|
| |
|
|
European Union Artificial Intelligence Regulation: framework and discussion
Tolepbergen, Miras ; Kołodziej, Jacek (vedoucí práce) ; Tomalová, Eliška (oponent)
The research aims to examine how and to what extent the media, outlets that are perceived as the most influential by the EU decision-makers in Brussels, translate the European Commission's, the main promoter, discourse on AI regulation. And pertinent question is: how does the media's discourse relate to the Commission's institutional discourse on AI regulation? To answer it, the research relies on framing theory to offer an analysis of frames produced and disseminated by the media and the Commission. A comparative study provided not only a description of certain types of frames disseminated by both actors but also explored their relationship and interaction. Overall, it was concluded that even though the Commission's frames are present in the media's discourse, they are not replicated because other factors, including journalists' perspective and caution about powerful and yet mysterious technology, might have influenced significantly their media framing of the AI regulation issue. Thus, the media frame setting process's main logic was illustrated.
|
|
|
Resilience Against External Disinformation Campaigns
Kvirikashvili, Gvantsa ; Kołodziej, Jacek (vedoucí práce) ; Escriba, Abel (oponent)
How can a democratic society respond to disinformation in the modern age, and what methods are available at the highest levels? Disinformation has become a widespread discursive manifestation of the current worldwide political climate since the past decade. Tackling the phenomenon, without a doubt, necessitates a relentless emphasis on researching and analysing the steps taken by states, social platforms, international or local organisations. Hence, the thesis sets out to explore the traits of the EU's discourse on online disinformation and research the concept of building resilience against disinformation campaigns. For this reason, this study examines the EU's counter-disinformation policies, which have been set in action since 2015, when the Union recognized the phenomenon as a threat to democracy. Subsequently, in 2018, the EU unveiled a new strategy to address digital disinformation followed by a self-regulatory Code of Practice and the communication about tackling COVID-19 disinformation in 2020. The study of disinformation is undoubtedly complex due to the wide variety of actors involved, ongoing technological developments, individual psychological mechanisms and the difficulty of defining the concept. Therefore, the dissertation will narrow down its focus on the main strategic points found...
|
|
|
Understanding populism: The relationship between political function and political language: Populist mobilization in Germany, Poland and Austria
Möller, Hark ; Kołodziej, Jacek (vedoucí práce) ; Mejstřík, Martin (oponent)
The purpose of this thesis is to develop a model of political communication of populist parties on election posters (n=208) of the AfD in Germany and the FPÖ in Austria. Populist parties communicate consciously and in a reduced way on election posters, presenting political messages textually and visually. What pervades this thesis is the endeavour to identify typical elements of populist mobilisation and to design a model of populist communication. Following Charmaz, the Grounded Theory approach ensures a strong text-based analysis in order to approach the material in an unbiased and inductive way. To identify typical elements, the collected material is coded in two steps using MAXQDA software. The election posters of AfD and FPÖ illustrate the division of society into "we" and "the others". On the one hand, patriotism, collectivisation and the appeal to positive values shape the "we", while on the other hand, images of the enemy through references to cultural otherness, the discrediting of political elites and the creation of fear establish the reference to "the others". By valorising, defending and representing the "real people", populist parties reveal the relevance of the "for you" component. Paternalistic expressions, traditional moral concepts and a threat to the self-image of the "real...
|
|
|
Neo-authoritarianism and Media Systems Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
Tepliakova, Mariia ; Vukov, Visnja (vedoucí práce) ; Kołodziej, Jacek (oponent)
In several modern countries, media have to operate in "disabling environments" with limited journalistic freedom and judicial independence. Central and Eastern European states represent such settings to various extent, as the takeover of media regulatory organisations and decreasing media pluralism have become characteristic for this region, indicating a systemic shift. Nevertheless, the high- profile cases of Poland and Hungary could have contributed to overgeneralised conclusions regarding the nature of such transformations, attributing them to, inter alia, the rise of right-wing populism. Using the method of paired comparison, this thesis examines Poland and the Czech Republic to determine the exact mechanisms of change behind media capture in these countries. I contend that different manifestations of neo-authoritarianism in the region are responsible for manifold attacks on media independence, including sophisticated strategies of using SLAPPs, strategic lawsuits against public participation, and increasing concentration of media ownership combined with potential conflicts of interest. I conclude by suggesting directions for further research and policy-making to address media freedom on both national and European levels.
|
|
|
Poles and Poland as the Others as voiced by the German media
Theile, Johanna Friederike ; Kołodziej, Jacek (vedoucí práce) ; Lizcová, Zuzana (oponent)
In the present work, the changing discourse in Germany about Poland is examined, with the aim to reveal reasons for political and societal conflicts between them. In order to do this, two periods of three weeks each in main German print media are examined. The discourse is analysed on the basis of the concepts Othering and Belonging, which are in the following considered to be opposite concepts (see Barkey, 2018). Othering is a concept stemming from the works of different philosophers, like Husserl (1960) who discusses how the other is perceived, or Hegel (2012) who argues that the self needs the other in order to define itself. The concept gained relevance as it was helpful to describe and analyse discrimination (de Beauvoir, 2011; Said, 1978). It is the social process of identifying an opposite as not belonging to the self, which is seen as the basis for racism or female oppression, and their partially dreadful consequences (see Brons, 2015; Hegel, 2012; Powell & Menendian, 2015). Examples for the terrible realisation of Othering can be found in the German-Polish history, such as the horrific crimes against Polish people based on the German belief of racial superiority during the Second World War. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
|
|
|
Competition & Transition: Divergent Approaches to Nation Branding in Estonia and Latvia
Curran, Thomas Declan Roy ; Kołodziej, Jacek (vedoucí práce) ; Tomalová, Eliška (oponent)
In the early 2000s, Estonia and Latvia adopted nation branding strategies as a means of progressing their transition towards becoming European Union and NATO member states. While both states inherited very similar regional identities centred on a Baltic regional grouping, Estonia and Latvia diverged in their incorporation of this Baltic regional identity into their nation branding strategies, with Latvia foregrounding its Baltic identity while Estonia demonstrated a pivot towards a Nordic identity, while minimising Baltic dimensions. While previous research in this field has predominantly taken a country-by-country approach to nation brand analysis, this paper takes a comparative content analysis methodology in order to identify differences across strategies over time. Through a content analysis of nation branding materials issued by Estonia and Latvia between 2001 and 2020, this paper demonstrates that these countries have adopted strongly differing postures in their nation branding strategies with regards to a Baltic identity. In contrast to other work on this topic, this paper situates the choices made in producing these nation branding strategies in their historical, cultural and economic context in order to draw conclusions as to how a Baltic identity is perceived as being competitive or uncompetitive...
|
host ::
RSS.