Our curated library is packed full of knowledge, know-how and best practices in the fields of democracy and culture.
Read the latest on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other critical world events in our library of democratic content. Gathered from trusted international sources, the curated library brings you a rich resource of articles, opinion pieces and more on democracy and culture to keep you updated.
Take a look at curated library below and search by keyword (i.e. Ukraine or authoritarianism) or format (i.e. article or report) and find a tailored list of resources on the topics you're most interested in.
The Lurid Orientalism of Western Media
“By trafficking in images of death, suffering, and private acts of mourning, Western media coverage of the COVID-19 crisis in India has broken one of the first rules of journalism. And while a Western double standard is nothing new, applying it repeatedly does not make it more acceptable” (Brahma Chellaney, 2021).
What Threatens Press Freedom Today?
"Transparency is the missing ingredient in large media platforms today, with everyone in the dark about how proprietary algorithms sort people and prioritize messages. This should not lead us to condemn all social media, but we should be sensitive to how owners and authoritarians use them." (Mueller, 2021)
The Limits of Political Debate
“I.B.M. taught a machine to debate policy questions. What can it teach us about the limits of rhetorical persuasion?” (Benjamin Wallace-Wells, 2021).
A Theoretical Model of How Digital Platforms for Public Consultation Can Leverage Deliberation to Boost Democratic Legitimacy
This article examines online civic platforms and civic tech, “public participation, deliberative quality, decision quality, government responsiveness, institutional legitimacy, and opportunities for empowered public engagement” (Gastil 2021).
I Used to Think the Remedy for Bad Speech Was More Speech. Not Anymore.
“Cyber-libertarianism, the ethos of the internet with roots in 18th-century debate about the free market of ideas, has failed us miserably. Well after the pandemic is over, the infodemic will rage on — so long as it pays to lie, distort and misinform” (Timothy Egan, 2021).
Humanity's Awesome, Terrifying Takeover of Evolution
“CRISPR lets us edit other animals and plants, with all kinds of beckoning possibilities, some wonderful, some terrible. We cannot do all this yet. But it’s coming, and soon” (Ezra Klein, 2021).
The Fight Against Misinformation Isn’t Just on Facebook
“The plague of misinformation...is usually blamed on social media. But false and damaging information” is “also abundant in broadcast media, and as politicians debate whether or how to regulate technology companies, they should also consider creating systems to address the dangers implicit in allowing and enabling the spread of misinformation, wherever it’s published” (Ashford 2021).
Social Media Is an Intel Gold Mine. Why Aren’t Governments Using It?
“The dilemma of self-regulation—to platform or deplatform—becomes more complicated when social media becomes a gallery for illicit activities. Though one could argue Silicon Valley bears some responsibility for enabling the U.S. Capitol insurrection, Facebook—and platforms like it—have also proved integral in pursuing charges against the extremists who invaded and ransacked the building” (Emanuele Ottolenghi, 2021).
What Are You Paying for When You Buy a GIF for $25,000?
“Depending on whom you ask, the transaction is an example of a thrilling new path for ownership in a digital world that allows creators to sell things directly with no intermediaries, or it’s a total scam” (Charlie Warzel, 2021).
Another Big Step Toward Digitizing Our Lives
“With NFTs, we’ve come yet another step closer to fully digitizing our lives...they are digital files that are stored using a technology called blockchain, which is essentially a digital ledger. But...NFTs are not interchangeable with one another, because of their unique digital assets as well as important digital authentication” (Kara Swisher, 2021).
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