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.