Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Sofia Iordanidou Author-Workplace-Name: Open University of Cyprus, Cyprus Author-Name: Emmanouil Takas Author-Workplace-Name: Advanced Media Institute, Greece Author-Name: Leonidas Vatikiotis Author-Workplace-Name: Advanced Media Institute, Greece Author-Name: Pedro García Author-Workplace-Name: International University of La Rioja, Spain Title: Constructing Silence: Processes of Journalistic (Self-)Censorship during Memoranda in Greece, Cyprus, and Spain Abstract: What are to be considered as threats against journalism? Whereas the literature on safety of journalists mainly discusses threats as part of armed conflicts, this article studies how other kinds of conflicts such as economic strangulation and the viability threat represent threats against journalists’ work and safety. It argues that acts of intimidation directed against journalists represent an attack on democracy itself as they have the effect of limiting the freedom of expression. The aim of this study is to explore how journalists operate in such a conflict and under such uncertainty, as an implication of (political) pressure caused by the politics of Memoranda in Greece, Cyprus, and Spain. The comparative analysis focuses on possible changes in the processes of message construction and in the journalistic practices of the participants, exploring if, how, and to what extent these changes were imposed to journalists directly or indirectly. Classification-JEL: Keywords: European South; journalists; memorandum; safety; self-censorship; silence Journal: Media and Communication Pages: 15-26 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Year: 2020 File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2634 File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:cog:MeAnCo:v:8:y:2020:i:1:p:15-26