From Immigration to Covid-19 – How the News Cycle Determines Our Fears
Lately, it seems every news story, every advertisement, and every talk show is exclusively concerned about Covid-19. Meanwhile, migration to Europe - the subject once in the media spotlight and the driver behind major decisions such as Brexit - has been left out of the news for months. Such a trend begs the question - to what extent was Europe’s immigration ‘crisis’ really a crisis? The Agenda-Setting Theory by McCombs and Shaw states that when the news gives particular importance to a topic, the public will perceive it as the most important. The news, in [...]
Competing for Citizens’ Interests
At EAVI, we aim to support and promote the interests of citizens all over the world, regardless of their nationality. We observe that some political and commercial entities are not compatible with citizens’ interests, yet disguise themselves as if they are. As if they think that it is easier to get a vote from or sell a product to an uninformed citizen. It is imperative that citizens all over the world consider which actors may desire to influence their opinions, understandings, and memories of life, including during the coronavirus. We also notice for example, the [...]
The Importance of Media Literacy during Covid-19
We have heard of many stories about Covid and its consequences: did the US start the coronavirus, and is the EU failing to support and falling apart? Is the virus a weapon against China, or is the whole crisis created by the global elite? All of these claims and speculations are often false or at least inaccurate, but have been widely circulating the internet for weeks. The virus has brought forth a wave of misinformation that is rapidly gaining traction on social media. The above claims are only the most widely spread of the thousands [...]
Resentment, Limitations, and Facts – Analyzing the EU’s coronavirus response
In one way or another, Covid-19 has affected us all. Whether infected by the disease or not, the economic insecurity, layoffs, border closures, lockdown orders, and general sense of unease have swept the globe in a matter of weeks. Now more than ever, people desire strong, stable leadership. And now more than ever, the EU is being criticized for its lack of action. However, this criticism is irrelevant if it is not based on facts. So, the team at EAVI has put together this article to better explain the sentiments, the limitations, and the truth [...]
The Politics of Coronavirus Coverage in the United States
Physically, economically, mentally, socially - the coronavirus has been a nightmare. For the approximately 250 million people living abroad, the question of repatriation based on the ever-fluctuating news coverage has made media literacy crucial. Following the news that the coronavirus was rapidly spreading throughout the United States, I was not at all shocked that my parents called me in a state of panic. What did surprise me, however, was that they begged me to return home. At the time, Belgium was on lockdown, and President Trump was still downplaying the virus. Today, Belgium is still [...]
Addiction, Trust and the Coronavirus
If the news is to be believed, Covid-19 is closing in on Europe. And the trouble is, I can’t decide how to feel about it. I’ve done the maths, myself and everyone I know will probably survive. So I’m not immediately afraid of the virus. To be honest, I’m watching the news right now as though it’s the introduction to a post-apocalyptic motive. After the compelling viewing that was the Brexit drama, I needed a new fix to feed my news-junkie habit, and here it came. 84-year old man with existing health complications dies of [...]
Deepfakes – to legislate or not?
A viral video of President Trump expressing awe over Mecca is incredibly realistic - unless one is aware that this is out of character for him. Since the posting of this video in early 2017, online deepfakes have not only increased in number, they have become even more believable. Deepfakes are, as defined in a Forbes article, “the manipulation of genuine video footage by AI software to either be making someone out to be saying something they did not or appear in video footage that they were not originally part of.” These videos are expected [...]
EAVI cares about the Environment, Digital or Not!
What is the best way to deliver a message to Brussels? Get on your bike and pedal 1400 kilometers across Europe! Twenty-five cyclists (including one aged 72!) left Venice, crossed the Alps and passed through Davos, Fribourg, Strasbourg, Koln and Maastricht. EAVI welcomed the ‘Ride with Us’ initiative when they arrived in Brussels thirteen days after their depart. They went on to be greeted by the President of the Committee of Regions, the European Parliament and the European Commission. The day was long but rewarding as it ended at the Grand Place meeting the Vice Mayor [...]
The Figleaf of Fake News
I have a friend called Bill. Bill in his late 60s, slightly right of centre, widowed with adult children and young grandchildren, a big deal in the IT sector in the 80s and 90s, he’s now spending his retirement trolling on Facebook. Everyone needs a hobby. Bill has a mischievous sense of humour, and delights in winding up liberals like me. Since the early days of the Brexit referendum, he has delighted in winding up remainers by disseminating disinformation. The morning after the referendum, I rang him up to shout at him. I shouted at [...]
European Media Coach Project
Working together to bridge the gap in media literacy education Did you know that 9-16-year-old children are using the internet for an average 88 minutes per day? In those 88 minutes it is hard to imagine that what they are faced with is entirely harmless. At such a young age, they are consuming huge amounts of content and are opened to situations that can have huge impacts on their wellbeing and development. The question is, how to educate youth of the dangers and negative implications of media in this constantly changing, digital, information society [...]
