How Resilient is Democracy in America? The election of President Donald Trump along with Trump’s adoption of Elon Musk’s role is seriously testing the resilience of American democratic processes. Most media coverage has focused on the scattergun of policy initiatives out of the Trump administration, such as on immigration, but some have focused on the … Continue reading How Resilient is Democracy in America?
Fifth Estate
Political Positioning: A Step Beyond Agenda Setting
Political Positioning the News and Public Affairs Agenda setting has been one of the major social implications of the news. Coverage in the news tells the reader what they should be thinking about, what is important. While the news seldom shifts public opinion – it seldom changes the way a reader thinks about an issue … Continue reading Political Positioning: A Step Beyond Agenda Setting
Telegram: A Valuable Platform to the People of Ukraine
William H. Dutton and Lisa Chernenko The arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, has generated a raft of commentaries, generally attacking Durov, Telegram’s moderation policies and its role in Russia. It has been characterized as a ‘platform for the Kremlin to convey its narrative of the war to ordinary Russians’ (Murphy & Klasa 2024; Foy … Continue reading Telegram: A Valuable Platform to the People of Ukraine
Electoral Accountability: The Lesson from Britain’s Parliamentary Elections?
In the immediate aftermath of the UK parliamentary election of 2024, the big lesson is the accountability of political parties. As the adage goes, the people essentially ‘threw the rascals out’. The electorate was unhappy with the governing Conservative Party (and the Scottish National Party in Scotland, which is another but similar story of accountability) … Continue reading Electoral Accountability: The Lesson from Britain’s Parliamentary Elections?
Changing Horses in the Race for US President: Not Too Late
If the Democratic Party is to win the 2024 Presidential election, and defeat Donald Trump, they need to convince President Biden to drop out of the race. The Presidential Debate on 27 June 2024 was a wakeup call for the Democratic party. President Joe Biden not only failed to convince many doubters that he was … Continue reading Changing Horses in the Race for US President: Not Too Late
Time is Running Out for the US
Fulfill American Assurances in Funding Ukraine Vladimir Putin is exploiting American electioneering to advance his war on Ukraine. The surge of hundreds of missiles and glide bombs per week, recently taking out power stations in major cities, including Kyiv, has been devastating. These heightened attacks are largely enabled by the lack of funding promised for … Continue reading Time is Running Out for the US
The Importance of Media Literacy
Dear Colleagues of the ASEAN Regional Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand, Congratulations on the success of your ASEAN Regional Symposium on 20 March 2024, entitled ‘Unveiling Insights into the Region’s Digital Literacy’. I want to thank you again for inviting me. I enjoyed participating in the panel discussion you organized and am delighted to provide a … Continue reading The Importance of Media Literacy
Journalism Study is as Important as Ever
A. Michael Noll April 8, 2024 © Copyright 2024 AMN [Posted with the permission of the author, A. Michael Noll. This post is a great example of the Fifth Estate, holding the press more accountable.] Contrary to the “conventional wisdom,” journalism is not dead -- the study and conduct of good journalism is as important … Continue reading Journalism Study is as Important as Ever
Kate’s Mother’s Day Photo
Stand Up to the Photo Police, Kate, it’s the Digital Age I am amazed by the flurry of social media posts about the Mother’s Day photo of the Princess of Wales and her children. When flaws or discrepancies in the photo were reported, the Princess, Kate Middleton, admitted to doing her own amateur editing of … Continue reading Kate’s Mother’s Day Photo
Are YOU the Problem? Holding Up a Mirror to our Political System
The esteemed American scholar of politics and international relations, Francis Fukuyama, wrote an engaging opinion piece in The Financial Times (2/3 March 2024: 11), entitled ‘We can still reverse America’s political decay’. He begins with a litany of issues tied to the widespread perception that liberal democracies, like the US, are declining. In fact, he … Continue reading Are YOU the Problem? Holding Up a Mirror to our Political System