Journalists and Digital Authoritarianism: Lived Experiences Across Regime Types

Hrgovic, Martina

4. term

Culture, Communication and Globalization, Master

2026

This thesis investigates how digital authoritarianism shapes the lived experiences, working conditions, professional identities, and practices of journalists across different political systems. Focusing on Russia, Hong Kong, Serbia, and the United States, it situates journalists’ accounts within a global context of democratic decline and reduced internet freedom and distinguishes between practices of digital repression and how these are felt in everyday work. Conceptually, the study brings together scholarship on digital authoritarianism and digital resistance with the Hierarchy of Influences model to analyze pressures at individual, organizational, institutional, extra-media, and systemic levels. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative, comparative design based on interviews with journalists in the four cases, supported by regime and civic-space classifications from V-Dem, Freedom House, and CIVICUS, and uses thematic analysis with attention to ethics and limitations. The thesis documents interviewees’ descriptions of digitally mediated constraints—from surveillance and platform governance to harassment and manipulation—and the adaptive strategies they employ, such as secure communication, alternative platforms, and collaborative practices. Mapping these experiences across levels, the analysis reflects on implications for journalistic autonomy, platform regulation, and democratic accountability, and identifies avenues for future research.

Specialet undersøger, hvordan digital autoritarisme former journalisters levede erfaringer, arbejdsvilkår, professionelle identiteter og praksisser på tværs af forskellige politiske systemer. Med udgangspunkt i Rusland, Hongkong, Serbien og USA placerer det journalisters beretninger i en global kontekst med demokratisk tilbagegang og faldende internetfrihed og skelner mellem digitalt autoritære praksisser og den måde, de mærkes i hverdagen. Begrebsligt kombinerer studiet forskning i digital undertrykkelse og digital modstand med Hierarchy of Influences-modellen for at analysere pres på individ-, organisations-, institutions-, ekstramedie- og systemniveau. Metodisk anvendes et kvalitativt, komparativt design baseret på interviews med journalister i de fire cases, understøttet af klassifikationer af styreform og civilt rum fra V-Dem, Freedom House og CIVICUS, og der gennemføres tematisk analyse med fokus på etik og begrænsninger. Specialet dokumenterer interviewpersoners beskrivelser af digitalt formidlede begrænsninger—fra overvågning og platformstyring til chikane og manipulation—samt de tilpasningsstrategier, de bruger, såsom sikker kommunikation, alternative platforme og samarbejdende praksisser. Ved at kortlægge oplevelserne på tværs af niveauer reflekterer analysen over konsekvenser for journalistisk autonomi, platformregulering og demokratisk ansvarlighed og peger på veje for fremtidig forskning.

[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]

Download Word
View record in AAU Student Projects