Citizen Journalism as an Element of the Public Sphere. Origin, Hopes, Diversity

Digital citizen journalism aroused high hopes. It was announced that everyone would be able to express his opinion, each vote would be an equal part of the discussion, and any falsehoods would be quickly stigmatized. Although this did not happen, examples show that amateur messages are an important part of the public sphere and provide material for data journalism. The aim of the article is to draw attention to the opportunities that the emergence of digital citizen journalism brings to the contemporary public sphere. Examples of such journalism were sought on Facebook, on websites of well-known newspapers, and on online news services. The analysis covered only eight days, but even during this brief period publications with features of journalistic messages and fulfilling journalistic functions were found.

Social Media as the Tools of Grassroot Para-News Agencies in Syria. Ghouta Media Center Case Study

The Ghouta Media Center is a non-institutional group of volunteers, which reports about the situation in Eastern Ghouta in Syria. Their activity differs from the manner in which the professional media work, hence these types of groups have been defined as para-news agencies. The aim of this article is to present the way in which para-news agencies function and their significance within the media system. The specifics of this phenomenon in a broader context of the situation in Syria and the information channels about the events in this region are described using the GMC as an example. In this case study nethnographic methods and additionally Google search tools were used. The result of this research is a profile of the GMC as a para-news agency, its communication channels and the manner in which it disseminates its information among the professional media.

A whistleblower is a person who publicizes and denounces illegal or unfair practices in his workplace. As history has shown, whistleblowers are great sources of information for journalists. A few examples being Daniel Ellsberg, who was at the forefront of the scandal concerning the Pentagon Papers and Mark Felt, who was a whistleblower involved in the Watergate scandal. Without people like Daniel Ellsberg and Mark Felt, it would be impossible to present and explain some of the biggest 20th century political scandals in the United States. The aim of the paper is to analyze the role of key whistleblowers and other key people who played an important role in disclosing that information to  journalists through the use of databases and other forms of new technologies. The overall concept of what will be referred to as ‘second generation whistleblowing’ is the result of observations and analysis of the activities of both whistleblowers as well as dynamically changing journalism, media and information in the 21st century.

Collaboration of Regional/Local Press Editors as an Example of Internationalization of the Media

One of the forms of internationalization of the print media is the collaboration of regional/ local press editors from neighboring countries. This cooperation may be analyzed from an economic or editorial point of view. It can take different forms – from the simplest ones whose degree of transnationalization/deterritorialization of coverage is low (information about the neighboring country) to those of a higher degree of internationalization (joint production and distribution of media content). The goal of this article is to present theoretical frameworks of different forms of collaboration among press editors from neighboring countries and selected examples of such collaboration in Europe.

Extremism in the Media: Print Media Monitoring in the Principality of Liechtenstein (2010 –2016) Research Project

This article presents the wide spectrum of possibilities offered by media monitoring for political science and the practice of social research of the determinants of political extremism. The author describes the theoretical framework of the relations between the mass media and the phenomenon of political extremism. The author also presents a case study – a research project being performed in the Principality of Liechtenstein (monitoring political extremism in social life). Liechtenstein is not a country particularly threatened by extremism, mainly due to its size (the state belongs to a group of European microstates), as well as close relations with a stable state in the field of extremism – the Swiss Confederation. Nevertheless, the research project has been implemented and developed for several years and its formula can also be applied to other countries. The applied research methods are limited to an analysis of the literature in reference to political extremism, the methods of media research, as well as desk research – presenting a case study.

Spiritual Knowledge (1934): From the History of the Pre-war Esoteric Press

The article presents the esoteric magazine Spiritual Knowledge (pol. Wiedza Duchowa), which was published in Wisła in 1934. It was one of about twenty magazines of an occult nature appearing in Poland before World War II. The description of this monthly is based on a content analysis of individual issues published in 1934. A profile of the journal, its layout, thematic content and editorial staff are presented in the article. Particular attention was paid to the authors of the articles in Spiritual Knowledge. The magazine published texts of authors known and respected in the Polish esoteric community (incl. Roberto Assagioli, Alice A. Bailey, Kazimierz Chodkiewicz, Léon Denis, Maria Florkowa, Józef Jankowski, Stefan Kowalski, Wincenty Lutosławski, Roman Moczulski, Henryk Münch, Andrzej Podżorski, George Viereck and Tomira Zori).

Quantification of Reality. On the Unbearable Imperative of Counting Everything

The goal of the article is to explore mechanisms related to the quantification and indexing of individuals. On the basis of literature analysis, the author puts forward the hypothesis that we are dealing with an increasingly visible quantified self, which becomes an important touchstone of the condition of postmodern culture. Indicating is understood as a vast process of exercising control, allowing the making of comparisons and evaluations, and consequently increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of individuals. The article also explains what the power of statistics in contemporary societies is, which becomes the emanation of power technology in Foucault’s approach. The author refers to the achievements of the trend referred to as datatization, which recognizes data as the only possible method which enables a knowing of social reality. Quantification intensifies the processes of depersonalization and reification, making dehumanization a social fact.

• RADIOWA INTEGRACJA: Marta Jas-Koziarkiewicz: Euranet Plus – europejski głos w Twoim domu. Radio w procesie europeizacji (Agnieszka Szymańska); 
   
• GEOPOLITYKA I PROPAGANDA: Robert Rajczyk: Współczesne oblicza propagandy. Przypadek chińsko-tajwańskiej wojny informacyjnej (Michał Bukowski);  
   
• NOWY WSPANIAŁY ŚWIAT ALGORYTMÓW: Jan Kreft: Władza algorytmów. U źródeł potęgi Google i Facebooka (Barbara Cyrek).