ICYMI: Congratulations to Professor Kate Wright @newsprof1.bsky.social, Co-Lead of the interdisciplinary research cluster in Media and Communications at Edinburgh Futures Institute, for winning Outstanding Monograph of the Year! 👏 Read more 👉 edin.ac/4mL8iJt

Just spotted - the order is worth reading in full #VOA @voanews.com.web.brid.gy www.axios.com/2025/09/30/t...

About Trump and VOA during Trump's first term. Which was only a hint of what would happen in Trump's second term.

Congratulations! I highly recommend the book.

Well, there's a surprise! Just won Outstanding Monograph of the Year from @meccsa.bsky.social for Capturing News, Capturing Democracy @oxfordunipress.bsky.social with @martinscott2010.bsky.social and @melbunce.bsky.social

Honoured that Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and @voanews.com.web.brid.gy was a finalist for the @aejmc.bsky.social prestigious Tankard award. @melbunce.bsky.social @martinscott2010.bsky.social and I are delighted. Our hearty congratulations to @gwynmell.bsky.social!

Thrilled to have received the "honourable mention" (runner up place) from the Journalism Studies division of #ICA2025, together with longstanding coauthors @martinscott2010.bsky.social + @melbunce.bsky.social. Our hearty congratulations to the overall winner @ruthmoon.bsky.social!

Delighted to see @newsprof1.bsky.social's article 'Beyond Emergencies? Reporting on Humanitarian Issues Around the World' out in ‪@digitaljournalism.bsky.social‬ Brilliant to see researchers experimenting with new methods! Congrats to Kate and her co-authors: edin.ac/43NShLi

JOB KLAXON - 5 year Research Fellowship for experienced postdoc working with @andrewhoskins.bsky.social on digital war @edinburghuni.bsky.social elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

A giant of a writer. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/b...

The public radio network's chief executive said in a statement that the US president's order was a 'clear violation of the Constitution.' www.ft.com/content/f7a3...

1 hour to go! Join us online for the launch of our new tool Am I Facing a SLAPP? Starting at 12pm today (BST): us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Bravo to @reuters.com. The shot that #Trump showed #Ramaphosa, claiming it was evidence of white genocide in South Africa? It was from their footage of the aftermath of a battle with M23 in DRC www.reuters.com/world/africa...

The largest ever global analysis of #humanitarian reporting. Delighted this is finally out!

Need some evidence of goodness and kindness in the world? The Quilters is a really touching, beautiful documentary about prisoners who make quilts for foster children. www.netflix.com/gb/title/820...

What do you think will happen to journalists known to have worked for @voanews.com.web.brid.gy if they are sent back to authoritarian countries? The lack of responsibility is breathtaking. Trump administration fires nearly 600 contractors at Voice of America www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

SCOOP: On Friday, the US Copyright Office released a blockbuster report on AI training. On Saturday, the USCO director was unceremoniously fired. Today, two men claiming to be Trump appointees—including a new acting USCO director—showed up at the office: www.wired.com/story/us-cop...

In huge news, the UK government was just defeated in the House of Lords for a second time over AI & copyright. The government had removed amendments to the Data Bill that would require AI companies to disclose their training data. The Lords have now reinserted them. 🧵 1/2

Would someone please explain to me why this US Bill seeks to prevent states from issuing any laws or regulations of #AI for the next 10 years? docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/...

Honoured to hear that Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: #Trump and @voanews.com.web.brid.gy has been shortlisted for an outstanding achievement award by @meccsa.bsky.social. Celebrating with coauthors @martinscott2010.bsky.social + @melbunce.bsky.social www.meccsa.org.uk/meccsa-outst...

I'll just take this moment to point out that the US Institute of Peace, just a few weeks ago, contained one of the finest concentrations of US expertise on India and Pakistan, and crisis management in South Asia.

Wait, what??? How would this not be an obvious violation of @voanews.com.web.brid.gy Charter? www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

NEW JOB: The Knight Institute (@knightcolumbia.org) is looking for a staff attorney to join us for a two-year position. It's an extremely busy time for the First Amendment, and we could use some more hands on deck! knightcolumbia.org/page/staff_a...

Over the moon to have made full PROFESSOR @edinburghpir.bsky.social !

Our new book measured partisan slant in 21 US news outlets. NPR had a 1.0 index score (perfectly balanced), compared to Fox (1.6, imbalanced for the right) and WashPost (1.4, for the left). PBS was in the center of our sample (1.2). We find US public media are less “biased” than other media.

The tenacity of @voanews.com.web.brid.gy staff in standing up for #press freedom and resisting presidental overreach is admirable. ‘Fight back’: journalist taking Trump administration to court calls for media to resist attacks www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Today is World Press Freedom Day. Press freedom is essential for democracy. It is under (economic, political) threat in many places. In fact press freedom is declining and only very few countries have high degrees of press freedom. Source: @rsf.org #WPFD #wpfd2025 #pressfreedom

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I reread it today; nothing in the law allows a president to defund PBS and NPR. In fact, Congress specifically sought to insulate public media from political pressure.

The German office for the protection of the Constitution has, after a long period of monitoring, declared the AfD a “confirmed far-right party” — a landmark decision, meaning they’ve been declared a party that acts against the German Constitution and democratic order: www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...

Trump signed an executive order today aimed at ending government funding for NPR and PBS. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

“we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses” Now 500 + signatures. www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...

Quite a ruling from a Reagan-appointed judge. Congratulations to #VOA www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

BREAKING: In a major victory for press freedom & workers’ rights, a fed. court ruled the Trump admin unlawfully shuttered USAGM—granting a preliminary injunction in our Voice of America case VOA journalists can return to work, countering authoritarian propaganda, while we continue fighting in court

Interested or worried about the radical right? Join Rita Abrahamsen & Michael C. Williams, who are visiting the Centre for Security Research and @edinburghpir.bsky.social IR Research Group to talk about their new book, World of the Right. Registration required: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-of-t...

Read this outstanding book by @rita-abrahamsen.bsky.social and colleagues in prep for a forthcoming talk @edinburghpir.bsky.social. I learned so much - can't wait to hear them speak!

Update on the public broadcasting wars: "White House Falsely Calls NPR, PBS A “Grift,” Moves To Cut Already Modest Funding In Latest Attack On Journalism And Informed Consensus."

Great piece by @victorpickard.bsky.social on the need to protect public media in the US. Tagging @publicmedia.bsky.social www.thenation.com/article/soci...

She did it! Congratulations @aybukeatalay.bsky.social on passing your viva with flying colours. Your supervisors are so proud of you!

🔥Exciting postdoc position in political communication @ascor.bsky.social starting 1 Sep! The postdoc will work w/ @lindabos.bsky.social, @thomasmmeyer.bsky.social & me on media-politics relations + framing effects in the aftermath of elections. Interested?😀Apply by 5 May⬇️ tinyurl.com/4wz3u5vn

Great briefing by @rosatkins.bsky.social on #Turkey and attacks on #media freedom www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

Pro #democracy protests still going in #Turkey after arrest of main opposition leader and 1,400 journalists, students and others. Wow! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BREAKING: Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, issues a TRO blocking Kari Lake from shutting down Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty "with one sentence of reasoning offering virtually no explanation" — "even if the President has told them to do so." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A judge just handed the embattled broadcasters at the U.S. Agency for Global Media a lifeline — by temporarily stopping the Trump admin from canceling Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Here's my full story www.cnn.com/2025/03/25/m...

#commsky #polsky Check out this judge's ruling on @rferl.org.web.brid.gy - challenges misuse of executive orders on constitutional law inc. appropriations, free speech and separation of powers thehill.com/regulation/c...

Congratulations @panievsky.bsky.social !

1/2 If any #commsky folks would like to read more about government control of media in #Turkey, here are two great pieces of scholarship to get you started. @bilgeyesil.bsky.social www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...

Incredible sights - pro-democracy protests in #Turkey

Wow. This is disturbing. #commsky and #democracy scholars take note www.politico.eu/article/musk...

#Turkey has been a competitive authoritarian state for a long time - looks like it is going for the downgrade on democratic indices. Locking up Erdogan's main political rival, the Mayor of Istanbul. #Democracy scholars - keep watching.