The article demonstrates how Portugal lacked a true policy of imperial broadcasting which led it ... more The article demonstrates how Portugal lacked a true policy of imperial broadcasting which led it to become dependent on colonial stations for the dissemination of colonialism. The broadcasters established in the Portuguese Empire dedicated significant airtime to the dissemination of Portugal’s colonial mission but also promoted local identities with programming echoing the lifestyle of the colonial elites. Thus, the article argues that while the Portuguese authorities considered the cultural expressions and identities of the white residents in Africa as peripheral, these perceived themselves as part of a new devolved center. This ‘peripheral centre’ gained particular ‘visibility’ on the airwaves.
The article analyses the media system in Macao, a special administrative region of China that tra... more The 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.
One of the most challenging endeavors for scholars associated with the related fields of communic... more One of the most challenging endeavors for scholars associated with the related fields of communication and media studies is staying abreast of phenomena that are changing more quickly than they can be analyzed. Today’s volatile political environment, as it takes shape in multiple locations around the world, pushes the limits of what can be established reliably and productively as scholarly intervention. Evidence abounds. Formerly stable democracies embrace strategies and tactics long thought to be allied with authoritarian regimes, while formerly marginalized populations take front stage to articulate long-suppressed experiences of abuse and repression. Formerly reliable institutions conduct themselves in an increasingly erratic and capricious fashion, at the same time as formerly hidden concerns now foster the powerful formation of new centers and sources of public sentiment. Such evidence more than attests to the pressing need for scholars to recognize that “formerly” is the new now. Its recognition cannot come a moment too soon. Having hidden for too long behind mechanisms that repeatedly earn academic scholarship the labels of outdat- edness, isolation, inscrutability and a sense of general remove, we need to develop additional ways to address the stridencies of the moment. For a field that hinges much of its scholarly identity on the analysis of current issues, problems, events and personalities, this is a necessary beginning for jumpstarting our relevance as a field.
Portugal became the centre of an entangled airwaves ensemble during the Cold War. In order to dem... more Portugal became the centre of an entangled airwaves ensemble during the Cold War. In order to demonstrate this, the article develops along two lines. First, it details how the Portuguese dictatorship, with ideological connections to fascism, allowed the construction in its territory of one of the most powerful retransmitters of Radio Free Europe (RFE), responsible for airing anti-communist propaganda to Eastern Europe. The collaboration between the Portuguese dictator and the National Committee for Free Europe, mediated by US diplomatic officials, played an important role in the development of the operations of RFE in the country. Second, the article demonstrates how Portugal became the target of shortwave broadcasts operated from abroad, aimed at spreading pro-communist and anti-fascist sentiments in Portuguese society. Some of these stations were established by the political opposition that used the airwaves to undermine the dictatorship.
Nos últimos anos, a produção de conteúdos para múltiplas plataformas passou a ser uma realidade ... more Nos últimos anos, a produção de conteúdos para múltiplas plataformas passou a ser uma realidade na maioria das redações, estabelecendo novos métodos e práticas de trabalho. No presente artigo, procura-se perceber como esta modernização está a ser operacionalizada nas redações de imprensa portuguesa, focando as alterações verificadas nas rotinas de produção e o modo como os jornalistas se adaptam a estas mesmas transformações. A investigação pretendeu compreender qual a perceção da comunidade jornalística sobre as mudanças em curso e o modo como estas estão a ser incorporadas no seu trabalho diário. Através da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário foram inquiridos diretores e editores da imprensa generalista e especializada de âmbito nacional e regional com o intuito de compreender o modo como estes avaliam as práticas de jornalismo convergente no interior das redações. Os resultados mostram que continua a existir uma maior valorização da edição impressa por comparação com as edições produzidas para suportes digitais. Porém, é já evidente o relevo de novas rotinas e práticas editoriais, bem como o encorajamento que é feito junto dos jornalistas para aderirem a novos hábitos relacionados com o jornalismo de convergência.
During World War II the Portuguese press was under strict control of the dictatorship regime that... more During World War II the Portuguese press was under strict control of the dictatorship regime that ruled in the country. While censorship was given the task of preventing many news pieces from reaching the public, newspapers were also forced to give visibility to all propaganda events organized by the regime. In many cases this meant relegating crucial news on the war to the interior pages while the front pages were reserved for national stories. The article combines document research with an analysis of the front pages of the two major Portuguese daily newspapers from the outbreak of the war until the capitulation of France. It demonstrates how the censorship apparatus played a role that went way beyond deciding what could and could not be published by ensuring that the press would report an alternative reality that was created by the regime’s propaganda which aimed to ‘conveniently guide’ public opinion.
In the final phase of the Second World War, António Pedro became one of the most emblematic voice... more In the final phase of the Second World War, António Pedro became one of the most emblematic voices of the BBC's Portuguese Section, mainly due to his " Monday Chronicles " in which he presented his views on British society along with comments on military and geopolitical developments occurring at that time. He achieved a high level of popularity among listeners in Portugal during the almost two years he was a regular on the microphones, i.e. between January 1944 and October 1945. His chronicles were considered the most important programme of a political nature in the broadcasts to Portugal. Part of this success was due to Pedro himself, his style of writing and way of talking at the microphone, but it is also important to remember that broadcasts from London in Portuguese, which had begun in June 1939, achieved great success right from the start of the Second World War because they were the main source of information on the developments in the conflict. The number of BBC listeners increased even more after the opening of the Eastern Front, which coincided with a tightening of censorship in Portugal and the consequent omission of news in the national media about Russian military advances. This obviously generated greater interest in listening to foreign broadcasts, especially the Voice of London, the station that had the greatest impact in Portugal during the war. António Pedro joining the BBC marked a change in the editorial line of the Portuguese Section, and he contributed decisively to familiarising Portuguese listeners with words like " democracy ". It is however undeniable that the success of the broadcasts he made from London can only be truly understood in the context of the role played by the BBC in Portugal during the Second World War. The present article relies on document research conducted in archives located in Portugal and the UK. Due to the absence of recordings from the BBC Portuguese Service, the quotes from Pedro's " Monday Chronicles " , with the sole exception of the texts that were censored and that can be found at the BBC Written Archives, were taken from the manuscripts the author himself prepared for publication after the war and that are held at the Portuguese National Library.
For two decades, convergence culture has been an important motivator for change in journalism wor... more For two decades, convergence culture has been an important motivator for change in journalism worldwide. Journalism research has followed these developments, investigating the dimensions of change that define convergence as a cultural shift in the newsroom. Research in the European context has mostly been comprised of national case studies of flagship media outlets whereas comparative, let alone quantitative, studies are scarce. In response to these shortcomings, we present a comparative survey among newspaper journalists in managerial positions on convergence strategies in newsrooms from Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Portugal.
Results show that there is still a dominant print culture present in newsrooms across Europe; however, a shift toward convergence journalism is evident in the strategic implementation of editorial routines and practices as well as in the encouragement of journalists to join convergence developments. Furthermore, newsrooms in Mediterranean countries are more advanced than those in North/Central Europe when it comes to embracing convergence culture because of a stronger audio-visual than print news tradition and a higher motivation among journalists. Our study reveals that after two decades of European convergence journalism, cultural change moves slowly but steadily toward a news production that makes use of the possibilities emerging from convergence.
This article introduces a collection of original papers and research project reports considering ... more This article introduces a collection of original papers and research project reports considering the history of the BBC foreign-language services prior to, and during, the Second World War. The communication between the British government and foreign publics by way of mass media constituted a fundamental, if often ignored, aspect of Britain's international relations. From the 1930s onwards, transnational broadcasting, that is, broadcasting across national borders, became a major element in the conduct of Britain's diplomacy, and the BBC was employed by the government to further its diplomatic, strategic and economic interests in times of rising international tension and conflict. A review of the literature on the BBC's foreign-language broadcasts sets the stage for the presentation of the articles that compose this special issue of Media History.
This article analyses the editorial line of the BBC Portuguese Service during World War II, prese... more This article analyses the editorial line of the BBC Portuguese Service during World War II, presenting evidence of how the output of the broadcasts was influenced by the need of the Foreign Office to maintain a good relationship with the authoritarian regime led by Oliveira Salazar. Focusing on the internal guidelines that ruled the Service, this history demonstrates how Portuguese language broadcasts never threatened the survival of the regime that ruled in Portugal, despite the fact that towards the end of the war the station was used as a weapon to pressure Salazar to give in to British demands, namely to end exports of tungsten to Germany. A discussion is presented on the difficult task the Portuguese Service had to accomplish throughout the war: to praise a dictatorship while promoting British views on the war.
Critical Arts: South North Cultural and Media Studies, Dec 2014
This article discusses Portugal's broadcasting policy to its colonies from the 1930s to the 1960s... more This article discusses Portugal's broadcasting policy to its colonies from the 1930s to the 1960s when the country was ruled by a dictatorship led by Oliveira Salazar. It demonstrates that, despite the centrality assumed by the concept of ‘Empire’ in the discourse of the dictatorship, investments in shortwave broadcasting remained very low throughout the years. Not only was the Portuguese state broadcaster not given the resources to achieve good coverage of the African territories, but there was also no national policy concerning the creation of stations in the colonies. This, as the article demonstrates, led to the development of several private radio projects, mainly in Angola and Mozambique, operated as radio clubs. It would take until the mid-1950s, when the independence of African countries entered the international agenda, for the Portuguese dictatorship to start investing both in the state broadcaster's transmissions to Africa and in the creation of official stations in Angola, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. These late investments would ultimately not pay off because, starting in 1961, Portugal would be involved in the colonial war that started in Angola but quickly spread to other Portuguese territories.
This article presents a case study on how goods scarcity, both natural and artificially created, ... more This article presents a case study on how goods scarcity, both natural and artificially created, was used along with censorship to control the Portuguese public’s access to information during the 1930s and 1940s. Even though the dictatorship that ruled Portugal from 1933 relied on a censorship apparatus that prevented the publication and broadcast of many pieces of national and international news, the research presented in this article demonstrates how the regime took advantage of the Spanish Civil War and World War II to increase restrictions on the circulation of information, justifying this through the artificially created scarcity of paper and radio frequencies.
Furthermore, this article also describes how a third type of scarcity—that of electricity—also restricted listeners’ access to radio broadcasts, which led many Portuguese to make sacrifices in order to listen to updated news.
The article demonstrates how Communication History developed in Portugal and Spain demonstrating ... more The article demonstrates how Communication History developed in Portugal and Spain demonstrating that, despite the fact both countries were ruled by dictatorships between the 1930s and the 1970s, the field of media studies in general received totally different treatment from the two authoritarian regimes. Moreover, it also demonstrates that after the implementation of democracy Communication History continued mostly on two different paths in the Iberian countries due to the distinct ways in which media studies were integrated in the academia. The different stages of development achieved by the field in the two countries are also explained. Nevertheless, despite all the differences, the author points out common themes that have been researched on both sides of the Iberian border and demonstrates that, despite media history being mostly dominated by nation-bound approaches, today there are common patterns on how it is produced in Portugal and Spain with clear similarities to the work also being carried out in other European countries.
Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 2012
This article describes the role of foreign radio propaganda in Portugal in the years that precede... more This article describes the role of foreign radio propaganda in Portugal in the years that preceded and the years during World War II. It demonstrates how the BBC became the most effective weapon to counterattack the German propaganda in the country and comments on the strategies used by the British in order to reach the Portuguese public. Among those strategies the most important was the promotion of the objectivity of the broadcasts from London, as opposed to the German transmissions that were known for airing mainly ‘toxic propaganda’. Evidence is also presented according to which news bulletins and talks broadcast by the BBC were perceived by the receivers as independent from political interference while the Axis transmissions were mostly considered as airing ‘toxic information’, demonstrating how during the war British white propaganda became very effective in regards to its impact on the Portuguese public.
The article discusses the negative consequences of globalization in the new international arena t... more The article discusses the negative consequences of globalization in the new international arena that arose following the Great Recession of 2008 that enabled emerging economies such as China, Russia, and Angola to take center stage, reconfiguring power relations between Western and non-Western countries. As new global flows of capital in media industries have been emerging, it is relevant to consider how investors from autocratic political regimes with illiberal views on the media articulate with Western culture’s founding prerogatives of media and journalism. To do this, we singled out the Angola–Portugal relationship. Results show that the clientelistic dynamics in Portugal’s media system, enhanced by the economic crisis, facilitate the entrance of the Angolan capital, which, in turn, may perpetuate clientelism and drive the reversal of media democracy in the country.
This article presents an analysis of the role of transborder broadcasts during the Spanish Civil ... more This article presents an analysis of the role of transborder broadcasts during the Spanish Civil War. As a new medium at that time, radio had a strong impact not only on increasing the morale of the Franquist forces, but also on influencing military operations through the dissemination of strategic information concerning the progress of military operations. Mostly focusing on the role of Portuguese broadcasters, which clearly took the lead in supporting Franco during the first year of his revolt against the Spanish Republic, the author discusses the strategies used by the Lisbon dictatorship to support the Nationalists through radio despite never abandoning its official neutral position in the war. Finally, the article discusses how radio propaganda during the Spanish Civil War was used as a testing ground for its use in World War II.
CM : Communication Management Quarterly : Časopis za upravljanje komuniciranjem , 2014
This article presents a case of political participation through radio broadcasting during World W... more This article presents a case of political participation through radio broadcasting during World War II. Focusing on how the Portuguese listeners interacted with the transborder broadcasts from the BBC, it demonstrates how politically engaged citizens struggled to use a foreign station to disseminate their views on the country’s po- litical situation. Grounded on Pateman’s (1970) and Carpentier’s (2011) definitions of different levels of participation, it demonstrates that listeners were not given the ability to achieve full or maximal participation due to limitations imposed by organizational and political structures. Departing from this case, the article also reflects on how audi- ences interact with “traditional media”, questioning the widespread idea of radio listen- ers as passive agents and suggesting that an understanding of the political and social contexts in which media participation takes place is essential to ascertain the levels of empowerment given to the audiences.
Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture 7:2, 2010
The article analyses the impact of foreign broadcasts in Portugal during the Second World War as ... more The article analyses the impact of foreign broadcasts in Portugal during the Second World War as well as the communication strategies adopted by both German and British transmissions in the Portuguese language. After demonstrating that the broadcasts from the Axis powers were mainly composed of blatant propaganda, particular attention is given to the BBC. The British station, which was the most effective in reaching the Portuguese public, promoted itself as a credible source that offered reliable and unbiased news despite the fact that, as the article demonstrates, it trimmed its output to meet considerations imposed by the Foreign Office
The article demonstrates how Portugal lacked a true policy of imperial broadcasting which led it ... more The article demonstrates how Portugal lacked a true policy of imperial broadcasting which led it to become dependent on colonial stations for the dissemination of colonialism. The broadcasters established in the Portuguese Empire dedicated significant airtime to the dissemination of Portugal’s colonial mission but also promoted local identities with programming echoing the lifestyle of the colonial elites. Thus, the article argues that while the Portuguese authorities considered the cultural expressions and identities of the white residents in Africa as peripheral, these perceived themselves as part of a new devolved center. This ‘peripheral centre’ gained particular ‘visibility’ on the airwaves.
The article analyses the media system in Macao, a special administrative region of China that tra... more The 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.
One of the most challenging endeavors for scholars associated with the related fields of communic... more One of the most challenging endeavors for scholars associated with the related fields of communication and media studies is staying abreast of phenomena that are changing more quickly than they can be analyzed. Today’s volatile political environment, as it takes shape in multiple locations around the world, pushes the limits of what can be established reliably and productively as scholarly intervention. Evidence abounds. Formerly stable democracies embrace strategies and tactics long thought to be allied with authoritarian regimes, while formerly marginalized populations take front stage to articulate long-suppressed experiences of abuse and repression. Formerly reliable institutions conduct themselves in an increasingly erratic and capricious fashion, at the same time as formerly hidden concerns now foster the powerful formation of new centers and sources of public sentiment. Such evidence more than attests to the pressing need for scholars to recognize that “formerly” is the new now. Its recognition cannot come a moment too soon. Having hidden for too long behind mechanisms that repeatedly earn academic scholarship the labels of outdat- edness, isolation, inscrutability and a sense of general remove, we need to develop additional ways to address the stridencies of the moment. For a field that hinges much of its scholarly identity on the analysis of current issues, problems, events and personalities, this is a necessary beginning for jumpstarting our relevance as a field.
Portugal became the centre of an entangled airwaves ensemble during the Cold War. In order to dem... more Portugal became the centre of an entangled airwaves ensemble during the Cold War. In order to demonstrate this, the article develops along two lines. First, it details how the Portuguese dictatorship, with ideological connections to fascism, allowed the construction in its territory of one of the most powerful retransmitters of Radio Free Europe (RFE), responsible for airing anti-communist propaganda to Eastern Europe. The collaboration between the Portuguese dictator and the National Committee for Free Europe, mediated by US diplomatic officials, played an important role in the development of the operations of RFE in the country. Second, the article demonstrates how Portugal became the target of shortwave broadcasts operated from abroad, aimed at spreading pro-communist and anti-fascist sentiments in Portuguese society. Some of these stations were established by the political opposition that used the airwaves to undermine the dictatorship.
Nos últimos anos, a produção de conteúdos para múltiplas plataformas passou a ser uma realidade ... more Nos últimos anos, a produção de conteúdos para múltiplas plataformas passou a ser uma realidade na maioria das redações, estabelecendo novos métodos e práticas de trabalho. No presente artigo, procura-se perceber como esta modernização está a ser operacionalizada nas redações de imprensa portuguesa, focando as alterações verificadas nas rotinas de produção e o modo como os jornalistas se adaptam a estas mesmas transformações. A investigação pretendeu compreender qual a perceção da comunidade jornalística sobre as mudanças em curso e o modo como estas estão a ser incorporadas no seu trabalho diário. Através da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário foram inquiridos diretores e editores da imprensa generalista e especializada de âmbito nacional e regional com o intuito de compreender o modo como estes avaliam as práticas de jornalismo convergente no interior das redações. Os resultados mostram que continua a existir uma maior valorização da edição impressa por comparação com as edições produzidas para suportes digitais. Porém, é já evidente o relevo de novas rotinas e práticas editoriais, bem como o encorajamento que é feito junto dos jornalistas para aderirem a novos hábitos relacionados com o jornalismo de convergência.
During World War II the Portuguese press was under strict control of the dictatorship regime that... more During World War II the Portuguese press was under strict control of the dictatorship regime that ruled in the country. While censorship was given the task of preventing many news pieces from reaching the public, newspapers were also forced to give visibility to all propaganda events organized by the regime. In many cases this meant relegating crucial news on the war to the interior pages while the front pages were reserved for national stories. The article combines document research with an analysis of the front pages of the two major Portuguese daily newspapers from the outbreak of the war until the capitulation of France. It demonstrates how the censorship apparatus played a role that went way beyond deciding what could and could not be published by ensuring that the press would report an alternative reality that was created by the regime’s propaganda which aimed to ‘conveniently guide’ public opinion.
In the final phase of the Second World War, António Pedro became one of the most emblematic voice... more In the final phase of the Second World War, António Pedro became one of the most emblematic voices of the BBC's Portuguese Section, mainly due to his " Monday Chronicles " in which he presented his views on British society along with comments on military and geopolitical developments occurring at that time. He achieved a high level of popularity among listeners in Portugal during the almost two years he was a regular on the microphones, i.e. between January 1944 and October 1945. His chronicles were considered the most important programme of a political nature in the broadcasts to Portugal. Part of this success was due to Pedro himself, his style of writing and way of talking at the microphone, but it is also important to remember that broadcasts from London in Portuguese, which had begun in June 1939, achieved great success right from the start of the Second World War because they were the main source of information on the developments in the conflict. The number of BBC listeners increased even more after the opening of the Eastern Front, which coincided with a tightening of censorship in Portugal and the consequent omission of news in the national media about Russian military advances. This obviously generated greater interest in listening to foreign broadcasts, especially the Voice of London, the station that had the greatest impact in Portugal during the war. António Pedro joining the BBC marked a change in the editorial line of the Portuguese Section, and he contributed decisively to familiarising Portuguese listeners with words like " democracy ". It is however undeniable that the success of the broadcasts he made from London can only be truly understood in the context of the role played by the BBC in Portugal during the Second World War. The present article relies on document research conducted in archives located in Portugal and the UK. Due to the absence of recordings from the BBC Portuguese Service, the quotes from Pedro's " Monday Chronicles " , with the sole exception of the texts that were censored and that can be found at the BBC Written Archives, were taken from the manuscripts the author himself prepared for publication after the war and that are held at the Portuguese National Library.
For two decades, convergence culture has been an important motivator for change in journalism wor... more For two decades, convergence culture has been an important motivator for change in journalism worldwide. Journalism research has followed these developments, investigating the dimensions of change that define convergence as a cultural shift in the newsroom. Research in the European context has mostly been comprised of national case studies of flagship media outlets whereas comparative, let alone quantitative, studies are scarce. In response to these shortcomings, we present a comparative survey among newspaper journalists in managerial positions on convergence strategies in newsrooms from Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Portugal.
Results show that there is still a dominant print culture present in newsrooms across Europe; however, a shift toward convergence journalism is evident in the strategic implementation of editorial routines and practices as well as in the encouragement of journalists to join convergence developments. Furthermore, newsrooms in Mediterranean countries are more advanced than those in North/Central Europe when it comes to embracing convergence culture because of a stronger audio-visual than print news tradition and a higher motivation among journalists. Our study reveals that after two decades of European convergence journalism, cultural change moves slowly but steadily toward a news production that makes use of the possibilities emerging from convergence.
This article introduces a collection of original papers and research project reports considering ... more This article introduces a collection of original papers and research project reports considering the history of the BBC foreign-language services prior to, and during, the Second World War. The communication between the British government and foreign publics by way of mass media constituted a fundamental, if often ignored, aspect of Britain's international relations. From the 1930s onwards, transnational broadcasting, that is, broadcasting across national borders, became a major element in the conduct of Britain's diplomacy, and the BBC was employed by the government to further its diplomatic, strategic and economic interests in times of rising international tension and conflict. A review of the literature on the BBC's foreign-language broadcasts sets the stage for the presentation of the articles that compose this special issue of Media History.
This article analyses the editorial line of the BBC Portuguese Service during World War II, prese... more This article analyses the editorial line of the BBC Portuguese Service during World War II, presenting evidence of how the output of the broadcasts was influenced by the need of the Foreign Office to maintain a good relationship with the authoritarian regime led by Oliveira Salazar. Focusing on the internal guidelines that ruled the Service, this history demonstrates how Portuguese language broadcasts never threatened the survival of the regime that ruled in Portugal, despite the fact that towards the end of the war the station was used as a weapon to pressure Salazar to give in to British demands, namely to end exports of tungsten to Germany. A discussion is presented on the difficult task the Portuguese Service had to accomplish throughout the war: to praise a dictatorship while promoting British views on the war.
Critical Arts: South North Cultural and Media Studies, Dec 2014
This article discusses Portugal's broadcasting policy to its colonies from the 1930s to the 1960s... more This article discusses Portugal's broadcasting policy to its colonies from the 1930s to the 1960s when the country was ruled by a dictatorship led by Oliveira Salazar. It demonstrates that, despite the centrality assumed by the concept of ‘Empire’ in the discourse of the dictatorship, investments in shortwave broadcasting remained very low throughout the years. Not only was the Portuguese state broadcaster not given the resources to achieve good coverage of the African territories, but there was also no national policy concerning the creation of stations in the colonies. This, as the article demonstrates, led to the development of several private radio projects, mainly in Angola and Mozambique, operated as radio clubs. It would take until the mid-1950s, when the independence of African countries entered the international agenda, for the Portuguese dictatorship to start investing both in the state broadcaster's transmissions to Africa and in the creation of official stations in Angola, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. These late investments would ultimately not pay off because, starting in 1961, Portugal would be involved in the colonial war that started in Angola but quickly spread to other Portuguese territories.
This article presents a case study on how goods scarcity, both natural and artificially created, ... more This article presents a case study on how goods scarcity, both natural and artificially created, was used along with censorship to control the Portuguese public’s access to information during the 1930s and 1940s. Even though the dictatorship that ruled Portugal from 1933 relied on a censorship apparatus that prevented the publication and broadcast of many pieces of national and international news, the research presented in this article demonstrates how the regime took advantage of the Spanish Civil War and World War II to increase restrictions on the circulation of information, justifying this through the artificially created scarcity of paper and radio frequencies.
Furthermore, this article also describes how a third type of scarcity—that of electricity—also restricted listeners’ access to radio broadcasts, which led many Portuguese to make sacrifices in order to listen to updated news.
The article demonstrates how Communication History developed in Portugal and Spain demonstrating ... more The article demonstrates how Communication History developed in Portugal and Spain demonstrating that, despite the fact both countries were ruled by dictatorships between the 1930s and the 1970s, the field of media studies in general received totally different treatment from the two authoritarian regimes. Moreover, it also demonstrates that after the implementation of democracy Communication History continued mostly on two different paths in the Iberian countries due to the distinct ways in which media studies were integrated in the academia. The different stages of development achieved by the field in the two countries are also explained. Nevertheless, despite all the differences, the author points out common themes that have been researched on both sides of the Iberian border and demonstrates that, despite media history being mostly dominated by nation-bound approaches, today there are common patterns on how it is produced in Portugal and Spain with clear similarities to the work also being carried out in other European countries.
Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 2012
This article describes the role of foreign radio propaganda in Portugal in the years that precede... more This article describes the role of foreign radio propaganda in Portugal in the years that preceded and the years during World War II. It demonstrates how the BBC became the most effective weapon to counterattack the German propaganda in the country and comments on the strategies used by the British in order to reach the Portuguese public. Among those strategies the most important was the promotion of the objectivity of the broadcasts from London, as opposed to the German transmissions that were known for airing mainly ‘toxic propaganda’. Evidence is also presented according to which news bulletins and talks broadcast by the BBC were perceived by the receivers as independent from political interference while the Axis transmissions were mostly considered as airing ‘toxic information’, demonstrating how during the war British white propaganda became very effective in regards to its impact on the Portuguese public.
The article discusses the negative consequences of globalization in the new international arena t... more The article discusses the negative consequences of globalization in the new international arena that arose following the Great Recession of 2008 that enabled emerging economies such as China, Russia, and Angola to take center stage, reconfiguring power relations between Western and non-Western countries. As new global flows of capital in media industries have been emerging, it is relevant to consider how investors from autocratic political regimes with illiberal views on the media articulate with Western culture’s founding prerogatives of media and journalism. To do this, we singled out the Angola–Portugal relationship. Results show that the clientelistic dynamics in Portugal’s media system, enhanced by the economic crisis, facilitate the entrance of the Angolan capital, which, in turn, may perpetuate clientelism and drive the reversal of media democracy in the country.
This article presents an analysis of the role of transborder broadcasts during the Spanish Civil ... more This article presents an analysis of the role of transborder broadcasts during the Spanish Civil War. As a new medium at that time, radio had a strong impact not only on increasing the morale of the Franquist forces, but also on influencing military operations through the dissemination of strategic information concerning the progress of military operations. Mostly focusing on the role of Portuguese broadcasters, which clearly took the lead in supporting Franco during the first year of his revolt against the Spanish Republic, the author discusses the strategies used by the Lisbon dictatorship to support the Nationalists through radio despite never abandoning its official neutral position in the war. Finally, the article discusses how radio propaganda during the Spanish Civil War was used as a testing ground for its use in World War II.
CM : Communication Management Quarterly : Časopis za upravljanje komuniciranjem , 2014
This article presents a case of political participation through radio broadcasting during World W... more This article presents a case of political participation through radio broadcasting during World War II. Focusing on how the Portuguese listeners interacted with the transborder broadcasts from the BBC, it demonstrates how politically engaged citizens struggled to use a foreign station to disseminate their views on the country’s po- litical situation. Grounded on Pateman’s (1970) and Carpentier’s (2011) definitions of different levels of participation, it demonstrates that listeners were not given the ability to achieve full or maximal participation due to limitations imposed by organizational and political structures. Departing from this case, the article also reflects on how audi- ences interact with “traditional media”, questioning the widespread idea of radio listen- ers as passive agents and suggesting that an understanding of the political and social contexts in which media participation takes place is essential to ascertain the levels of empowerment given to the audiences.
Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture 7:2, 2010
The article analyses the impact of foreign broadcasts in Portugal during the Second World War as ... more The article analyses the impact of foreign broadcasts in Portugal during the Second World War as well as the communication strategies adopted by both German and British transmissions in the Portuguese language. After demonstrating that the broadcasts from the Axis powers were mainly composed of blatant propaganda, particular attention is given to the BBC. The British station, which was the most effective in reaching the Portuguese public, promoted itself as a credible source that offered reliable and unbiased news despite the fact that, as the article demonstrates, it trimmed its output to meet considerations imposed by the Foreign Office
The media today are troubled by uncertainty. Externally, a growing sense of uncertainty draws fro... more The media today are troubled by uncertainty. Externally, a growing sense of uncertainty draws from deep-seated questions about identity formation, increasing angst over the viability of familiar cultural, political and social formations and intensifying social and economic precarity and inequality. Ultimately, the risks and challenges posed by climate change expose an even deeper sense of risk, calling into question the usual cyclical social imaginations about risk, crisis and renewal. Within media environments, uncertainty builds from the rapid unfolding and often unforeseen ramifications of digital technology, the collapse of traditional business models, new degrees of irrelevance, the emergence of new players and platforms, the development of new reception practices, changing expectations of what media are for and a shift in the very relationship of the media to the outside world in an era marked by widespread dis-and misinformation.
OUR GROUP FIRST!
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MINORITIES/MAJORITIES, INCLUSION/EXCLUSION, CENTRE/P... more OUR GROUP FIRST!
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MINORITIES/MAJORITIES, INCLUSION/EXCLUSION, CENTRE/PERIPHERY IN MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION HISTORY
“Our group first!” A familiar chant, which echoes past times in contemporary voices has recently gained momentum in the political discourse in Europe and the United States with resonance all over the globe. The claim and focus of such demands is however not new, but rather restorative with illustrious historical predecessors. Throughout history, communication has always been used to disseminate stereotypes, narratives and social myths aimed to the end of creating clear distinctions between a superior “us” and the “other”. Drawing lines between “us” and “them” is functional in negotiating senses of community and belonging and goes way beyond its political use. However, inclusion always harbors exclusion as well and the identity of groups also demarks their boundaries. For this workshop the ECREA Communication History Section invites scholarly presentations to shed light on questions of inclusion/exclusion, minorities/ majorities and centre/periphery in communication.
The goal is to understand such practices throughout a variety of historical and cultural settings and to learn from the past for contemporary challenges. The workshop allows for a scope ranging from the macro level of national or supranational societies, to very peculiar particularities of social groups and issue communities. The workshop is also interested in work that helps to deconstruct or re-evaluate assumptions about minorities/majorities, exclusion/inclusion, centre/periphery in a variety of contexts and as they are constructed or stabilized in academic work. Submissions dealing with the topics below are specially welcomed, even though the workshop will be opened to papers dealing with other aspects of the relation between media, minorities and majorities (including gender relations).
Minorities through the eyes of the Majorities and vice versa
In different historical locations the media have claimed to reflect societies in which they operate, disseminating cultural and social values that are accepted by the social structure in place, contributing to the imagination of community. In many cases this has led the media to focus their attention on majorities, while minorities are mostly ignored or represented in a negative fashion. Many authoritarian regimes, for example, have used all sorts of communication technologies, from posters and literature to broadcasting and newspapers, to promote fear and hate against minorities while exalting the qualities of those who are said to be the true patriots.
The concern about how minority groups are represented in public communication and how they engage in media production has deserved academic attention with the publication of books and journal issues dealing mostly with how mainstream media treat disabled citizens and gender, ethnic and religious minorities, migrants or refugees. We are interested in submissions addressing the logics, motives and uses of communicative constructions of normality and deviance, homogenization of cultural norms, dealing with heterogeneous concepts of life, alteration and hybrid identities. The workshop will focus on the creation of different types of minority groups as in-groups and out-groups, the alteration of their positions, identities and histories.
Different by choice
Differentiation and distinction are important ingredients for identity work. We are interested in communication phenomena and styles, which aimed at differentiating perspectives and creating alternative communities (e.g. hackers, tech-nerds) or establish alternative cultural scenes (e.g. religious groups such as the Amish). This ranges from subcultures to the doing identity of political, LGBT, or activist groups and the conflicts and struggles they engaged in. Research is invited, which analyses special media formats produced by or addressing specific niches in the “small life-worlds of modern man” or highlight specific (protest) campaigns or identity management practices of such groups. Also representations of such minorities by choice through the lens of majorities, the mainstream media or popular culture are welcomed.
Inclusion and exclusion
Minorities are often excluded from possibilities of communication that are taken for granted and offered to majorities. Policy makers and commercial driven companies often consider as unprofitable bringing communications in unpopulated areas which leads to the exclusion of specific groups of people or specific region. Moreover, people tend to self-exclude themselves from too difficult, too expensive, and too complicated forms of communication. The workshop welcomes contributions on the history of communication divides (analogue and digital), and histories of political or business practices aiming to exclude groups of potential users.
Minority Media, Majority Practices
With the decline of mass communication and the slow disappearance of large audiences the lines between minorities and majorities get blurred when it comes to reception practices and habits. The discussion on how majorities and minorities use communication (technologies) and how they are represented on the media should also take into account the role of alternative media that, in many different historical contexts, have been created and operated by minorities. While cases like the Jewish press comes immediately to mind, feminist magazines and community radio stations are also examples of how different groups have used the media to promote their ideas and ideologies among fragmented audiences and compartmentalized collective identities. Many of these media played a role in in-group identity construction, frequently transcending borders and linking transnational audiences. The use of technologies that has widely disappeared or retracted to small niches or the nostalgic rediscovery of past media devices that are considered minoritarian will also be discussed.
Centre and periphery
Majorities are often at the centre and minorities at the periphery of infrastructures and networks. While at the centre the flow of communication is more intense and the speed of connections is higher, at the peripheries connections can be unstable and less reliable. Nevertheless, peripheries are also places where unexpected and minoritarian uses of media and communication emerge. In different historical periods, cities such as Athens, Rome, Venice, London, and New York have been at the centre of communication flows while places distant from the centre have to deal with their peripheral status. Case studies and papers dealing with the consequences of being central or peripheral in communication will be welcomed.
“Us and them” through the history of communication studies
Another field of inquiry the workshop is interested in is the role of academic research in observing and thus preserving logics of inclusion and exclusion through academic work. How do and did media and communication scholars normalize some media practices and pathologize others? What was the role of media and communication scholarship in stabilizing social in-groups while alienating outsiders (e.g. through links to political propaganda, psychological warfare and similar manipulation strategies or corporate advertising)? Which myths and narratives are cultivated by media research and how do prevalent concepts, eligible methods and accessible sources shape and foster certain understandings of media history, highlighting specific groups while sidelining others, thus creating an implicit invisible mainstream? Is thus a biased understanding of majority and minority groups at a given created in communication history? Which strategies could be used to deconstruct and re-evaluate existing assumptions in the light of gender, postcolonial or non-Western perspectives? How can subgroups hidden in the alleged communication mainstream be made visible? How are in-groups and out-groups (mainstream and outsider perspectives) constructed within the academic field of (historical) communication research?
Abstracts of 500 words (maximum) proposing empirical case studies as well as theoretical or methodological contributions should be submitted no later than 29 April 2017. Proposals for full panels (comprising 4 or 5 papers) are also welcome: these should include a 250-word abstract for each individual presentation, and a 300-word rationale for the panel. Send abstracts to: sipos.balazs@btk.elte.hu
Authors will be informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the conference no later than 15 May 2017. Early career scholars and graduate students are highly encouraged to submit their work. Please indicate if the research submitted is part of your thesis or dissertation project. The organizers will aim to arrange for discussants to provide an intensive response for graduate students projects.
Conference fee: 110 €. The price includes 2 lunches + buffet /coffee-break, excludes opening dinner which is optional.
The Routledge Companion to Radio and Podcast Studies, 2022
The chapter discusses how transborder broadcasts – i.e. those explicitly aimed at audiences locat... more The chapter discusses how transborder broadcasts – i.e. those explicitly aimed at audiences located outside national borders – were used as tools of propaganda or public diplomacy, disseminating political ideologies and worldviews abroad. Covering the period between the 1920s and the 1990s, the chapter addresses how broadcasting was perceived since its inception, as a powerful medium to promote national interests abroad. In the interwar period the major players were the Soviet Union determined to spread Bolshevism, and the European imperial nations that used radio to connect with the white settlers living in the colonies. During the Second World War and the Cold War radio became a central medium to gain support among the audiences of enemy countries, which led the belligerents to invest in transborder broadcasts in a wide variety of foreign languages. As the chapter debates, even though it remains difficult in most cases to assess who was actually listening, governments acted as if large audiences were tuning in and available to be persuaded.
Portugal was the colonial nation that invested least in cross-border broadcasting, despite having... more Portugal was the colonial nation that invested least in cross-border broadcasting, despite having a long-lasting empire and being ruled by a dictatorship that placed colonisation at the centre of its ideology. The reasons for this are set out in this chapter, which also demonstrates how lack of investment on the part of the state was compensated for by the proliferation of private stations in the Portuguese African colonies during the 1930s and 1940s. The most significant case was that of Rádio Clube de Moçambique. The history of this station is presented here, from its establishment to the outbreak of the colonial war in Mozambique. In addition this chapter also discusses how the Portuguese dictatorship controlled and used Rádio Clube de Moçambique—a private and commercially successful station—to promote the regime’s colonial policy.
Historia do Jornalismo Radiofonico em Portugal, 2022
O presente livro reúne um conjunto de contributos sobre a história do jornalismo radiofónico em P... more O presente livro reúne um conjunto de contributos sobre a história do jornalismo radiofónico em Portugal, que abarcam o período compreendido entre a emergência dos primeiros programas informativos, no final da década de 20, e a segunda fase de liberalização do setor da rádio verificada no início dos anos 90. A obra demonstra como o jornalismo demorou até se afirmar enquanto campo autónomo no interior das es- tações, documentando igualmente o lento processo de desenvolvimento dos diferentes géneros jornalísticos no contexto da rádio. Dois dos capítulos focam-se no período do Estado Novo, os quais deixam claro o papel exercido pelo Estado no controlo da informação e dos próprios profissionais que podiam aceder às estações. A estreita relação entre o desenvolvimento da informação radiofónica e a atividade comercial e publicitária é igualmente detalhada. Já os capítulos que se focam nos anos 80 e 90 demonstram como o jornalismo radio- fónico sofreu uma mudança de paradigma após o aparecimento de projetos liderados por uma nova geração de profissionais que procuravam romper com o formalismo que havia caracterizado a informação radiofónica durante todo o período da ditadura e nos anos que se seguiram ao 25 de Abril. O modo como as ‘estações li- vres’ contribuíram para a formação de jornalistas de rádio é igualmente abordado.
This book offers a diachronical and inter-/transmedia approach to the relationship of media and f... more This book offers a diachronical and inter-/transmedia approach to the relationship of media and fear the media’s role in pandemics, wars and other crises, as well as in political intimidation. It points out the historically and transculturally strong nexus between media and fear, which persistently finds ever-new forms with new media, but always follows similar logics.
Contains the transcripts of the keynote lectures delivered at the 2nd Lisbon Winter School for th... more Contains the transcripts of the keynote lectures delivered at the 2nd Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication.
Tendo por base a ideia de que ter acesso à internet não significa o acesso regular, procurou-se e... more Tendo por base a ideia de que ter acesso à internet não significa o acesso regular, procurou-se encontrar a percentagem de portugueses que acedem à rede pelo menos uma vez por semana. Em contraste com a narrativa vigente sobre a digitalização do país, verificou-se que 39,5 % dos inquiridos não acede à internet frequentemente, o que vem corroborar os estudos referentes a esta matéria que colocam Portugal na cauda da Europa. Por regiões, o Algarve regista a maior percentagem de acesso regular (72 %), seguindo-se a Grande Lisboa (67,9 %), o Alentejo (58,2 %) e o Norte (53,3 %) e, em termos etários, observa-se um grande fosso entre a regularidade de acesso dos mais jovens (96,3 %) e dos maiores de 65 anos (11,5 %). As principais atividades desenvolvidas são o envio/receção de e-mails (87 %), especialmente por homens, e o acesso a redes sociais digitais (79,9 %), maioritariamente por mulheres. O acesso a jornais e revistas online regista 53,6 %, seguindo-se a rádio (22,7 %) e a televisão (21,7 %). Esta hierarquização está em linha com os conteúdos disponíveis online por meio em Portugal, com a imprensa a recorrer à web como extensão do papel que permite um aprofundamento e uma mais célere atualização de informação. Efetivamente, a imprensa tem sido mais ativa do que os outros meios, em especial a televisão, cuja oferta online está muito centrada no streaming e na disponibilização de programas já transmitidos, numa duplicação das funcionalidades oferecidas pelas boxes. A utilização da internet, em contexto de mobilidade, faz-se maioritariamente através do smartphone e sobretudo pela faixa etária dos 15-24 anos. CONSUMO DE JORNAIS E REVISTAS Mais de dois terços dos portugueses acedem, com regularidade, a jornais e revistas, quer na versão impressa, quer na versão online (68,2 %), com as faixas etárias dos 25 aos 34 anos e dos 35 aos 44 anos a mostrarem-se as mais ativas, com um acesso médio de 78,5 %. A migração das publicações para o digital é uma realidade incontornável do panorama mediático nacional. Contudo, o estudo revela que os leitores regulares de conteúdos produzidos por jornais e revistas continuam a aceder sobretudo através do papel (94,8 %), seguindo-se o acesso via os sites oficiais das publicações (39,8 %), os portais agregadores (34,7 %) e as redes sociais digitais (34,3 %). CONSUMO DE RÁDIO O meio rádio é escutado, regularmente, por 73 % dos inquiridos, valor alinhado com a realidade francesa (75,5 %) e acima da realidade espanhola (60,1 %). A escuta é realizada em especial pela população ativa e por estudantes, com uma percentagem acima dos 80 %. Os homens mostram-se mais ligados à rádio do que as mulheres e o autorrádio continua a ser a forma de acesso mais popular (60,6 %), enquanto o computador é a forma de acesso menos utilizada (11,6 %). CONSUMO DE TELEVISÃO 99 % dos inquiridos vê televisão de forma regular, não se observando diferenças significativas em termos etários e de género. A escolha do televisor principal do lar fica a dever-se à dimensão do ecrã e à qualidade de imagem, sendo que perto de um quarto dos portugueses apenas tem acesso aos cinco canais em sinal aberto. Este facto fica a dever-se, em 65,9 % dos casos, a razões económicas. Dos 767 inquiridos que têm acesso a mais do que os cinco canais, apenas 6,9 % tem por hábito utilizar o Video-on-Demand, sendo a faixa etária mais jovem (15-24 anos) aquela que mais recorre a este serviço.
Presenting a collection of original chapters, this book reassesses the history of the BBC foreign... more Presenting a collection of original chapters, this book reassesses the history of the BBC foreign-language services prior to, and during, the Second World War. The communication between the British government and foreign publics by way of mass media constituted a fundamental, if often ignored, aspect of Britain’s international relations. From the 1930s onwards, transnational broadcasting – that is, broadcasting across national borders – became a major element in the conduct of Britain’s diplomacy, and the BBC was employed by the government to further its diplomatic, strategic, and economic interests in times of rising international tension and conflict.
The contributions to this volume display a series of case studies of BBC transmissions in various European foreign languages directed to occupied, neutral, and enemy countries. This allows for a comprehensive understanding of the different broadcasting strategies adopted by the BBC in the late 1930s and throughout the war, when the Corporation was under the direction of the Ministry of Information and the Political Warfare Executive. This book was originally published as a special issue of Media History.
Presenting a collection of original chapters, this book reassesses the history of the BBC foreign... more Presenting a collection of original chapters, this book reassesses the history of the BBC foreign-language services prior to, and during, the Second World War. The communication between the British government and foreign publics by way of mass media constituted a fundamental, if often ignored, aspect of Britain’s international relations. From the 1930s onwards, transnational broadcasting – that is, broadcasting across national borders – became a major element in the conduct of Britain’s diplomacy, and the BBC was employed by the government to further its diplomatic, strategic, and economic interests in times of rising international tension and conflict.
1. A «arte» de persuadir........................................... 21 1.1. O nascimento do conce... more 1. A «arte» de persuadir........................................... 21 1.1. O nascimento do conceito de «propaganda».................... 21 1.2. A centralidade da persuasão nos Estudos de Comunicação......... 29 2. As relações entre o Estado e os media.............................. 33 2.1. A ...
Convergence has had a major influence on journalism in the pas decade. It is particularly importa... more Convergence has had a major influence on journalism in the pas decade. It is particularly important to understand how convergence continues to change working conditions as well as the journalistic practices, routines, norms, and strategies that shape news production. This phenomenon becomes even more substantial when considering the extent to which technological and economic changes have had a disruptive impact on journalism, altering how news is produced and circulated to increasingly fragmented audiences (Picard 2014; Spyridou et al. 2013). Under these ever-changing conditions, journalism must adapt to alterations resulting from convergence processes in order to remain a relevant authority on information and orientation in a digital media environment increasingly populated by non-journalistic actors, who compete for the “collection, filtering, and distribution of news information” (Lewis 2012, 838).
This book sets out a new research agenda for the history of international broadcasting, and for r... more This book sets out a new research agenda for the history of international broadcasting, and for radio history more generally. It examines global and transnational histories of long-distance wireless broadcasting, combining perspectives from international history, media and cultural history, the history of technology, and sound studies. It is a genuinely co-written book, the result of more than five years of collaboration. Bringing together their knowledge of a wide range of different countries, languages, and archives, the co-authors show how broadcasters and states deployed international broadcasting as a tool of international communication and persuasion. They also demonstrate that by paying more attention to audiences, programmes, and soundscapes, historians of international broadcasting can make important contributions to wider debates in social and cultural history. Exploring the idea of a ‘wireless world’, a globe connected, both in imagination and reality, by radio, this book sheds new light on the transnational connections created by international broadcasting. Bringing together all periods of international broadcasting within a single analytical frame, including the pioneering days of wireless, the Second World War, the Cold War, and the decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, it reveals key continuities and transformations. It looks at how wireless was shaped by internationalist ideas about the use of broadcasting to promote world peace and understanding, at how empires used broadcasting to perpetuate colonialism, and at how anti-colonial movements harnessed radio as a weapon of decolonization.
A crise financeira de 2008 possibilitou a efetivação de uma antiga aspiração histórico-política d... more A crise financeira de 2008 possibilitou a efetivação de uma antiga aspiração histórico-política de Portugal: a existência de um espaço mediático lusófono. O modelo de media do atlântico sul de expressão portuguesa identificado neste livro desenvolveu-se, no entanto, através de um processo que pode ser caracterizado por colonização em sentido inverso uma vez que assentou numa relação assimétrica e de dependência do mercado português relativamente aos investidores de Angola e Brasil. O volume congrega um conjunto de estudos sobre o setor dos media em diversos países lusófonos, nos quais se articula o desempenho económico e financeiro dos grupos económicos de media com o impacto das formas de propriedade na atuação da comunicação social enquanto instituição basilar da democracia.
This book sets out a new research agenda for the history of international broadcasting, and for r... more This book sets out a new research agenda for the history of international broadcasting, and for radio history more generally. It examines global and transnational histories of long-distance wireless broadcasting, combining perspectives from international history, media and cultural history, the history of technology, and sound studies. It is a genuinely co-written book, the result of more than five years of collaboration. Bringing together their knowledge of a wide range of different countries, languages, and archives, the co-authors show how broadcasters and states deployed international broadcasting as a tool of international communication and persuasion. They also demonstrate that by paying more attention to audiences, programmes, and soundscapes, historians of international broadcasting can make important contributions to wider debates in social and cultural history. Exploring the idea of a ‘wireless world’, a globe connected, both in imagination and reality, by radio, this book...
This book offers a diachronical and inter-/transmedia approach to the relationship of media and f... more This book offers a diachronical and inter-/transmedia approach to the relationship of media and fear the media’s role in pandemics, wars and other crises, as well as in political intimidation. It points out the historically and transculturally strong nexus between media and fear, which persistently finds ever-new forms with new media, but always follows similar logics.
As media environments and communication practices evolve over time, so do theoretical concepts. T... more As media environments and communication practices evolve over time, so do theoretical concepts. This book analyzes some of the most well-known and fiercely discussed concepts of the digital age from a historical perspective, showing how many of them have pre-digital roots and how they have changed and still are constantly changing in the digital era. Written by leading authors in media and communication studies, the chapters historicize 16 concepts that have become central in the digital media literature, focusing on three main areas. The first part, Technologies and Connections, historicises concepts like network, media convergence, multimedia, interactivity and artificial intelligence. The second one is related to Agency and Politics and explores global governance, datafication, fake news, echo chambers, digital media activism. The last one, Users and Practices, is finally devoted to telepresence, digital loneliness, amateurism, user generated content, fandom and authenticity. The...
James Curran é professor catedrático e diretor do Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre. A ... more James Curran é professor catedrático e diretor do Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre. A sua investigação centra-se sobretudo na relação entre os media e a democracia, quer através do ângulo da história dos media, quer da economia política dos media, áreas sobre as quais publicou mais de duas dezenas de livros, como Media and Democracy, Power without Responsability (coautoria de Jean Seaton) e Media and Society. Na sua obra mais recente, Misunderstanding the Internet (coautoria de Natalie Fenton e Des Freedman), James Curran reavalia o impacto social da Internet, desconstruindo os discursos que consideram que a web revolucionou a sociedade do século xxi. A entrevista, realizada a 28 de fevereiro de 2012, dia em que James Curran proferiu uma conferência na Universidade Católica Portuguesa, aborda variados temas. Entre estes, destacamos as implicações que as formas de propriedade dos media têm na construção do conhecimento público, e o atual discurso sobre o jornalismo e os me...
The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication is a response to two troubling conditions... more The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication is a response to two troubling conditions of the contemporary moment: Firstly, it recognizes that doctoral students researching the challenges posed by contemporary phenomena in media and communication need new fora to foster discussion in real time of ideas and theories that may help them grasp more fully rapidly changing realities. Secondly, it aims to facilitate global discussions at a time marked by political and cultural polarization and the resurgence of nationalisms that diminish claims to identity and otherness.
This study represents the first work integrating theory and practice from the field of fact-check... more This study represents the first work integrating theory and practice from the field of fact-checking and combating fake news into a novel methodology for performance analysis of fact-checking organizations. It provides important insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of European fact-checking organizations. However, it is relevant for any fact-checking organization across the Globe. The methodology includes the development of a scheme of performance indicators and the definition of a taxonomy of fact-checking systems, supported by an existing conceptual framework. The practical part consists of piloting of the methodology into a set of implemented and working online platforms. The results from the study reveal huge space for improvements of the workflows and the functionality of fact-checkers and lead to the extraction of a set of recommendations in this regard.
Portugal was the colonial nation that invested least in cross-border broadcasting, despite having... more Portugal was the colonial nation that invested least in cross-border broadcasting, despite having a long-lasting empire and being ruled by a dictatorship that placed colonisation at the centre of its ideology. The reasons for this are set out in this chapter, which also demonstrates how lack of investment on the part of the state was compensated for by the proliferation of private stations in the Portuguese African colonies during the 1930s and 1940s. The most significant case was that of Radio Clube de Mocambique. The history of this station is presented here, from its establishment to the outbreak of the colonial war in Mozambique. In addition this chapter also discusses how the Portuguese dictatorship controlled and used Radio Clube de Mocambique—a private and commercially successful station—to promote the regime’s colonial policy.
Portugal became the centre of an entangled airwaves ensemble during the Cold War. In order to dem... more Portugal became the centre of an entangled airwaves ensemble during the Cold War. In order to demonstrate this, the article develops along two lines. First, it details how the Portuguese dictatorship, with ideological connections to fascism, allowed the construction in its territory of one of the most powerful retransmitters of Radio Free Europe (RFE), responsible for airing anti-communist propaganda to Eastern Europe. The collaboration between the Portuguese dictator and the National Committee for Free Europe, mediated by US diplomatic officials, played an important role in the development of the operations of RFE in the country. Second, the article demonstrates how Portugal became the target of shortwave broadcasts operated from abroad, aimed at spreading pro-communist and anti-fascist sentiments in Portuguese society. Some of these stations were established by the political opposition that used the airwaves to undermine the dictatorship.
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Journal papers by Nelson Ribeiro
Evidence abounds. Formerly stable democracies embrace strategies and tactics long thought to be allied with authoritarian regimes, while formerly marginalized populations take front stage to articulate long-suppressed experiences of abuse and repression. Formerly reliable institutions conduct themselves in an increasingly erratic and capricious fashion, at the same time as formerly hidden concerns now foster the powerful formation of new centers and sources of public sentiment. Such evidence more than attests to the pressing need for scholars to recognize that “formerly” is the new now.
Its recognition cannot come a moment too soon. Having hidden for too long behind mechanisms that repeatedly earn academic scholarship the labels of outdat- edness, isolation, inscrutability and a sense of general remove, we need to develop additional ways to address the stridencies of the moment. For a field that hinges much of its scholarly identity on the analysis of current issues, problems, events and personalities, this is a necessary beginning for jumpstarting our relevance as a field.
ruled in the country. While censorship was given the task of preventing many news pieces from
reaching the public, newspapers were also forced to give visibility to all propaganda events organized
by the regime. In many cases this meant relegating crucial news on the war to the interior
pages while the front pages were reserved for national stories. The article combines document
research with an analysis of the front pages of the two major Portuguese daily newspapers
from the outbreak of the war until the capitulation of France. It demonstrates how the censorship
apparatus played a role that went way beyond deciding what could and could not be published by
ensuring that the press would report an alternative reality that was created by the regime’s propaganda
which aimed to ‘conveniently guide’ public opinion.
Results show that there is still a dominant print culture present in newsrooms across Europe; however, a shift toward convergence journalism is evident in the strategic implementation of editorial routines and practices as well as in the encouragement of journalists to join convergence developments. Furthermore, newsrooms in Mediterranean countries are more advanced than those in North/Central Europe when it comes to embracing convergence culture because of a stronger audio-visual than print news tradition and a higher motivation among journalists. Our study reveals that after two decades of European convergence journalism, cultural change moves slowly but steadily toward a news production that makes use of the possibilities emerging from convergence.
Furthermore, this article also describes how a third type of scarcity—that of electricity—also restricted listeners’ access to radio broadcasts, which led many Portuguese to make sacrifices in order to listen to updated news.
Evidence abounds. Formerly stable democracies embrace strategies and tactics long thought to be allied with authoritarian regimes, while formerly marginalized populations take front stage to articulate long-suppressed experiences of abuse and repression. Formerly reliable institutions conduct themselves in an increasingly erratic and capricious fashion, at the same time as formerly hidden concerns now foster the powerful formation of new centers and sources of public sentiment. Such evidence more than attests to the pressing need for scholars to recognize that “formerly” is the new now.
Its recognition cannot come a moment too soon. Having hidden for too long behind mechanisms that repeatedly earn academic scholarship the labels of outdat- edness, isolation, inscrutability and a sense of general remove, we need to develop additional ways to address the stridencies of the moment. For a field that hinges much of its scholarly identity on the analysis of current issues, problems, events and personalities, this is a necessary beginning for jumpstarting our relevance as a field.
ruled in the country. While censorship was given the task of preventing many news pieces from
reaching the public, newspapers were also forced to give visibility to all propaganda events organized
by the regime. In many cases this meant relegating crucial news on the war to the interior
pages while the front pages were reserved for national stories. The article combines document
research with an analysis of the front pages of the two major Portuguese daily newspapers
from the outbreak of the war until the capitulation of France. It demonstrates how the censorship
apparatus played a role that went way beyond deciding what could and could not be published by
ensuring that the press would report an alternative reality that was created by the regime’s propaganda
which aimed to ‘conveniently guide’ public opinion.
Results show that there is still a dominant print culture present in newsrooms across Europe; however, a shift toward convergence journalism is evident in the strategic implementation of editorial routines and practices as well as in the encouragement of journalists to join convergence developments. Furthermore, newsrooms in Mediterranean countries are more advanced than those in North/Central Europe when it comes to embracing convergence culture because of a stronger audio-visual than print news tradition and a higher motivation among journalists. Our study reveals that after two decades of European convergence journalism, cultural change moves slowly but steadily toward a news production that makes use of the possibilities emerging from convergence.
Furthermore, this article also describes how a third type of scarcity—that of electricity—also restricted listeners’ access to radio broadcasts, which led many Portuguese to make sacrifices in order to listen to updated news.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MINORITIES/MAJORITIES, INCLUSION/EXCLUSION, CENTRE/PERIPHERY IN MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION HISTORY
“Our group first!” A familiar chant, which echoes past times in contemporary voices has recently gained momentum in the political discourse in Europe and the United States with resonance all over the globe. The claim and focus of such demands is however not new, but rather restorative with illustrious historical predecessors. Throughout history, communication has always been used to disseminate stereotypes, narratives and social myths aimed to the end of creating clear distinctions between a superior “us” and the “other”. Drawing lines between “us” and “them” is functional in negotiating senses of community and belonging and goes way beyond its political use. However, inclusion always harbors exclusion as well and the identity of groups also demarks their boundaries. For this workshop the ECREA Communication History Section invites scholarly presentations to shed light on questions of inclusion/exclusion, minorities/ majorities and centre/periphery in communication.
The goal is to understand such practices throughout a variety of historical and cultural settings and to learn from the past for contemporary challenges. The workshop allows for a scope ranging from the macro level of national or supranational societies, to very peculiar particularities of social groups and issue communities. The workshop is also interested in work that helps to deconstruct or re-evaluate assumptions about minorities/majorities, exclusion/inclusion, centre/periphery in a variety of contexts and as they are constructed or stabilized in academic work. Submissions dealing with the topics below are specially welcomed, even though the workshop will be opened to papers dealing with other aspects of the relation between media, minorities and majorities (including gender relations).
Minorities through the eyes of the Majorities and vice versa
In different historical locations the media have claimed to reflect societies in which they operate, disseminating cultural and social values that are accepted by the social structure in place, contributing to the imagination of community. In many cases this has led the media to focus their attention on majorities, while minorities are mostly ignored or represented in a negative fashion. Many authoritarian regimes, for example, have used all sorts of communication technologies, from posters and literature to broadcasting and newspapers, to promote fear and hate against minorities while exalting the qualities of those who are said to be the true patriots.
The concern about how minority groups are represented in public communication and how they engage in media production has deserved academic attention with the publication of books and journal issues dealing mostly with how mainstream media treat disabled citizens and gender, ethnic and religious minorities, migrants or refugees. We are interested in submissions addressing the logics, motives and uses of communicative constructions of normality and deviance, homogenization of cultural norms, dealing with heterogeneous concepts of life, alteration and hybrid identities. The workshop will focus on the creation of different types of minority groups as in-groups and out-groups, the alteration of their positions, identities and histories.
Different by choice
Differentiation and distinction are important ingredients for identity work. We are interested in communication phenomena and styles, which aimed at differentiating perspectives and creating alternative communities (e.g. hackers, tech-nerds) or establish alternative cultural scenes (e.g. religious groups such as the Amish). This ranges from subcultures to the doing identity of political, LGBT, or activist groups and the conflicts and struggles they engaged in. Research is invited, which analyses special media formats produced by or addressing specific niches in the “small life-worlds of modern man” or highlight specific (protest) campaigns or identity management practices of such groups. Also representations of such minorities by choice through the lens of majorities, the mainstream media or popular culture are welcomed.
Inclusion and exclusion
Minorities are often excluded from possibilities of communication that are taken for granted and offered to majorities. Policy makers and commercial driven companies often consider as unprofitable bringing communications in unpopulated areas which leads to the exclusion of specific groups of people or specific region. Moreover, people tend to self-exclude themselves from too difficult, too expensive, and too complicated forms of communication. The workshop welcomes contributions on the history of communication divides (analogue and digital), and histories of political or business practices aiming to exclude groups of potential users.
Minority Media, Majority Practices
With the decline of mass communication and the slow disappearance of large audiences the lines between minorities and majorities get blurred when it comes to reception practices and habits. The discussion on how majorities and minorities use communication (technologies) and how they are represented on the media should also take into account the role of alternative media that, in many different historical contexts, have been created and operated by minorities. While cases like the Jewish press comes immediately to mind, feminist magazines and community radio stations are also examples of how different groups have used the media to promote their ideas and ideologies among fragmented audiences and compartmentalized collective identities. Many of these media played a role in in-group identity construction, frequently transcending borders and linking transnational audiences. The use of technologies that has widely disappeared or retracted to small niches or the nostalgic rediscovery of past media devices that are considered minoritarian will also be discussed.
Centre and periphery
Majorities are often at the centre and minorities at the periphery of infrastructures and networks. While at the centre the flow of communication is more intense and the speed of connections is higher, at the peripheries connections can be unstable and less reliable. Nevertheless, peripheries are also places where unexpected and minoritarian uses of media and communication emerge. In different historical periods, cities such as Athens, Rome, Venice, London, and New York have been at the centre of communication flows while places distant from the centre have to deal with their peripheral status. Case studies and papers dealing with the consequences of being central or peripheral in communication will be welcomed.
“Us and them” through the history of communication studies
Another field of inquiry the workshop is interested in is the role of academic research in observing and thus preserving logics of inclusion and exclusion through academic work. How do and did media and communication scholars normalize some media practices and pathologize others? What was the role of media and communication scholarship in stabilizing social in-groups while alienating outsiders (e.g. through links to political propaganda, psychological warfare and similar manipulation strategies or corporate advertising)? Which myths and narratives are cultivated by media research and how do prevalent concepts, eligible methods and accessible sources shape and foster certain understandings of media history, highlighting specific groups while sidelining others, thus creating an implicit invisible mainstream? Is thus a biased understanding of majority and minority groups at a given created in communication history? Which strategies could be used to deconstruct and re-evaluate existing assumptions in the light of gender, postcolonial or non-Western perspectives? How can subgroups hidden in the alleged communication mainstream be made visible? How are in-groups and out-groups (mainstream and outsider perspectives) constructed within the academic field of (historical) communication research?
Abstracts of 500 words (maximum) proposing empirical case studies as well as theoretical or methodological contributions should be submitted no later than 29 April 2017. Proposals for full panels (comprising 4 or 5 papers) are also welcome: these should include a 250-word abstract for each individual presentation, and a 300-word rationale for the panel. Send abstracts to: sipos.balazs@btk.elte.hu
Authors will be informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the conference no later than 15 May 2017. Early career scholars and graduate students are highly encouraged to submit their work. Please indicate if the research submitted is part of your thesis or dissertation project. The organizers will aim to arrange for discussants to provide an intensive response for graduate students projects.
Conference fee: 110 €. The price includes 2 lunches + buffet /coffee-break, excludes opening dinner which is optional.
The contributions to this volume display a series of case studies of BBC transmissions in various European foreign languages directed to occupied, neutral, and enemy countries. This allows for a comprehensive understanding of the different broadcasting strategies adopted by the BBC in the late 1930s and throughout the war, when the Corporation was under the direction of the Ministry of Information and the Political Warfare Executive. This book was originally published as a special issue of Media History.