modes’, which ... more

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Decolonising the future academy in Africa and beyond: Institutional development and collaboration

Michaela Pelican, Karim Zafer, Michael Bollig (eds.)

Bielefeld: transcript (2025), 236 pp.

"What does it mean to decolonise academia in Africa? Is this important project limited to the humanities? Is it a project for the future? Are there forerunners at African universities today? The contributors to this volume show different trajectories for anthropology as a discipline and for decoloni ... more

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Satellite Ministries: The rise of Christian television in the Middle East
Top Insights

Febe Armanios

New York: Oxford University Press (2025), 368 pp.

"Through extensive fieldwork and archival research, Febe Armanios explores how Western evangelicals and indigenous Christians harnessed terrestrial and satellite technologies to promote Christian television in the Middle East. The sixteen channels analyzed in this study fall into three main categori ... more

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Repair work, resistance and the invisible data labour of Lebanon’s digital humanitarian infrastructures

Jenna Imad Harb

Big Data & Society, issue January–March (2025), 13 pp.

"This article draws upon a multi-sited ethnography of everyday labour in Lebanon’s digital cash assistance for Syrian refugees. The datafication of humanitarian infrastructures generates technological breakdown, gaps in data and incredibly strict and cumbersome rules. In response to impediments re ... more

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Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes
Quick Overview

Aljosha Karim Schapals, Christian Pentzold (eds.)

Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell (2025), xxiii, 502 pp.

"In Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes, an international team of prominent scholars examines both long-term media systems and fluctuating trends in media usage around the world. Integrating country-specific summaries and cross-cutting studies of geopolitical regions, this i ... more

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African Media and Communication: Foundational Conversations

Viola C. Milton, Winston Mano (eds.)

Oxford; New York: Routledge (2025), 380 pp.

"This book provides an important set of critical reflections from a selection of foundational scholars of African media and communication studies through biographical method. The book interrogates the center of mainstream academic scholarship by providing the foundational history and origins of an A ... more

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Camera in Times of Crisis: Focus on Africa

Kehinde Christopher Adewumi, Folasayo Enoch Olalere, Gambo Giles Duniya (eds.)

Bingley (UK): Emerald Publishing (2025), 208 pp.

"The presence of cameras, at the forefront of crises, either in the hands of journalists, bystanders or passers-by and sometimes even parties to the crises, has inspired multiple visual notations, commentaries and perspectives. Thus, efforts and resources are channelled towards documenting crises, t ... more

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Journalism in Transitional Context: Societal Hostility, Self-Censorship and the Expansion of “One Voice Journalism"

Dalia Elsheikh, Daniel Jackson, Nael Jebril

Journalism Practice (2024), [no pag.]

"The transformations in the media and political landscapes in Egypt over the last decade and their implications on media pluralism and freedom of expression are well documented. However, less is known about how Egyptian journalists themselves experience these changes; how their relationships with au ... more

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Fighting Misinformation Helps Social Cohesion and Early Recovery in Syria

Amsterdam: Free Press Unlimited (2024), 7 pp.

"By preserving independence, Syrian media is trusted to promote dialogue, providing a platform for diverse voices and fosters a culture of critical thinking and public debate, the media acts as a catalyst for inclusive recovery and sustainable development. It lays the groundwork for a resilient, dem ... more

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Are We Making a Difference? Global and Local Efforts to Assess Peacebuilding Effectiveness
Inspiring Practice

Top Insights

Stacey L. Connaughton, Jasmine R. Linabary (eds.)

Lanham et al.: Rowman & Littlefield (2024), xxvii, 320 pp.

"Sections of the book engage in critical reflection on what peacebuilding effectiveness is and who gets to decide, provide practical examples and case studies of the successes and failures of assessing peacebuilding work, and support innovative strategies and tools to move the field forward. Chapter ... more

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#Hashtag Palestine 2023

Mohammad Qadaan

7amleh – Arab Center for Social Media Advancement (2024), 47 pp.

"Throughout 2023, a wide range of social and political developments both locally and globally, had a profound impact on the digital spHere In 2023, Israel’s constant assaults on Palestinian communities in the West Bank, coupled with unprecedented levels of aggression inflicted on Gaza have led to ... an alarming escalation in human rights violations against Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territory and Palestinian citizens of Israel. This rapid deterioration has coincided with a simultaneous targeting of digital rights, not just for Palestinians but also those who advocate for Palestinian human rights. During the same period, Israeli authorities cracked down on digital rights by persecuting Palestinians for simply expressing their views or opinions on various online platforms, through a variety of measures including censorship, surveillance and arrests. Furthermore, Israel persistently and intentionally disrupted communications and internet infrastructure in Gaza. In addition to introducing draconian legislation to restrict freedom of expression and criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. This included vague and discriminatory legislation such as the ninth amendment to the anti-terrorism law, which refers to the alleged consumption of what Israel deems as terrorist publications. These violations occurred within the broader framework of government policies to expand surveillance and digital repression of Palestinians, including the deployment of mass surveillance tools and mobilization of a vast voluntary movement to report individuals expressing criticism of Israeli policies. Social media platforms played a key role in facilitating Israel’s oppressive measures. While social media companies, especially Meta’s online platforms, have long been accused of restricting Palestinian content, the evidence shows that these policies intensified in 2023, despite prior commitments to address these discriminatory policies. The most notable measures included mass content removals and extensive “shadowbanning” of users criticizing Israel or posting in support of Palestinians. During Israel’s war on Gaza, these content restrictions and removals soared to unprecedented levels. Users of Meta’s platforms, including journalists, activists, media pages and those simply documenting reality on the ground or posting in support of Palestinian rights were subject to account banning, content removal and other restrictive measures. Such policies appeared to explicitly target those in support of Palestinian rights, with the purpose of restricting freedom of information, and censoring the Palestinian narrative." (Executive summary) more

Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025 Top Insights

Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Levant region Quick Overview

Satellite Ministries: The rise of Christian television in the Middle East Top Insights

Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes Quick Overview

Are We Making a Difference? Global and Local Efforts to Assess Peacebuilding Effectiveness Inspiring Practice Top Insights

Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025
Top Insights

Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Levant region
Quick Overview

Satellite Ministries: The rise of Christian television in the Middle East
Top Insights

Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes
Quick Overview

Are We Making a Difference? Global and Local Efforts to Assess Peacebuilding Effectiveness
Inspiring Practice

Top Insights