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- The political and economic dependence of the press in Macao under Portuguese and Chinese rule: continuity and changePublication . Ribeiro, Nelson Costa; Simões, José ManuelThe article analyses the media system in Macao, a special administrative region of China that transitioned from Portuguese to Chinese sovereignty in 1999, becoming one of cities in the world with the largest number of published newspapers per capita. Combining historical research with the analysis of contemporary empirical data collected through interviews with journalists working on the ground, the research demonstrates how there is a long tradition of state control that goes back to the colonial era and that has assumed different forms, ranging from outright censorship to physical intimidation of journalists and economic dependence on the government. Limitations and control strategies imposed on news reporting during the Portuguese administration continue to be practiced today by the Chinese authorities. Even so, journalists operating on the Macao media market tend to overstate the level of freedom they are given, which can be attributed to media outlets being economically dependent on the state. Nevertheless, the level of freedom attributed to the press is today higher than it had been during the colonial period with some critical voices being allowed to reach the media. This needs to be understood in the context of what has been defined as the Chinese safety valve strategy.
- Manufacturing public perception: big lies, alternative facts, and controlled languagePublication . Ribeiro, NelsonThe chapter argues that propaganda techniques of the 20th century, such as the production of “big lies” and “alternative facts” remain central in contemporary attempts to persuade people to believe in falsehoods. Likewise, pre-propaganda, the control of language, and the rewriting of history, which Jacques Ellul and George Orwell described in their seminal works, continue to be at the forefront of contemporary propagandistic strategies. Using examples that range from the Spanish Civil War to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the chapter discusses how today’s propaganda can be understood through the lens of concepts that have shed light on how earlier regimes and leaders used propaganda to lead people to support war and authoritarian regimes. By looking into examples from the past, the chapter also discusses citizens’ agency in countering propaganda and how subversive media consumption practices can help circumvent the control imposed by dictators on people’s access to information.
- On the centrality of propagandaPublication . Zelizer, Barbie; Ribeiro, NelsonImagine a world without media, and then ask yourself: would propaganda still be possible? How would governments convey their truest, even if most malign, intentions? How would corporate executives give shape to products still unfamiliar to their consumers? How would platforms sustain public engagement? How would local municipalities keep people safe and informed in times of natural disaster or war? How would children learn?