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!

📻 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.

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

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.

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

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:

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!

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.

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!

„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

"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!

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

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...

📣 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.

Co-supervised by myself, Vaclav Stetka @vstetka.bsky.social & Cooper Gatewood, the project will use a mixed methods approach to explore second-order effects of #disinformation associated with #Russian foreign influence operations in one of three locations: the #Baltics, #Afghanistan or #Libya.

Delighted to hear that our panel proposal with @sabinamihelj.bsky.social on "Communicating illiberalism: new approaches to the role of media in the erosion of liberal democracy" was accepted for the @icajsd.bsky.social conference in Denver! 🏔 @newsprof1.bsky.social @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social

This post has 32 million views and is just one of at least 239 posts using the video. There are multiple draft Community Notes stating Ivermectin is not a treatment for cancer. After 24 hours none has been selected to be shown. This is the system to which Facebook is moving…

A fascinating debate overlapping philosophy, political science, media literacy, psychology etc. is how much and which kind of a problem is D/Misinformation. This article pushes back against the "misinformation research is overly alarmist" thesis dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0... #philsky #polisky #psycky

Great to see this issue of the Political Communication Report out, with a contribution by myself and @sabinamihelj.bsky.social on the #illberal challenges to political communication - thanks a lot to @curdknupfer.bsky.social for bringing it all together! politicalcommunication.org/article/stet...

Has @politico.eu lost its marbles?! Viktor Orbán as a "Dreamer", alongside with fellow "dreamers" like Nigel Farage or Recep Erdoğan. They are all just visionaries, you know! #normalization #illiberalism

Now I have just read this new great book by @vstetka.bsky.social and @sabinamihelj.bsky.social! It can be recommended anyone interested in the role of media and communication in processes of democratic backsliding! And it is open access! @polcomm.bsky.social library.oapen.org/handle/20.50...

📢Our new article on pandemic #misinformation, #populism and expert #trust in Brazil, Poland, Serbia & the U.S. is out - and shows that affinity to populism & mistrust in experts are stronger predictors of misinformation beliefs than news consumption patterns. 1/2 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Georgia is going full Euromaidan, and the pro-Kremlin bloc is doing what they do best - intimidate, imprison and beat up people. Stay strong my Georgian friends, you will prevail! 🇬🇪

Moving scenes. Sound on! #Georgia

Well, Politico got it completely wrong, but so did all the polls. Largely unknown pro-Russian figure, Calin Georgescu, is set to emerge as the winner of the 1st round, in another demonstration of the power of #TikTok and podcasts for contemporary political marketing, especially for the #far-right.

It was a real pleasure having Julia over here at @lborouniversity.bsky.social - many thanks for the inspiring talk & discussion, let's do it again some time soon!

I don't recall a snow-clad campus in November ☃️ but it surely looks beautiful!

What you need to know about today's #CJEU hearing in Case C-769/22, Commission v. Hungary about violation of LGBTIQ rights; in full Court composition illustrating the significance of this case #EUlaw (see also comments @stevepeers.bsky.social below) ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

UK expected to give Ukraine Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia

Hello Blue Sky-ers! Been here just a few hours but have already seen several posts like "Oh yeah, it IS an echo chamber here, and it's a jolly good thing!" which is not quite what I am looking for; but let's see what the next days will bring.