NEVER MIND THE BUZZWORDS: DEFINING FAKE NEWSAND POST-TRUTH

Author(s): Chelsea McManus,Celeste Michaud / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The previous Route has shown that the relationship between post-truth, populism, and fake news is often described in overly simplistic terms. Simply proclaiming that we are now living in an era of fake news and post-truth politics does not actually help us to understand these phenomena. This Route will trace the development of these concepts, tease out what is unique about the way they are currently being used, and identify what is at stake in the different definitions.

WHEN DISHONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY. REALLY?

Author(s): Mitchell Ilbury / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

‘How can you tell when a politician is lying?’ the joke goes, ‘because his lips are moving.’ We may roll our eyes when we hear it, partly because it is not that funny, but also because we are well aware of the fact that leaders lie. Sometimes, however, leaders should lie, as it can be an important tool of statecraft. Honesty can compromise military planning, and in the international system, diplomatic relations between states may require a well-placed lie to gain strategic advantage, or prevent another actor from doing so. In such circumstances, not only is it justifiable, but leaders may even have an obligation to lie. While the potential for abuse means lying should remain a controversial and scrutinised aspect of leadership, it is important to acknowledge that it sometimes functions as a necessary feature of government.

COUNTERING FAKE NEWS

Author(s): Siri Strand,Jente Althuis / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The increased presence of fake news is seen to pose a challenge to our democratic society. Consequently, we are seeking to identify, understand, and overhaul the vulnerabilities of the media environment in order to limit the phenomenon and consequences of fake news. This Route evaluates the tools, existing knowledge, and ongoing research useful for countering fake news. It provides an overview of existing initiatives by governmental organisations, media outlets, and civil society, and discusses the challenges and dilemmas each actor faces. Furthermore, it assesses the knowns and unknowns of the impact of fake news and those of countering initiatives. Based on this assessment, it identifies the primary gaps in our knowledge regarding how to respond to fake news, as well as the potential of technological innovation and future research directions to close these gaps. In conclusion, it finds that our largest challenge might not merely be the establishment of efficient counter-mechanisms to fake news, but rather how to implement these without undermining institutions and processes that are vital to our democratic system.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

RUSSIA’S COMPATRIOT POLICY IN THE NORDICBALTIC REGION

Author(s): Ieva Bērziņa / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The overview of Russia’s grand strategy in relation to the NB8 region (Chapter 1) identified the ‘compatriot policy’ as one tool for achieving its political and military goals in the international arena. Russia, as the legal successor of the Soviet Union, claimed responsibility for compatriots of the former Soviet Union (not only ethnic Russians), many of whom became citizens (or non-citizens)64 of countries that regained their independence or were established as sovereign states after the collapse of the Soviet Union. These specific historical circumstances created a situation in which a large number of people that Russia considers compatriots reside outside its territorial borders. From the Kremlin’s perspective this gives it the moral and legal grounds to intervene in the internal matters of other sovereign states when justified by the need to protect and defend the rights of Russia’s (ex-Soviet) compatriots. Among the reasons given to justify the five day war with Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of the Crimea in 2014 was the need to protect compatriots, thus setting a precedent for Russia’s violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its neighbouring states on the principle of defending compatriots. This chapter provides some insight into how Russia is using its compatriot policy as a tool of influence in the NB8 region, with an outline of the Russian perspective regarding the protection of compatriots. We assess the possibility of using the compatriot policy as a justification for sovereignty violations in the NB8 region, as was done in Georgia and the Crimea. We used a comparative over- view of the compatriots’ main activities in 2016 to answer the research questions. The main conclusion is that due to their ethnic structure, the Baltic States, and Estonia and Latvia in particular, are most vulnerable to the application of narrative of a violation of compatriots’ rights. However, the mere existence of the narrative is not itself an indication of hostile action, because the protection of compatriots’ rights is a means rather than an end. Another conclusion is that Russia consolidates compatriots’ activities in different countries and uses this as a concerted channel for the global promotion of Russia’s worldview. In other words, over time Russia’s compatriot policy has exceeded the ‘Near Abroad’ (a specific term used in Russia’s political language to signify countries that once formed the Soviet Union, where Russia claims to have special interests). For the NB8 region, this means that some of the issues salient in the Baltic States for over two decades have gradually spread to other countries as well.

INTRODUCTION

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The project ‘Russia’s (Dis)Information Activities Against the Nordic-Baltic Region’ was initiated in 2016 as a reaction to the intensification of Russia’s influence activities against the West on the backdrop of the information campaign against Ukraine and the conflict in the southeast Ukraine. Previous studies conducted by the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (NATO StratCom COE) led to conclusion that Russia is employing a multi-level and multi-direction system of influence to advance its political and military goals. However these studies did not provide in-depth answers about the origins of the various information flows, their actual goals, and their ultimate effect on the social and political processes in Western countries. As pointed out by prominent British journalist Edward Lucas: ‘Even in the narrow question of the effectiveness of Russia’s overtly published propaganda, we have limited information about who consumes it, in what quantity, when, where and why. So before getting too excited about the lies and hatred spewed out by, say, Sputnik or RT, we need to know where it is landing. The answers may vary sharply by country, and across the demographic and social spectrums. But finding them requires quantitative and qualitative research.

NARRATIVES ABOUT THE NORDIC-BALTIC COUNTRIES PROMOTED BY RUSSIA

Author(s): Diana Kaljula,Ivo Juurvee / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Since the Ukrainian conflict in 2014 and Russia’s interference in the Brexit referendum in 2016 and elections in the United States, France, and Germany in 2017, the Western public has begun to accept the possibility that the Russian Federation is actively and aggressively interfering with sovereign countries via the information environment. One of the aims of the project ‘Russia’s (Dis)Information Activities Against the Nordic-Baltic Region’ was to collect systematic information about the main narratives, themes, and messages that Russia employs regarding Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.

RUSSIA’S NARRATIVES AND PUBLIC OPINION IN THE BALTIC STATES, FINLAND, AND SWEDEN

Author(s): Ieva Bērziņa / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The study of Russian narratives regarding the NB8 countries identified the most common ‘outgoing’ narratives used in 2016. However, mere content analysis is not a sufficient metric to assess Russia’s influence in the information environment, because media is just an instrument for reaching the ultimate target—the cognitive dimension of the communities that reside in the NB8 countries. Therefore the final ingredient in this study of Russia’s activities in the information environment of the NB8 region for the period 2016–2017 was a comparative public opinion survey that aimed to discover to what extent the narratives promoted by Russia correspond with the views of the societies in the region. It should be emphasized that measuring Russia’s influence in information environment is a complicated task. Four issues limit the possibility of arriving at comprehensive and unambiguous answers by means of a limited quantitative survey: 1) there are no strict divisions between the narratives promoted by Russia and the views of opinion leaders and societies outside Russia—they may coincide without any specific connection to Russia; 2) without qualitative research methods it is impossible to know how the respondents understand such concepts as ‘neo-Nazism’, ‘threat’, ‘destabilization’, etc., and if their understanding differs from the interpretation assumed in the Russian narratives; 3) without additional research it is also impossible to draw any conclusions about the factors influencing of the opinions of respondents, therefore coincidence in views can not necessarily be interpreted as due to Russia’s influence or, indeed, as the absence of it; 4) additional research is necessary to determine how Russia seeks to match its narratives to the attitudes present in the NB8 societies to advance its strategic goals, and, indeed, if this is possible. Nevertheless, an initial attempt was made to measure the spread of the narratives promoted by Russia in the NB8 region in terms of public agreement or disagreement with the ideas that are in line with the content produced by Russian state-funded media and Russia’s strategic goals. Although the survey data should primarily be taken as a basis for further research, the results provide a valuable comparative perspective on public opinion in the NB8 region and the extent of the use of the three Russian state funded media outlets surveyed. The data obtained in this pilot study supports a more sceptical view regarding Russia’s informational influence on Western societies as expressed by prominent Russian expert M. Galeotti: ‘Too much is often made of the alleged influence of the English-language Sputnik news agency and RT television channel, or even of the online trolling and disinformation campaign. Evidence that they actually changed minds—rather than just pandered to existing prejudices—is still lacking.

VULNERABILITIES AND MEDIA COVERAGE

Author(s): Ion Bunduchi / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Moldova is facing a profound crisis. Although media institutions have, to some extent, been fulfilling their watchdog role, the country is vulnerable and freedom of the press is uncertain at best. The most influential media outlets, especially the television stations, are politically affiliated and often the personal property of politicians and influential businessmen. These media institutions exert significant influence on the public agenda, often determining which subjects are put forward according to their private interests, with no connection to the real needs of Moldovan citizens and society. The representation of issues that concern the public interest has narrowed considerably, while the representation of private, political, and/or economic interests takes centre stage. This makes it possible for politically, ideologically, or economically powerhungry stakeholders to manipulate public opinion. However, the media are not the only actors revealing social problems. The adversaries of democratic development are also ready to exploit existing vulnerabilities. This chapter focuses on the issues of corruption, weak state structures, national politics, and the regions of Transnistria and Gagauzia. Poverty and a lack of security also largely stem from these issues.

HOSTILE NARRATIVES AND PROPAGANDA

Author(s): Igor Munteanu / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This chapter describes four Kremlin narratives that are hostile to Moldovan sovereignty, namely ’Russkii Mir and Soviet Nostalgia’, ‘Federalization Will Ensure Equality’, ‘The European Union is Bad, Russia’s Customs Union is What You Need’, and ‘Romania and NATO are a Threat to Peace’. These narratives overlap and are often contradictory and contain lies. Still, they share some basic principles—they leverage Moldovan vulnerabilities, touch the emotions of different local audiences, and attempt to develop mistrust toward modern Western countries and Trans-Atlantic values and relationships.

WHO CONTROLS THE MEDIA AND PEOPLE’S MEDIA CONSUMPTION?

Author(s): Nadine Gogu / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This chapter describes who or what controls the media and media consumption. The analysis emphasizes the importance of the power to control what Moldovans read, see, hear, and experience. Russian media is seen as more trustworthy then Moldovan media. The fact that much of the media is linked to the local political and business elite, most often to Vladimir Plahotniuc, but also to Chiril Luchinschi, Vlad Filat, Vadim Ciubara, Victor Țopa, Dan Lozovan, Dumitru Țîra, and Ilan Shor among others, does not help the situation. Television is still seen as relatively reliable, as it is the third most trusted source of socio-political information.

THE MAIN INFLUENCERS OF PUBLIC OPINION

Author(s): Marian Cepoi / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This chapter attempts to identify and characterize the main Moldovan opinion leaders, and link them to the political currents promoted by the main mass media channels. We classify the opinion leaders according to their political preferences, affiliations, and external orientation, supplemented by other personal history. A subjective look is taken at their lives and work experience, ideas they have promoted in the past, links with important people and organization, their interests, and other elements that can help to explain their actions in the public sphere. The chapter focuses separately on four groups: pro-government media and opinion leaders, non-Plahotniuc media and opinion leaders, promoters of Kremlin narratives, and emerging opinion leaders. According to our study, some of the most influential opinionmakers were Corneliu Ciurea, Serghei Ostaf, Veaceslav Ionita, Victor Gurau, and Alexandru Cauia, all of whom are linked to pro-Plahotniuc media and platforms.

INTRODUCTION

Author(s): Žaneta Ozoliņa / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The study “StratCom laughs. In search of an analytical framework“ is a multidisciplinary effort to design an analytical framework for analysing humour in scenarios where researchers and practitioners find themselves working through large data collections where humour has been used as a potent tool in the construction of messages designed for strategic communication. The research was conducted in four stages.

HUMOUR AS A COMMUNICATION TOOL: DESIGNING FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS

Author(s): Ivars Austers,Jurģis Škilters,Žaneta Ozoliņa / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Since Russia’s occupation of Crimea and its engagement in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, the issue of winning people’s ‘hearts and minds’ has become one of the dominating themes in the social sciences and the general public sphere. Geopolitical and political confrontation between states and societies based on different values and principles is also reflected in the strategies and policies that governments of such countries are applying in order to win the hearts and minds of both their own citizens and the citizens of other countries. Consequently, there is no shortage of studies debating and challenging the concepts of information warfare, hybrid warfare, propaganda or soft power.

TOOL KIT – HUMOUR AS A TOOL FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

BODRIJAR I RAT KOJI SE NIJE DOGODIO

Author(s): Christopher Norris / Language(s): Serbian Publication Year: 0

Koliko mislilac može da pogreši a da još uvek polaže pravo da ga tretiramo sa dužnom pažnjom? Da bi se to proverilo, koristan je slučaj Žana Bodrijara (Jean Baudrillard), kultne figure današnje postmoderne scene, ličnosti koja je iznela neke od najluđih ideja koje su se do sada mogle čuti među kreatorima francuske intelektualne mode.

O potrzebie tabu w sztuce nowych mediów. Od rytuału przejścia do ustanawiania agendy

Author(s): Anna Maj / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

The paper aims at tackling the problem which manifests itself intensely in new media art, interactive art, and bioart in particular; precisely, as artists challenge various barriers and limits affecting social, spiritual, and bodily life of the contemporary human being, the recipient‑interactor, paradoxically, tends to long for taboo, sacrum, and beauty. Consequently, diverse strategies and activities undertaken by the cultural institutions – on the example of Ars Electronica festival in Linz – are analysed. Following this, the paper poses a hypothesis that what is in fact tabooed is the role of the organisation introducing new media trends and holding events concerning them; Ars Electronica is not only an institution oriented at research, and cultural and artistic practices, but also one which serves educational, entertaining, and business purposes. In fact, it is a gatekeeper transmitting messages, a stimulant to investigations and artistic activities, and a trendsetter cultivating pro‑technological attitudes and mass fashions, such as: participating in social media, cyberactivism, accepting technological extensions of the body and genetic modifications. The paper ponders upon the possibility of applying the agenda‑setting theory to the institutions which operate on the intersection of art, science, education, industry, and promotion of new technologies. The analysis proposed – concerning cultural taboo – is also broadly related to the issues of the anthropological perspective and understanding taboos in oral cultures, since it is a taboo which provides a significant context for contemporary cyberculture; a taboo, after all, is perceived as secondary orality, to use Walter J. Ong’s term.

Podróż (i podróżowanie) oczyma blogerów. Refleksje nie tylko lingwistyczne

Author(s): Ewa Ficek / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

The author of the article conducts preliminary characteristic of selected Polish travel blogs. The aim of the analysis (characterized by a logocentric slant – though not entirely), conducted under the pretext of commenting on travel journals, has been, among others, to provide answers to questions regarding: the profiles and intent of the bloggers; the ways of shaping their travel narratives and references to establisher practices within the genre (an account of the travels and other forms of blog messages, concretization and enrichment of the message, the importance of description, etc.); the images of travel and traveling on blogs. Such a targeted analysis has allowed to note two things: first, an evolution of academic reflection regarding the heterogenous characteristic of the internet space; and second – a change within the blogosphere itself, which seems to become more structured and rigid, even though the blog (as an object permanently connected with the processes of transgression, journey or migration between genres, styles and discourses) has yet to be unambiguously defined.

O podróżowaniu i kibicowaniu przed telewizorem, czyli kolarska podróż przez Europę

Author(s): Beata Grochala / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

The article touches upon the issue of sports commentary during the TV broadcast of the cycling competition Tour de France. The author focuses on those elements of the commentary which are directly related to traveling, i.e. the descriptions of landscape, landmarks, nature, which comprise a significant portion of the commentary. The commentators, then, combine sports commentary with an account of traveling across France, which, in turn, creates an uncommon, individualized broadcast, while the Tour de France commentary cannot be called a straightforward sports commentary.

Podróżowanie na małym ekranie: od telewizyjnego magazynu podróżniczego do reality show

Author(s): Ewa Szkudlarek-Śmiechowicz / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

The author, on the basis of various TV programs concerned with travel, describes the changes occurring in contemporary television. Among the most important ones the author enumerates: the domination of the ludic function and constant updates in the means of influencing the audience, achieved through the mixing of genres, topics and aims of communication. The commercial aspect of travel in the discussed TV programs remains twofold. On the one hand, it is concerned with the medium itself: the images of traveling render the program more attractive to the viewer, while at the same time, the presented places, people and cultures become an attractive tourist product in their own right. Television, as one of the most important forms of mass media, shapes the contemporary popular culture, whose influences can be seen even in the most common and commercialized form of travel, i.e. tourism (see also expressions such as “visual consumption of places,” “tourist spectacle”). The most recent television programs which use travel (tourism) as their basic premise, such as „Holiday Diaries” (a quasi‑documentary telenovela) or „Asia Express” (a reality show) exemplify both the recent changes in contemporary television (genre, functional, thematic hybrids) as well as the more far‑reaching developments which encompass the social and cultural sphere.