Mel Bunce
Professor of International Journalism & Politics at City, University of London | Deputy Dean, School of Communication & Creativity | Expert on international news, media freedom, journalism & democracy.
- Reposted by Mel BunceHonoured to hear that Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: #Trump and @voanews.com.web.brid.gy has been shortlisted for an outstanding achievement award by @meccsa.bsky.social. Celebrating with coauthors @martinscott2010.bsky.social + @melbunce.bsky.social www.meccsa.org.uk/meccsa-outst...
- Reposted by Mel BunceA lot of good points made by @melbunce.bsky.social. Crisis reporting tends to be "sporadic, episodic" focusing on western lives. But humanitarian reporting can aim for moral equivalency – all lives have equal value, use local sources, report on the longer term angles @journalismfestival.com #ijf25
- Looking forward to speaking at the Perugia festival next week - talking about humanitarian journalism and the ethics of crisis reporting www.journalismfestival.com/programme/20...
- Reposted by Mel BunceThe Trump administration is tightening its grip around media freedom in the US, including by banning @apnews.com from presidential events and dismantling Voice of America. Includes insight from Mark Stephens CBE, @melbunce.bsky.social and others.
- Reposted by Mel BunceUS soft power aside, VOA is full of brave journalists that fought hard and creatively against government capture during Trump's first administration. I strongly recommend @newsprof1.bsky.social, @melbunce.bsky.social & @martinscott2010.bsky.social's book on this topic global.oup.com/academic/pro...
- Reposted by Mel BunceThe contempt #Trump shows for the Voice of America is mind-boggling given that it is a tremendous national asset. For context I highly recommend this book 👇 by @newsprof1.bsky.social @martinscott2010.bsky.social & @melbunce.bsky.social
- Reposted by Mel BunceProf @melbunce.bsky.social @cityjournalism.bsky.social opening the UK Media Freedom Forum at CityStGeorges. A two day event at an important moment as journalism and journalists face both old and new threats across the globe. Full brochure here mediafreedomforum.co.uk/wp-content/u...
- Seeing the world’s most powerful people spreading lies about the war - is like watching your life’s work dismantled.- Olga Rodenko journalist at the Kyiv Independent
- And we’ve started - the inaugural UK media freedom forum - hosted at @citystgeorges.bsky.social with @fpcthinktank.bsky.social : here Is the live stream. I’ll be posting about the event though today and tomorrow www.youtube.com/live/2bisgy7...
- Proud to be hosting this important event at City in two weeks. Press freedom is under attack around the world: we’re bringing together politicians, multilateral orgs, NGOs, journalists & media experts to talk about what can be done. Join us in person or online March 4th& 5th. mediafreedomforum.co.uk
- Reposted by Mel BunceCapturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America by @newsprof1.bsky.social @martinscott2010.bsky.social & @melbunce.bsky.social via Oxford University Press (2024) #WinterReading
- Reposted by Mel BunceThanks to @apnews.com for not only approaching me for comment about #VoiceofAmerica but actually reading our academic book too. Impressive commitment to research Voice of America is required to report accurately. Trump and Lake want to beam US 'accomplishments' | AP News apnews.com/article/voic...
- Reposted by Mel BunceCannot stop thinking about how Octavia Butler wrote a book in 1993 about climate change. It opens with deadly fires in LA in 2025. In the story, a fascist President has just won office with the campaign slogan "Make America Great Again." She was a modern day Nostradamus. If only we'd listened.
- Reposted by Mel BunceGreat @jmcquarterly.bsky.social review! "An incisive theoretical, methodological and structural toolkit by which to diagnose Public Service Media infected by illiberalism, as well as the therapeutic interventions necessary for resistance and recovery." journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
- Happy 2025! From the middle of the night in New Zealand where I just saw my first southern lights! - incredibly beautiful sky in Oturehua, Central Otago
- Reposted by Mel BunceNEW #JMCQReview🚨Here, @newsprof1.bsky.social, @martinscott2010.bsky.social, and @melbunce.bsky.social offer a timely take on US's PSM provider Voice of America--if leveraged for anti-democratic means. Read the @jmcquarterly.bsky.social review by Matthew Conaty journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
- The best Christmas song - and your annual reminder to check in on your antipodean friends who can’t make it home ❤️ I’m feeling incredibly happy and lucky to be drinking white wine at home with mine youtu.be/fCNvZqpa-7Q?...
- Reposted by Mel Bunce“Richly textured and narratively riveting" A new review of our recent book - "Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America" - from Matthew Conaty in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly @melbunce.bsky.social @newsprof1.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
- Reposted by Mel BunceExciting news for #mediafreedom folks... There's going to be a big 'UK Media Freedom Forum' event early in the new year at City, University of London. Lots of the big actors: UNESCO, CoE, IBAHRI. Sign up below jfj.fund/save-the-dat...
- I'm very excited to be working with @fpcthinktank.bsky.social to host a major international summit on media freedom in 2025 at City University with @unesconow.bsky.social @coemediafreedom.bsky.social, IBAHRI, Justice for Journalists @citystgeorges.bsky.social Sign up- jfj.fund/save-the-dat...
- Reposted by Mel BunceIncredibly important and rigorously researched book that is sadly all too timely. A must read for anyone who cares about democratic backsliding and media capture cc: @polcomm.bsky.social @icajsd.bsky.social
- THREAD: How easy would it be to turn Voice of America into state controlled media? I wrote a book about this with @martinscott2010.bsky.social @melbunce.bsky.social, focusing on what happened to #VOA during the last #Trump administration.
- Reposted by Mel Bunce
Trump has appointed election denier Kari Lake to lead the news organization VOA. It is obviously a terrible match but I don’t think people understand how big a deal the agency is, and how easily it can be turned into a mouthpiece for Trump. open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni... - Donald Trump has named Kari Lake as his pick to run Voice of America. This could have profound consequences for journalism around the world. @newsprof1.bsky.social @martinscott2010.bsky.social & I have written a new book about exactly this for Oxford Uni Press www.amazon.co.uk/Capturing-Ne...
- Reposted by Mel BunceA good time to (re)read @newsprof1.bsky.social @melbunce.bsky.social @martinscott2010.bsky.social on government capture of public media and its relationship to democratic backsliding global.oup.com/academic/pro...
- Reposted by Mel BunceTHREAD: How easy would it be to turn Voice of America into state controlled media? I wrote a book about this with @martinscott2010.bsky.social @melbunce.bsky.social, focusing on what happened to #VOA during the last #Trump administration.
