As the global balance of power shifts, can the media systems of influential Global South countries foster public debate beyond national borders? Focusing on Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, this book examines the extent to which the rise of BRICS has been accompanied by the emergence of a transnational public sphere in the Global South. Drawing on an extensive analysis of nearly 4,000 newspaper articles published during the bloc’s early phase (2011–2019), the study explores how national media systems observe one another, circulate ideas, and shape the visibility of countries, issues, and institutions in international public discourse. The findings reveal a complex and uneven pattern of communicative interconnectedness. Media agendas across the BRICS countries converge most strongly around major international events and common reference points, particularly the United States, while sustained mutual observation among BRICS countries remains limited. The study also highlights the continuing influence of communication flows mediated by actors and institutions outside the Global South. By bringing together concepts such as transnational public spheres and foreign news coverage, this book offers insights into both the potential and the limitations of the media as a facilitator of cross-border public debate amid an increasingly multipolar international order.

Augusto Santos is a Research Associate at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He earned his PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Erfurt, Germany.