To fully understand events and trends — say, a controversial election or a new meme — we need to read between the lines.
This is where the Civic Media Observatory comes in. We identify key narratives of urgent public interest, delving deep into context and subtext of local, vernacular and multilingual media.
What are people really saying?
This newsletter will help you understand the nuances — the undertones — of seemingly chaotic media ecosystems.
In each newsletter, we'll pick an event, emerging trend, or a complex story. For the data nerds, Undertones also offers an entry point into the public datasets that underpin our Observatory work.
Since 20, the Civic Media Observatory has explored complexity in media ecosystems in two dozen countries, on topics ranging from elections to COVID-19, from protest movements to civil wars, from China's soft power influence around the world, to disinformation tactics by authoritarians. Global Voices researchers are experts in reading and explaining the nuances of the stories, trends and narratives in their countries. We are steadily adding new research topics, public datasets and analysis, which you can find on the Observatory home page.
Read the latest Undertones:
Stories about Undertones
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.
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.
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
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’
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
Undertones: Indigenous Bolivian youth question media narratives on fossil fuel extraction
Coping with severe drought, Indigenous communities in the Gran Chaco want local media to also highlight how oil companies impact their communities
Undertones: A look inside Venezuela's extraordinary corruption scandal
Maduro put some of his own people in prison over the graft of billions of dollars. Theories abound as to why.
In Turkey, a raki commercial goes viral for its political undertones
As Turkey heads into general elections, it was not the 100th-anniversary that came to mind, but rather the celebrations that will take place if the ruling AKP loses.
Undertones: What do onions have to do with the Turkish elections?
President Recep Erdoğan is pitting “identity” versus “reality” in his campaign to stay in power
Undertones: ‘Ukrainians have developed their own vocabulary about the war,’ Ukrainian scholar says
Dr. Tanya Lokot provides insights into the media landscape of Ukraine, outlining its dynamics.
Undertones: Iran's powerful narratives about religion and rebellion
"Religious narratives are exactly why the regime hasn’t been overthrown yet"
Undertones: Zimbabwe's cyberpunk cities fueled by China
Zimbabwe is set to become Africa’s first country with a “smart” capital city built from scratch. But many are wary of Zimbabwe becoming a surveillance state.