Undertones is the Civic Media Observatory’s newsletter, created collaboratively by the Observatory’s researchers, coordinating editors, and project writer. In each newsletter, we’ll pick an event, emerging trend, or complex story. For the data nerds, Undertones also offers an entry point into the public datasets that underpin our Observatory work.
Latest posts by Civic Media Observatory
GV webinar: The ABCs of digital repression in Venezuela
In this webinar, we explored the Venezuelan regime's "package" of digital repression instruments, how they have evolved, and analyze how they have been used after the last presidential.
What online narratives tell us about the aftermath of the election in Venezuela
For Venezuelans, one of the main narratives shows that the current situation exceeds the region's traditional dichotomy of left versus right and evidences a sense of overcoming polarization.
Undertones: Myanmar’s E-ID system means progress or surveillance?
Since the coup on 1st February 2021, citizenship ID card inspections by Myanmar's military regime authorities have become commonplace on roads, at checkpoints, and during nighttime house inspections.
Undertones: A dictionary to understand the war in Gaza
Understanding the impact of language is crucial for a nuanced perspective and to acknowledge the ongoing struggle for justice amid the complex realities on the ground.
Undertones: 2023, a year of narratives
We unpack the narratives surrounding our times’ most pressing topics
Undertones: Critical voices from Israel, inhibited voices from Palestine
In this newsletter, we delve into Israel’s war on Gaza and provide behind-the-scenes reflections about our research and difficulties of covering a war.
Undertones: From India to Bharat, a decolonial rebrand or an erasure?
India is a wider term encompassing the country’s secular and multicultural nature, while Bharat comes from a Sanskrit term with ethnoreligious undertones.
Undertones: What pop culture tells us about Myanmar’s politics
Democracy activists say that military junta is investing in the entertainment industry to distract people from the violent regime.
Undertones: Portugal and the myth of the good colonizer
In the 1950s, Portugal's dictatorship overhauled the country's national identity and embraced the theory of the good colonizer. What traces are left of that narrative today?
Undertones: Transwomen in Pakistan reclaim their ancestral heritage
While Western far-right narratives take root in Pakistan, the queer community endeavors to remind citizens that they have always been there
Israel swings between democracy and the religious far-right
“Israel has been often branded as the only democracy in the Middle East, but that idea is crumbling fast”
The Kremlin’s tactics to enlist more men to war
Russian authorities are struggling to sell the war to potential soldiers, but an electronic drafting system might change the game
Elections and Power Dynamics in Zimbabwe
Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected as president in an election that has been called "blatant and massive fraud" by the opposition.
Undertones: Russia's war strengthens Venezuelan solidarity with Ukraine
Alessandra Soler’s research reveals that for many Venezuelans, ‘Venezuela is also a victim of Russia’
Undertones: Inside Russian influencer chats in Argentina
The conversations happening on these Telegram channels do not have to do with Russian politics - but with Argentina's
Undertones: Brazilians are embracing Russian narratives when convenient
Polarization impacts Brazilians’ perception of the war in Ukraine – in some cases by embracing Russian narratives
Undertones: If on welfare, better learn Dutch and be a man
Low education about AI tech leads to ill-informed narratives about algorithmic bias
Undertones: Turkish citizens rethink what democracy means
With President Erdoğan's reelection, some Turkish citizens are questioning whether voting is enough for democracy
Undertones: Indigenous Bolivian youth question media narratives on fossil fuel extraction
Coping with severe drought, Indigenous communities in the Gran Chaco want local media to also highlight how oil companies impact their communities
Undertones: A look inside Venezuela's extraordinary corruption scandal
Maduro put some of his own people in prison over the graft of billions of dollars. Theories abound as to why.
Undertones: What do onions have to do with the Turkish elections?
President Recep Erdoğan is pitting “identity” versus “reality” in his campaign to stay in power
