Just Information. Information Inequality in a Global Perspective

The project aims to explore the communicative dimension of inequality under globalization by comparing perceptions and representations of journalists and marginalized groups. This is achieved through three component studies: of global news reports of inequality broadcast between 2009-22; of the experiences of journalists working at the local, national and global level; and of people in three countries that have been marginalized by society or in public discourse. Apart from content analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, a narrative approach will compare patterns in discourse in the three corpora. A team of three researchers, including two PhD students, will conduct the studies in parallel over a 4-year period. The study of information inequality is both important and topical. While the right to be informed, the right to inform, the right to privacy and the right to participate in public communication are enshrined at the global level and apply to all, regardless of gender, ethnicity or class, women and minorities have always been at a disadvantage due to their under- or misrepresentation in the media. But the infringement of these rights matters to democracy on a more general level: at a time when ‘fake news’ is rife, journalists come under verbal and physical attack, and communications giants sell user data to be used for political ends, we are all ‘the 99%’ when it comes to information inequality.