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On August 9, 2020, presidential elections were held in Belarus. Despite blatant electoral fraud and procedural violations, the official results declared Aleksandr Lukashenka reelected for a sixth term. While in the past, even the most obviously fraudulent election results have been followed by an atmosphere of resigned acceptance, this time countless Belarusians took to the streets to contest the results. What made this election different? This analysis of current affairs looks at the 2020 events through the lens of authoritarian consolidation theory, suggesting the unprecedented political mobilization was enabled by erosion in the three pillars of authoritarian stability: repression, cooptation, and legitimation. A majority of the population had been accepting the political status quo out of fear, for social and monetary security provided in exchange for loyalty, or a general understanding that there were no alternatives. Lukashenka did not realize this had largely changed. Nine months later, the foundation of the authoritarian regime is in an even worse shape. The regime’s reliance on repression further counteracts the legitimacy of the system. As a result, it seems it will be difficult for the authorities to re-consolidate authoritarianism, at least in the near future, no matter how the ‘revolution’ unfolds.

Social Studies is one of the most important courses that provides students with basic information, skills, and values and prepares them for social life. Current events comprise the most important social resources employed in Social Studies courses for students, ensuring their familiarity with the society and world in which they live. The objectives of this study were to determine the problems experienced in current event teaching in Social Studies courses, and to develop and implement applications in which active learning techniques were used to solve these problems. The use of active learning techniques contributes significantly to students' understanding of events that occur in society and those discussed in social studies courses. Thus, the study aimed to increase the quality of current event teaching in Social Studies courses and to determine the opinions of students and teachers related to the process. A qualitative research method that entailed action research design was employed. Research was conducted on 5th grade students and their Social Studies teachers during the fall and spring semesters of the 2019-2020 academic year. The research included semi-structured interviews, observations, diaries of the researchers, teachers, and students, video recordings of the application process, and student products that were employed as data collecting instruments. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Research findings indicate that teaching current events by means of active learning techniques in Social Studies courses enabled the students to actively participate in the course, display interest in the course and current events, prepare themselves for real life, and acquire the habit of following an agenda. Study results indicate that teaching current events in Social Studies courses by means of active learning techniques provides students with correct and effective use of Turkish; research, empathy, critical thinking, and media literacy skills; and the values of sensitivity, diligence, and justice. At the end of the study, various suggestions for application and research based on the results obtained are offered. Öğrencilere temel bilgi, beceri ve değerleri kazandırarak onları toplumsal yaşama hazırlayan en önemli derslerden biri Sosyal Bilgilerdir. Güncel olaylar, Sosyal Bilgiler dersinde öğrencilerin toplumu yakından tanımaları için kullanılan en önemli toplumsal kaynaklardandır. Sosyal Bilgiler dersi güncel olay öğretimi sırasında öğrenci katılımını sağlayan çeşitli etkinlikler düzenlenmelidir. Sosyal Bilgiler dersi güncel olay öğretiminde aktif öğrenme tekniklerinin kullanılması öğrencilerin toplumsal yaşamda gerçekleşen olayları ve Sosyal Bilgiler dersini anlamlandırmalarına önemli katkılar sağlar. Bu araştırmanın amacı güncel olayların aktif öğrenme teknikleriyle ele alındığı Sosyal Bilgiler ders sürecini ortaya koymak ve sürece yönelik öğrenci ve öğretmen görüşlerini belirlemektir. Araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden eylem araştırması deseni kullanılmıştır. Araştırma 2019-2020 eğitim-öğretim yılı güz ve bahar dönemlerinde 5. sınıfta öğrenim gören öğrenciler ve bu öğrencilerin Sosyal Bilgiler öğretmeni ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formları, gözlem formu, araştırmacı, öğretmen ve öğrenci günlüğü, uygulama sürecine ilişkin video kayıtları ve öğrenci ürünleri kullanılmıştır. Veriler betimsel analiz ile çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda Sosyal Bilgiler dersinde aktif öğrenme teknikleriyle ele alınan güncel olay öğretiminin öğrencilerin derse aktif bir biçimde katılmalarını, Sosyal Bilgiler dersine ve güncel olaylara ilgi duymalarını, gerçek yaşama hazırlanmalarını ve gündemi takip etme alışkanlığı kazanmalarını sağladığı bulguları elde edilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre Sosyal Bilgiler dersinde aktif öğrenme teknikleriyle ele alınan güncel olay öğretimi öğrencilere Türkçeyi doğru, güzel ve etkili kullanma, araştırma, empati, eleştirel düşünme ve medya okuryazarlığı becerileri ile duyarlılık, çalışkanlık ve adalet değerleri kazandırmaktadır. Araştırma sonunda, ulaşılan sonuçlara dayalı olarak uygulamaya ve araştırmaya yönelik çeşitli öneriler sunulmuştur.

We study the relation between mutual funds’ performance and shocks to the public information environment of their investments. For each stock, we distinguish between quantitative, or tangible, news (expressed with numeric characters) and qualitative news (expressed as verbal content). We find that funds that trade more actively in response to changes in the stocks’ information tangibility earn higher risk-adjusted returns. Funds that are particularly sensitive to such fluctuations have smaller managerial teams and employ managers who are more focused. Overall, our evidence suggests that signals associated with changes in the type of public information constitute a channel of value creation in asset management. Data and the electronic appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2835 . This paper was accepted by Lauren Cohen, finance.

This study investigates global news media representations of cross-Strait relations from 2014 to 2023 using the GDELT database, framed within the mediatization of politics. Combining large-scale event data and computational text analysis, it offers a multi-level analysis of representational patterns, structural inequalities, and framing dynamics. Six indicators track longitudinal trends including four continuous indices and two event type distributions, show attention spikes during major political events and a discursive shift toward negative, conflict-focused coverage, even as low-intensity communicative events dominate. Structurally, a source-domain analysis of 50 high-impact outlets employs a six-dimensional Deviation Index to evaluate differences in visibility and event production preferences. Results reveal a concentrated discourse, with Western and Taiwanese media occupying more central positions in agenda-setting processes, with Mainland Chinese outlets appearing comparatively less visible. Textually, topic modeling uncovers five key frames, reflecting a discursive thematic evolution from event-driven, low-politics coverage to high-politics narratives emphasizing conflicts, ideological divides, and great-power rivalry. Complementary sentiment analysis of news headlines using large language model-based tools indicates the persistent dominance of negative actor-sentiment framing in global coverage. Overall, the study underscores an increasingly securitized and asymmetrical pattern of global media representation of cross-Strait relations. Theoretically, the study extends the applicability of mediatization of politics framework to the analysis of cross-Strait communication. Methodologically, it illustrates integrating large-scale event data with machine-learning techniques to examine international news framing in a highly politicized geopolitical context.

Digital media allow for instant tracking of audience behaviour, thus enabling a potential negotiation between journalists’ traditional authority and professional news values, on the one hand, and the audience’s power in terms of ignoring or paying attention to the journalistic outcome, on the other. The present study investigates whether clicks change news values and have an impact on news routines in tabloid, broadsheet and public service newsrooms. The findings indicate that audience metrics bring a new dimension to the news evaluation process regardless of publishing tradition, but that the commercial media seem to keep a closer tab on traffic. In general, journalists strive for a “good mix” between customization to achieve audience satisfaction and a desire for editorial independence.