Media & communications - openDemocracy (Page 143)

The Kremlin and the hackers: partners in crime?

The recent Russian parliamentary and presidential elections were notable for the wide use of cyber attacks on the websites of the liberal media, as well as opposition hackers accessing officials’ intranet email exchanges. But was this a question of large-scale collusion between the Kremlin and pro

By Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov

/ 25 Apr 2012

Murdoch and the UK culture secretary: we shouldn't be surprised, we should be angry

James Murdoch's appearance before the Leveson Inquiry has revealed the complicity between the government and the media empire in pushing for the takeover of satellite broadcaster BSkyB. Independence was thrown to the wind in the gleeful rush towards de-regulation.

By Des Freedman

/ 25 Apr 2012

The end of the Murdoch Archipelago

This week, the media mogul once unquestioningly known as 'the kingmaker' appears before the UK state inquiry into the British press - a day after his son and would-be heir. To mark this moment, we publish the new introduction to the defining account of the 113-year-old Murdoch dynasty, asking the

By Bruce Page

/ 22 Apr 2012

Is Murdoch still corrupting Parliament's Select Committee?

Is the British parliamentary investigation of the Murdoch press proceeding with collusion between the Murdochs and members of the Committee investigating their behaviour and its influence? We should be given the evidence to allow us to decide.

By Anthony Barnett

/ 19 Apr 2012

The future of journalism

In this paper, Angela Phillips paints a picture of a media sector transforming itself in innovative and exciting ways, held back by failing business models. Will the future of our journalism rely on us giving away our private data? Or will we embrace the alternative: a simple online system that wo

By Angela Phillips

/ 6 Apr 2012

Internships: OurKingdom cross-examines itself

OurKingdom uses unpaid volunteers. Are we providing opportunities and training to those that want and need them? Or are we contributing to a media culture becoming ever more elitist, as those unable to work for little or nothing are cast aside? How, in the current climate, can we improve?

By ourKingdom editors and Brendan Martin

/ 30 Mar 2012

The Judo of Clicktivism - why Europe's democratic deficit stops a European political identity from emerging

The clicktivism of very targeted campaigns, like Londoners on Bikes, Move Your Money or the Big Switch will transform our democracies. The important lesson from micro-campaigning is that identity follows political relevance, not the other way around. There are lessons here for European democracy -

By Tony Curzon Price

/ 28 Mar 2012

The Kremlin versus the bloggers: the battle for cyberspace

The Russian authorities became aware of the power of social media late, but have since been making up for lost time with a campaign of dirty tricks against the opposition’s web presence. Irina Borogan and Andrey Soldatov outline the history of the government’s strategy and assess its effectiveness

By Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov

/ 27 Mar 2012

Another way to publish

On Tuesday of this week, I published an e-pamphlet for Kindle, called Common Sense. Nothing terribly noteworthy about that. People self-publish all the time. This is the cover, by the

By Dan Hind

/ 23 Mar 2012

Why all the Assange bashing? It's no good for journalism

Julian Assange has been a remarkable source for mainstream media. So why has he been so ill-treated in return? There are many accusations levelled at him and his organisation, and whatever their bases, none of them justifies the reactions. And this hurts journalism as a whole

By Mark Lee Hunter

/ 23 Mar 2012

Barrack Hussein Obama … (1) Holds an Active Estonian Passport! (2) Covertly Dates Britney Spears! (3) Cheats at Lawn Croquet! … and Now, You Can Too!

The tide of news swill from the US presidential race becomes weirder and more pervasive as falsehoods and media stunts are passed off as truth and gain a life of their own

By Jim Gabour

/ 11 Mar 2012

The danger of inaccurate information in conflict reporting

Before we stop to think, we share. We don’t think about what it means to re-Tweet a news article. Are we claiming ownership of the information contained in it? In increasing public exposure to this information, are we taking personal responsibility for its accuracy?

By Pawel Wargan

/ 7 Mar 2012