**Preface**

In times of global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, or financial crises, the social cohesion of democracies is threatened. The geopolitical battle for global influence and a public communication model that takes place in social networks encourage polarization and disinformation, having consequences for the public sphere. This reprint, "Geopolitics, Public Communication, and Social Cohesion Facing the Crisis of Democracy: Risks and Challenges", contributes to understanding the communication of the main conflicts that put integrity and geopolitics at risk.

Leaders, the media, and citizens, as digital consumers, build stories on digital platforms that can revert to the unity of territories, consolidate extremist ideologies, or foster fragmentation between states. Conversely, reports and opinion polls, from electoral contests or otherwise, highlight audiences' distrust in politics, citizens' disaffection with the media, and institutions' loss of credibility. On this matter, the articles included use innovative approaches based on mixed methods in different countries.

Our reprint aims to provide an academic overview of the role of communication by public institutions in crisis management and the responsibility of journalism and citizens.

> **Concha P ´erez Curiel and Rub ´en Rivas-de-Roca** *Editors*
