Understanding the crisis in Yemen: What can be done? 🔊
After more than two years of civil war, famine, and cholera outbreaks, Yemen is facing what observers are calling the worst humanitarian crisis in history. How did it get to this? And what can be done? Maria Armoudian is joined by Charles Schmitz and Hamoud Salhi to...
Are we living in a post-truth era? 🔊
While many argue that we are in a post-truth era, fuelled by US President Donald Trump and the phenomenon of fake news, some scholars say that deception has always been ubiquitous. What is the truth about lying? Maria Armoudian is joined by Timothy Levine, David...
Will New Zealand TV news media inform or infotain this election?
By Sam Smith Over the last three decades, we have seen the commercialisation of news and the evolution of a fragmented multi-media environment. In light of this, urgent questions arise surrounding the New Zealand public sphere and the role of news media in our...
What is media freedom? 🔊
What is media freedom? How do you know when it’s there? What role does it play in the political landscape today? Maria Armoudian discusses media freedom with Jennifer Whitten-Woodring and Douglas A. Van Belle. They are co-authors of the book Historical Guide to World...
Will fake news affect the New Zealand election? ▶
Is that really a fact staring you in the face? Or is it fake news…an alternative fact? Is it true simply because you want it to be true? Fake news and ‘alternative facts’ invaded Northern Hemisphere politics during the U.S. presidential election and Brexit....
How does propaganda work in democratic societies? 🔊
Democracy today is dominated by election campaigns, lobbyists, media, and political commentators, all using language to influence the way the public thinks about and interprets public issues. Despite this, many believe that propaganda and manipulation aren’t...
What are the politics of climate change, energy, and disasters? ▶
With unprecedented global warming, wealth disparities and peak everything, there is no question that we need to act now to meet the power, heating and transportation needs of growing populations, and to do so sustainably, equitably and democratically. What are the...
I, Donald? A classic view of Trump
By Marcus Wilson Marcus Wilson compares the characters of Donald Trump and the Emperor Claudius. How Suetonius would have loved Mr. Trump! As biographer of the Roman emperors, Suetonius had a sharp eye for the matching and mismatching of personal character with the...
Abusing power? The cartoonist in a post-truth world ▶
Image is all-important in politics, and image-making especially so. Politicians are supposed to create their own images, yet very often exploit negative and derogatory imagery in order to get noticed. Hitler deliberately borrowed Charlie Chaplin’s moustache, Margaret...Subscribe by Email
Completely spam free, opt out any time.
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
