🗞️ Happy to finally share this special review, out in @journal-of-comm.bsky.social. Special thanks to @vstetka.bsky.social @sabinamihelj.bsky.social @newsprof1.bsky.social @martinscott2010.bsky.social @melbunce.bsky.social, and thanks for inviting me @jeffpoole.bsky.social @sonnevend.bsky.social! 👉👉

Media capture, academia capture? Rising authoritarianism and public knowledge capture

Recent political and media trends challenge various disciplinary axioms and popular scholarly intuitions. For instance, is media good or bad for democracy?

academic.oup.com

Konečně rozumný pohled na Václava Moravce. Pohled, který na rozdíl od drtivé většiny příspěvků na toto téma nevyvěrá z morálního kýče, jenž v českých debatách velí vášnivě fandit buď jedné, nebo druhé straně bez ohledu na realitu, která není černobílá. @vstetka.bsky.social @denikreferendum.cz

Václav Štětka: Moravcův odchod Českou televizi oslabuje v nejméně vhodnou chvílí

Odborník na politickou komunikaci v rozhovoru vysvětluje, v čem byl pořad Václava Moravce jedinečný, ale i to, na jaké slabiny ČT poukazoval. A argumentuje, proč bylo chybou programově nezvat Tomia Ok...

denikreferendum.cz

I am honoured to join the @europeannewschool.bsky.social as Professor of Digital Political Communication, and look forward to further expanding on my research programme on communicative challenges to #democracy in #CEE; given it's location and mission, #Viadrina might be just the right place for it!

Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)@viadrina.eu · 6mo ago

Wie gefährden Social Media und KI demokratische Prozesse? Prof. Dr. Václav Štětka ist neuer Professor für Digital Political Communication an der @europeannewschool.bsky.social. Er forscht zu Populismus, Illiberalismus und demokratischer Erosion – besonders in Ostmitteleuropa. Willkommen! 👇

📻 What is the future of public service media in an age of deepening polarization, disinformation, and eroding trust? In the latest IWMpost issue, @vstetka.bsky.social argues that its survival depends on its capacity to adapt to the digital era while resisting its harmful impacts. 👉 buff.ly/g6T1Q3f

Happy to have contributed to this issue, featuring several essays around the theme of Digital Transformations, including mine on the future of public service media in the digital age.

IWM Vienna@iwm.at · 8mo ago

🗞️ IWMpost 136 Out Now! From AI governance, public service media, and digital platforms in Africa to the computational visions of society championed by one of the leading intellectuals of the American Right, this issue maps the many dimensions of digital transformation. ➡️ www.iwm.at/publication/...

Incoming #Czech gov't triggers alarm over public media plans with thx to @vstetka.bsky.social @marinaurbanikova.bsky.social www.dw.com/en/incoming-...

Incoming Czech gov't triggers alarm over public media plans – DW – 11/05/2025

Czechia's populist ANO party won the most votes in the recent general election and seeks to form a government with two far-right parties. The coalition's plans for public media are causing particular ...

dw.com

That's an interesting choice of the headline by @pewresearch.org , seeing the glass half-full rather than half-empty. It would be equally true to say that young Americans's trust in mainstream media has dropped so low that it almost matches their trust in social media.

Pew Research Center@pewresearch.org · 10mo ago

How Americans’ trust in information from news organizations and social media sites has changed over time

Our new report provides a typology of news creators, based on analysis of 24 countries The report, by Nic Newman, @amyrossarguedas.bsky.social @mitalilive.bsky.social @richardfletcher.bsky.social, makes a distinction between those who focus on hard news and those touching news-adjacent topics

As democracy crumbles and authoritarianism gains ground around the world, digital media are increasingly being blamed for driving these developments. However, as I and @vstetka.bsky.social argue in a recent piece for Le Monde, the role of digital media in these developments is often exaggerated.

Very much enjoyed the panel on the rise of the illiberal public sphere at #IPSA2025, organised by the Political Communication section, as well as the panel on "destructive polarization" covened by @kathaesa.bsky.social - thanks for the opportunity to promote our work with @sabinamihelj.bsky.social!

Our Digital News Report 2025 is out! 📊48 markets 🌏Almost 100K respondents 📰Key headline: Audiences lean into video news and influencers, raising misinformation concerns and new dilemmas for publishers 📱Explore now buff.ly/xLP67Tg 🧵Findings in thread #DNR25

Truly honoured by this award for our book with @sabinamihelj.bsky.social🙏 Many thanks to APSA @apsaitp.bsky.social, as well as to almost 20k people who have accessed the book online so far! #illiberalism

APSA & ICA Political Communication Divisions@polcomm.bsky.social · last yr.

🎉 Excited to share the APSA Technology & Politics Section Award winners! 🏆 📚 Best Book The Illiberal Public Sphere: Media in Polarized Societies by @sabinamihelj.bsky.social & @vstetka.bsky.social. You can access it, it is in open access! link.springer.com/book/10.1007... 🧵

Hungary’s new ‘transparency’ bill targets independent media & civil society. This is authoritarianism, not accountability. We stand with all journalists, NGOs & citizens defending democracy. The EU must act. nezavisla.economia.cz/en/committee... #PressFreedom #Hungary #EUvalues

RSF this year for the first time called the global environment for press freedom ‘difficult.’ What does the future hold for press freedom in Taiwan and Asia? 🎙️ Aleksandra Bielakowska (@ketalaolan.bsky.social), Irene Jay Liu & Václav Štětka (@vstetka.bsky.social) Watch here:

Has Press Freedom Reached a Low Point in 2025? Blame Social Media, AI and Budget Cuts | CONNECTED

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) this year for the first time called the global environment for press freedom ‘difficult.’ What does the future hold for press...

youtu.be

It was a real pleasure to talk about our book with @sabinamihelj.bsky.social to such an engaged audience. Many thanks to Marlene Laruelle and @jchrobie.bsky.social for having us!

Illiberalism Studies Program@illsp.bsky.social · last yr.

If you missed yesterday's presentation by @vstetka.bsky.social and @sabinamihelj.bsky.social on their new book, The Illiberal Public Sphere, the full recording is now available on our YouTube! youtu.be/ySHWGIbuB9U

It's only spring, but I am already looking forward to autumn - which I will spend in #Vienna on a visiting fellowship, as a Guest of the Institute for Human Sciences @iwm.at. Grateful for this opportunity! 🙏

Join us for an online presentation of a new book by @vstetka.bsky.social and @sabinamihelj.bsky.social: The Illiberal Public Sphere Media in Polarized Societies! Hear about increasing #illiberalism, #polarization, and declining trust in mass media in CEE Register here: tinyurl.com/5n6f82rd

A giant step back for womankind? On February 28th the main Artemis page at nasa. gov read as follows web.archive.org/web/20250313...

Last month I did a little experiment. I wanted to see how the exact same post would perform on both X (Twitter) and Bluesky. The results were...interesting... [Thread]

🎉 Delighted to learn I have been awarded funding for comparative, mixed-methods research on Russian #disinformation in Poland, Romania & Serbia, with Fanni Toth @durhamuniversity.bsky.social as Co-I, & in collaboration with @m-deceit.bsky.social @sabinamihelj.bsky.social @stevehutchings.bsky.social

Excellent analysis of the latest developments in the long & tortuous struggle to secure financial sustainability and political independence of the #Czech public service media.

Tim Gosling@tgoscee.bsky.social · last yr.

Battle Over #Czech Public Service Broadcaster: Another Rerun balkaninsight.com/2025/02/26/b... w insight from @vstetka.bsky.social @marinaurbanikova.bsky.social balkaninsight.com/2025/02/26/b...

Deadline approaching soon for this unique PhD studentship, supervised by @sabinamihelj.bsky.social and myself, in collaboration with @bbcmediaaction.bsky.social - if you are interested in researching disinformation in the #Baltics, #Afghanistan or #Libya, do apply by 24 February!

Sabina Mihelj@sabinamihelj.bsky.social · 2y ago

📣 We have a fully funded #PhD place available at the Communication & Media Department @lborocrcc.bsky.social at Loughborough University, in collaboration with BBC Media Action and supported by the Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP.

„Myslím si, že to je (v českém kontextu) pořád nejlepší způsob, jakkoliv sám o sobě nedokonalý, jak garantovat politickou nezávislost veřejnoprávních médií, což je pro jejich fungování zcela klíčové,“ říká v @zaminutusest.bsky.social o koncesionářských poplatcích sociolog médií @vstetka.bsky.social

„Naivní,“ říká odborník o nápadu platit veřejnoprávní média jako Netflix - Seznam Zprávy

Koalice a opozice svádí ve Sněmovně bitvu o koncesionářské poplatky. Obejdou se veřejnoprávní média bez jejich zvýšení? A obešla by se naopak česká společnost bez veřejnoprávních médií? Rozebíráme se ...

seznamzpravy.cz

"Wonderfully structured and accessible, it appeals not only to scholars but also to the broader democratic public grappling with the question: 'What on earth is happening to democracy?'” Delighted to read such a nice review of our book! @sabinamihelj.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Still 3 week to apply for this unique PhD studentship at our Communication & Media Department @lborocrcc.bsky.social, in collaboration with #BBC @bbcmediaaction.bsky.social - if you are interested in researching disinformation in the #Baltics, #Afghanistan or #Libya, we would love to hear from you!

Sabina Mihelj@sabinamihelj.bsky.social · 2y ago

📣 We have a fully funded #PhD place available at the Communication & Media Department @lborocrcc.bsky.social at Loughborough University, in collaboration with BBC Media Action and supported by the Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP.

Three stages of a liberal public sphere being replaced by an #illiberal one. Very useful framework from @vstetka.bsky.social & @sabinamihelj.bsky.social - all we see happening in the US fits. Q = how to win the struggle against it? Needs creativity and will: www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstr...

Research finds TikTok’s algorithm apparently favors one political side more than the other. Republican accounts got 11.8% more content supporting their views, Democrats saw 7.5% more content opposing theirs. The bias comes from negative partisanship, prioritizing criticism. arxiv.org/pdf/2501.17831

More than half Gen Z think authoritarian leader better for UK than democracy, poll suggests – UK politics live

More than half Gen Z think authoritarian leader better for UK than democracy, poll suggests – UK politics live

Polling finds 52% of Gen Z thought UK would be better place if ‘strong leader did not have to bother with parliament and elections’ A persistent slowdown in activity among private sector firms could weigh on economic growth over the coming months, with…

theguardian.com

Honoured and excited to be joining the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Press/Politics, and looking forward to working with the new editorial team under the leadership of Taberez A. Neyazi @taberez.bsky.social ! #IJPP #PoliticalCommunication journals.sagepub.com/editorial-bo...

Editorial Board: The International Journal of Press/Politics: Sage Journals

The editorial board of The International Journal of Press/Politics

journals.sagepub.com

📣 We have a fully funded #PhD place available at the Communication & Media Department @lborocrcc.bsky.social at Loughborough University, in collaboration with BBC Media Action and supported by the Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP.