Dr Carlo Berti
Current Position: Researcher
Institutional affiliation: Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Journalism, Charles University
Email: carlo.berti@fsv.cuni.cz
Webpage: https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/contacts/institute-members/81432905
Host Scholar: Dr. Ssu-Han Yu, Assistant Professor
Hosting Department/Institution: International Master’s Program in International Communication Studies (IMICS), National Chengchi University
Biography:
Carlo Berti is a Researcher at Charles University (Department of Journalism, Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Faculty of Social Sciences) in Prague, Czech Republic. His current research project investigates the relationship between journalism and politics, focusing on the European Union. His work has been published in international journals such as Journalism, Journalism Studies, Media Culture & Society, Poetics, and New Media & Society. He is the co-editor (with Carlo Ruzza and Paolo Cossarini) of The Impact of Populism on European Institutions and Civil Society (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). He obtained a PhD in Communication Studies from Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. He held research positions at the School of International Studies (University of Trento, Italy) and the Department of Communication Studies (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain).
Lecture [1]:
Date ＆ Time: 17 November 2025, 10.30 am
Venue: R417, DaYong Bulding, National Chengchi University
Title: Journalism Under Siege: Delegitimization, violence, and crisis in the European Union
Abstract: In the European Union, as in other contexts globally, democracy is in crisis, challenged by growing illiberal forces that, in the EU, are predominantly far-right and populist in orientation. Journalism plays a crucial role in defending these backsliding democracies. However, journalists find themselves in a multifactorial crisis, under attack from the populist far right, subject to strong economic pressures, and continually challenged by digital technologies and growing violence. Furthermore, journalism today is often characterized by media market concentration, job insecurity, and low public trust. Using academic literature, reports, and interviews with journalists and experts, this presentation reflects on the current state of journalism in the EU, using the metaphor of siege. It focuses, in particular, on case studies in Spain, Italy, and Hungary to explore some of the dynamics that place journalism and journalists in a precarious situation. Protecting and safeguarding journalism is an ethical duty and a strategic necessity if we want to keep power accountable and protect democracy from attacks by illiberal forces.
Lecture [2]:
Date ＆ Time: 3 December 2025, 2.10pm
Venue: Li Zhan Lecture Hall, 3rd Floor, College of Communication, NCCU
Title: Journalism in times of backsliding democracies: challenges and opportunities in the digital age
Abstract: Across many areas of the world, including the European Union, democratic backsliding challenges the foundational principles of free press and accountability. Journalists find themselves increasingly at risk, while at the same time they are called upon to defend democracies from illiberal political forces and technological and economic powers that compete for public attention. This talk looks at the relationship between journalism, democracy, and digital technologies in the European Union. The focus is on three aspects of this relationship, which constitute both challenges and opportunities for journalism. The first one is the changing relationship between journalism and politics: in particular, the effects that the “elective affinity” between social media and populist politics is having on journalism in times of growing presence and power of populism, especially of the far right. The second one is the impact of AI on journalism, and how newsrooms are dealing with increasing competition and pressures from technological companies, and the new opportunities offered by the integration of AI technologies in journalism practice. The third one is the impact of algorithms and their logic on the journalistic profession, with a particular focus on the possibility of promoting diversity in a digital environment increasingly influenced by automation and opaque logics. By situating the role of journalism in times of digital disruption and democratic backsliding, we want to highlight both the vulnerabilities and the available defences this profession has in front of numerous threats, including the erosion of trust, economic insecurity, illiberal politics, and technological “superpowers”.