Books by Emma L Briant
Bloomsbury
Propaganda Machine will tell the untold story of Cambridge Analytica (CA) examining the origins, ... more Propaganda Machine will tell the untold story of Cambridge Analytica (CA) examining the origins, rise and continuing threat of a new breed of influence firm who brought dirty tricks and propaganda into a digital age. It will examine CA’s and rise and the development of a network of companies working in military, political and commercial campaigns, how growth of access to social media data opened the door to big data harvesting, analytics, psychographics, and the techniques of surveillant advertising for an expanding digital influence industry. This book will explain the global expansion of a model of data-driven and defense derived propaganda methods which ultimately enabled a uniquely contemporary media crisis during the Brexit and Trump campaigns and around the world.
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Current book project - Summary:
In this book we document how over several decades a failure by Th... more Current book project - Summary:
In this book we document how over several decades a failure by The Democratic Party to fully deliver policies that would halt rising economic inequality, was reinforced by a growing inability to communicate these policies among key communities. Within a context of mainstream media bias and Republican communicative strength, we show how this allowed the rising perception of Democrats' 'distance' from working class America. In 2016 Donald Trump exploited this skilfully using right-wing populism to seize the presidency and expose a divided America. We illustrate the major communication failures that led to The Democrats' catastrophic loss in 2016, failures that must be addressed if they are to build a unifying identity and effectively communicate progressive economic policies to the working class and middle class American voters that most benefit from them. Democrats need to close the gap with their formidable Republican opponents - to aid this we propose a powerful new communication strategy that will enable them to secure dominance over the GOP and deliver a truly progressive outcome in 2020.
Brief Methodology:
Analysis of key areas of debate during the elections from 2000 until 2016 using content analysis; Audience research; Interviews from the 2016 Democratic campaign including with leading politicians, campaign officials and grassroots activists.
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This book offers a unique account of British and United States government's attempts to adapt the... more This book offers a unique account of British and United States government's attempts to adapt their propaganda strategies to global terrorist threats in a post-9/11 media environment. It discusses Anglo-American coordination and domestic struggles that brought in far-reaching changes to propaganda. These changes had implications for the structures of legitimacy yet occurred largely in isolation from public debate and raise questions regarding their governance. The author argues that independent and public reexamination of continuing strategy development is essential for government accountability and the formation of systems and policies that both respect citizens and build constructive foreign relations. The book's themes will appeal to a wide readership including scholars and professionals. It draws on illuminating interviews with high-profile British/US sources including journalists, PR professionals and key foreign policy, defence and intelligence personnel.
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Academic Articles by Emma L Briant
Index on Censorship, 2024
Pre-publication Draft Version
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Politics, 2020
The period of growing tensions between the US and Russia (2013-2019) saw mutual accusations of di... more The period of growing tensions between the US and Russia (2013-2019) saw mutual accusations of digital interference, disinformation, fake news, and propaganda, particularly following the Ukraine crisis and the 2016 US presidential election. This paper asks how the US and Russia represent each other's and their own propaganda, its threat and power over audiences. We examine these representations in US and Russian policy documents and online articles from public diplomacy media Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and RT. The way propaganda is framed, (de)legitimized and securitized has crucial implications for public understanding of crises, policy responses, and future diplomacy. We demonstrate how propaganda threats have become a major part of the discourse about the US-Russia relationship in recent years, prioritizing state-centered responses and disempowering audiences.
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Critical Sociology, 2018
This article presents qualitative research examining adaptation to global asymmetric threats and ... more This article presents qualitative research examining adaptation to global asymmetric threats and a modern media environment of US Government propaganda systems by planners following 9-11, which proceeded largely unhindered by public debate. It draws on interviews with US elite sources including foreign policy, defense and intelligence personnel and documentary sources to explore how dissent was contained. A ‘merging’ of Psychological Operations and Public Affairs has been identified as a point of concern elsewhere and is argued to have facilitated the extension of US hegemony. It will present an account of the struggles between 2005 and 2009 when planners sought to alter ‘foreign’ and ‘domestic’ audience targeting norms that emerged in an old-media system of sovereign states with more stable populations. It focuses on a key example of transformation: the pressing through of internet policy changes for military Psychological Operations and Public Affairs, against resistance. Policies were brought in to coordinate and overcome discordance in foreign-domestic messaging by Psychological Operations and Information Operations personnel. Viewed as operational necessity for Psychological Operations, these resulted in a ‘terf war’ with Public Affairs who constructed a defense using discourses of legitimacy and credibility with domestic audiences. This article will show how concerns raised by Public Affairs were met by the reduction of their planning role, until a culture change and new orthodoxy emerged. Challenges raised by evolving media demand a reappraisal of propaganda governance and governments must allow greater transparency for public debate, legal judgement and independent academic enquiry to occur.
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Media Education Journal, 2016
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International Journal of Press and Politics, 2015
This article discusses changes to what were seen by government planners as “outdated”British and ... more This article discusses changes to what were seen by government planners as “outdated”British and American propaganda systems following 9/11 and the Iraq War.It presents qualitative research examining how government propaganda strategies responded to global asymmetric threats in a post-9/11 media environment. The article draws on both documentary evidence and the accounts of elite sources from Britain and the United States including Public Relations professionals, journalists,and foreign policy, defense, and intelligence personnel. Recently, the intelligence contractor Edward Snowden revealed the extent to which the speed of adaptation in surveillance practices has left policy and oversight behind, raising concern over ethics, privacy, and transparency. The article will explore an adaptation of propaganda systems that also occurred unhindered by public debate. It will show how U.S. and U.K. Governments believed existing propaganda systems were not responding to the information environment and discusses legal, structural, and cultural issues in propaganda practices, post-9/11. Planners assisted in gradually changing structures and cultures of propaganda in both countries for reasons of operational effectiveness.The Anglo-American relationship will be highlighted as one tool capable of overcoming obstacles or restrictions in propaganda for purposes of counter-terrorism. Interviews indicated that this was enabled by the countries’ different capabilities and weak legislative restrictions, which some highlighted as advantageous to planning. The article will consider the resilience of U.S./U.K. restrictions and governance of propaganda,highlighting areas for concern.
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Race and Class, 2013
An article based on excerpts from a chapter in the book, Bad News for
Refugees by the Glasgow Me... more An article based on excerpts from a chapter in the book, Bad News for
Refugees by the Glasgow Media Group. It examines, in a detailed content analysis
of sixty-nine articles in UK national papers in June 2011, how the rightwing press
helped set the political agenda on immigration through a consistent conflation of
issues of economic and forced migration, an emphasis on numbers as a threat, the
pointing to migrants as an economic burden and potential criminals and a stress
on the need for immigration controls.
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Disability and Society, 2013
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Book Chapters by Emma L Briant
The Oxford Handbook of Digital Diplomacy, 2024
Since 2016’s UK Brexit referendum and US presidential election, concern about influence operation... more Since 2016’s UK Brexit referendum and US presidential election, concern about influence operations has dominated media coverage, scholarship, and policy debates. Social media platforms enabled a Wild West where disinformation (deliberately false or ‘black’ propaganda) can be distributed with algorithmic precision to influence minds and behaviours. This chapter’s contribution is in defining a ‘digital influence industry’ concept, distinguishing it from similar actors, and analysing its role and its importance for understanding influence operations and, within it, propaganda and ‘disinformation’. The author advocates for renewed focus on studying influence actors and industries to understand more deeply their distinct roles in shaping ideas, emotions, and behaviours for governments, politicians, and other actors. The chapter argues this is essential to understanding and addressing misleading campaigns within a democracy in a way that ensures accountability and protects free speech and citizens’ rights.
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Routledge Companion to Freedom of Expression, 2024
Recent years have seen states increasingly using the internet to engage in espionage or leverage ... more Recent years have seen states increasingly using the internet to engage in espionage or leverage influence over their own populations and other states. Russia has expanded use of cyber-enabled influence operations (IO) following its 2022 assault on Ukraine, a country which has been “one of the biggest victims of offensive cyber operations in the post-Cold War era” (Burton, 2019: 117). This chapter will discuss the implications of cyber-enabled IO for freedom of expression, a concept neglected in debates about cyber (Burton, 2019) but vital to Propaganda Studies and journalism. The chapter will consider questions of publication, distribution and impacts of cyber-enabled political warfare as well as government responses. It argues that centralizing cyber as a freedom of expression issue is imperative, as cyber intimidation is used by an adversary to silence and create distrust in civil society voices deemed undesirable, allowing conspiracy theories to spread. At the state level, cyber-enabled attacks aiming to drive such conspiracy theories may seek to exploit government reactions that extend secrecy and roll-back citizen rights, to fuel further distrust and hacks. The chapter argues government transparency and strong journalism are key to breaking this spiral of what it calls ‘secrecy hacking,’ suppression and conspiracy propaganda.
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SAGE Handbook of Propaganda, 2019
DRAFT OF
Briant, E L (2019) ‘LeaveEU: Dark Money, Dark Ads and Data Crimes’, in Baines, P; Snow,... more DRAFT OF
Briant, E L (2019) ‘LeaveEU: Dark Money, Dark Ads and Data Crimes’, in Baines, P; Snow, N & O’Shaughnessy, N. SAGE Handbook of Propaganda, London: Sage
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-propaganda/book262889
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Countering Online Propaganda and Violent Extremism: The Dark Side of Digital Diplomacy, 2018
While leaking isn't new, the scale of recent data releases and new methods deployed by political ... more While leaking isn't new, the scale of recent data releases and new methods deployed by political actors to influence public opinion transform the process. State and non-state actors controlling the flow of information (from politicians and governments, to those seeking to undermine them, such as whistleblowers) have long used leaks strategically to shape public opinion, decision-making and the distribution of power itself. Increasingly leaks are used within a networked propaganda strategy to offer pressures and opportunities unique to our globalised digital age. Powerful, competing elites, and those seeking to disrupt or question their power, both combine leaking with emerging advanced methodologies in hacking, (counter-)surveillance and propaganda, meaning these cannot be understood in isolation in today's information environment. This chapter introduces readers to scholarly and popular debates regarding strategic leaking, propaganda and journalistic reporting. We focus on political, governmental and whistleblowing disclosures affecting the US, analysing how key actors attempt to manage and exploit leaks in the case studies of the 2016 US presidential election and the 'Panama Papers'. We aim to generate discussion about the role of leaks in shaping public perceptions within democracies, ultimately questioning how such disclosures are used by whom and why.
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in Berry, D (2017) Cultural Politics in the Age of Austerity, London: Routledge [DRAFT ATTACHED], 2017
Book Edited by David Berry
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in Tumber, Howard & Waisbord, Silvio Routledge Companion to Media and Human Rights, London: Routledge, 2017
This chapter will introduce readers to key research and debates in the area of media, surveillanc... more This chapter will introduce readers to key research and debates in the area of media, surveillance and human rights, focusing on democracies during a period when online information sharing is increasingly necessary to participate fully in society. Increased transparency has been accompanied by a considerable extension of the public and private infrastructure available to governments for surveillance, with the stated intention of protecting our liberties, security and rights during a period of global conflict. This chapter will discuss the implications for citizens, journalists and NGOs, including privacy, as some argue the nature and reach of mass surveillance threatens the liberties it is claimed to protect. It will explore surveillance and propaganda in the digital era, including the dynamics, and increasing interdependence, between the state and corporate power. The chapter argues debates must be widened to include more focus on the uses of surveillance including its relation to propaganda. Research must strengthen understanding of the effects of surveillance systems on public debate and free speech, and examine how responses could build greater resilience and resistance for activists, journalists and especially vulnerable communities.
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in (2007) NATO Teaching Series: Media a Terrorist’s Battlefield: IOS Press., 2007
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Reports by Emma L Briant
Medium, 2021
Comments/opinion submitted to the Home Office in response to the Consultation July 2021, slightly... more Comments/opinion submitted to the Home Office in response to the Consultation July 2021, slightly edited for publication.
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Published by Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Inquiry into Fake News: UK Parlia... more Published by Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Inquiry into Fake News: UK Parliament.
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Uploads
Books by Emma L Briant
In this book we document how over several decades a failure by The Democratic Party to fully deliver policies that would halt rising economic inequality, was reinforced by a growing inability to communicate these policies among key communities. Within a context of mainstream media bias and Republican communicative strength, we show how this allowed the rising perception of Democrats' 'distance' from working class America. In 2016 Donald Trump exploited this skilfully using right-wing populism to seize the presidency and expose a divided America. We illustrate the major communication failures that led to The Democrats' catastrophic loss in 2016, failures that must be addressed if they are to build a unifying identity and effectively communicate progressive economic policies to the working class and middle class American voters that most benefit from them. Democrats need to close the gap with their formidable Republican opponents - to aid this we propose a powerful new communication strategy that will enable them to secure dominance over the GOP and deliver a truly progressive outcome in 2020.
Brief Methodology:
Analysis of key areas of debate during the elections from 2000 until 2016 using content analysis; Audience research; Interviews from the 2016 Democratic campaign including with leading politicians, campaign officials and grassroots activists.
Academic Articles by Emma L Briant
Refugees by the Glasgow Media Group. It examines, in a detailed content analysis
of sixty-nine articles in UK national papers in June 2011, how the rightwing press
helped set the political agenda on immigration through a consistent conflation of
issues of economic and forced migration, an emphasis on numbers as a threat, the
pointing to migrants as an economic burden and potential criminals and a stress
on the need for immigration controls.
Book Chapters by Emma L Briant
Briant, E L (2019) ‘LeaveEU: Dark Money, Dark Ads and Data Crimes’, in Baines, P; Snow, N & O’Shaughnessy, N. SAGE Handbook of Propaganda, London: Sage
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-propaganda/book262889
Reports by Emma L Briant
In this book we document how over several decades a failure by The Democratic Party to fully deliver policies that would halt rising economic inequality, was reinforced by a growing inability to communicate these policies among key communities. Within a context of mainstream media bias and Republican communicative strength, we show how this allowed the rising perception of Democrats' 'distance' from working class America. In 2016 Donald Trump exploited this skilfully using right-wing populism to seize the presidency and expose a divided America. We illustrate the major communication failures that led to The Democrats' catastrophic loss in 2016, failures that must be addressed if they are to build a unifying identity and effectively communicate progressive economic policies to the working class and middle class American voters that most benefit from them. Democrats need to close the gap with their formidable Republican opponents - to aid this we propose a powerful new communication strategy that will enable them to secure dominance over the GOP and deliver a truly progressive outcome in 2020.
Brief Methodology:
Analysis of key areas of debate during the elections from 2000 until 2016 using content analysis; Audience research; Interviews from the 2016 Democratic campaign including with leading politicians, campaign officials and grassroots activists.
Refugees by the Glasgow Media Group. It examines, in a detailed content analysis
of sixty-nine articles in UK national papers in June 2011, how the rightwing press
helped set the political agenda on immigration through a consistent conflation of
issues of economic and forced migration, an emphasis on numbers as a threat, the
pointing to migrants as an economic burden and potential criminals and a stress
on the need for immigration controls.
Briant, E L (2019) ‘LeaveEU: Dark Money, Dark Ads and Data Crimes’, in Baines, P; Snow, N & O’Shaughnessy, N. SAGE Handbook of Propaganda, London: Sage
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-propaganda/book262889
Check the link attached for the article
https://www.thesociologicalreview.com/blog/beacons-of-hope-and-hate-from-the-us-election-people-powers-capacity-to-trump-injustice.html
I'm interviewed by Helen Zaltzman in this fab new podcast for the Allusionist about the language of #migration and #refugees :
"Recognizing someone's humanity is crucial. Calling someone a migrant, calling someone an asylum seeker, calling them a refugee: these are official categories. But in many ways, depending on how they use them, they can change and become more negative."
http://www.theallusionist.org/migration