The success of the Russian anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny in bringing to light the corruption of high-level government officials has reinvigorated the debate about the effectiveness of...Show moreThe success of the Russian anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny in bringing to light the corruption of high-level government officials has reinvigorated the debate about the effectiveness of social media, and in particular blogging, to stimulate socio-political activism. This thesis looks beyond Russia’s most famous blogger to see who else is using the capabilities of (video)blogging to highlight and support the fight against corruption in the country. In particular, it analyzes blogposts by Ilya Varlamov and Erik Davidych and measures their direct effects in terms of the fight against corruption. By doing so, this research contributes to the debate of the usefulness of social media in the stimulation of socio-political activism, and reveals the possible short-term effects that blogging can have as a tool to battle corruption. The thesis concludes that despite media repression and the large scale of corruption in Russia, the short-term effects of anti-corruption blogging can be positive, while the long-term consequences are unclear.Show less
Since the advent of the 2014 EU Parliamentary Election, the rise of nationalist parties and growing Euroscepticism is highly visible across the continent (European Commission, 2014b). Several...Show moreSince the advent of the 2014 EU Parliamentary Election, the rise of nationalist parties and growing Euroscepticism is highly visible across the continent (European Commission, 2014b). Several studies have tried to find reasons for the increased concern and distrust towards EU policies, among which are the euro-crisis, strict austerity measures and insecurities towards immigrants (Treib, 2014). It is however worth to “look beyond traditional explanations” and look into the role the media might have played and still plays (De Vreese 2007, p. 272). There is a general agreement that the media are an important source of information for the public and therefore also contribute to shaping views on EU politics. Despite this common wisdom, academic literature in that area is scarce and rather fragmented (Hawkins, 2012; De Vreese 2007). The few existing studies, however, suggest that framing in news coverage has a significant impact on people’s opinion and is key to understand Euroscepticism (e.g. Van Spanje and De Vreese, 2014; Hawkins, 2012). Since EU’s citizens and their attitudes are crucial for the future support of the project (Van Spanje and De Vreese, 2011), the topic of this thesis focuses on the role of frames, used in media coverage on EU topics as potential predictors of people’s opinions on the EU. Since journalistic cultures are different across countries and might therefore influence EU citizens differently, findings will be compared across nations. Awareness of these effects can be of practical relevance not only for academics but also for EU policy makers wishing to bridge the communicative gap between the EU’s institutions and its citizens, a starting point to enhance democratic legitimacy.Show less
