Professor Eric Freedman 9 September 2011 freedma5@msu

1. Public Communication Contexts & CulturesIntroduction to Course and “From Samizdat to the Arab Spring” Professor Eric Freedman 9 September 2011 freedma5@msu.edu

2. Today’s Outline • Course overview • Upcoming lecture topics • Academic expectations and assignments • Research & using academic journal articles & studies • Break • Lecture: “From Samizdat to the Arab Spring”

3. The Political Power of Communications Technologies “Why should any man be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious opinions calculated to embarrass the government?” Vladimir Lenin (1920) “Print is the sharpest and the strongest weapon of our party.” Josef Stalin (1923)

4. Common Themes • Power of the media in a variety of countries and political systems. • Conflicts between those with political and economic power on one side and those with less power or no power on the other side. • Impacts of changing communication technologies and economic models. • Role of the press in bringing events to light, helping to set the public agenda for discussion and action by citizens and policymakers.

5. Goals and Expectations • Academic integrity • Respect for the class and your classmates • Critical—analytical--thinking • Intellectual and professional curiosity • Clear and precise communication • Meet deadlines

6. Lecture Topics • From Samizdat to the Arab Spring: Government controls over social and new media, Use of Information and Communication Technologies as citizen tools for political organization. • Coverage of foreign affairs: Reporting on foreign affairs from home; identifying newsworthy impacts and implications at home of distant events and controversies; finding local “ordinary” and elite sources for such stories. • The U.S. press system: Trends in media consolidation; blurring definitions of “journalists”; citizen journalism; challenges to credibility; revenue and staffing losses; entertainment versus news; changing patterns in coverage of public affairs; journalism education trends. • Media constraints in formerly Soviet Central Asia: How repressitarian regimes in former Soviet republics control and censor media content; legal/extra-legal impediments to professional practices; libel & honour-and-decency; prospects for financial sustainability of independent media; role of Western trainers/educators. Foreign coverage of Central Asian news. • Coverage of international NGOs: Reporting on the UN, other world organizations & NGOs; human rights crises & how the press covers them (for example, religious persecution of Christians in Muslim countries, suppression of political dissent in Iran, genital mutilation in Africa, ethnic persecution of Tibetans in China. • Peace journalism: Role of the press in conflict resolution; ethics and activism; covering genocide; elitism; psychological trauma of journalists.

7. Research Procedures • Select a problem • Review existing research & theory • Develop hypotheses and/or research questions • Determine methodology/research design • Collect relevant data • Analyze & interpret the results • Present the results • Replicate the study when necessary. Wimmer & Dommick

8. Academic Journal Articles, Conference Papers & Similar Research Studies I • What they are • Why they’re important • And why they’re not important

9. Academic Journal Articles, Conference Papers & Similar Research Studies I Political Contest, News Bias, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: How and Why Rival Official Sources Were Unevenly Treated in Four Major U.S. Newspapers Abstract Guided by the political contest model and concepts of indexing and cascading, this study examined how and why news bias—uneven treatment of Israeli and Palestinian official sources—occurred in four major U.S. newspapers’ coverage. Findings suggest that press access to rival official news sources, U.S. foreign policy, and the ratios of local Arab-American to Jewish-American population are strong predictors of the occurrence of news imbalance. Also the outcomes suggest that contending nations and sources should free, not impede, press access to help achieve fair and balanced treatment of their sources and viewpoints. Keywords: news treatment, official sources, media bias, Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

10. Hypothesis Assumption as a starting point for researchers trying to find data to support Example: Cigarette smoking can cause lung cancer. Example: Cigarette smoking does not cause lung cancer.

11. Research Question Subject of researchers’ inquiry without a formal assumption (hypothesis) Example: What cause-and-effect relationships exist between cigarette smoking and human health?

12. Quick Quiz Hypothesis? Barak Obama is more handsome than George W. Bush. Hypothesis? Svyturys alius tastes better than Volfas Engelman.

13. From Samizdat to the Arab Spring: Lecture Outline • Questions to ponder • Samizdat in the Soviet era • Modern regime efforts to suppress cyberdissent • Arab Spring 2011 • Implications & unresolved issues for the future

14. Glossary • Repressitarian:Both authoritarian in governance and repressive in human rights practices • Samizdat: Illegal. underground publications during Soviet times • ICT: Information and communication technology • Stakeholder: A person, group of institution affected by a decision or policy • NGO: Nongovernmental organization

15. From Samizdat to the Arab Spring: Questions to Ponder • Is grassroots-generated political change always good, and for whom? • Can communications technology be misused, and who determines that? • What happens when established power institutions themselves wield new communications technologies? • Are there important things that the “old,” “traditional” or “legacy” media do—or at least did—better than online and social media do—at least so far?

16. , Samizdat in the Soviet Era самиздат Laisves Sauklys Vytis "I myself create it,edit it,censor it,publish it,distribute it, and ...get imprisoned for it.” Vladimir Bukovsky

17. “Recent developments demonstrate how blogging and social media tools may fulfill a crucial role for non- journalists and oppositional groups that journalism serves in more democratic societies.” Bowe, Freedman & Blom, 2011

18. Theory: UNESCO Model for Digital Rights—Part 1

19. Theory: UNESCO Model for Digital Rights-Part 2

20. Reality: Prisoner of Free Expression in an Electronic World

21. Scenes from the Arab Spring

22. Reminder: Questions to Ponder • Is grassroots-generated political change always good, and for whom? • Can communications technology be misused, and who determines that? • What happens when established power institutions themselves wield new communications technologies? • Are there important things that the “old,” “traditional” or “legacy” media do—or at least did—better than online and social media do—at least so far?

23. Readings for Next WeekMAIN READING“Diplomacy and Journalism” in International Reporting: Frontlines & Deadlines (2009)SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS“Assad Legalizes Opposition Parties” (Agence France Press, 2011)“French Deal to Sell Ships to Russians Is Criticized” (New York Times, 2010)“Poland: Immigration to UK is back for good life despite economic crisis” (Guardian, 2011)