Cleavages, Media Guides, CC 12

Question 1

United Kingdom Cleavages

Answer 1

• Racial Tensions: White majority VS Non-European minorities whose heritage is related to UK colonial history
• Religious: Christian majority, Protestants VS Catholics in Northern Ireland
• Regional (Scottish, English, Welsh, Irish)

Question 2

Nigeria Cleavages

Answer 2

CLEFT COUNTRY; no majority ethnic group in Nigeria as distribution is still very even

• Religious split between Muslims (North) and Christians (South)

Question 3

Mexico Cleavages

Answer 3

• Ethnic divisions: indigenous VS whites and mestizo
• North VS South (more populated, dense overall, and poorer)

Question 4

Russia Cleavages

Answer 4

ETHNIC: Russians (80%) VS non-Russians (Chechens)
- mistreatment of Chechens
- nationalist extremism

RELIGIOUS: Russian Orthodox VS Muslim
- Christianity is the states religion
- Glasnost allowed greater religious tolerance
- imprisonment of minority religious groups
- criminalized Jehovah’s Witnesses

Question 5

China Cleavages

Answer 5

ETHNIC: majority Han VS 55 recognized ethnic minorities (EX: Tibetans and Uighurs)
- surveillance leads to abuse of ethnic minorities
- COVID-19 discrimination
- forced minority sterilization and IUDs

Question 6

Iran Cleavages

Answer 6

RELIGION: Shia Muslim majority VS minorities (EX: Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism)

ETHNIC: majority Persians VS minorities (EX: Kurds)

Question 7

The Great Firewall of China

Answer 7

• state control over the internet including censorship and surveillance
• operated by the Chinese government to regulate and control the flow of information within China’s borders
• used to perfect the image of the CCP; the restrict information deemed sensitive or harmful to its interests

Question 8

British Media (Overall)

Answer 8

• strong tradition of public service broadcasting
• BBC
• Press regulation is not significant
• Social media is prominent

Question 9

Nigeria Media (Overall)

Answer 9

• one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists
• threats, physical violence, denied access to information
• Radio is the most reliable source of information
• Social media is prominent

Question 10

Mexico Media (Overall)

Answer 10

• dangerous country for journalists and media workers
• investigations into criminal or corrupted activity is risky
• self-censorship is used as a defense mechanism
• one of Latin America’s biggest internet market
• Social media is prominent

Question 11

Russia Media (Overall)

Answer 11

• nationalization of most broadcast media and rigid controls on opposition news segments
• since Ukraine invasion, nearly all independent media outlets have shut down or been forced down
• extremism laws
• near-complete control over mass media

Question 12

China Media (Overall)

Answer 12

• largest media market in the world
• mostly state-owned organizations are approved
• largest internet-using population
• The Great Firewall of China
• Social media is prominent

Question 13

Iran Media (Overall)

Answer 13

• all broadcasting from Iranian soil is controlled by the state and reflects official ideology
• censors anti-religious material or information detrimental to the national interest
• Social media is prominent even though it is usually blocked but available through VPNs

Question 14

British Freedom of the Press

Answer 14

FREE
- few major constraints
- no real limitations
- internet is affordable and accessible
- regulation is used for accuracy, fairness, and impartiality
- rise of digital media

Question 15

Nigerian Freedom of the Press

Answer 15

PARTLY FREE
- journalists monitored, attacked, and arbitrarily arrested
- cannot cover elections without retaliation
- regulation raises concerns about censorship and freedom of the press
- corruption and political pressure

Question 16

Mexican Freedom of the Press

Answer 16

PARTLY FREE
- political instability
- no reforms or measures to stop violence on the press
- deadly environment for journalists (illegal surveillance)
- defunded media regulation
- split between urban and rural access to the internet

Question 17

Russian Freedom of the Press

Answer 17

NOT FREE
- restrictive laws to control the information space
- criminalizing certain civil society organizations
- independent media has been banned or blocked since the Ukraine invasion
- “invisible reporters”
- military and Kremlin censorship

Question 18

Chinese Freedom of the Press

Answer 18

NOT FREE
- campaign wide repression of journalism and the right to information
- largest prisoner for journalists
- media control; “biggest censorship operation”
- repressive policies since COVID protests
- Great Firewall of China

Question 19

Iranian Freedom of the Press

Answer 19

NOT FREE
- authoritarian regime
- repressed in order to limit the spread of social rights movements
- journalism oppression - especially because of protests
- extensive censorship, content manipulation, online harassment
- extreme content filters
- internet in expensive