Books by Einar Thorsen
Disaster Journalism: Building Media Resilience in Nepal, 2019
When disasters strike, journalism can save lives.
Affected communities need information during d... more When disasters strike, journalism can save lives.
Affected communities need information during disasters. What has happened? What can be expected? Where are the safe places? Who should survivors contact? What should they do? What should they not do?
There are many questions that people need answers for, and the timely dissemination of information is important to save lives, reduce trauma, and facilitate smooth relief and rehabilitation works. Good communication is also required to enhance the relationship among the government, national and international organisations, and the civil society—before, during, and after a disaster. In all this, the news media play a crucial role.
The importance of disaster journalism in Nepal, hence, cannot be overstated. Situated in one of the world’s most disaster-prone areas, the nation is particularly vulnerable to calamities. As the 2015 earthquake showed, it is also ill-prepared. Enhancing the disaster preparedness of news media personnel is therefore of great importance to lessen the impact of future events.
This book, a joint effort between Bournemouth University (UK) and UNESCO Kathmandu, is written with that purpose in mind. Arising out of a larger project to strengthen the disaster communication landscape in Nepal, it seeks to present actionable knowledge and practical solutions to journalists, media educators, and media organisations. In keeping with our objective of reaching a cross-section of Nepali journalists and communicators, this book is bilingual.
Media, Margins and Popular Culture
This book takes a fresh look at the ideological work of constructing and confronting marginality ... more This book takes a fresh look at the ideological work of constructing and confronting marginality in media, from Dalits in Indian cinema to neuro-diverse (autism spectrum) audience interpretations of Doctor Who.
Media, margins and civic agency
Media, Margins and Civic Agency brings together new research on contemporary media, politics and ... more Media, Margins and Civic Agency brings together new research on contemporary media, politics and power. It explores ways and means through which media can and do empower or dis-empower citizens at the margins - that is, how they act as vehicles of, or obstacles to, civic agency and social change. Here we put the activities of groups and practitioners traditionally seen at the margins at the centre of our focus. This means examining the power relations at play in mediated environments at the margins, by the margins, and for the margins. Authors consider which voices we hear and how should we hear them; from black bloggers to extremist voices to NGOs and citizen voices; the role and function of 'traditional' media through reflection on media policy, and media coverage for example in the reporting of protest around issues such as tax avoidance and Margaret Thatcher's funeral.
Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives (Volume 2)
This second volume of Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives seeks to build upon the agenda set ... more This second volume of Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives seeks to build upon the agenda set in motion by the first volume, namely by: 1) offering an overview of key developments in citizen journalism since 2008, including the use of social media in crisis reporting; 2) providing a new set of case studies highlighting important instances of citizen reporting of crisis events in a complementary range of national contexts; 3) introducing new ideas, concepts and frameworks for the study of citizen journalism; and 4) evaluating current academic and journalistic debates regarding the growing significance of citizen journalism for globalising news cultures. The book expands on the first volume by offering new investigations of citizen journalism in the United States, United Kingdom, China, India and Iran, as well as offering fresh perspectives from national contexts around the globe, including Algeria, Columbia, Egypt, Haiti, Indonesia and West Papua, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Myanmar / Burma, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Syria, and Zimbabwe.
The 2014 Indian General Election was the world’s largest exercise in representative democracy. Wi... more The 2014 Indian General Election was the world’s largest exercise in representative democracy. With 834.08 million registered voters (more than 18 times the size of the electorate in the 2015 UK election), some 1,700 national and regional parties, and 8,251 candidates – it was a “marathon event”, staggered across 36 days, in nine phases, from 7th of April to 12th of May.
The election produced unprecedented news coverage in the Indian media, a flourishing landscape of some 410 news and current affairs TV channels, 250 private FM radio stations, and more than 12,500 newspapers and 81,500 periodicals. The growth of online news and social media in India added a new dimension to the media environment.
However, as observed by our Media School’s academics, although news organisations had increased their activity on social media, mining diligently the political discourse there like never before, the resultant coverage appeared not to focus adequately on marginalised voices.
Thus in March 2014 the Project India website was launched to produce an alternate news coverage of the Indian election and to focus on issues that the mainstream news media failed to report on.
This book is a continuation of that intervention, with particular emphasis on marginalised voices and the plethora of poll discussions that played out on social media. With contributions from scholars and journalists from India, UK, US, and Australia, it brings together media practitioners and academics to scrutinise the mediation of the “world’s largest election” by both legacy and social media.
Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives (Volume 1)
Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives examines the spontaneous actions of ordinary people, caug... more Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives examines the spontaneous actions of ordinary people, caught up in extraordinary events, who felt compelled to adopt the role of a news reporter. This collection draws together 21 original, thought-provoking chapters. It investigates citizen journalism in the West, including the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, as well as its development in a variety of other national contexts around the globe, including Brazil, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Palestine, South Korea, Vietnam, and even Antarctica. It engages with several of the most significant topics for this important area of inquiry from fresh, challenging perspectives. Its aim is to assess the contribution of citizen journalism to crisis reporting, and to encourage new forms of dialogue and debate about how it may be improved in future.
Journal articles by Einar Thorsen
Seven Characteristics Defining Online News Formats: Towards a typology of online news and live blogs
Whilst live blogs have become an established part of the news media ecology, corresponding resear... more Whilst live blogs have become an established part of the news media ecology, corresponding research is still in its infancy, especially that which examines the crucial question of sourcing practices. Focussing on three UK news organisations – BBC News, the Guardian and the Telegraph – in this article we provide the largest and most comprehensive empirical study to date comparing sourcing practices in online news and live blogs. We analyse sourcing practices across three different genres of live blogging and corresponding online news articles, through a comparative analysis of events broadly categorised as crisis, politics and sport. Our findings suggest that there are some aspects of sourcing practices that are distinct to live blogs, such as directly embedding social media. However, when it comes to polyvocality (the diversity of who gets to speak), genre-specific journalism norms seem to account for more than the affordances of the platform itself and only in sport live blogs are demotic voices habitually included. Based on these findings, we develop a typology of live blogging and online news articles that documents the nuances in sourcing patterns across different news formats and genres, and provide a theoretical basis for future research in this field.
Cryptic Journalism: News reporting of encryption
In light of Edward Snowden’s global surveillance disclosures, this article examines news discours... more In light of Edward Snowden’s global surveillance disclosures, this article examines news discourses about online communication security and surveillance circumvention practices. It analyses 1249 news reports mentioning encryption in The Guardian and The New York Times, covering a three-year period from June 2012 to June 2015 (one year before and two years after the Snowden revelations). Whilst there was a marked increase in the volume of news articles mentioning encryption post-Snowden, the context in which encryption is discussed has since shifted from an initial emphasis on “surveillance” towards “security” issues. However, the research found that greater news coverage of encryption did not necessarily mean an increase in depth of coverage, with most mentions of encryption vague and non-descript. In terms of source usage, the research finds an emphasis on private corporations in both publications analysed. This is problematic when many of the organisations allowed to speak on encryption were those accused of colluding with the US and UK Governments to aid covert mass surveillance—the likes of Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and so forth—thus providing them with a platform to exonerate themselves from the accusations. This contradictory depiction of communication security serves the status quo and prevents advancement of the “encrypted by default” communication practice called for by Snowden. This, by extension, has serious implications for both journalistic freedom and civil liberties since it helps to perpetuate the ability of nation states and corporations to conduct indiscriminate mass surveillance.
Citizen Journalism at the Margins
© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor \& Francis GroupAmidst b... more © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor \& Francis GroupAmidst burgeoning literature on citizen journalism, we still know relatively little about how and why genuinely marginalised groups seek to use this form of reporting to challenge their exclusion. In this article, we aim to address this gap by analysing two UK citizen journalism initiatives emanating from The Big Issue Foundation, a national homeless organisation, and Access Dorset, a regional charity for disabled and elderly people. These case studies are united by the authors’ involvement in both instances, primarily through designing and delivering bespoke citizen journalism education and mentoring. Based on over 40 hours of interviews with participants of the workshops and 36 hours of participant observation, we analyse the challenges participants faced in their journey to become citizen journalists. This included: low self-esteem, physical health and mental wellbeing, the need for accessible and adaptable technology, and overcoming fear associated with assuming a public voice. We also analyse marginalised groups’ attitudes to professional journalism and education, and its role in shaping journalistic identity and self-empowerment. Whilst demonstrably empowering and esteem building, our participants were acutely aware of societal power relations that were seemingly still beyond their ability to influence. Those who are marginalised are, nevertheless, in the best position to use citizen journalism as a conduit for social change, we argue—though challenges remain even at the grassroots level to foster and sustain participatory practices.
Blogging the climate change crisis from Antarctica
INTRODUCTION: Online reporting of elections
Journalism Practice, 2012
New Media & Society, 2008
Reports by Einar Thorsen
UK Election Analysis 2024: Media, Voters and the Campaign, 2024
Featuring more than 100 contributions from leading UK academics, this publication captures the im... more Featuring more than 100 contributions from leading UK academics, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2024 UK General Election from the cutting edge of media and politics research.
Published 10 days after the election, contributions are short and accessible for a wide range of audiences. As with our previous reports, authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the election.
Sexual Violence and the News Media: Issues, challenges, and guidelines for journalists in India, 2021
This report presents the findings of a multilingual national study on the news reporting of sexua... more This report presents the findings of a multilingual national study on the news reporting of sexual violence in India. Drawing on a content analysis of 10 newspapers covering six languages, and semi-structured interviews with 257 journalists working across 14 languages, it provides comparative insights into the routines journalists follow and the challenges they face when they cover sexual violence.
The report evidences how news outlets tend to disproportionately publish unusual cases, such as those involving extreme brutality; focus on rape in urban areas; and rely heavily on police sources. Journalists rarely undertake in-depth inquiries into the cases they cover. The challenges they face include safety issues while newsgathering, difficulties in accessing key sources, and distress from the requirements of their assignments. Overall, nearly 20% of our respondents experienced psychological challenges while reporting on sexual violence, and 55% of women journalists reported workplace sexual harassment or violence.
Based on the evidence, the report presents seven national and 10 organisational recommendations. It concludes by offering guidelines that individual journalists and media houses can adapt to suit their news routines.
Impact of Covid-19 on journalism in Sierra Leone, 2021
This rapid response report presents findings from a national survey undertaken to ascertain the i... more This rapid response report presents findings from a national survey undertaken to ascertain the impact of Covid-19 on Sierra Leone journalists. Sierra Leone was among the nations that took swift action, declaring a 12-month state of national emergency in response to the pandemic. But this came, as an International Growth Centre study 1 shows, at a high economic price. It must also be noted that the pandemic comes at a time when the nation is still grappling with the aftermath of the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak and other, more localised disaster events. As such, Sierra Leone faces additional economic, cultural, and social pressures because of Covid-19. A year into the global pandemic, this report outlines how national and regional journalists, and news organisations in Sierra Leone responded to Covid-19, and identifies their training and capacity-building requirements to strengthen future disaster resilience.
U.S. Election Analysis 2020: Media, Voters and the Campaign, 2020
Featuring 91 contributions from over 115 leading US and international academics, this publication... more Featuring 91 contributions from over 115 leading US and international academics, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2020 U.S. presidential election from the cutting edge of media and politics research. Published within eleven days of the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis – including research findings and new theoretical insights – to bring readers original ways of understanding the campaign. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to cultural studies, journalism studies to geography.
Impact of Covid-19 on journalism in Nepal, 2020
This bilingual rapid response report presents findings from a national survey undertaken to ascer... more This bilingual rapid response report presents findings from a national survey undertaken to ascertain the impact of Covid-19 on Nepali journalists and their working conditions. Covid-19 spread as Nepal was approaching the fifth anniversary of the devastating 2015 earthquakes, the effects of which can still be felt in the nation. As such, Nepal faces additional economic, cultural, and social pressures because of the global pandemic. This report outlines how national and regional journalists, and news organisations responded to the pandemic, and identifies the training and capacity building requirements of Nepali journalists to strengthen future disaster resilience.
Impact of Covid-19 on journalism in Nepal, 2020
This bilingual rapid response report presents findings from a national survey undertaken to ascer... more This bilingual rapid response report presents findings from a national survey undertaken to ascertain the impact of Covid-19 on Nepali journalists and their working conditions. Covid-19 spread as Nepal was approaching the fifth anniversary of the devastating 2015 earthquakes, the effects of which can still be felt in the nation. As such, Nepal faces additional economic, cultural, and social pressures because of the global pandemic. This report outlines how national and regional journalists, and news organisations responded to the pandemic, and identifies the training and capacity building requirements of Nepali journalists to strengthen future disaster resilience.
UK Election Analysis 2019: Media, Voters and the Campaign, 2019
Featuring 85 contributions from over 100 leading UK and international academics, this publication... more Featuring 85 contributions from over 100 leading UK and international academics, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2019 UK General Election from the cutting edge of media and politics research.
Published 10 days after the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the campaign. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to cultural studies, journalism studies to psychology.
Featuring 92 contributions from over 100 leading UK and international academics, this publication... more Featuring 92 contributions from over 100 leading UK and international academics, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2017 UK General Election from the cutting edge of media and politics research.
Published 10 days after the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the campaign. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to cultural studies, journalism studies to psychology.
We hope this makes for a vibrant, informative and engaging read.
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Books by Einar Thorsen
Affected communities need information during disasters. What has happened? What can be expected? Where are the safe places? Who should survivors contact? What should they do? What should they not do?
There are many questions that people need answers for, and the timely dissemination of information is important to save lives, reduce trauma, and facilitate smooth relief and rehabilitation works. Good communication is also required to enhance the relationship among the government, national and international organisations, and the civil society—before, during, and after a disaster. In all this, the news media play a crucial role.
The importance of disaster journalism in Nepal, hence, cannot be overstated. Situated in one of the world’s most disaster-prone areas, the nation is particularly vulnerable to calamities. As the 2015 earthquake showed, it is also ill-prepared. Enhancing the disaster preparedness of news media personnel is therefore of great importance to lessen the impact of future events.
This book, a joint effort between Bournemouth University (UK) and UNESCO Kathmandu, is written with that purpose in mind. Arising out of a larger project to strengthen the disaster communication landscape in Nepal, it seeks to present actionable knowledge and practical solutions to journalists, media educators, and media organisations. In keeping with our objective of reaching a cross-section of Nepali journalists and communicators, this book is bilingual.
The election produced unprecedented news coverage in the Indian media, a flourishing landscape of some 410 news and current affairs TV channels, 250 private FM radio stations, and more than 12,500 newspapers and 81,500 periodicals. The growth of online news and social media in India added a new dimension to the media environment.
However, as observed by our Media School’s academics, although news organisations had increased their activity on social media, mining diligently the political discourse there like never before, the resultant coverage appeared not to focus adequately on marginalised voices.
Thus in March 2014 the Project India website was launched to produce an alternate news coverage of the Indian election and to focus on issues that the mainstream news media failed to report on.
This book is a continuation of that intervention, with particular emphasis on marginalised voices and the plethora of poll discussions that played out on social media. With contributions from scholars and journalists from India, UK, US, and Australia, it brings together media practitioners and academics to scrutinise the mediation of the “world’s largest election” by both legacy and social media.
Journal articles by Einar Thorsen
Reports by Einar Thorsen
Published 10 days after the election, contributions are short and accessible for a wide range of audiences. As with our previous reports, authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the election.
The report evidences how news outlets tend to disproportionately publish unusual cases, such as those involving extreme brutality; focus on rape in urban areas; and rely heavily on police sources. Journalists rarely undertake in-depth inquiries into the cases they cover. The challenges they face include safety issues while newsgathering, difficulties in accessing key sources, and distress from the requirements of their assignments. Overall, nearly 20% of our respondents experienced psychological challenges while reporting on sexual violence, and 55% of women journalists reported workplace sexual harassment or violence.
Based on the evidence, the report presents seven national and 10 organisational recommendations. It concludes by offering guidelines that individual journalists and media houses can adapt to suit their news routines.
Published 10 days after the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the campaign. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to cultural studies, journalism studies to psychology.
Published 10 days after the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the campaign. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to cultural studies, journalism studies to psychology.
We hope this makes for a vibrant, informative and engaging read.