Current Issue

In a time of political upheaval with the extreme right on the rise globally, and the techniques of fascism (populism, propaganda and fake news, hate speech and rise of hate crimes) dominating discourse around societal and political issues, what is the potential for progressive activists to use the media to enable resistance and open up space for alternatives? This special issue emphasises the importance of collective action and media visibility (Meikle, 2018; Tilly & Wood, 2013; Melucci, 1996) in generating positive change.

We define ‘activism’ as ‘the widest range of attempts to effect social or cultural change’ (Meikle, 2018: iii), while ‘the media’ includes a broad range of communication platforms, from traditional journalism to digital networks. 

We welcome papers on the subject of (but not limited to):

• Algorithmic activism
• Novel ways of adaptation of the long established repertoire of activist tactics to the Internet, preferably based on recent case studies
• Hashtag activism
• Tactical media (e.g. the use of established media to disrupt the discourse, or the new media that are specifically crafted for activism)
• Anti-hate activism
• Changing the frame. The application of psychological insights that fuel both online and offline strategies, for example countering those frames that 'other’ refugees and trigger values of fear and anger
• (Post) Feminist activism
• Environmental activism
• Activism in restricted media environments
• Active and re-active activism
• Whistleblowers and journalistic activism
• Imagining a post-Brexit activism, addressing the crisis in democracy

This special issue invites the most recent theoretical interventions and empirical research that explores how media activism across the globe opposes the current crises in Western democracies and beyond.

Find out more here!

WPCC is thrilled to announce the publication of an extensive new special issue on the topic of China’s much debated ‘going-out’ strategy as it has developed. It extends the discussion about China¹s media expansion by focusing on the act of communicating the ‘going-out’ message and how it has been received by residents of Latin America, the USA and Africans studying in China.

Eleven contributions consider television news to radio, Twitter, the financial structures of Chinese internet firms alongside book reviews of publications on Chinese and global media politics offering new data and interview material as well as alerting readers to some of the most useful theoretical tools to develop understanding. 

WPCC is an open access journal and all content in this issue and in its archive is available free to read. 

For more details on this collection click here!