Marta Natalia Lukacovic

Of all the insurgent groups competing to win the hearts and minds of Western populations through digital media campaigns, the Rojava Commune in Northern Syria has been one of the most successful. This group has been able to portray itself as the only legitimate and credible actor in the Syrian conflict, generate support for its cause, and draw thousands of foreign fighters and transnational volunteers from the West. We have coined the term insurgent-generated content (IGC) to describe its elaborately produced media content, sophisticated message, and skillful use of digital media, which reduces its dependence on the mainstream media. Because this genre has not received comprehensive analytical attention, our study explores the YouTube videos of the internationalist volunteers in Rojava to demonstrate the semi-journalistic qualities of IGC and illustrate the public relations aspects for the insurgent group. Our frame analysis demonstrates that these insurgents utilize a securitizatio...

The aim of the study. This article aims to advance the development of the normative dimension of securitization as strategic crisis communication theory. Securitization is a powerful persuasive tool because it builds an argument that an existential threat is looming and extraordinary measures should be employed to counter it (Buzan et al., 1998; Vultee in Balzacq, 2010; Watson, 2012). Research methods and techniques. The theorization in this article is based on an analysis exploring a set of cases of Slovakia’s counter-pandemic measures during the first two years of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Results and discussion. The case study of Slovakiais informative because the instances there reflect a broader array of problems that are experienced across various global societies; for example, a failure to introduce measures that are inclusive of the marginalized people in terms of ethno-racial discrimination or digital disparities. The analysis helps to extract a set of practical...

Objectives: A controversy has been sparked in Slovakia when in January, 2015, more than twelve-thousand military reservists sent letters to official authorities with a refusal to fight in the case of mobilization. The officials were astonished, as in past nine years they have received only 58 letters of such refusal. The influx of reservists’ letters was a result of an online campaign against Slovakia’s involvement in potential NATO military operation in Ukraine. This study demonstrates that using of micro-securitization type of frames in online campaign represents a potential for achieving a successful micro-mobilization towards a specific political behavior. Furthermore, this study shows how important information, which contributes to the understanding of the phenomenon, is revealed in the user-generated discussions in the aftermath of the controversy. Thus, analyses of the online content contribute to academic understanding of the contemporary forms of political communication. Methodology: Specifically, this study employs mixed-methods approach by combining qualitative discourse analysis and quantitative content analysis to explore the mentioned user-generated discussions. Results: The analyses performed in this study illuminated certain aspects of the case that were not discussed by Slovak analysts and pundits. In the case of Slovak reservists, an important factor that played a role is cultural congruence of the micro-securitization frames. Conclusions: Beyond just looking at the specific case, this study connects the concept of online micro-mobilization to micro-securitization. Such connection can be applicable for other cases. Furthermore, this study outlines a process of transcending a macro-security issue into a micro-security concern. Similar processes deserve further theoretical and empirical attention. Hence, this article has implications for future studies and building of communication theory. Keywords: Slovak political communication, micro-securitization, user-generated content, discourse analysis, content analysis For full text please email the author.

This study analyzes securitized discourses and counter narratives that surround the COVID-19 pandemic. Controversial cases of security related political communication, salient media enunciations, and social media reframing are explored through the theoretical lenses of securitization and cascading activation of framing in the contexts of Slovakia, Russia, and the United States. The first research question explores whether and how the frame element of moral evaluation factors into the conversations on the securitization of the pandemic. The analysis tracks the framing process through elite, media, and public levels of communication. The second research question focused on fairly controversial actors— “rogue actors” —such as individuals linked to far-leaning political factions or militias. The proliferation of digital media provides various actors with opportunities to join publicly visible conversations. The analysis demonstrates that the widely differing national contexts offer diff...

This study examines the role of traditional versus new media’s impact on citizens’ perceptions of risk within elder care. We analyzed survey data from 112 Slovak citizens regarding their social network activity and perceptions of corruption, ageism, and health disparities in the Slovak elder care system. Previous research (Lukacovic, Sellnow-Richmond, & Durechova, under contract) identified three prominent sociopolitical issues present in the Slovak medical system among Slovak UGC discourse regarding Slovak healthcare inequity: corruption, threats to dignity, and discrimination. Here, we examined the extent to which social media users perceive the prevalence and subsequent risk of experiencing health disparities within the elder care system differently than traditional media users, as well as the extent to which perceived risks of health disparities and mistreatment are stronger among women participants than men.

Emotion is theorized as profoundly related to ethics and moral decision-making, which makes it relevant for communication towards peace efforts. This experimental study examined the effects of conflict-sensitive framing in news stories and online user-generated comments (a form of UGC – user-generated content) that reflected on the events of political violence such as terrorism, as well as civil and international wars. The results showed an association of conflict-sensitive journalism (peace journalism) and negative emotions; decreasing hope and increasing anger and fear. However, the conflict-sensitive UGC showed some positive emotional effects. Empirical results provide an important context and useful evidence to enrich the normative discussions regarding peace journalism. Furthermore, this study is on the frontline of exploring conflict sensitivity in the environment of digital media and UGC. Such research is vital in specifying the potentials and limitations of conflict-sensitiv...

The radical characteristics of peace journalism position it as a model that expands the current understandings of normative media theory. Peace journalism echoes the most innovative calls of media ethicists, such as the proposition of radical media ethics. This idea asserts the necessity to expand media ethics to better fit the globalized and democratized media landscape, which is enabled by contemporary new media technologies. Essentially a global shift, among professionals as well as regular citizen-communicators, should advance towards conflict sensitivity in order to transcend the culturally violent elements of covering conflicts. Similar efforts will bring numerous challenges, however, these efforts are tremendously worthwhile with their potential to assist the creation of more peace-prone global societies.

This study extends the connections between securitization theory and the study of media framing. An experiment using news stories addressing international and transnational topics finds a broad overall effect of securitizing discourse on perceptions of threat and urgency. Addressing calls to consider the impact of images as well as language, the study also finds that image choice affects news processing and, depending on the reader’s political orientation, the effectiveness of a mediated securitizing move. Vultee, F., Lukacovic, M., & Stouffer, R. (2015). Eyes 1, brain 0: Securitization in text, image and news topic. International Communication Research Journal, 50(3-4), 111-138.

Objectives: A controversy has been sparked in Slovakia when in January, 2015, more than twelve-thousand military reservists sent letters to official authorities with a refusal to fight in the case of mobilization. The officials were astonished, as in past nine years they have received only 58 letters of such refusal. The influx of reservists’ letters was a result of an online campaign against Slovakia’s involvement in potential NATO military operation in Ukraine. This study demonstrates that using of micro-securitization type of frames in online campaign represents a potential for achieving a successful micro-mobilization towards a specific political behavior. Furthermore, this study shows how important information, which contributes to the understanding of the phenomenon, is revealed in the user-generated discussions in the aftermath of the controversy. Thus, analyses of the online content contribute to academic understanding of the contemporary forms of political communication.
Methodology: Specifically, this study employs mixed-methods approach by combining qualitative discourse analysis and quantitative content analysis to explore the mentioned user-generated discussions.
Results: The analyses performed in this study illuminated certain aspects of the case that were not discussed by Slovak analysts and pundits. In the case of Slovak reservists, an important factor that played a role is cultural congruence of the micro-securitization frames.
Conclusions: Beyond just looking at the specific case, this study connects the concept of online micro-mobilization to micro-securitization. Such connection can be applicable for other cases. Furthermore, this study outlines a process of transcending a macro-security issue into a micro-security concern. Similar processes deserve further theoretical and empirical attention. Hence, this article has implications for future studies and building of communication theory.
Keywords: Slovak political communication, micro-securitization, user-generated content, discourse analysis, content analysis
For full text please email the author.

Maureen Minielli embodied an epitome of a true scholar. She worked with tremendous devotion and integrity on her teaching, research, and service, while truly always giving the absolute
best of herself to all those aspects of the vocation. Hence, besides her mourning family, also her
colleagues and students have been experiencing a great loss by her early passing. Among
those missing her are many communication scholars from Eurasia and Eastern Europe, who
are immensely grateful for her contribution, mentorship, and friendship she had given so
readily. In this deep sorrow, the memory of Maureen’s vivacious spirit serves as a source of
inspiration to continue the work she began.
In true Mo fashion, Maureen C. Minielli was posthumously awarded full professor, and will
posthumously publish two books as the first author, showing that even death couldn’t stop
her from impacting the world.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/19409419.2019.1620976?scroll=top&needAccess=true

The radical characteristics of peace journalism position it as a model that expands the current understandings of normative media theory. Peace journalism echoes the most innovative calls of media ethicists, such as the proposition of radical media ethics. This idea asserts the necessity to expand media ethics to better fit the globalized and democratized media landscape, which is enabled by contemporary new media technologies. Essentially a global shift, among professionals as well as regular citizen-communicators, should advance towards conflict sensitivity in order to transcend the culturally violent elements of covering conflicts. Similar efforts will bring numerous challenges, however, these efforts are tremendously worthwhile with their potential to assist the creation of more peace-prone global societies.

Keywords: peace journalism, conflict sensitivity, radical media ethics

Lukacovic, M. N. (2016). Peace journalism and radical media ethics. Conflict & Communication Online , 15(2).

My colleague Keith Brown and I wrote an article for The Peace Journalist Magazine on the future of the peace journalism concept within two environments; the mass communication research and the practice of evolving and transforming the field of journalism. Our appeal is for all practitioners, researchers, and educators engaged with conflict sensitive reporting.