"The report documents the status of response-wide Communication, Community Engagement and Accountability towards Affected Populations (CCEA) in Colombia and provides recommendations for a strengthened and more inclusive response. The report explores the operating environment, what works well and wha
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t improvements and efficiencies can be made across responses for the common good in the context of CCEA. It promotes the creation of synergies between the various coordination efforts and supports existing collective platforms and related cluster coordination functions. It further seeks to support the development and integration of a common services approach to AAP, communication and engagement with communities across coordination efforts, and helps response actors understand immediate needs, gaps and opportunities in CCEA." (Introduction, page 7)
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"How can sound be utilized as a tool for political conscientization? COVID-19 has disrupted face-to-face organizing tactics for progressive movements globally, making it necessary to branch out to more mediated forms of grassroots political organizing. In this article, we explore how sound might be
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employed to invoke an imagined working-class community across ethnic, gender and generational divides against a backdrop of crisis and corruption on the structural level. Through a close listening of a South African radio drama, 'Plague in the Time of King Kapital and Queen Corona' (KKQC), we find that the use of sound enables a worldmaking that is both attuned to structural inequities and imagines a utopian, solidaristic working-class community. KKQC offers a case of worldbuilding and political conscientization through radio drama that is relevant to understanding the possibilities of the genre in the contemporary South African context." (Abstract)
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"Mali’s first non-state radio went on air during the authoritarian rule of Moussa Traoré in 1988, challenging the common narrative that ties political and media liberalization together. Negotiations were conducted by Italian NGOs at a time when such organizations had become key political actors i
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n Sahelian countries. The implementation of Radio Rurale de Kayes was part of a wider infrastructural project that notably included a road. This historical account follows the metaphorical and literal association between the radio and the road in order to reflect on mobility and its constraints. Tracing the radio’s trajectory from space-making to community-building, it shows how the station managed to sustain itself thanks to its position within an emerging network of associations led by return migrants and because of how it fitted into local infrastructures of mobility, thus calling for a stronger attention to the relation between radio, the audiences it convenes, and space." (Abstract)
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"Journalists play a critical role in the dissemination of health information to the public. This chapter explores the challenges created by COVID-19 for journalists in Pakistan. It also examines how the pandemic has shed light on the disparities and safety risks in the Pakistani journalism and expos
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ed fault lines in journalism practices in the country. The authors randomly selected 50 profiles of journalists from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and analyzed the publicly available posts they created or shared on their profiles (n= 823). They found that the journalists were mainly concerned about their own well-being and the well-being of their families. They received threats for covering COVID-19 related stories. They were not trained enough to cover a health crisis like COVID-19, and therefore, a majority of the journalists did not follow standard operating procedures outlined by the Government of Pakistan. They suggest that the Government of Pakistan view these journalists as essential workers and frame precautions from healthcare organizations." (Abstract)
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"COVID-19 created a substantial set of challenges for health communication practitioners in the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating entertainment-education (EE) campaigns. EE is a theory and evidence-based communication strategy that employs entertainment media for educational messagin
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g. Here, we briefly review EE campaigns in response to previous health emergencies and present three cases of EE responses to the COVID-19 pandemic from leading global organizations (PCI Media, BBC Media Action, and Sesame Workshop). Responses ranged from adaptation and re-distribution of existing content to creating new content under social-distancing restrictions and utilizing transmedia. These cases demonstrate that EE initiatives responding to future pandemics may be well served by starting with existing infrastructure to quickly build capacity, support, and trust; working with partners to tailor programs to the local context; and continuing to focus on good storytelling while simultaneously considering evolving media formats and theory." (Abstract)
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"This paper synthesizes research on current trends, programmes, policies and uses of AI related to technical and vocational education and training across six continents, covering developing and developed contexts, as a resource for stakeholders invested in the future of intermediate-level workers an
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d TVET. Lecturers, students, administrators, policymakers, programme implementers and lifelong learners are invited to examine current practices, opportunities and challenges raised by AI, and recommendations to build a future-ready education and training system." (Short summary, page 3)
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"This article provides a case study of an information campaign directed at people of Somali decent living in the worst hit district of Oslo, the capital of Norway. The Somalis were the immigrant group most affected by the COVID-19 in Norway during the first wave of the pandemic. The campaign used se
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lected Somali-speaking ‘ambassadors’ as well as videos and network methodology to reach those within the Somali population who are least integrated into Norwegian society. The lessons learned from this case may both inform the theory of information campaigns and provide practical lessons learned for other groups in later high-risk information-need situations." (Abstract)
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"Schaut man sich die Beispiele des Umgangs mit Corona in den drei behandelten Fernsehformaten – Nachrichten, fiktive Erzählgenres und Corona-Miniserien – an, fällt eine seltsame Ausweichbewegung auf, auch dann, wenn die Pandemie selbst das Thema ist. In den Nachrichten wird die Krankheit durch
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industrielle, menschenleere Bildarrangements erzählt, im Reich der Serien und Feature-Filme wird sie gleich ganz verschwiegen, und das Nischen-TV der experimentellen Corona-Miniserien zieht sich auf eine Dramedy mit komischer Heldin zurück. In der Erzähltheorie spricht man davon, dass nur mögliche Leben (possible lives) erzählt werden können, weil lediglich im Rahmen der eigenen Kultur und ihrer Vergangenheit ein Verständnis erzeugt werden könne. Dementsprechend scheint im derzeitigen Deutschland auch die Pandemie an die Grenzen der Erzählbarkeit zu stoßen. Covid-19 ist zwar nicht die erste Seuche, die das Abendland heimgesucht hat und erzählt wurde – man denke an die Pest, die Cholera, die spanische Grippe und AIDS –, sie ist aber die erste, die gleichzeitig global verbreitet ist, globalisierte Regime und Abwehrstrategien verlangt und – welch eine Kränkung! – in den demokratischen Nationen schwerer unter Kontrolle zu bringen ist als in einigen autoritären Regimen. Das kulturelle Selbstbewusstsein des Globalen Nordens verlangt, »Herr der Lage« zu sein. Wenn das nicht möglich ist, müssen wenigstens die Opfer unsichtbar bleiben. In den Unterhaltungsgenres, in denen vom besseren Leben geträumt wird und wo das (oft nur zwischenzeitliche) Liebes-Happyend alles wieder gut macht, hat Corona mit seiner Todesdrohung und seiner Berührungslosigkeit keinen Platz. Nur in einem Nischengenre wird ausprobiert, wie ein Leben mit Gesicht, Körper und Corona erzählt werden könnte." (Epilog, Seite 285)
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"Dominant narratives promoting economic growth at the expense of state institutions and basic social services have long underpinned a neoliberal model of spiralling debt and austerity in the MENA region. This exacerbates political capture and inequality and takes shape in an environment of media con
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centration and shrinking civic space. It is important for change movements to understand dominant narratives in order to challenge and shift them. With the right tools, civil society organizations, activists, influencers and alternative media can start changing the myths and beliefs which frame the socio-economic debate and predetermine which policy options are accepted as possible and legitimate, and which are not." (Abstract)
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"Twitter is a key site for understanding the highly polarized and politicized debate around climate change. We examined large datasets comprising about 15 million tweets from different parts of the world referencing climate change and global warming. Our examination of the twenty most active users e
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mploying the term ‘global warming’ are likely to be automated accounts or bots than the most active users employing the term ‘climate change’. We used a mixed method approach including topic modelling, which is a digital method that automatedly identifies the top topics using an algorithm to understand how Twitter users engage with discussions on ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’. The percentage of the top 400 users who use the term ‘climate change’ and believe it is human-made or anthropogenic (82.5%) is much higher than users who use the term ‘global warming’ and believe in human causation (25.5%). Similarly, the percentage of active users who use the term ‘global warming’ were much more likely to believe it is a results of natural cycles (18%) than active users who use the term ‘climate change’ (5%). We also identified and qualitatively analysed the positions of the most active users. Our findings reveal clear politically polarized views, with many politicians cited and trolled in online discussions, and significant differences reflected in terminology." (Abstract)
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"Do emotions we experience after reading headlines help us discern true from false information or cloud our judgement? Understanding whether emotions are associated with distinguishing truth from fiction and sharing information has implications for interventions designed to curb the spread of misinf
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ormation. Among 1,341 Facebook users in Nigeria, we find that emotions—specifically happiness and surprise—are associated with greater belief in and sharing of false, relative to true, COVID-19 headlines. Respondents who are older are more reflective, and do not support the ruling party are better at discerning true from false COVID-19 information."
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"The purpose of this guide is to provide risk managers and communicators with a methodology for developing effective foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) risk communication strategies. The concepts presented can also be adapted to risk communication on other animal health threats. Eight steps help readers a
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pply strategic and empathetic thinking to their own peacetime and crisis scenarios. With practice, readers learn how to better develop new plans or contribute to existing ones.
Background: The document is based on the Emotional, Participatory, Imperfect and Continuous (EPIC) approach to risk communication developed by Cortney Price and adapted to animal health risk management by the author in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization staff.2,3 This guide gives FMDspecific examples, which formed the outcome of two EuFMD Workshops on “Managing a Crisis”, which took place in Budapest, Hungary, from 13 to 16 September 2016 and Kaunas, Lithuania, from 19 to 22 March 2018.
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[...] Early-warning systems play a crucial role in informing people about impending disasters and should therefore be deployed in disaster-prone areas. Effective information transmission and dissemination are important before, during and after a disaster. A workshop on early-warning systems held dur
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ing the study period received many good inputs on the topic, which is therefore the subject of a chapter in this report.
Disaster preparedness involves drills and exercises, which range from table-top exercises to full-scale drills. The gaps revealed by such drills and exercises require analysis and corrective action, so that, in the event of an actual disaster, everyone acts as expected, coherently and in coordinated fashion. It is important to learn from the best practices adopted by other countries, particularly those that are prone to disasters and have learned from experience. This report therefore contains case studies from various countries describing the lessons they have learned. Following a dedicated workshop on drills and exercises held during the study period, the experts' deliberations were put together in a set of guidelines for small island and landlocked countries, and included in this report.
An enabling policy environment is a must for managing any disaster. The policies should be such that they enable flexibility when deploying emergency communication equipment and ensure successful use of telecommunications and ICTs for disaster preparedness and response. It is important to ascertain the components of an enabling policy environment, one that improves emergency telecommunication preparedness, network resilience, disaster risk reduction and disaster management." (Executive summary)
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"There is need for further studies focusing on access to broadband services and how emerging technologies can be used to transform rural and remote areas into digital economies.
There is no one-size-fits-all model for financing rural connectivity and engaging all stakeholders, but creating public-pr
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ivate partnerships (PPP) provides a workable solution.
Community networks are an important part of connectivity ecosystems, and they help bridge the digital divide.
While 4G is the predominant technology for connectivity in the world, a number of countries are turning to 5G for connectivity in rural areas.
The establishment of community telecentres or information centres is helping to achieve universal service for many countries and is key to attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ICT community information centres are useful in training communities to become ICT literate.
The principle of universal access has proven to be an essential development tool, and proper use of universal service/access funds offers a good opportunity for economic growth and poverty alleviation in developing countries." (Lessons learnt, page viii)
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"The study identified resource gaps relating to broadband connectivity, affordability, digital literacy and skills, and priority digital services. It identified the need for reliable and quality telecommunication network coverage; digital literacy and skills training (sales and marketing resources a
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nd skills); a reliable power/energy supply; banking services; an improved education environment with reliable Internet services; an improved health environment with digitally literate health workers; clean water and sanitation; adaptation to the effects of natural disasters; and, importantly, climate change mitigation and adaptation. It also identified the need to promote South Malekula as an attractive domestic and international tourist destination. The National ICT Development Committee of Vanuatu recently (2021) agreed to pursue the Smart Islands Vanuatu Programme, in which government stakeholders and citizens have indicated keen interest. Partners such as the Vanuatu Rural Electrification Project have also expressed interest in how the programme could stimulate demand for a local solar power grid." (Executive summary, page iv)
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"Digital technology, while an important enabler of many COVID-19 mitigation measures, has also contributed to the rise of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the pandemic. The circulation of rumours, conspiracy theories, false claims and misconceptions about the novel coronavirus has had a
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pronounced impact on the world. Leveraging digital tools to facilitate access to reliable (and potentially life-saving) information and reduce exposure to misinformation and disinformation is a new skill that policy makers and communities at large need to master in the context of the events of the past two years.
Some efforts have been successful, while others have faced challenges and stalled. While the situation remains globally fluid and continues to evolve, it is possible to conclude that there is a wealth of innovative applications of ICT for infodemic management. The choice, design and implementation of any given solution or strategy need to be supported through a number of steps that should be coordinated and comprehensive in scope." (Conclusion, page 60)
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