The Civic Media Observatory (CMO), a research branch of Global Voices, has worked since 2019 to investigate how narratives are constructed in our media ecosystems. Thanks to the local knowledge of researchers from over 30 countries, we have contributed to the civic debate as well as the mitigation of harm caused by media narratives.
In 2023, we decided to broaden our scope and announced the launch of the Community Civic Media Observatory. The observatory maintained the same methodological structure as previous CMOs and helped foster the Global Voices community at large by bringing in more people who want to collaborate with us.
See our complete dataset.
About the Civic Media Observatory
The CMO is at the crossroads between a research lab and a newsroom. Over the past three years, we have launched investigations on media narratives about Taiwan’s 2020 elections, COVID-19, Ethiopia’s civil conflict, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and digital authoritarianism, among many country-specific analyses. Undertones, the CMO’s newsletter, provides a biweekly digest of our researchers’ findings.
You can learn more about the CMO in this interview with Giovana Fleck, the CMO’s project lead.
Visit the Civic Media Observatory main page.
Read the stories
Stories about Community 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.
Cyberbullying hinders women’s participation in Indonesia’s 2024 elections
"Online attacks ramp up during elections which now also involve cyber troops running campaigns in the digital world and targeting women."
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.
Renowned activist warns against the growing far-right in Portugal
Mamadou Ba draws attention to the shadows of Portugal's colonial past in the face of growing far-right politics
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’
For Venezuelans, the invasion of Ukraine hits close to home
For the past twenty years, the Venezuelan government has become increasingly intertwined with the Kremlin. Now, many Venezuelans protest against Russia's encroachments at home.
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
