Key Findings from Monographs by Vian Bakir
Books by Vian Bakir
Bakir, Vian , 2018
This book provides a definitive overview of the relationships of influence between civil society ... more This book provides a definitive overview of the relationships of influence between civil society and intelligence elites.
The secrecy surrounding intelligence means that publication of intelligence is highly restricted, barring occasional whistle-blowing and sanitised official leaks. These characteristics mean that intelligence, if publicised, can be highly manipulated by intelligence elites, while civil society’s ability to assess and verify claims is compromised by absence of independent evidence. There are few studies on the relationship between civil society and intelligence elites, which makes it hard to form robust assessments or practical recommendations regarding public oversight of intelligence elites. Addressing that lacuna, this book analyses two case studies of global political significance. The intelligence practices they focus on (contemporary mass surveillance and Bush-era torture-intelligence policies) have been presented as vital in fighting the ‘Global War on Terror’, enmeshing governments of scores of nation-states, while challenging internationally established human rights to privacy and to freedom from torture and enforced disappearance. The book aims to synthesise what is known on relationships of influence between civil society and intelligence elites. It moves away from disciplinary silos, to make original recommendations for how a variety of academic disciplines most likely to study the relationship between civil society and intelligence elites (international relations, history, journalism and media) could productively cross-fertilise. Finally, it aims to create a practical benchmark to enable civil society to better hold intelligence elites publicly accountable.
This book will be of great interest to students of intelligence studies, surveillance, media, journalism, civil society, democracy and IR in general.
This chapter provides an introduction to propaganda in relation to war and conflict. We start by ... more This chapter provides an introduction to propaganda in relation to war and conflict. We start by outlining the importance of these activities to the contemporary generation of policymakers and noting also the relevance and significance of deception as a political strategy. We then map three distinct areas in which propaganda plays a key role in conflict: 1) influencing domestic opinion, 2) shaping international/global opinion and 3) ‘winning hearts and mind’ within conflict zones. The chapter concludes by specifying key areas in which further conceptual/theoretical, ethical and empirical research are necessary in order to further our understanding of the role of propaganda in contemporary society.
The academic field examining the relationship between the news media and the intelligence communi... more The academic field examining the relationship between the news media and the intelligence community is extremely small and fragmented, with sustained academic analysis limited to a handful of publications. Not only is the field small, but it occupies tiny patches of turf in disparate disciplines that rarely talk to each other, spanning Media, Journalism, International Relations and History. Reflecting on these patches of turf, this chapter argues that the field suffers from disciplinary silos that would benefit from greater cross-fertilization. It identifies strong and weak currents within this inter-disciplinary field. The strong current examines the press as a target of intelligence agencies’ manipulative strategies. The weak current examines journalists’ challenges and practices in covering intelligence agencies, these practices ranging from collaborative to oppositional. The chapter then moves to reflect on the implications of these research currents for the press’s ability to hold intelligence agencies to account. The issue of accountability is a key critical issue as, in liberal democracies, the press is regularly presented as a guardian of the public interest – but the extent to which this is possible in the area of intelligence is rarely researched. This lacuna makes it difficult for meaningful reform of the relationship between the news media and the intelligence community to be suggested. The chapter concludes by outlining under-explored areas of critical research in the field, and by calling for more inter-disciplinary work.
""Torture, Intelligence and Sousveillance in the War on Terror examines the communication battles... more ""Torture, Intelligence and Sousveillance in the War on Terror examines the communication battles of the Bush and Blair political administrations (and those of their successors in the US and UK) over their use of torture, first-hand or second-hand, to gain intelligence for the War on Terror. In addition to detailing these administrations' Strategic Political Communication on this issue (comprising secrecy, silences and misdirection), this book explores key agenda–building drivers that exposed the torture–intelligence nexus, not just in the Third Estate (legislatures) and Fourth Estate (news and current affairs outlets), but also the Fifth Estate (that realm of digital and social media that advances the people’s right and ability to communicate). These discursive modes of resistance comprise unauthorized leaks and official investigations (Third Estate); investigative journalism and real-time reporting stemming from new media technologies (Fourth Estate); and Non-Governmental Organisation activity and sousveillance (Fifth Estate).
Presenting detailed case studies of key media events from the UK and USA within the War on Terror (2001-12), this insightful and timely volume exposes dominant political discourses on the torture–for–intelligence policy and evaluates the discursive modes of resistance to Strategic Political Communication – in particular, the newest mode of resistance, 'sousveillance' - community–based recording from first–person perspectives that may or may not involve a political agenda. This facilitates an exposition of the power–knowledge relationships constituting the torture–intelligence nexus; a re-evaluation of agenda-building models in the digital age; and an assessment of the health of the public sphere, identifying areas across the Third, Fourth and Fifth Estates that need strengthening. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in media and communication, sociology, political communication, politics, international relations, and journalism.
See Key Findings section for more
""
""This 95,000 word monograph fuses perspectives from politics, media studies and cultural studies... more ""This 95,000 word monograph fuses perspectives from politics, media studies and cultural studies, offering insights into impacts on strategic political communication of the emergence of web-based participatory media (‘Web 2.0’) across the first decade of the 21st century. Countering the control engendered in strategic political communication, Steve Mann’s concepts of hierarchical sousveillance (politically motivated watching of the institutional watchers) and personal sousveillance (apolitical, human-centred life-sharing) is applied to Web 2.0. Focusing on interplays of user-generated and mainstream media about, and from, Iraq, detailed case studies explore different levels of control over strategic political communication during key moments, including the start of the 2003 Iraq war, the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal, and Saddam Hussein’s execution in 2006. These are contextualized by overviews of political and media environments from 2001–09. Dr Bakir outlines broader implications of sousveillant web-based participatory media for strategic political communication, exploring issues of agenda-building, control, and the cycle of emergence, resistance and reincorporation of Web 2.0. Sousveillance cultures are explored, delineating issues of anonymity, semi-permanence, instanteneity resistance and social change.
For chapter one, click here: http://cipg.codemantra.us/UI_TRANSACTIONS/Marketing/UI_Widget.aspx?ID=WP9780826430090&ISBN=9780826430090&sts=r
See Key Findings section for more ...
This project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Research Leave Scheme Award:"
Bringing together a wide range of international contributors, this book outlines the low levels o... more Bringing together a wide range of international contributors, this book outlines the low levels of trust in our institutions globally, theorises trust and the public sphere, explores how trust is built and destroyed across various media forms, and assesses the health of the public sphere in light of the contributors’ insights.
This examines the scriptedness of apparently live television news broadcasts and how this inscrib... more This examines the scriptedness of apparently live television news broadcasts and how this inscribes the binary opposition of friend/enemy, highlighting this through textual deconstruction of a non-scripted event where this binary broke down.
Using news coverage of Princess Diana as a case study, this explores whether European news media ... more Using news coverage of Princess Diana as a case study, this explores whether European news media can practically be expected to help construct a European (as opposed to a national) identity.
"This groundbreaking and innovative introduction to Media Studies affords undergraduate and matu... more "This groundbreaking and innovative introduction to Media Studies affords undergraduate and mature students a comprehensive overview of the subject area. It aims to set students firmly on course to be critical, informed and canny operators within the discipline. The text is pedagogically rich and covers a wide range of topics from the history of media right through to coverage of new media. The text interweaves theory, practice, and professional issues throughout, and will engage the reader fully with the principal issues, challenges and paradigms in the discipline. Through a breadth of reference and support resources, students will actively grapple with a variety of media at both a practical and intellectual level. Students will emerge with a broad range of perspectives, a strong conceptual sense of the area and a firm foundation to take a critical approach to their studies at higher levels.
"
Papers by Vian Bakir
Frontiers in sociology, Jun 7, 2024
Springer eBooks, 2022
Emotion plays a vital role in modern societies, especially given circulation of knowingly and unw... more Emotion plays a vital role in modern societies, especially given circulation of knowingly and unwittingly spread false information. This book assesses how this has come to be, how we should understand it, why it matters, what comes next and what we should do about it. We start with three observations. Firstly, false information is prevalent online and causes real-world civic harms. Multiple concepts associated with false information achieved linguistic prominence across the early twenty-first century, indicating the scale of the problem. In 2006, 'truthiness' was Word of the Year for Merriam-Webster: it refers to 'a truthful or seemingly truthful quality that is claimed for something not because of supporting facts or evidence but because of a feeling that it is true or a desire for it to be true' (Merriam-Webster, 2020). A decade later, 'post-truth' became Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year, defined as, 'relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief' (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). By 2017, a year after Donald Trump became US president, 'fake news' was word of the year for Collins' English dictionary, defined as 'false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting' (Collins English Dictionary, 2017). In 2018, 'misinformation' was Dictionary.com's word of the year, namely: 'false information that is
Springer eBooks, 2022
This chapter focuses on the nature of disinformation (false information spread with intent to dec... more This chapter focuses on the nature of disinformation (false information spread with intent to deceive) and misinformation (false information spread without specific deceptive intent), inquiring into processes that increase their circulation online. As befits any study of media systems, it addresses interconnections between technologies, media forms, wider media and political environments, people and impacts. It opens with a discussion on the role of deception in citizen-political communications. This highlights the long-standing debate on whether political leaders should lie to their citizens, addressing evidence of such activity in the areas of national security and election campaigns. It then discusses the nature and scale of two key forms of contemporary disinformation: fake news and deepfakes. Widening the focus beyond intentionally deceptive forms to false information in general, the chapter then examines the dynamics of spreading false information online, discussing why people engage with such processes. deceptIon In cItIzen-polItIcal communIcatIons The role of deception in citizen-political communications has a long lineage. These span deliberations by Plato in 380 BC and Machiavelli in 1532 over whether leaders should lie to their publics. Plato advocated that
Springer eBooks, 2022
Affect, emotions and moods all play an important role in social and political life. They motivate... more Affect, emotions and moods all play an important role in social and political life. They motivate, excite, colour experience, are core to communication, help us perceive value and inform our judgements (including those of a moral sort). This chapter accounts for the energising role of feelings in relation to false information throughout the civic body. Using feelings as a catch-all term to describe affects, emotions and moods, as well as reactions to stimuli we may not be aware of, we start by charting the trajectory of the role of feelings in understanding citizen-political communications. Their persuasive importance was recognised millennia ago and this has been recognised anew in recent decades with the advent of neuroscience and the understanding that emotions are important for decisions and judgements. Many studies address how governments can try to best manage public feeling, and hence behaviour, and we highlight three main mechanisms: discursive, decision-making based and datafied. Claims that we live in a post-truth condition are prevalent, with appeals to emotion and personal belief argued to be more influential in shaping public opinion than objective facts. While the relative importance of emotion and facts in everyday life is difficult to ascertain, we demonstrate that the media from which people would normally derive their facts (namely, news media and social media) have become more emotionalised and affective. We suggest that we live in an informational environment that is
Springer eBooks, 2022
False information is incubated across complex, interconnected communication and technological env... more False information is incubated across complex, interconnected communication and technological environments, imbricating individuals and society. Here, we introduce two key concepts. The first is the economics of emotion: namely, the optimisation of datafied emotional content for financial gain. Our second concept is the politics of emotion: namely, the optimisation of datafied emotional content for political gain. Optimising emotions, whether for financial or political gain, entails understanding people in terms of demography, interests and disposition; creation of content (by machines or by people) optimised to resonate with profiled individuals and groups; strategic ambition to elicit emotion to cause contagion; and recording of this datafied emotion expression, to feed into the next wave of info-contagion. We see the economics of emotion as the core incubator of false information online, as this stems from the business model of globally dominant digital platforms while also enabling the business model of digital influence mercenaries. However, the politics of emotion readily exploits the tools at its disposal. This chapter foregrounds these economic and political incubators of false information, leaving the messier discussion of impacts on audiences to later chapters.
Springer eBooks, 2022
Having examined the nature of false information and understood the energising role of emotion and... more Having examined the nature of false information and understood the energising role of emotion and related states in its promulgation, in this chapter we examine profiling and targeting in citizen-political communications. Profiling and targeting are how emotion is understood, harnessed, amplified, dampened, manipulated and optimised (by platforms and would-be influencers). This chapter focuses on profiling and targeting in political campaigning as this is an intensively studied area awash with emotion and deception (as previous chapters demonstrate) and attracts uneven protections across the world (as we will show below). We examine the targeting and profiling technologies and practices in political campaigning in the USA, the UK and India, so highlighting the impact of different data protection regimes as well as uneven digital literacies. In exploring these issues, this chapter also outlines key tools and techniques utilised by digital political campaigners in the big data era to profile and target datafied emotions. ProfIlIng and targetIng In cItIzen-PolItIcal communIcatIons Profiling and targeting have long been apparent in political campaigning. In one of the first detailed analyses of why Americans vote and arrive at their political attachments, Lazarsfeld et al. (1944, p. 15) describe the
Springer eBooks, 2022
We have established that false information online harms the civic body, driven by the economics o... more We have established that false information online harms the civic body, driven by the economics of emotion and the politics of emotion. What should be done about this? Global and regional surveys conducted in 2018 indicate public appetite for interventions to stop 'fake news' but are unclear where primary responsibility lies (Eurobarometer, 2018, February; Newman et al., 2018). Accordingly, multi-stakeholder solutions have been proffered by various countries' governmental inquiries into disinformation and fake news, and by supranational bodies including the United Nations (UN), European Union and Commonwealth. This chapter assesses seven solution areas: namely, (1) government action, (2) cybersecurity, (3) digital intermediaries/platforms, (4) advertisers, (5) professional political persuaders and public relations, (6) media organisations and (7) education. These are intrinsically difficult areas to solve individually, let alone in concert, and in every country. We conclude that such solutions merely tinker at the edges as they do not address a fundamental incubator for false information online: namely, the business model for social media platforms built on the economics of emotion.
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Key Findings from Monographs by Vian Bakir
Books by Vian Bakir
The secrecy surrounding intelligence means that publication of intelligence is highly restricted, barring occasional whistle-blowing and sanitised official leaks. These characteristics mean that intelligence, if publicised, can be highly manipulated by intelligence elites, while civil society’s ability to assess and verify claims is compromised by absence of independent evidence. There are few studies on the relationship between civil society and intelligence elites, which makes it hard to form robust assessments or practical recommendations regarding public oversight of intelligence elites. Addressing that lacuna, this book analyses two case studies of global political significance. The intelligence practices they focus on (contemporary mass surveillance and Bush-era torture-intelligence policies) have been presented as vital in fighting the ‘Global War on Terror’, enmeshing governments of scores of nation-states, while challenging internationally established human rights to privacy and to freedom from torture and enforced disappearance. The book aims to synthesise what is known on relationships of influence between civil society and intelligence elites. It moves away from disciplinary silos, to make original recommendations for how a variety of academic disciplines most likely to study the relationship between civil society and intelligence elites (international relations, history, journalism and media) could productively cross-fertilise. Finally, it aims to create a practical benchmark to enable civil society to better hold intelligence elites publicly accountable.
This book will be of great interest to students of intelligence studies, surveillance, media, journalism, civil society, democracy and IR in general.
Presenting detailed case studies of key media events from the UK and USA within the War on Terror (2001-12), this insightful and timely volume exposes dominant political discourses on the torture–for–intelligence policy and evaluates the discursive modes of resistance to Strategic Political Communication – in particular, the newest mode of resistance, 'sousveillance' - community–based recording from first–person perspectives that may or may not involve a political agenda. This facilitates an exposition of the power–knowledge relationships constituting the torture–intelligence nexus; a re-evaluation of agenda-building models in the digital age; and an assessment of the health of the public sphere, identifying areas across the Third, Fourth and Fifth Estates that need strengthening. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in media and communication, sociology, political communication, politics, international relations, and journalism.
See Key Findings section for more
""
For chapter one, click here: http://cipg.codemantra.us/UI_TRANSACTIONS/Marketing/UI_Widget.aspx?ID=WP9780826430090&ISBN=9780826430090&sts=r
See Key Findings section for more ...
This project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Research Leave Scheme Award:"
"
Papers by Vian Bakir
The secrecy surrounding intelligence means that publication of intelligence is highly restricted, barring occasional whistle-blowing and sanitised official leaks. These characteristics mean that intelligence, if publicised, can be highly manipulated by intelligence elites, while civil society’s ability to assess and verify claims is compromised by absence of independent evidence. There are few studies on the relationship between civil society and intelligence elites, which makes it hard to form robust assessments or practical recommendations regarding public oversight of intelligence elites. Addressing that lacuna, this book analyses two case studies of global political significance. The intelligence practices they focus on (contemporary mass surveillance and Bush-era torture-intelligence policies) have been presented as vital in fighting the ‘Global War on Terror’, enmeshing governments of scores of nation-states, while challenging internationally established human rights to privacy and to freedom from torture and enforced disappearance. The book aims to synthesise what is known on relationships of influence between civil society and intelligence elites. It moves away from disciplinary silos, to make original recommendations for how a variety of academic disciplines most likely to study the relationship between civil society and intelligence elites (international relations, history, journalism and media) could productively cross-fertilise. Finally, it aims to create a practical benchmark to enable civil society to better hold intelligence elites publicly accountable.
This book will be of great interest to students of intelligence studies, surveillance, media, journalism, civil society, democracy and IR in general.
Presenting detailed case studies of key media events from the UK and USA within the War on Terror (2001-12), this insightful and timely volume exposes dominant political discourses on the torture–for–intelligence policy and evaluates the discursive modes of resistance to Strategic Political Communication – in particular, the newest mode of resistance, 'sousveillance' - community–based recording from first–person perspectives that may or may not involve a political agenda. This facilitates an exposition of the power–knowledge relationships constituting the torture–intelligence nexus; a re-evaluation of agenda-building models in the digital age; and an assessment of the health of the public sphere, identifying areas across the Third, Fourth and Fifth Estates that need strengthening. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in media and communication, sociology, political communication, politics, international relations, and journalism.
See Key Findings section for more
""
For chapter one, click here: http://cipg.codemantra.us/UI_TRANSACTIONS/Marketing/UI_Widget.aspx?ID=WP9780826430090&ISBN=9780826430090&sts=r
See Key Findings section for more ...
This project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Research Leave Scheme Award:"
"
Speakers: Dr Vian Bakir, Dr Andy McStay, Dr Martina Feilzer.
Starts 12.30. Ends 1.30
14-15 May, 2015
In the wake of the Snowden revelations about the surveillance capabilities of intelligence agencies, this interdisciplinary symposium gathers experts to discuss the place and implications of secrecy in contemporary culture and politics.
Thursday 14th May
6.30-8.30
Opening Talk: Jamie Bartlett, Demos, Author of The Dark Net
Respondent, Zach Blas on the ‘Contra-Internet’
Edmond J. Safra Lecture Theatre, The Strand Campus, King’s College London
Free Registation at: https://secretsofdarknet.eventbrite.co.uk/
15 May: Symposium
Free registration at: https://politicsofsecrecy.eventbrite.co.uk/
9-9.15
Introduction: Secrecy’s Frame
Clare Birchall (King’s College London) & Matt Potolsky (University of Utah)
9.15-10.45
Roundtable 1: Between Opacity and Openness
Mark Fenster (College of Law, University of Florida)
(Secrecy and the Hypothetical State Archive)
Zach Blas (Artist, University of Buffalo)
(Informatic Opacity)
Mikkel Flyvverbom (Intercultural Communication and Management, Copenhagen Business School)
(Transparency and the Management of Visibilities)
Vian Bakir (Creative Studies and Media, Bangor University)
(Deceptive Organised Persuasive Communication: (a) Misdirection and (b) Secretly Altering Reality to Fit the Lie you want to Tell)
11.15-12.30
Roundtable 2: Aesthetics of the Secret
John Beck (Institute of Modern & Contemporary Culture, University of Westminster)
(Photography’s Open Secret)
Neal White (Artist, Bournemouth University)
(Secrecy and Art in Practice)
Clare Birchall (American Studies, King’s College London)
(Art “After” Snowden)
12.30-1.30
Lunch
1.30-3.00
Roundtable 3: Open Secrets
Jack Bratich (Communication and Information, Rutgers University)
(Spectacular Secrecy and the Public Secret Sphere: Rumsfeld, Anonymous, and Snowden)
Deme Kasimis (Political Science, Yale University)
(Passing as Open Secrecy: Migrants and the Performance of Citizenship in Classical Greek Thought)
Adam Piette (English, Sheffield University)
(The Open Secret of Nuclear Waste)
Matt Potolsky (English, University of Utah)
(Beyond Fiction: The NSA and Representation)
3.30-4.45
Roundtable 4: Covert Spheres
Timothy Melley (English, Miami University)
(The Democratic Security State: Operating Between Secrecy and Publicity)
Øyvind Vågnes (Visual Culture, University of Copenhagen)
(Drone Warfare and the Language of Precision)
Hugh Urban (Comparative Studies, Ohio State)
(The Silent Brotherhood: Secrecy, Violence, and Surveillance from the Brüder Schweigen to the War on Terror)
5.00-5.30
Summary: Secrecy’s Future
This accompanied the opening of Veillance, an art installation by Ronan Devlin at Bangor Univeristy.