Alexandria Innes brings up an interesting question about international relations (IR): if IR experts treat states like people, then why don’t we hold states to a higher standard regarding violence? Adam B. Lerner posits the racist, sexist, and elitist work of Gustave le Bon in crowd psychology tainted IR experts’ early understanding of nationalism and large-group politics. He posits that if IR experts had a more optimistic view of how people come together to achieve peaceful, productive goals, we could begin holding states to a higher standard. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here
Merv
February 1, 2023
