Millions of citizens have taken on to the streets in recent months to demand greater levels of equality, democracy and sovereignty in places like Chile, Haiti, Hong Kong, Iraq, Lebanon and Spain.
Among the targets of protesters have been established news media organisations, which have been accused of lying and supporting the status quo.
Whilst the current wave of protests strikingly resembles the ‘movements of the squares’ that stormed cities across the world between 2011-2015, they happen in a context where social media platforms are seen with growing suspicion, and where previous outbreaks of social unrest arguably opened the door to right-wing populist movements.
This panel will look at the role of media and communications in these uprisings and interpret them in the light of previous experiences of social agitation and rise of far-right populism. Participants will explore the strengths and limitations of different approaches to the phenomenon, discussing the role of capitalism, patriarchy, coloniality and other regimes of power in the demands, responses and representations underpinning these protests, as well as the growing mistrust towards professional journalists.
Panelists
Dr Omar Al-Ghazzi, Dept of Media and Communications, LSE
Dr Bingchun Meng, Dept of Media and Communications, LSE
Dr César Jiménez-Martínez, School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University