Class Political Journalism

The course unit in Political Journalism aims to equip students with theoretical and practical skills for journalistic coverage of political life, within a context of growing complexity in democratic systems, power dynamics, and technological transformations affecting the production and consumption of information. The course will address the foundations of political journalism - from its history and evolution to the journalistic genres most commonly used in covering institutions, actors, and political processes - as well as the contemporary challenges of the profession, such as disinformation, polarization, the pressure of electoral cycles, and the relationship between journalists, political sources, and public opinion.  

Not applicable

Ongoing coverage throughout the semester of the U.S. midterm elections, in conjunction with the Networked Activism course unit The press as the "fourth estate." Censorship. Media and democracy/dictatorship. The Public Sphere and its role as part of the modern process of politics-making. The television era and the politics of image (mid-20th century). Personalization of politics and the rise of "spectacle politics." Professionalization of political communication. The digital revolution and social media. Contemporary issues: platforms as new private "gatekeepers." Algorithms and echo chambers. Platform regulation vs. freedom of expression. Artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and challenges to fact-checking. Declining trust in traditional media.  

The teaching-learning process is centered on the student who researches and inquires the political-media reality, developing critical thinking, capacity for cooperation and debate and other qualities for communication professionals and actives citizens.

AO LONGO DAS AULAS SERÃO DISPONIBILIZADOS ARTIGOS E MATERIAIS AOS ALUNOS Cervi, L., Tejedor, S. & Marín Lladó, C. (2021): TikTok and the new language of political communication: the case of Podemos. Cultura, Lenguaje y Representación, Vol. XXVI, 267-287 ISSN 1697-7750 · E-ISSN 2340-4981 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/clr.5817 Mesquita, M. (2004). Percepções Contemporâneas do Poder dos Media. In O Quarto Equívoco: O Poder dos Media na Sociedade Contemporânea (2 ed., pp. 71?88). Coimbra: MinervaCoimbra. a Ramos, I., & Torres, L. (n.d.). Análise dos sistemas eleitorais dos Estados Membros da Comunidade Europeia. Revista de Assuntos Eleitorais , (3). Revers, M. (2014). The Twitterization of News Making: Transparency and Journalistic Professionalism: The Twitterization of News Making. Journal of Communication , n/a?n/a. doi:10.1111/jcom.12111, Vosoughi, S., Roy, D. & Aral, S. (2018). "The spread of true and false news online" (Science)