{"id":86093,"date":"2025-11-18T15:07:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T15:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com"},"modified":"2025-11-18T17:20:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T17:20:54","slug":"journalism-in-an-age-of-authoritarianism","status":"publish","type":"wpm-article","link":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/journalism-in-an-age-of-authoritarianism","title":{"rendered":"Journalism In An Age Of Authoritarianism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As a journalist, I have devoted my career not only to the practice of my craft, but to advancing the mission of my profession. Many working in the media aspire to be the bulwark against tyranny, the protectors of liberty, the defenders of democracy. It is our job to represent the interests of the people. Yet we are failing. Badly.<\/p><div>\n    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"noa-web-audio-player\"\n            style=\"border: none\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/embed-player.newsoveraudio.com\/v4?key=n0e13g&#038;id=https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/journalism-in-an-age-of-authoritarianism\/&#038;bgColor=F3F3F3&#038;color=6D6D6D&#038;progressBgColor=F7F7F7&#038;progressBorderColor=6D6D6D&#038;playColor=F3F3F3&#038;titleColor=383D3D&#038;timeColor=6D6D6D&#038;speedColor=6D6D6D&#038;noaLinkColor=6D6D6D&#038;noaLinkHighlightColor=039BE5\"\n            width=\"100%\" height=\"110px\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><p>As trust in the media <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifj.org\/media-centre\/news\/detail\/article\/reuters-digital-report-2025-falling-trust-and-the-rise-of-alternative-media-ecosystems\">declines<\/a> in countries around the world, people are struggling to agree on basic facts, including the outcomes of elections. Increasingly, they are turning away from traditional media sources.<br><br>Meanwhile, purveyors of lies and hate are growing their influence across the globe, using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idea.int\/news\/when-words-become-weapons-how-hate-speech-threatens-democracy\">information as a weapon<\/a> to subvert liberal democracy and destabilize open societies. World leaders including Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orb\u00e1n have systematically demonized the media, weakened faith in democratic institutions, fueled tribal polarization and undermined trust in the truth itself.<br><br>In this increasingly authoritarian age, how can journalists fulfill the mission of the fourth estate? How can we counter disinformation, hold the powerful accountable and champion truth and justice when we are losing the audiences we serve? To answer these questions, we need to go back to fundamental assumptions about the function of journalism in society and adapt our approach to meet this moment.<br><br>This is the journey I have been on for the last eight years. From my bases at the London School of Economics and Johns Hopkins University, I have collaborated with sociologists, data scientists, lawyers and fellow journalists to understand what attracts people to the propaganda pushed by authoritarians \u2014 and what journalists can do about it.<br><br>In this research, we have conducted polls, focus groups and experiments to test strategies for reaching audiences who seem to have succumbed to authoritarian lies, propaganda and conspiracy theories. While much of this work was done in Europe, the lessons we learned can be applied broadly, including here in the U.S., where faith in the media has dropped to a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/695762\/trust-media-new-low.aspx\">new low<\/a>.<br><br>Our goal was to try something different from the fact-checking and town-hall initiatives already underway around the world. Debunking is an essential and noble endeavor, keeping alive the flame of truth in a cynical age, but much research shows that fact-checking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2017\/02\/27\/why-facts-dont-change-our-minds\">tends to rebound<\/a> when it bumps up against people\u2019s partisan biases. And while online town halls and engineered one-to-one interactions between members of different partisan groups are also <a href=\"https:\/\/democracyinstitute.osu.edu\/news\/how-town-halls-can-save-democracy-insights-michael-neblos-tedx-talk#:~:text=Rejecting%20this%20cynical%20view%2C%20Neblo,world%20impacts%20on%20actual%20votes\">useful<\/a>, they of course involve people who want to take part in such exercises in the first place.<strong><br><br><\/strong>Instead, my focus has been on how to create mass factual content \u2014 TV documentaries and podcast series, news stories and socially aware entertainment \u2014 that undercuts the initial appeal of authoritarian propaganda. This is no longer a challenge just for journalists in the traditional sense of the word; these days, everyone is a digital creator the moment they post something online.<br><br>Effective media reform certainly won\u2019t be easy; the industry faces <a href=\"https:\/\/muckrack.com\/research\/the-state-of-journalism\">myriad challenges<\/a>, including financial instability and shrinking advertising revenue. But adapting and fulfilling our mission is a critical endeavor. The future cohesion, security and viability of democratic states are at stake.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-breaking-the-populist-coalition\"><strong>Breaking The Populist Coalition<\/strong><\/h2><p>Authoritarians and illiberal populists try to divide societies into crass binaries, often along culture war lines: <em>patriots<\/em> versus <em>globalists<\/em>; <em>traditional-values conservatives<\/em> versus <em>woke liberals<\/em>. Journalists must avoid reinforcing these categories. They should not assume that the so-called \u201cother side\u201d is a homogenous block; that is exactly what propagandists want. Instead, journalists should find cracks in the coalition and engage their audiences in a broader conversation.<br><br>Consider the case of Hungary. The country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cepa.org\/article\/can-orban-cling-to-power\/\">shifting political climate<\/a> under Orb\u00e1n\u2019s leadership suggests that populist propaganda can fracture when the media focuses on genuine, shared anxieties.<br><br>Since returning to power in 2010, Orb\u00e1n has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/europe\/once-fringe-soros-conspiracy-theory-takes-center-stage-in-hungarian-election\/2018\/03\/17\/f0a1d5ae-2601-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_story.html\">defined himself<\/a> as the defender of traditional, Catholic Hungarians against supposed nefarious plots by the EU and Jewish financier George Soros to destroy faith and family. This has made it easier for Orb\u00e1n to take over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/news-highlights\/spotlights\/2024\/how-hungarys-orban-uses-control-of-the-media-to-escape-scrutiny-and-keep-the-public-in-the-dark\/#:~:text=According%20to%20press%20watchdog%20Reporters,advertiser%20in%20Hungary%2C%20he%20said.\">independent media<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/05\/30\/nx-s1-5407320\/hungarys-viktor-orban-chips-away-at-the-countrys-judiciary\">undermine courts<\/a>, develop laws to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-05-14\/orban-seeks-to-cut-funding-to-hungary-s-independent-ngos-media\">defund civil society<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/democratic-erosion.org\/2021\/07\/01\/orban-and-his-war-against-academic-freedom\/\">curtail academic freedoms<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.princetonpoliticalreview.org\/international-news\/viktor-orbns-hungary-corruption-repression-amp-democratic-backsliding\">normalize corruption<\/a>.<br><br>But Orb\u00e1n\u2019s propaganda was never as solid as he hoped. It is now disintegrating: Despite his control over business and media, his party is some <a href=\"https:\/\/telex.hu\/belfold\/2025\/08\/11\/tisza-part-fidesz-kozvelemeny-kutatas-publicus-intezet\">10% behind<\/a> in a Publicus Institute poll, losing ground to a movement that unites both liberals and conservatives.<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      &#8220;How can journalists counter disinformation, hold the powerful accountable and champion truth and justice when they are losing the audiences they serve?&#8221;    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/86093\"\n        data-a2a-title='\"How can journalists counter disinformation, hold the powerful accountable and champion truth and justice when they are losing the audiences they serve?\"'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>When we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/iga\/assets\/documents\/arena\/2021\/Exec-Summary-Hungary-Moving-Beyond-Polarising-Populist-Propaganda.pdf\">conducted<\/a> polling and focus groups in Hungary in 2020, we could already see the cracks in the Orb\u00e1n edifice. We found that only 22% of people actually believed the conspiracy narratives about Soros. Issues around the culture wars, including immigration and the \u201cdefense of Hungarian identity,\u201d were in fact of low salience compared to impoverishment or corruption when it came to voting.<br><br>We identified 9% of the electorate who were right-wing but were disillusioned with Orb\u00e1n and concerned about his authoritarian tendencies and corruption. They disliked the left-leaning parties even more, though, and felt that much of the independent media was too soft on the opposition. Still, Hungarians across the political spectrum felt like second-class citizens in Europe \u2014 a sense of inferiority Orb\u00e1n\u2019s propaganda often played on.<br><br>So what caused<strong> <\/strong>Orb\u00e1n\u2019s propaganda to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/12\/world\/europe\/orban-hungary-media-propaganda-magyar.html\">start crumbling<\/a>? A new opposition leader, P\u00e9ter Magyar, <a href=\"https:\/\/ecfr.eu\/article\/a-star-in-the-storm-the-rise-of-peter-magyar\/\">emerged<\/a> from inside the conservative movement and focused audiences on corruption and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/02\/17\/europe\/hungary-child-abuse-scandal-orban-family-values-europe-intl\">claims of pedophilia<\/a> inside the government. He used Facebook and a new generation of YouTube news channels to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/hungarys-media-savvy-newcomer-aims-disrupt-political-status-quo-2024-05-02\/\">argue<\/a> that he could both fight corruption and enhance Hungary\u2019s status on the world stage. <\/p><p>As a result, the divisions driven by Orb\u00e1n\u2019s rhetoric have been scrambled. Concerns about the economy and democracy have been allied with an assertive patriotism.<br><br>The lesson for the media is that we can engage with diverse audiences if we cut through the culture war binaries imposed by propagandists. Picking the issues that truly matter to people is the first step. The second is to dig deeper into the underlying anxieties and traumas that authoritarian propaganda exploits \u2014 an approach my colleagues and I got to put into practice during our work in Ukraine.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-digging-deeper\"><strong>Digging Deeper<\/strong><\/h2><p>Authoritarian propaganda functions like a cult: It exploits people\u2019s pain and fears to create dependence on the leader. We wanted to explore how the media could instead help people process shared traumas to foster independence, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/iga\/assets\/documents\/From-Memory-Wars.pdf\">brought us to Ukraine<\/a> in 2018.<br><br>For decades, the Russian state had been pushing pro-Soviet propaganda through everything from movies to memes: It told stories about how the government of independent Ukraine was insulting the memory of the U.S.S.R., and how it was besmirching the sacrifice of Soviet victory in World War II. Russian propaganda also claimed that independent Ukraine was the descendant of pro-Nazi partisans. <\/p><p>The ultimate aim was to help split those nostalgic for the U.S.S.R. \u2014 especially in the south and east of the country \u2014 from the rest of Ukraine, paving the way for the invasion in 2022.<br><br>Ukrainian academics and historians valiantly fact-checked this propaganda. They showed that many Ukrainian partisans fought against both the Soviets and the Nazis in World War II. But these reality checks struggled to compete with the deeply emotional stories pushed by Russian propaganda, which focused on many people\u2019s family memories of fighting in the Red Army. The idea of a country split between a pro-European, pro-democratic West and a pro-Soviet, Russia-leaning East persisted.<br><br>Our polling showed that there was slightly more Soviet nostalgia in the east of the country, but it was not monolithic. Outside of a small sample of die-hard Soviet revisionists, most people had a nuanced view of the U.S.S.R.: They were proud of its achievements in science and social services but ashamed of its curtailment of economic and human rights.<strong> <\/strong><\/p><p>Residents of larger cities in the East shared political values with people in big cities in the West: entrepreneurial, open-minded and keen to defend their freedoms. The vast majority wanted a democratic, European future.<strong><br><\/strong><br>When we conducted focus groups, we found that people across the country became most animated when discussing traumas that were rarely discussed: relatives returning wounded from the disastrous Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, families struggling after the collapse of the U.S.S.R.<strong><br><br><\/strong>This pool of resentments and confusion was being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilsoncenter.org\/blog-post\/red-mirror-how-putin-used-national-trauma-legitimize-his-rule\">exploited<\/a> by Russian propaganda, which looked to give people a sense of status and grandeur while ignoring the humiliations the Kremlin itself had caused. The power of the propaganda was not in the historical truths (or rather, the lies) it was pushing, but in the emotional relief it provided. Efforts to tackle such lies miss the point. Instead, journalists need to tackle the underlying emotional issues.\n          <div class=\"eos-subscribe-push\">\n            \n            <a target=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=MiddleCTA&utm_medium=website\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=MiddleCTA&utm_medium=website\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Read Noema in print.<\/a>\n            \n          <\/div>\n        <\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      &#8220;Debunking is an essential and noble endeavor, keeping alive the flame of truth in a cynical age, but it tends to rebound when it bumps up against people\u2019s partisan biases.&#8221;    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/86093\"\n        data-a2a-title='\"Debunking is an essential and noble endeavor, keeping alive the flame of truth in a cynical age, but it tends to rebound when it bumps up against people\u2019s partisan biases.\"'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>In 2019 and 2020, we worked with Ukrainian journalists and filmmakers to create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLyKLAzmSBqth48Q_aYGF43oQb46BaqHfH\">series of documentaries<\/a> that told deeply human stories about these less articulated traumas, highlighting the resilience that helped people survive. Some films looked at strikes by miners in east Ukraine against the U.S.S.R.; others explored the lives of Afghan War veterans and the survivors of Chernobyl who had been abandoned by the Soviet regime.<strong> <br><br><\/strong>This kind of storytelling helped build trust: We were able to give people a chance to express and process their pain, weakening the ability of Kremlin propaganda to manipulate it. We avoided top-down narratives and minimized voiceovers that imposed a \u2018right\u2019 version of history. Instead, we allowed the people to guide the films themselves and narrate their own experiences.<br><br>In testing this content, we found that stories of common traumas and resilience united people across the country. The films earned equal levels of engagement and trust across the East and the West. Journalists can learn from this by tapping into people\u2019s underlying concerns, memories and traumas that, when left unprocessed, are ripe for exploitation by propagandists.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-telling-stories-that-resonate\"><strong>Telling Stories That Resonate<\/strong><\/h2><p>In our \u201cpost-truth\u201d age, facts may be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turing.ac.uk\/blog\/facts-dont-change-minds-and-theres-data-prove-it\">jettisoned<\/a> if they collide with partisan identity. Tribal loyalty often outperforms reality. Instead of just debunking disinformation, journalists must focus on the emotional identities underpinning authoritarian belief systems.<br><br>I explored this theory with colleagues at the Universities of Georgetown and North Carolina at Chapel Hill in our work to understand the roots of Russian support for the country\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. We found that it correlated strongly with an idea of collective identity wherein Russia was perceived as being both superior to others and a victim of global conspiracies: Sixty-five percent of Russians embraced this belief.<br><br>Such <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0963721420917703\">collective narcissism<\/a>, as it is known in academic literature, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ponarseurasia.org\/russian-identity-and-war-support\/\">can make<\/a> any attack or criticism of Russia feel like an assault on Russians themselves. Those who supported the war and preferred this identity model were not worried about Putin\u2019s authoritarian turn: Like most Russians, they wanted a strong hand to lead the country.<br><br>Russian independent media has <a href=\"https:\/\/meduza.io\/en\/feature\/2025\/07\/01\/hunted-in-kherson#:~:text=Of%20course%2C%20Kherson%20has%20been,every%20aspect%20of%20civilian%20life\">shown evidence<\/a> of the war crimes that the army has committed in Ukraine, but this has done little to change mainstream support for the war. <\/p><p>When researchers at the Ukrainian cognitive warfare company OpenMinds Institute <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/10\/23\/information-warfare-putin-russia-propaganda\/\">tested<\/a> different news stories, they found that the topic that was most effective in decreasing support was not fatalities or the corruption of the elite \u2014 it was the rising levels of crime: The Kremlin was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1e7vl01gngo\">releasing violent criminals<\/a> to serve in the army, and upon their return from the frontlines, they were reportedly committing rapes and murders in Russian towns.<br><br>So why were these news stories more impactful? The war\u2019s supporters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ponarseurasia.org\/russian-identity-and-war-support\/\">wanted<\/a> Putin to restore Russian grandeur. They cared about Putin\u2019s claims that he was ending the chaos from the 1990s and imposing order and strength. The rise of crime, however, meant that the war was bringing instability to the home front, which was anathema to them. Its no surprise that the Kremlin <a href=\"https:\/\/meduza.io\/en\/news\/2025\/07\/30\/russian-government-stops-publishing-data-on-crime-related-deaths#:~:text=Russia's%20Interior%20Ministry%20has%20quietly,violations%20and%20other%20criminal%20incidents\">censored<\/a> crime statistics.<br><br>If you are an editor at a media outlet or a creator of digital news content who wants to push back against the power of malign propaganda, you need to make hard choices. The stories that will undermine the power of propaganda may not always be the ones that seem the most morally important or newsworthy. You can still remain true to the journalistic process of research and storytelling, but choose the issues that are more likely to subvert authoritarian narratives.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-showing-the-bigger-picture\"><strong>Showing The Bigger Picture<\/strong><\/h2><p>How journalists choose to communicate can be just as important as what they say. When should they opt for infographics over human interest storytelling, or emotive video over analytical text?<br><br>In Italy we worked with the newspaper of record, Corriere della Sera, in 2018 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/iga\/assets\/documents\/research-and-publications\/Italy-migration-report.pdf\">experiment<\/a> with different ways to report on the highly controversial topic of migration. As hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived from Africa and the Middle East, right-nationalist parties were decrying an invasion enabled by nongovernmental organizations and liberal parties. Even though the rate of migration had actually gone down at the time, there was so much noise around the issue it gave the impression that the numbers were surging.<br><br>Media outlets were faced with a dilemma. They couldn\u2019t ignore the topic, but how could they report on it in a way that would increase trust to reputable sources and avoid inflaming toxic discourse?<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      &#8220;Journalists should tap into people\u2019s underlying concerns, memories and traumas that, when left unprocessed, are ripe for exploitation by propagandists.&#8221;    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/86093\"\n        data-a2a-title='\"Journalists should tap into people\u2019s underlying concerns, memories and traumas that, when left unprocessed, are ripe for exploitation by propagandists.\"'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>Over nine months, we tested how people responded to different types of content on Corriere\u2019s Facebook page. Opinion pieces and hot takes were unsurprisingly the most polarizing. We also found that infographics about migrant numbers and fact-checks did little to change people\u2019s minds. Opponents of migration would simply question the data and trustworthiness of the media.<strong> <br><br><\/strong>Human interest stories about the travails of migrants were also highly polarizing and provoked the highest numbers of negative comments. While this is a go-to genre for journalists to humanize an issue for audiences, it can also elicit strong pushback. Some readers felt like they were being emotionally manipulated and questioned why stories about a select few migrants should change their attitude about the issue at large. And even these stories still gave the sense of an unstoppable flood of migration.<\/p><p>The stories that produced the most civil conversation and higher levels of trust were straightforward pieces we called \u201carticles with context\u201d: They provided background information about why the migration crisis was happening in the first place, analyzing the wars in the Middle East and famines in sub-Saharan Africa, and considered potential interventions tackling the issue at the source.<\/p><p>By giving context, explaining root causes and exploring possible solutions, journalists can relieve the panic-stricken pressure around controversial topics and help people see the bigger picture.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fostering-civic-agency\"><strong>Fostering Civic Agency<\/strong><\/h2><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/iga\/assets\/documents\/arena\/2021\/Conspiratorial-propaganda-anti-West-narratives-Ukraine-report-light.pdf\">ultimate aim<\/a> of authoritarian propagandists is often to sow so much doubt and confusion that it leaves people passive and ready to give up their agency to a strongman leader. Conspiracy theory narratives are particularly useful for this. In a world full of hidden plots and unfathomable powers, people are left with a <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5724570\/\">sense of powerlessness<\/a>. However, our research found that this propaganda tends to fall on fertile ground.<br><br>We looked at why people in Ukraine were inclined to believe Kremlin narratives about the West using aid to Ukraine as a means to secretly control its government and steal its land. The reasons people gave in focus groups were telling. They acknowledged that these claims were likely generated by Russia and potentially untrue, but that the narratives still <em>felt<\/em> right, because they reflected the people\u2019s personal and historical experiences.<br><br>For them, Ukraine had always been manipulated by greater powers, and oligarchs, bank ponzi schemes and extractive governments had always made them feel powerless. On the other hand, people who rejected the conspiracy theories argued that even though they weren\u2019t actually sure if they were false, they <em>felt<\/em> wrong because, in the words of one participant, \u201cI am a self-made person and I control my own life.\u201d<br><br>To tackle belief in conspiracy theories, then, debunking individual narratives will not suffice. It requires shifting people\u2019s mindsets from a sense of victimhood and helplessness to one of greater empowerment. Journalists must become more than purveyors of information; through their storytelling and interactions with audiences, they can help foster civic agency.<br><br>There are initiatives that already pioneer this. <a href=\"https:\/\/wearehearken.com\/\">Hearken<\/a> is an online platform that enables users to help media outlets choose which topics to cover. It\u2019s an example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2019\/12\/engaged-journalism-its-finally-happening\/\">engagement journalism<\/a>, an approach that builds trust by encouraging audiences to take part in shaping editorial agendas. This can help improve the public\u2019s relationship with media outlets, which become social services rooted in community needs rather than mere providers of information.<br><br>Implementing these principles will require a shift in both mindset and measurement. Journalists and digital creators should consider not only how their content performs in terms of traffic and engagement, but how it unites audiences. They should also develop metrics for increasing trust and fostering constructive dialogue across divides.<br><br>I have been working with the nongovernmental organizations Millions of Conversations and More in Common ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., which will take place in 2026, to consider how a divided America \u2014 and the media \u2014 can explore the truth about its past. Our soon-to-be-published polling and qualitative research point to a way to engage diverse audiences about what they care about, rather than the polarizing debate.<br><br>Beneath the aggressive propaganda, people may be more open to exploring the past together. While 49 percent of Republicans said they opposed critical race theory, for example, only 24 percent disagreed with the idea when described without the partisan terminology: that \u201cpolicies and laws in the past that unfairly disadvantaged some groups may continue to have their effects felt today.\u201d<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      &#8220;Journalists must become more than purveyors of information; through their storytelling and interactions with audiences, they can help foster civic agency.&#8221;    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/86093\"\n        data-a2a-title='\"Journalists must become more than purveyors of information; through their storytelling and interactions with audiences, they can help foster civic agency.\"'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>The problem, then, is not necessarily immutable ideology, but the political discourse that reinforces it. A better media strategy could unpick that by focusing on the stories of inequality while avoiding the polarizing language.<br><br>Media reform is a daunting but urgent task that cannot fall to journalists alone. It will require the support of civic-minded content creators and technologists committed to holding power to account and dismantling its propaganda models. Journalism has evolved many times; the next transformation must involve a real shift in how journalists think about their role in protecting democracy \u2014 rather than just chronicling its demise.<\/p>\n          <div class=\"eos-subscribe-push\">\n          \n            <a target=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=BottomCTA&utm_medium=website\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=BottomCTA&utm_medium=website\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Enjoy the read? Subscribe to get the best of Noema.<\/a>\n            \n          <\/div>\n        ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7181,"featured_media":86095,"template":"","wpm-article-type":[3],"wpm-article-topic":[19],"wpm-article-tag":[],"class_list":["post-86093","wpm-article","type-wpm-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpm-article-type-essay","wpm-article-topic-future-of-democracy"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.0 (Yoast SEO v25.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Journalism In An Age Of Authoritarianism - NOEMA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The media needs to rethink its role in protecting democracy \u2014 rather than just chronicling its demise.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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