commbox Central & South Asia

China, media, and international conflicts

Shixin Ivy Zhang, Altman Yuzhu Peng (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2023), xii, 212 pp.

"This book focuses on China’s media diplomacy and its interplay with a range of international conflicts. It assesses the representation and framing of China, as well as the perception and reception of China’s media communication in relation to various crises and conflicts. Including detailed ana ... more

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Between Shadows and Stories: Navigating the Journey of Afghan Journalists, from Aug. 15, 2021 to Aug. 15, 2023

Afghanistan's National Journalists Union (2023), 17 pp.

"The Afghan media landscape stands at a crossroads, navigating a landscape rife with challenges and uncertainties in the wake of the Taliban's resurgence. The post-Taliban era, marked by a thriving media sector with 160 television channels, 311 radio stations, 90 print newspapers, and 26 news agenci ... es, has witnessed a drastic transformation. The current media landscape, with 70 television channels, 211 radio stations, 11 print newspapers, and 9 news agencies, reflects a significant decline in numbers and diversity. Under the de facto rule of the Taliban, the media sector has encountered substantial constraints. Censorship and self-censorship have become rampant, with journalists and media outlets navigating the perilous territory of permissible content. Threats, intimidation, and violence against media professionals have created an atmosphere of fear, leading to an exodus of skilled journalists. Investigative journalism, once a cornerstone of accountability, has been stifled, and access to unbiased information has dwindled, leaving citizens ill-informed. The closure of media outlets has far-reaching implications, including restricted information flow, suppressed free speech, and diminished content diversity. The narrative has further fragmented between Kabul and the provinces, where media freedom varies significantly. Female journalists remain conspicuously absent in many regions, underscoring the entrenched gender disparity in the field. International media outlets, under surveillance and restraints, grapple with maintaining their operations and integrity in an increasingly controlled environment. Social media, once a platform for open dialogue, faces censorship and restrictions, hampering the exchange of ideas. As Afghanistan's media landscape evolves, the absence of comprehensive legal frameworks has exacerbated challenges. The suspension of the Mass Media Law and the Access to Information Law during the transitional phase has left media professionals in a legal gray area. The need for inclusive consultations with media stakeholders to shape these laws cannot be overstated. In this complex milieu, it is evident that safeguarding the media's role as a communication bridge between the government and the people is paramount. Collaborative efforts between the Islamic Emirate, the international community, and media support organizations are essential to prevent the collapse of Afghanistan's media landscape." (Conclusion, pages 16-17) more

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Twitter trolling of Pakistani female journalists: A patriarchal society glance

Ayesha Siddiqua, Jiankun Gong, Iffat Ali Aksar

Media, Culture & Society, volume 45, issue 6 (2023), pp. 1303-1314

"The incorporation of new media technology into journalistic practices led to online harassment, particularly of female journalists. The researchers investigated the tweets of four prominent Pakistani female journalists through the lens of post-colonial feminism and symbolic violence. The qualitativ ... more

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Videogames in the Indian Subcontinent: Development, Culture(s) and Representations

Souvik Mukherjee

London: Bloomsbury (2023), ix, 247 pp.

"The book Videogames in the Indian Subcontinent. Development, Culture(s) and Representations is the first ever comprehensive presentation and discussion of material spanning over all nations of South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Discussed b ... more

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“Fair and Balanced”: What News Audiences in Four Countries Mean When They Say They Prefer Impartial News

Camila Mont 'Alverne, Sumitra Badrinathan, Amy Ross Arguedas, Benjamin Toffet al.

Journalism Studies, volume 24, issue 9 (2023), pp. 1131-1148

"Impartial news, or news without a partisan slant or overt point-ofview, is overwhelmingly preferred by news audiences worldwide, yet what such preferences mean remains poorly understood. In this study, we examine what people mean when they say they prefer impartial news. We draw on qualitative inte ... more

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What Role Does Media Entertainment Play in Emerging Adults’ Political Identity and Engagement Across Cultures?

Frank M Schneider, Katharina Knop-Huelss, Jinhee Kim, Larisa Buhin et. al

International Journal of Communication, volume 17 (2023), pp. 1445-1465

"In light of the controversial relationship and blurred lines between information and entertainment media, the current study’s goal aimed at qualitatively exploring media entertainment’s role in emerging adults’ political identity formation and engagement. By analyzing 55 semistructured interv ... more

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The Mediation of Sustainability: Development Goals, Social Movements, and Public Dissent

Ben Harbisher (ed.)

Lanham; Boulder; New York; London: Rowman & Littlefield (2023), 250 pp.

"This book examines the way in which SDG initiatives have been disseminated by mainstream media, in government discourse and by NGO’s, charitable organisations, and campaign groups. It questions to what extent sustainability narratives are being supported and how they are represented; how saving t ... more

Communication Science in Türkiye: How Communication Research and Education Developed Over the Years

Füsum Alver, Aynur Sarisakaloglu

Publizistik, volume 68 (2023), pp. 89-108

"In Türkiye, communication science falls under the category of social sciences and is regarded as an interdisciplinary scientific field focused on empirical research. The field is influenced by communication science developments of the West in terms of developing theories and methodology, and it fa ... more

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Harassed and Hushed: Bangladeshi Women Journalists’ Experiences of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassments

Priyanka Kundu, Maliha Tabassum

Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, volume 9, issue 3 (2023), pp. 185-202

"A large number of Bangladeshi women journalists are facing gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. This is one of the contributing factors in excluding women journalists’ voices from the public sphere. Drawing on the feminist approach of structure and agency theory, the stud ... more

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Collective Trauma

D+C: Development and Cooperation, issue 1 (2023), pp. 21-31

"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 ... more

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Pandemic, politics, and the safety of journalists: Downward spiral of press freedom in India

Sanviti Iyer, Mochish KS

Review of Communication, volume 23, issue 3 (2023), pp. 210-227

"According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index rankings by the RSF, India ranks 161 out of 180 countries. One of the important indicators that the index bases the ranking on is the level of violence against the journalists and their overall safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian governme ... more

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Worsening Safety Conditions for Women Journalists in Turkey’s Alternative News Media

Özlem Erkmen, Bora Ataman, Baris Çoban

Journalism Studies, issue 7 (2023), pp. 857-875

"This study, drawing on alternative journalism theory takes a postcolonial feminist approach to investigating the lived experiences and gender-based safety problems of women journalists working for alternative media in Turkey. It evaluates the impact on their professional and private lives of Islami ... more

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Responsible Journalism in Conflicted Societies: Trust and Public Service Across New and Old Divides

Jake Lynch, Charis Rice (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2023), xii, 216 pp.

"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 ... more

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Gurus and Media: Sound, Image, Machine, Text and the Digital

Jacob Copeman, Arkotong Longkumer, Koonal (eds.) Duggal

London: UCL Press (2023), xvii, 452 pp.

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Community Radio in Bhutan

Urszula Doliwa, Szymon Zylinski

Journal of Radio & Audio Media, volume 30, issue 1 (2023), pp. 227-251

"We look at community media in Bhutan from three important perspectives – the concept of community media in general, a modified self-evaluation tool developed by UNESCO Chair on Community Media, Vinod Pavarala, and the Gross National Happiness index where we show in what way community media may co ... more

Transnational Turkish Television Production and Consumption

International Communication Gazette, volume 85, issue 3-4 (2023), pp. 193-344

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Disputed archival heritage

James Lowry (ed.)

London; New York: Routledge (2023), xiv, 342 pp.

"Disputed Archival Heritage brings important new perspectives into the discourse on displaced archives. In contrast to shared or joint heritage framings, the book considers the implications of force, violence and loss in the displacement of archival heritage. With chapters from established and emerg ... more

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The Power of Grassroots Voices: Annual Report 2022-2023

Video Volunteers (2023), 112 pp.

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The Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence for Democracy and Governance

Stephen Boucher, Carina Antonia Hallin, Lex Paulson (eds.)

New York: Routledge (2023), xxx, 522 pp.

"The Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence for Democracy and Governance explores the concepts, methodologies, and implications of collective intelligence for democratic governance, in the first comprehensive survey of this field. Illustrated by a collection of inspiring case studies and edit ... more