COM/IRL 316 Media and Conflict

The course will provide a structured approach to address different media systems. It will explore the dynamics of news, politics, conflicts and freedom of the press. Focusing on ongoing, international crises of global importance, we will examine how various international media report on topics including armed conflicts and human rights abuses. We will study the dynamics governing news media environments and structures. We will try to understand why different audiences from different cultural spheres perceive the same news in very different ways. We will examine the rich arsenal of repressive tools used by authoritarian and even democratic regimes to suppress press freedom or spin news to their advantage. We will look at the ways and means by which courageous journalists try to circumvent these obstacles. We will study the disruptive effect of social media on political systems. Particular attention will be devoted to Facebook and Twitter's impact on politics.