Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ricardo Ferreira

Leverhulme Trust @leverhulme.ac.uk · 13d

ICYMI: 📰 The Leverhulme Trust September Newsletter is out!

Read it on our website now: www.leverhulme.ac.uk/newsletter

@mphiljill.bsky.social @ferreira-rr.bsky.social @manmetuni.bsky.social @sheffielduni.bsky.social

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · 22d

My new research project is featured in the @leverhulme.ac.uk September newsletter — and it made the cover! A great start to my Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at @commmedia.bsky.social @liverpooluni.bsky.social. Grateful for the support and the generous spotlight on my work. Trying not to blush 👇

Leverhulme Trust @leverhulme.ac.uk · 22d

The Trust’s September Newsletter is out now! Read about Jupiter’s polar meteorology, trauma-informed justice systems, language and human history in Indigenous texts from the Southern Cone, and much more: leverhulme.ac.uk/newsletter

A man sat by a river at dusk, reading a burning newspaper.

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Reposted by Ricardo Ferreira

Ayala Panievsky @panievsky.bsky.social · 22d

In the middle of this devastating news cycle, I got to meet my journo hero: @arusbridger.bsky.social, now @prospectmagazine.co.uk, ex @theguardian.com, always fearless. We had a great conversation, with sharp @lionelbarber.bsky.social joining us online. Give it a listen 👉 shorturl.at/P2FtG

Does the news need gatekeeping?

Journalist Ayala Panievsky talks about her new book ‘The New Censorship’ in a time of democratic decay

shorturl.at

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 23d

WTF is this? Normalizing authoritarianism repression as an electoral strategy www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 8

Arrived at the office today to a wonderful surprise — a copy of my dear friend @panievsky.bsky.social’s brand-new book. A powerful and timely take on how media can be twisted to undermine public deliberation and amplify anti-democratic forces. Looking forward to learning from her brilliant work! 📚

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 1

Taken together, our findings provide a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the criteria journalists use to decide whether to publish a story, particularly when their democratic role conflicts with traditional notions of news values that underpin gatekeeping theory. /6 end.

Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 1

+ Yet, the decision to publish tends to prevail even if a majority of journalists see potential harm. Private interests—political or financial—overcome the public interest.

+ Some bet on mitigating measures (e.g., additional context or corrections) and open the door for rationalisation. /5

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 1

Reasons to publish:
👉 “Competing voices”
👉 Legitimacy of position (e.g. president)
👉 Accountability of an actor
👉 Fear of looking left-leaning
👉 Audience pressure

Not to publish:
🚫 Potential harm to democracy
🚫 Journalism’s social and democratic role
🚫 Ethical standards (esp on hate speech) /4

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 1

First, Journalists do hold clear and consistent views on what constitutes “problematic content”. Two types stand out: content that they believe 'will undermine democratic attitudes' (or authoritarian proposals) and misinformation about 'relevant issues' (e.g., COVID-19 and climate change). /3

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 1

Journalists often face a dilemma about whether to publish content that could undermine public deliberation and democratic norms. But what do they perceive as harmful, and how do they make such decisions? We ran 36 in-depth interviews with journalists in Brazil’s biggest newsrooms to find out: 👇/2

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Sep 1

📣 Hot off the press! Thrilled to see this paper with @jfdaoust.bsky.social published in Public Opinion Quarterly @aapor.bsky.social. Open access link below, followed by a short 🧵with our key findings.../1
academic.oup.com/poq/advance-...

To Report or Not to Report? A Qualitative Analysis of Journalists’ Perspectives on Harm to Public Opinion

Abstract. Journalists face intricate decisions regarding what to publish, especially when problematic content may impact public opinion in a way that could

academic.oup.com

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Richard Stupart @richardstupart.com · Jul 31

If you are applying to a PhD, don't use an LLM in composing your proposal.

If you are doing a PhD, don't use an LLM to do the writing and reading and thinking for you.

Sorry, I am going to die on this hill.

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Jun 14

Grateful for the opportunity to present at the #ICA2025 in Denver. I explored with @jfdaoust.bsky.social the journalists’ perceptions and editorial decisions on content potentially harmful to public opinion. Thank you to everyone who attended the session and contributed to the discussion.

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Jun 12

You are also warmly invited to my presentation tomorrow, Friday 13 June: “Breaking the News: Journalists’ Perceptions and Decision-Making on ‘Problematic Content’ and Public Harm” (with Jean-François Daoust)
🕒 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
📍 Colorado A (Grand 2)

Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Jun 12

I am attending the 75th Annual International Communication Association Conference in Denver, Colorado. Excited to join brilliant colleagues from around the world to explore critical questions at the intersection of media, journalism, and democracy. If you are here and would like to chat, DM me.

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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · May 27

The US Administration has indefinitely blocked *all* student visa applicants from getting a visa interview.

Worldwide, unconditional, no end date. All.

International students are crucial to the US university system, American innovation, and future US prosperity.

Rubio Reportedly Pauses New International Student Visa Interviews

More than 1.1 million international students were enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 school year.

www.forbes.com

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Cas Ⓜ️udde @casmudde.bsky.social · May 12

More morally abhorrent and politically counterproductive speech from Starmer.

1. It propagates a nativist narrative by blaming immigration/immigrants for the UK’s economic and social ills.

2. It thereby also whitewashes Tories for years of destructive economic and social policies.

Paul Brand @paulbrand.bsky.social · May 12

If you thought the PM’s speech was punchy, his foreword to the immigration white paper says high net migration has done “incalculable damage” to the country.

That is a serious shift in tone for a Labour government/party.

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · May 12

The race to the bottom is on as Starmer delivers his great immigration reset | John Crace

A week after Reform cleans up at the local elections, the prime minister decides it’s time to ‘take back control’

www.theguardian.com

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Thomas Hanitzsch @thanitzsch.bsky.social · May 2

BREAKING:
"Given these circumstances, we have decided not to hold another ICA conference in the United States during this administration and have delayed our contract with Chicago until May 2029."
#ICA25

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Apr 25

Competitive Authoritarianism. Textbook definition.

Brad Heath @bradheath.bsky.social · Apr 25

President Trump has personally ordered the Justice Department to open an investigation of Democrats' primary ways for raising donations.

It is the third time he has personally ordered an open-ended criminal investigation, each against a perceived political foe.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

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Celeste Ng @pronounced-ing.bsky.social · Apr 14

Take 5 min, email your alma mater, and ask them to follow suit (if they haven't already, and most haven't). President, provost, and public relations officer.

Celeste Pewter @celestepewter.bsky.social · Apr 14

Let's be clear: more universities need to follow this.

Harvard Will Not Comply With a List of Trump Administration Demands (Gift Article)

Federal officials said Harvard must enact “merit-based reform” in hiring and admissions, among other things. Harvard called the demands unlawful.

www.nytimes.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Apr 14

The Trump administration is asserting the power to disappear people into foreign gulags without due process and openly discussing putting citizens there next. This is tyranny. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/u... www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04...

El Salvador’s President Says He Won’t Return Maryland Man Who Was Wrongly Deported

An Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador was a blunt example of Mr. Trump’s defiance of the federal courts.

www.nytimes.com

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Apr 14

Held within the walls of Europe’s oldest diplomatic academy, these conversations could not be more urgent—occurring at a moment when the pursuit of social justice faces relentless attacks and the international order stands at a critical crossroads. 3/3

📍Vienna, Austria - 11.04.2025

Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Apr 14

Over two days of intense and thought-provoking discussions, world-leading academics and brilliant emerging scholars came together to examine the intersections of journalism, media, technology, regulatory frameworks, state and private capture, diplomacy, and global governance. 2/3

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Ricardo Ferreira @ferreira-rr.bsky.social · Apr 14

It was a pleasure to participate in the Milton Wolf Seminar, organised by the American Austrian Foundation, the Annenberg School for Communication, and the Diplomatische Akademie Wien. I am grateful for the kind invitation and the opportunity to share my research. 1/3

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