Emerging media and press freedoms as determinants of nonviolent and violent political conflicts, 1990–2006

Author First name, Last name, Institution

Jacob Groshek, Boston University
Britt Christensen, Zayed University

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

International Communication Gazette

Publication Date

6-1-2017

Abstract

© 2016, © The Author(s) 2016. Using aggregate-level data, this study compares instances of intrastate political conflict that occurred in both nonviolent and violent forms. Specifically, analyses presented in this study examine the relationships that exist between diffusion rates of emerging media and enhanced press freedoms in countries that experienced differing types of conflicts from 1990 through 2006. Through a series of analytic models, the results observed here indicate that higher levels of emerging media and press freedoms are better predictors of nonviolent—as opposed to violent—conflict. Findings from this study thus bridge an important gap in the literature between communication and political science research in establishing linkages between emerging media technologies and press freedoms and their interconnections with nonviolent and violent political conflict. Implications for related interdisciplinary fields are discussed.

ISSN

1748-0485

Publisher

SAGE Publications Ltd

Volume

79

Issue

4

First Page

335

Last Page

356

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Comparative politics, democratic change, emerging media, nonviolent conflict, press freedom, violent conflict

Scopus ID

85020137666

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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