Medialog
type: channel
description: Medialog is an electronic research journal on media research, media culture and communication. The journal is an open-access publication featuring texts published after two positive anonymous reviews. It was launched in 2016 by the „Radio and Television“ Department at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’ University of Sofia. The first issue of the journal was published in early 2017. The founder of the scientific journal is Prof. Dr. habil. Vencislav Dimov. The editor-in-chief of the journal is elected by the members of the editorial board on a rotating basis every two years.
publisher: Факултет по журналистика и масова комуникация
language: en
publication name: Medialog
issn: 2535-0846
items: Objects and Traces – Aspects of Reality: Second Joint Exhibition of Prof. Ventsislav Dimov and Assoc. Prof. Orlin Spassov
items: Seminar Bulgaria after Chernobyl. Media silence during the accident in contemporary research
items: Monograph Review of Media and Politics: Intertwining and Influence, Author Iliya Valkov
items: Review on the monograph Digitization of Love: In Search of the Intimate Other, author Senior Assistant Professor, PhD Niya Neykova
items: The Dark Predictions of the series “Black Mirror”
items: Shifts in Classic Theories of Mass Communication. The Sensitivity towards Propaganda
items: “Enemies of the people”: Trump’s War towards American Media
items: “The Brave New World”: Media without Journalism for Fan Audiences
items: The Crises of Political Communication. Media, Democracy and the silent majority
items: The Green Tomatoes of Bulgaria -The Future Voice of Our Journalism
items: Conference Report on the International Science Conference “Communication in Times of Global Crises”
items: Book Review of Dramaturgical and Production Aspects in Talent Reality Shows by Nikolay Yordanov
items: Where is the Truth in Post-Truth?
items: Framing the Periphery: Unveiling the Balkans’ Cinematic Legacy Beyond the Center
items: Wreath Of Film Memory
items: The Language-Media-Culture Relationship and its Possible Contextualization in Cultural Diplomacy
items: Anglophone Pop Music in the Digital Age: Postmodern Narratives and Computer Modifications
items: AI and Deepfake Technology in Times of Crisis of Trust in Media
items: Beyond Hashtags: The Online Struggle for Justice in the #SavePirin Campaign
items: The Pandemic Through the Lens of the Media – COVID Voices on BNT
items: Cultural Topics in the Leading Bulgarian TV Channels

Objects and Traces – Aspects of Reality: Second Joint Exhibition of Prof. Ventsislav Dimov and Assoc. Prof. Orlin Spassov
type: item
description: The second joint exhibition by Ventsislav Dimov and Orlin Spassov was displayed at the Kazanlak Art Gallery, “Dechko Uzunov House Museum” (August 27 – November 12, 2025). We present the authors’ words about their works featured in the exhibition and a link to Nikolay Kolev’s short video about an event within the exhibition: a presentation and discussion led by Georgi Lozanov, with the participation of colleagues from the academic community and journalists.
subject: Performance and exhibition reviews
  topic: section
subject: Dimov
  topic: keywords
subject: Spasov
  topic: keywords
subject: exhibition
  topic: keywords
subject: Kazanlak
  topic: keywords
creator: Desislava Sotirova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 146
ending page: 150
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.146-150

Seminar Bulgaria after Chernobyl. Media silence during the accident in contemporary research
type: item
description: Scientific review of reports on the topic: “Bulgaria after Chernobyl”. A seminar on a project with the same name was organized by the Center for Academic Studies Sofia and the Institute for the Study of the Recent Past “Prof. Ivaylo Znepolski”
subject: Academic events
  topic: section
subject: Chernobyl
  topic: keywords
subject: nuclear accident
  topic: keywords
subject: consequences in Bulgaria
  topic: keywords
creator: Petia Alexandrova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 138
ending page: 145
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.138-145

Monograph Review of Media and Politics: Intertwining and Influence, Author Iliya Valkov
type: item
description: Dr. Iliya Valkov’s monograph “Media and Politics: Intertwining and Influence” examines the relationships, dependencies, and dynamics between journalism and political power. Special attention is given to the state of media freedom in Bulgaria and to the challenges faced by the media in fulfilling their democratic role. The author emphasizes the need for the media to function as an independent public watchdog rather than being used by those in power as a tool for pressure and influence.
subject: Book reviews
  topic: section
subject: media
  topic: keywords
subject: politics
  topic: keywords
subject: media freedom
  topic: keywords
subject: mediatization of politics
  topic: keywords
subject: politicization of the media
  topic: keywords
creator: Svetla Tsankova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 134
ending page: 137
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.134-137

Review on the monograph Digitization of Love: In Search of the Intimate Other, author Senior Assistant Professor, PhD Niya Neykova
type: item
description: Review of Nia Neykova’s monograph Digitization of Love: In Search of the intimate Other (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Publishing House “Prof. Marin Drinov”, 2025, 231 p., ISBN 978-619-245-516-3; DOI: 10.7546/D.Love.2025).Through an interdisciplinary analysis of the changes in love and intimacy of the digitally socialized generation of young people in Bulgaria, the book opens the scientific debate to the ongoing value, normative, behavioral, identity transformations in contemporary Bulgarian society as part of global processes.
subject: Book reviews
  topic: section
subject: love
  topic: keywords
subject: intimate experience
  topic: keywords
subject: digitalization
  topic: keywords
subject: generational changes
  topic: keywords
creator: Svetla Koleva
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 129
ending page: 133
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.129-133

The Dark Predictions of the series “Black Mirror”
type: item
description: “Black Mirror” (2011-) is a qualitatively different series compared to the mass-produced production on platforms in several ways. First of all, in terms of format – the number of episodes is significantly smaller and there is no single storyline and characters that develop throughout all episodes and seasons. Each episode is a complete standalone film, with its own dramaturgy, setting, different actors and directors. The other qualitative difference that distinguishes “Black Mirror” from other mass productions is the dramaturgical foundation on which they develop each episode. It falls into the realm of fantasy genre, but the series are positioned very precisely in a particular reality, not quite typical of fantasy plots, which I would call intermediate – the viewer feels like they are watching contemporary reality, as it surrounds us today, but one step ahead. The title “Black Mirror” itself comes from the effect of a dimmed monitor/screen that reflects the viewer sitting in front of it like a dark mirror. This is precisely the main focus of the series – to show, as a reflection, what the modern digital society and world is becoming back to the audience.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: serial
  topic: keywords
subject: platforms
  topic: keywords
subject: society
  topic: keywords
subject: digital reality
  topic: keywords
creator: Yosif Astrukov
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 109
ending page: 128
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.109-128

Shifts in Classic Theories of Mass Communication. The Sensitivity towards Propaganda
type: item
description: Mass communication theories, developed in the 20th century in the US, are often represented in university programs as a linear progression towards increasingly rigorous and objective knowledge, whilst significant theoretical ruptures and historiographical complexities are elided. The present article focuses on the paradigm shift, emphasizing that they constitute not merely the evolution of scientific knowledge, but realignments of political interests, relations of power, and social knowledge. The article addresses a gap in Bulgarian media studies by examining revisionist scholars who challenge the field’s received history and critique the classical “limited effects” paradigm, as well as the existing “communication models”. The social impact of theoretical shifts is examined through tracing the significance of the concept of “propaganda” over time. Research into mass communication began with this very concept, yet by mid-century the latter had vanished from scholarly view, only to be rediscovered today in a transformed social context. These shifts are far from coincidental.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Sociology of media
  topic: keywords
subject: media effects
  topic: keywords
subject: limited effects
  topic: keywords
subject: hypodermic needle
  topic: keywords
subject: Lazarsfeld
  topic: keywords
creator: Nikola Venkov-Rose
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 87
ending page: 108
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.87-108

“Enemies of the people”: Trump’s War towards American Media
type: item
description: This article examines the president of the US Donald Trump’s political rhetoric towards the American media, as well as the measures he is taking in the “war on the media” as described by analysts. Trump’s communications strategy against the press sets a dangerous precedent in one of the oldest democracies. It includes rhetoric in which the media is not perceived as a corrective to power, but as a political opponent. The president purposefully uses populist and historically charged terminology to consolidate support for his voters. He makes the attack on the media a central axis of his political rhetoric. During his first term as president (and continuing into his subsequent political career), he exerted and continues to exert institutional pressure, including through the filing of SLAPP lawsuits. Trump systematically and publicly denounces certain media outlets and defines them as “enemies of the people”.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: media
  topic: keywords
subject: Trump
  topic: keywords
subject: enemy of the people
  topic: keywords
subject: S.L.A.P.P.
  topic: keywords
subject: communication strategy
  topic: keywords
creator: Desislava Sotirova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 71
ending page: 86
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.71-86

“The Brave New World”: Media without Journalism for Fan Audiences
type: item
description: The latest audience research in the US shows a significant shift in how audiences perceive news and journalists. Until recently, marginal players and echo chambers, conservative media and influencers have been gaining popularity and influence beyond their traditional audiences. The article provides grounds for considering that conservative media treat their audience as a fan community that expects not to be informed, but to unite around common interpretations and a shared identity. In this sense, conservative media aim not to inform but to provide the common interpretations and support the shared identity. After Donald Trump returned to the White House, conservative media were legitimised and officialised to the point of becoming a PR instrument of the administration. This new status allows the conservative media to change not only the media agenda, but also the rules of journalism. What are the specific manifestations of the change and its potential far-reaching consequences are the questions this text addresses. Although the text refers specifically to the United States, the signs of the changes described are evident on a global scale, driven by similar political processes and by social media as a predominant source of news.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: conservative media ecosystem
  topic: keywords
subject: journalism
  topic: keywords
subject: news influencers
  topic: keywords
subject: MAGA
  topic: keywords
subject: Donald Trump
  topic: keywords
creator: Ralitsa Kovacheva
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 42
ending page: 70
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.42-70

The Crises of Political Communication. Media, Democracy and the silent majority
type: item
description: The article examines the contemporary crisis of political communications through the analytical perspective of three dominant paradigms – liberal-pluralist, constructionist and critical political economy of communication. The main argument is that each of them offers a different understanding of the sources and manifestations of the crisis – from the erosion of rational public debate and the rise of post-truth politics, through the fragmentation of shared symbolic frameworks, to the structural contradictions of capitalist media systems. This also implies different approaches to overcome it. At the center of the analysis is the concept of the silent majority, seen as a discursive and political construction that simultaneously reflects and deepens crisis processes. The conclusion marks the possible ways out of the crisis, based on the choice between two different understandings of communication – as a commodity or a democratic right.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: political communication
  topic: keywords
subject: liberal-pluralism
  topic: keywords
subject: contructionism
  topic: keywords
subject: critical political economy of communications
  topic: keywords
subject: populism
  topic: keywords
creator: Strahil Deliyski
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-10
publication date: 2025-12-10
starting page: 9
ending page: 41
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.18.9-41

The Green Tomatoes of Bulgaria -The Future Voice of Our Journalism
type: item
description: The Department „Radio and Television“ Festival has a history of over 30 years. For the first time ever in the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication the Festival of the Department of Radio and Television and School Media was held. Apart from the student works, the audience at the Faculty was introduced to students from 28 schools all over Bulgaria who came especially for the two-day festival. The School Media Festival also featured a Teachers' and Faculty Roundtable on the development of school media.
subject: Научен живот
  topic: section
subject: Department ‘Radio and TV’
  topic: keywords
subject: school media
  topic: keywords
subject: festival
  topic: keywords
creator: Dariya Nikolova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 126
ending page: 131
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.126-131

Conference Report on the International Science Conference “Communication in Times of Global Crises”
type: item
description: Conference report on the International Science Conference “Communication in Times of Global Crises”
subject: Научен живот
  topic: section
subject: communication
  topic: keywords
subject: crises
  topic: keywords
subject: public relations
  topic: keywords
subject: AI
  topic: keywords
creator: Sergey Todorov
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 121
ending page: 125
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.121-125

Book Review of Dramaturgical and Production Aspects in Talent Reality Shows by Nikolay Yordanov
type: item
description: The book Dramaturgical and Production Aspects in Talent Reality Shows by Dr. Nikolay Yordanov is a thorough study written in an engaging and accessible style, the book supports its arguments with numerous practical examples. Organized into six chapters, it traces the origin and development of the genre, explores the specifics of the Bulgarian television market, discusses the role of the production “bible,” team organization, work with hosts, judges, and audience, participant selection, and the dramaturgical principles underlying storyline and character development. This book serves as a practical guide to creating such programs while revealing the inner workings of the industry and demonstrating that television production requires not only creative talent but also strategic planning and business insight. Bibliography: Yordanov, Nikolay (2025) Dramaturgichni i proizvodstveni aspekti v rialiti predavaniyata za talanti, izd. Sofia: Fosforus
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
subject: television
  topic: keywords
subject: television market
  topic: keywords
subject: reality
  topic: keywords
subject: creative talent
  topic: keywords
subject: strategic planning
  topic: keywords
creator: Ema Konstantinova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 115
ending page: 120
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.115-120

Where is the Truth in Post-Truth?
type: item
description: A review of the book "New Media and Post-Truth" by Silvia Petrova. The review highlights the author's contributions to outlining the contemporary post-truth situation, defining key terms, and tracing and rethinking the scholarly debate on the topic. Bibliography: Petrova, Silviya (2024) Novi medii i postistina. Blagoevgrad: Universitetsko izdatelstvo References: Nedelcheva, Pepa (2025) Magiyata na dumite. <https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=12217273072430529> (visited on 10.05.2025) Haskovo.net (2017).<https://www.haskovo.net/jokes/read/39293> (visited on 10.05.2025) Chokshi, Niraj (2017) That Wasn’t Mark Twain: How a Misquotation Is Born. <https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/books/famous-misquotations.html> (visited on 10.05.2025)
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
subject: post-truth
  topic: keywords
subject: new media
  topic: keywords
subject: trolling
  topic: keywords
subject: online environment
  topic: keywords
creator: Viktor Chulev
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 111
ending page: 114
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.111-114

Framing the Periphery: Unveiling the Balkans’ Cinematic Legacy Beyond the Center
type: item
description: This review of “Charlie Chaplin on Vitosha: The Shaping of Film Culture in Bulgaria and the Balkans Between the World Wars” traces sixteen interconnected studies that chart the rise of Balkan cinema in the interwar years, beginning with an opening essay that situates Bulgaria alongside its neighbors in forging a distinctive film culture shaped by innovation, ambition, and regional exchange. Some early reflections on modernist and avant-garde movements illuminate the ideological ferment that provided fertile ground for cinematic experimentation in the Balkans between the wars. Bibliography: Donev, Alexander (ed.) (2025) Charlie Chaplin on Vitosha. The Shaping of Film Culture in Bulgaria and the Balkans between the World Wars. Sofia: Institute of Art Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
subject: cinema
  topic: keywords
subject: Bulgaria
  topic: keywords
subject: Balkan cinema
  topic: keywords
subject: film
  topic: keywords
subject: culture
  topic: keywords
creator: Peter Ayolov
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 106
ending page: 110
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.106-110

Wreath Of Film Memory
type: item
description: The review presents the collection "The Power of Cinema: Anthology of Bulgarian Film Thought between the Two World Wars", the work of a team: Rosen Spasov - compiler, Alexander Donev - editor, published by the Institute for the Study of Arts - BAS, 2024. The collection contains 120 texts on cinema in specialized publications and the mass press, published between the two world wars (the 1920s - 1940s of the 20th century). The anthology includes little-known sources for the history of Bulgarian cinema. The contributions of the authors (compiler and editor) in their search, reconstruction and thematic typology are presented. Bibliography: Stoyanov, Rossen. (sǎst.) i Donev, Aleksandar (red.)(2025) Vlastta na kinoto: Antologiia na balgarskata filmova misul mezhdu dvete svetovni voini. Sofia: Institut za izsledvane na izkustvata na BAN.
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Bulgarian cinema
  topic: keywords
subject: Bulgarian film criticism
  topic: keywords
subject: Alexander Donev
  topic: keywords
subject: Rosen Spasov
  topic: keywords
creator: Ventsislav Dimov
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 97
ending page: 105
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.97-105

The Language-Media-Culture Relationship and its Possible Contextualization in Cultural Diplomacy
type: item
description: The text is divided into two parts: the first discusses language as a specific form of influence and the second examines one case study of media that is part of the Bulgarian-French cultural environment and is presented as a resource of cultural diplomacy. The language-culture relationship has been heavily researched in the scholarly literature, but the views offered here reflect my attempt to take a more unusual approach to the topic, starting from the understanding that linguistic spaces construct different realities. And also, that language paints different pictures of the world. The aim is to analyze the interactions through language and media and to make a content analysis of the „Revue Périodique” journal (1998-2010). Bibliography: Datta, Venita and Silevermann, Willa Z. (1998) Introduction: New approaches to Intellectuals and the Dreyfus Affair“, Historical Reflections, Spring, Vol. 24, No. 1. Eko, Umberto (1993) Traktat po obsta semiotika. Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo Georgieva, Valentina (2012) ‘Ideologija i konsumatsija: subkulturnite stilove napazara na identichnosti’, Ditchev, Ivaylo, Julia Rone (sast.) Nova kulturna geometrija. Webmrezhovitsi, kulturbrakonieri, kiberagitatori. Sofia: Iztok-Zapad, pp. 145-166. Gerdzhikov, Sergey (2006) Za otnositelnostta na kulturata i ezika Ilieva, Diana (2016) Lingvokulturologija. Sastnost i kategorialen apparat. Sofia: Softtrade Jiang, Wenying (2000) The Relationship between culture and language, ELT Journal Volume, 54/4 October. Oxford: University Press. Karabulkov, Tontcho (2009) Spisanie ‘Review Pereodic’. Tova e istinata!, Literaturen svjat Kitova, Mariya (2014) “Vilhelm von Humbolt – osnovopolozhnikat na obstoto ezikoznanie” v “Misal i slovo” prez epohata na Prosvestenieto. Zapadnoevropeiskijat prinos za razvitieto na humanitarnite nauki ot kraja na ХVІІ i do nachaloto na ХІХ vek. Varna: LiterNET Saussuer, Ferdinand de (1992) Kurs po obsta lingvistika. Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo Spassov, Orlin (2001) Prehodat i mediate. …
subject: Topic of the volume
  topic: section
subject: language
  topic: keywords
subject: culture
  topic: keywords
subject: influence
  topic: keywords
subject: linguistic relativity
  topic: keywords
creator: Victoria Lekova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 83
ending page: 96
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.83-96

Anglophone Pop Music in the Digital Age: Postmodern Narratives and Computer Modifications
type: item
description: This article examines the influence of digital technologies on Anglophone pop music production, specifically in light of the postmodern condition. It explores how the proliferation of computer tools, software algorithms, and digital platforms shapes musical trends, particularly through the recycling of musical ideas, the standardization of production techniques, and the blurring of boundaries between artists and media celebrities. Making reference to postmodern concepts such as “simulacra”, “intertextuality”, and “metanarratives”, the study highlights the increasing convergence of song patterns in English-language pop music, characterized by more conventional approaches to songwriting and the dominance of platforms like TikTok. The text also addresses the shift toward algorithm-driven creation, where artistic individuality is at risk of being overshadowed by digital tools. Through this lens, the article discusses the evolving nature of creativity in a digitally mediated world, suggesting that while cutting-edge technological advancements do have the potential to promote novel forms of expression, they may also lead to a greater degree of uniformity. The discussion concludes by reflecting on the role of human agency in preserving genuine innovation amidst the growing reliance on artificial intelligence and algorithmic devices. Bibliography: Adorno, Theodor W., Simpson, George (1941) On popular music. Studies in Philosophy and Social Science, 9(1), pp. 17–48.Gaitandzhiev, Gencho (1990) Populyarnata muzika – pro? kontra? Sofia: Narodna prosveta Dimov, Ventsislav (2017) Mediite kato logos i dialog? Medialog. Available at: https://www.medialog-bg.com/?page_id=25[Visited on 17 May 2025] Levy, Kler (2005) Dialogichnata muzika: blusat, populyarnata kultura, mitovete na modernostta. Sofia: Institut za izkustoznanie – BAN Lyotard, Jean-Francois (1984). The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Vol. 10, Theory and History of Literature. Manchester: Manchester University…
subject: Topic of the volume
  topic: section
subject: Digital technologies
  topic: keywords
subject: music production
  topic: keywords
subject: pop music
  topic: keywords
subject: Postmodernism
  topic: keywords
subject: TikTok
  topic: keywords
creator: Mihail Lukanov
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 54
ending page: 65
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.54-65

AI and Deepfake Technology in Times of Crisis of Trust in Media
type: item
description: While the concerns about media trust have historical roots, the dynamics have evolved with technological advancements, the rise of digital media, and the challenges posed by disinformation in the 21st century. Deepfake – the media content (text, images, videos) created by AI technology – is just another concern for journalists, politicians and society in the current media trust crisis. It is a tool that can be successfully applied in an information warfare. To be honest, face and voice spoofing has always existed, but deepfake technology may now make fake videos faster, cheaper, with high quality and is accessible to anybody. Although deepfake videos have the potential to undermine trust in journalism, their actual impact on audiences remains limited due to information overload, increased suspicion and skeptical attitude, decreased trust in media and advanced audience adaptability for orientation in the information flow. Bibliography: Appel, Markus, Prietzel, Fabian (2022) The detection of political deepfakes. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 27(4). Available from: https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/27/4/zmac008/6650406 [Accessed 17 Jan. 2025]. Kuklinski, James, Quirk, Paul, Jerit, Jennifer, Schwieder, David, Rich, Robert F. (2000) Misinformation and the currency of democratic citizenship. The Journal of Politics, 62(3). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Moran, Rachel E. (2022) The so-called “crisis” of trust in journalism. In: Allan, Stuart ed. The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. Popa, Claudiu et al. (2025) Deepfake technology unveiled: The commoditization of AI and its impact on digital trust. Available from: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.07363 [Accessed 9 Jun. 2025]. Rucinska, Silvia, Fecko, Miroslav, Mital, Ondrej (2022) The role of public authorities in responding to disinformation. In: Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov Days (CEEeGov). ACM. Available from: https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3551…
subject: Topic of the volume
  topic: section
subject: deepfake technology
  topic: keywords
subject: media trust
  topic: keywords
subject: journalism
  topic: keywords
subject: AI
  topic: keywords
subject: disinformation
  topic: keywords
creator: Desislava Sotirova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 43
ending page: 53
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.43-53

Beyond Hashtags: The Online Struggle for Justice in the #SavePirin Campaign
type: item
description: Over the last decade social media has evolved into a powerful tool for social mobilization and advocacy, enabling citizens to voice opinions, gather support, and raise awareness about social, political, and environmental issues. The #SavePirin campaign is a prominent case of digital activism in Bulgaria, which transformed into an grassroots movement to advocate for the preservation of „Pirin“ National Park against government-backed commercial development. This study is about on the tools used by the #SavePirin movement, such as hashtag activism, celebrity activism, and online event organization. References: Aleksieva, Pavleta; Yumerova, Aylin; Kaloyanova, Margarita; Banova, Radina (2019) Vreme za protesti: pravoto na mirni sabrania v Bulgaria. Sofia: ETSNP i BTSNP. Castells, Manuel (2012) Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the internet age. Cambridge: Polity. Christensen, H. S. (2011). Political activities on the Internet: Slacktivism or political participation by other means?. First Monday, 16(2). Достъпно на: https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i2.3336 Dobrin, Diana (2020) The Hashtag in Digital Activism: A Cultural Revolution. Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 5(1), 03. Holleran, Max (2017) Tourism and Europe's Shifting Periphery: Post-Franco Spain and Post-Socialist Bulgaria. Contemporary European History, 26(4), pp. 691-715. Joyce, Mary (Ed.) (2010) Digital Activism Decoded: The New Mechanics of Change. New York: International Debate Education Association. Georgieva, Valentina. 2017. Mnozhestva na nesaglasnite. Gueorguieva, Valentina (2018) Of ‘Stronger State’ and Counter-Democracy. The Street Protests in Bulgaria from 2012 and 2013 in the Accounts of Participants. Social Movements in the Balkans: Rebellion and Protest from Maribor to Taksim. London: Routledge, p. 48-65. Kemp, Simon (2017) Digital 2017: Global Digital Overview. Достъпно на: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2017-global-digital-overview Krastanova, Radosveta (2012) …
subject: Topic of the volume
  topic: section
subject: online mobilization
  topic: keywords
subject: social media
  topic: keywords
subject: environmental sustainability
  topic: keywords
creator: Emil Enev
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 28
ending page: 42
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.28-42

The Pandemic Through the Lens of the Media – COVID Voices on BNT
type: item
description: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, social science researchers have registered a number of sustainable transformations in human behavior. Given the importance of the media as a mediator of health and in some cases life-saving information to society, the current study aims to examine the profile of the participants in the main news program of the Bulgarian National Television. The results show a strong politicization of media content regarding the COVID pandemic. A phenomenon that is also observed in other countries. Usually, in the media, the field of healthcare has been reserved mainly for expert opinions from the medical sphere, but during the COVID pandemic, an increasing presence of politicians and representatives of political parties has been observed. The politicization of health information in the media carries a risk of polarization of opinions, division of society in a time of crisis and popularization of populist comments, threatening the success of health campaigns. References: Ajzenman, Nicolás, Cavalcanti, Tiago and Da Mata, Daniel (2020) More Than Words: Leaders’ Speech and Risky Behavior during a Pandemic. Available from: SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3582908 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3582908 (visited on 16.06.2025) Adam, Silke, Urman, Aleksandra, Arlt, Dorothee, Gil-Lopez, Teresa, Makhortykh, Mykola, Maier, Michaela. Media Trust and the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Short-Term Trust Changes, Their Ideological Drivers and Consequences in Switzerland. Communic Res. 2023 Mar;50(2):205-229. doi: 10.1177/00936502221127484. Available from: (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9663272/, (visited on 16.06.2025) Allen, Jennifer et al. (2020) Evaluating the fake news problem at the scale of the information ecosystem. Sci. Adv. 6, eaay3539. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aay3539. Available from: (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aay3539) (Accessed on 16.06.2025) Ayala-Cantu, Luciano., Frattini, Federico Fabio, & Morando, Bruno. (2021). Setting an …
subject: Topic of the volume
  topic: section
subject: television
  topic: keywords
subject: news
  topic: keywords
subject: pandemic
  topic: keywords
subject: COVID-19
  topic: keywords
subject: politicization
  topic: keywords
creator: Zhivka Getsova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-23
publication date: 2025-06-23
starting page: 9
ending page: 27
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.9-27

Cultural Topics in the Leading Bulgarian TV Channels
type: item
description: The text focuses on the importance of cultural content and its presence in the leading Bulgarian TV channels. Why does it make sense to give it a special place? What are the contributions of culture to public life and dialogue? The culture of debate, cultural achievements, examples of high art are key to building critical thinking, a major factor in the battle against misinformation and propaganda. The text describes what the effects of the disappearance of cultural content in the leading Bulgarian TV channels can be and how this reflects on the level of public conversation. Bibliography: Bourdieu, Pierre (1984) Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Harvard: University Press. Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books. Fiske, John (1987) Television Culture. Studies in Communication Series. London: Methuen & Co. Fiske, John, Hartley, John. (1978) Reading Television. London: Methuen & Co. Habermas, Yurgen (2021) Komunikativniyat razum. IK “Kritika i humanizam”, Sofia Habermas, Yurgen (2023) Edno novo strukturno izmenenie na publichnostta i deliberativnata politika, izd. v Sofia: IK “Kritika i humanizam” Ognianova, Neli (2014). Mediyna politika i pravo na Evropeyskiya sayuz. Sofia: UI “Sv. Kliment Ohridski”. Raymond, Williams (1958) Culture and Society: 1780–1950. London: Chatto and Windus. Taylor, Eduard. B. (1920) Primitive Culture: Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Language, Art and Custom. London: John Murray. Vargas, Ljosa Mario (2013) Tcivilizatsija na zrelisteto. Sofia: Kolibri. References: Agentsia „Trend“/Fondatsia „Institut Otvoreno obshtestvo – Sofia“. 2023. Doverie v mediite (9-17 yuli 2023). Taneva, Yanina, Andreeva-Popyordanova, Diana (2025). Dostap do kultura. Sofia: Fabrika za idei, Observatoriyata po ikonomika na kulturata, Asotsiatsiyata za razvitie na Sofia, Gyote-institut Bulgaria. Zakon za radioto i televiziyata. Lex.bg
subject: Topic of the volume
  topic: section
subject: media market
  topic: keywords
subject: advertising market
  topic: keywords
subject: critical thinking
  topic: keywords
subject: audience
  topic: keywords
creator: Vesislava Antonova
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Medialog
date: 2025-06-20
publication date: 2025-06-20
starting page: 66
ending page: 82
doi: 10.60060/MLg.2025.17.66-82