What is 'the news' and how does it differ from 'news'? The latter speaks to power, diversity of news media, and multiple publics. This dissertation is an ethnographic study of 'the news' and 'news... Show moreWhat is 'the news' and how does it differ from 'news'? The latter speaks to power, diversity of news media, and multiple publics. This dissertation is an ethnographic study of 'the news' and 'news' in, respectively, an institutional and a popular public on the Dutch Caribbean islands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The metaphor of the ‘glasshouse’ refers to how social life on these islands took shape under Dutch colonial rule and has since evolved as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Like (real) glasshouses, built as regulated atmospheres to optimize the growth of plants outside their natural habitat, I argue that as part of the Dutch colonial project Curaçao and Sint Maarten were designed and regulated as social environments according to capitalist principles. Yet, as unruly transformations emerge in (real) glasshouses, so do unforeseen flowering and mushrooming take place on Curaçao and Sint Maarten. With a focus on news as a social process that generates common, contested, and at times cathartic senses of belonging, this dissertation aims to broaden the understanding of what 'news' means and does, while showing how everyday dynamics of 'the news' and 'news' articulate the creative transformations around (re)imagining and constructing the island communities. Show less
Een infographic van Rijkswaterstaat gaf een overdreven rooskleurig beeld van de natuurcompensatie bij de werkzaamheden aan de A27/A12 bij Utrecht. Rijkswaterstaat heeft na vragen van Nieuwscheckers... Show moreEen infographic van Rijkswaterstaat gaf een overdreven rooskleurig beeld van de natuurcompensatie bij de werkzaamheden aan de A27/A12 bij Utrecht. Rijkswaterstaat heeft na vragen van Nieuwscheckers de grafiek aangepast. Show less
Het afsnijden van y-assen, het gebruiken van 3D-effecten en slechts een deel van de beschikbare data laten zien: het zijn allemaal tactieken om mensen te misleiden met grafieken. Maar je hoeft... Show moreHet afsnijden van y-assen, het gebruiken van 3D-effecten en slechts een deel van de beschikbare data laten zien: het zijn allemaal tactieken om mensen te misleiden met grafieken. Maar je hoeft niet altijd misleid te blijven, blijkt uit onderzoek. Show less
Smeets, I.; Willems, S.J.W.; Burger, J.P.; Wijnker, W. 2022
Grafieken kunnen verduidelijken, maar ze kunnen ook misleiden. Er zijn verschillende manieren om misleidende grafieken effectief te debunken, blijkt uit ons onderzoek dat zojuist verscheen in het ...Show moreGrafieken kunnen verduidelijken, maar ze kunnen ook misleiden. Er zijn verschillende manieren om misleidende grafieken effectief te debunken, blijkt uit ons onderzoek dat zojuist verscheen in het Journal of Science Communication. Nieuwscheckers geeft zelf het goede voorbeeld met de nieuwe rubriek Grafiekpolitie. Show less
Chadians’ growing use of social media could prove a boon for the country’s political transition, but it could also fuel violence offline. With donor backing, authorities, civil society, online... Show moreChadians’ growing use of social media could prove a boon for the country’s political transition, but it could also fuel violence offline. With donor backing, authorities, civil society, online platforms and influencers should work to ensure social media remains a space for democratic debate rather than an accelerator of conflict. Show less
Het recht van het kind om in dit digitale tijdperk onbezorgd te kunnen spelen, zonder misleid of misbruikt te worden; daarover gaat deze elfde Mulock Houwer-lezing. Simone van der Hof, hoogleraar... Show moreHet recht van het kind om in dit digitale tijdperk onbezorgd te kunnen spelen, zonder misleid of misbruikt te worden; daarover gaat deze elfde Mulock Houwer-lezing. Simone van der Hof, hoogleraar Recht en Digitale Technologie aan de Universiteit Leiden, laat daarin zien dat het vaak vergeten recht op spelen zeker in deze tijd meer aandacht verdient. Ze legt uit hoe belangrijk digitaal spelen voor kinderen is geworden, maar ook welke vormen van dwang en uitbuiting ze daarin kunnen tegenkomen.Simone van der Hof pleit voor een verplichte keuring van digitale producten en diensten op basis van de kinderrechten. Daarmee verlengt zij als het ware het voetspoor van Daan Mulock Houwer naar de huidige tijd. Hij wilde kinderen beschermen tegen dwang en exploitatie, maar kon in zijn tijd de digitale vormen daarvan nog niet vermoeden. Show less
With China’s rapid growth as a regional and global power, think tanks in China have received increasing attention from politicians and academics, mostly due to the achievements of academic and... Show moreWith China’s rapid growth as a regional and global power, think tanks in China have received increasing attention from politicians and academics, mostly due to the achievements of academic and processing policies. Recently, collaborations between the media and think tanks have become increasingly tight. This article aims to explore China’s think tank industry and their relationship with the media by interviewing two members of staff from one of China’s most prominent think tanks and observing the Institute for six months. This study has found that China’s think tanks have a close relationship with the government and the media. The traditional Chinese Confucian culture and the "bureaucracy-oriented tradition" have a significant role in the think tanks’ political behavior. This leads the think tanks to play the role of being an advocate of the government. Although social media, to some extent, liberalizes the work style of China’s think tanks, the think tanks’ use of social media still follows the traditional media logic to facilitate the government’s interests. Overall, the study argues that Chinese think tanks show features of being a “Government-lead non-governmental organization" with a semi-official identity to complement the official authorities. Show less
China’s digital nationalism has been on the rise during the last decade. This article examines the digital nationalistic expression of solidarity and unity on China’s 70th National Day celebration... Show moreChina’s digital nationalism has been on the rise during the last decade. This article examines the digital nationalistic expression of solidarity and unity on China’s 70th National Day celebration in 2019. It conducted a qualitative content analysis of 500 posts regarding China’s National Day, which were posted on October 1, 2019, on Sina Weibo. This study finds that Chinese internet users employ textual and visual posts to express their pride and loyalty, thereby reflecting their Chinese identity, a call for national unity, and their best wishes for China’s bright future. This study suggests that Weibo offers a virtual “imagined community” for netizens to interact with national symbols to spontaneously strengthen a sense of national identity by highlighting the Chinese Communist Party’s achievements. The findings concluded that national identity is socially constructed, rather than being permanent. Moreover, the Internet facilitates a more liberating Chinese media system; however, digital media is also somehow influenced by the Chinese government’ s media logic, which helps to further disseminate the government’ s interests. Show less
‘Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!’ Three years ago, on 20 December 2013, these 53 characters where the only thing Justine Sacco needed to cause commotion in Twitter,... Show more‘Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!’ Three years ago, on 20 December 2013, these 53 characters where the only thing Justine Sacco needed to cause commotion in Twitter, gain unwanted fame in social media, appear on newspapers like The New York Times and The Guardian and, not surprisingly, loose her job the next day she tweeted that message. Just 10 years ago, it was hard to think that a text written in a platform as ephemeral and constantly updated as Twitter could have such consequences. Only few people had an account, even fewer knew how to use it and its function was not yet clear to everybody. As any new technology, Twitter –and social media in general- has unseen consequences and uses, which have appeared and changed throughout the years. One of them, with arousing popularity during the last three years, comes directly from the sixteenth century: public shaming as a penalty for a crime. But in a world that is connected in real time every minute of every day, the degree of the sanction can get out of proportion easily. Show less
