"The visual presentation of the Serb accused in TV news was based on iconic images of the accused combined with symbolic images of the state and its power, with nearly complete absence of visuals of atrocities and victims. In contrast, the visual presentation of the Croatian, Bosniak and Albanian de
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fendants draws meaning mainly from sequences of images displaying victims, war destruction or attacks as “palpable” proof of crimes. This supports a sentiment of collective victimhood of the Serb population and creates the impression of the indicted persons’ guilt even after their acquittals by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Since the research project has been limited to three Serb TV channels, comparative work on TV media in other states of former Yugoslavia would be required in order to assess how ’special’ the case of Serbia is regarding these visual strategies. The much disputed legitimacy of the ICTY and the important role of media have also become obvious in focus groups interviews with students in Serbia: The students displayed a striking lack of knowledge about war crimes; nonetheless, they strongly rejected the ICTY as a biased institution. At the same time, they were perceptive of new facts and interpretations, showing that they have a genuine need to understand the past and obtain objective information. A major problem is that in their perception there are few, if any, objective, neutral institutions which to put trust in. The expert interviews, conducted in Belgrade and The Hague, underlined the critical state of mainstream TV media in Serbia: They were assessed as not really independent, driven by entertainment formats, suspect to governmental pressure and failing in their watchdog functions. The interviewees also expressed a widespread disappointment about the state of affairs of transitional justice in Serbia." (Summary)
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"Internews Rumour Tracking Methodology consists of four key functions: 1. A mechanism to determine and document which rumours are circulating; 2. An effective strategy to fact-check information and rumours; 3. A variety of accessible and inclusive mechanisms to share accurate responses to rumours; 4
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. A mechanism to share community voices with humanitarians and other stakeholders. Internews programs enable the community to access relevant and trusted information and provide community feedback to foster more inclusive decision making within humanitarian programs. These bridges are based on symmetrical two-way relationships that are attuned to listening as much as producing information and that link the national, local, and hyper-local information levels. This Learning Collection manual offers case studies, practical instructions and a template library to implement Internews rumour tracking methodology and through this effectively address rumours in humanitarian crisis and conflicts around the world. "Part I. Context" describes the importance of access to fair, accurate and actionable information; the damage rumours can do in a humanitarian context; and the value of Internews Rumour Tracking Methodology as a tool for communicating with communities and humanitarian accountability. "Part II. Case Study" gives an overview of several Internews rumour tracking projects and an in-depth case study of rumour tracking in Greece. The case study also covers challenges and lessons learned in order to offer recommendations for future rumour tracking activities." (Page 9)
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"Journalism in Tanzania is facing a critical juncture as newsrooms grow their digital presence but face revenue gaps, in part due to limited online advertising in a market saturated with print government advertising. To harness this change, media houses will have to troubleshoot how to differentiate
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themselves from other popular channels of news distribution such as WhatsApp and Instagram. According to a recent study on the state of journalism in Tanzania, there is a high quantity of reporting on events, many articles with single sources and few articles putting stories into context (Spurk and Katunzi 2018). Media houses and journalists continually express an interest in growing data journalism capabilities. However, the successful forms of diffusing data in newsrooms and determining relevant content management systems for Tanzanian audiences remain uncertain." (Executive summary, page 4-5)
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"Sin desconocer el esfuerzo del periodismo por contar las historias, cabe reconocer que se han cometido errores en el cubrimiento, de ahí la importancia de los periodistas, ya que el peso que tiene cada pequeña noticia, escrita o leída, puede convertirse en una pieza clave en la reconstrucción d
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e las historias y la verdad ante una desaparición. Consejo de Redacción (CdR), la Unidad de Búsqueda de Personas Dadas por Desaparecidas (UBPD), el Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja (CICR) y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) decidieron unirse alrededor de este fenómeno para ofrecer una guía que aporte a mejorar el cubrimiento del tema y la construcción de registros de búsqueda de personas. Cada capítulo tiene ideas que dan luz para investigar historias y preguntas inspiradoras, que ayudan a que los reporteros de todo el país puedan remediar sus omisiones y contar todo aquello que aún no se cuenta. Algunos de los temas que se encontrarán son: el repaso histórico de cómo el Estado colombiano aceptó añadir este delito en el código penal, los casos esclarecidos por las cortes, los NN que aumentan la lista de desaparecidos, el daño que ha producido en la sociedad y los familiares la desaparición, el mal manejo de estas historias, entre otros." (https://consejoderedaccion.org)
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"This report reflects a shared ambition to lead the way in achieving gender equality in the media workplace, recognizing that the very existence of PSM relies on its ability to: accurately reflect the experiences of the audiences it serves; increase innovation and productivity through the building o
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f diverse teams; attract and retain the best talent from the available global pool. EBU data shows that Members have different starting points and are facing different challenges. However, an increasing number are making gender equality a priority and achieving impressive results, leading to a change in their cultures. This report stresses particularly the importance of working toward a sustainable culture in which women and men have equal opportunities to progress. The recommendations in this report are supported throughout with actionable tips and case studies from EBU Members. These narratives provide an opportunity to learn from each other and to identify practical steps that other media organizations can take. The report explores thoroughly the strategies that underpin a gender-equal media organization: workplace data and staff feedback to diagnose the issues; effective workplace policy to support equality of opportunity; and enabling a positive workplace culture through flexibility, leadership and behaviours to retain talent." (Executive summary)
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"Adequate media coverage of gender-based violence should enable the public to fully appreciate and better understand the phenomenon. Calling it by its correct name, explaining its context, recalling some key figures and legal texts, talking about it sufficiently and providing useful information to f
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emale victims of violence (telephone numbers and contact details of associations and support services, etc.) helps to prevent and tackle gender-based violence, and to assist victims. To help journalists with their reporting work, this handbook brings together the advice of experienced reporters, charters of good practice from many media outlets around the world, and recommendations for journalists from institutions such as the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, the International Federation of Journalists, the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and others. This publication therefore contains very practical advice, particularly about avoiding certain pitfalls when reporting on gender-based violence." (Objectives, page 11)
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"One interesting trend to follow is the feminisation of the journalism profession. The trend is global but especially prominent in the countries covered by this study: the findings indicate that the gender balance is shifting in Moldova and Georgia, whereas women are now dominating among media profe
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ssionals in general in Russia and Belarus. According to the experts interviewed this is not a result of a growing sector with more women coming in but rather about an outflow of men. It seems like the journalistic profession has become less attractive (to men) due to economic restraints (lower wages) and political pressure that makes it harder to exercise independent journalism. Judging from the gender ratio in enrollment for higher education in journalism and communication (over 70 per cent women in some European countries), this trend is likely to carry on. If the curve of this graph will not change we will (again) end up with a skewed gender balance and need to consider possible implications for diversity of voices and what stories are told. The study also confirms that women are taking on more of decision-making roles, especially in regional and in independent media (in Georgia and Moldova there is no gender asymmetry according to the study). However, there is still a gender gap when it comes to distribution of power in national media with high circulation/audience, likely related to the fact that the most influential media are still most often managed by men. Interestingly enough, female respondents in Moldova had low career expectations, although in practice the study indicates that women have better chances of building a career in the media than men. In Georgia, on the other hand, female media professionals are often overqualified, and show the most dissatisfaction with their jobs. The much-debated issue of sexual harassment at work is also covered by the study. In Russia on average three out of ten of the respondents claimed to have experienced sexual harassment in job related environments. Overall, the results of the survey indicate that the journalistic profession is quite dangerous for women, because they risk being subjected to sexual harassment literally everywhere, by colleagues or superiors at the office, as well as while reporting on the ground." (Preface)
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"Social media has, in a few years, turned the political landscape in Ethiopia on its head not only as a means of mobilising people, but also as a means of spreading rumours, hate speech and disinformation [...] What ultimately is happening is that digital media has made a more invasive, ultimately p
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ersonalised form of marketing possible, which is changing political and commercial communication as a whole and with it the media landscape [...] A number of core problem areas for social media emanate out of the digital technology shift and the emergence of social media that stakeholders need to deal with now and in the future. Among them are: Broadening access to the internet; Regulation: publishing responsibility, freedom of speech and democracy; Consumer protection: data privacy, disclosure of platform data handling and advertising; Copyright of inventions and content; Overall media finance when advertising revenues are migrating to primarily Facebook and Google (incl Youtube); Media literacy in the light of hate speech, disinformation and a completely new range of disruptive, conniving marketing that with it carries both great opportunities and massive losses." (Introduction)
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"This report assesses the question of how women in media are being targeted and how journalism is impacted by gender specific harassment and violence. It also looks at to what extent this issue is being effectively addressed on a national level and supported by the international community since the
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launch in 2012 of the UN Plan of Action for the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. The study discusses the challenges and existing efforts to improve the safety and protection of women journalists in nine countries with a view to informing debate and actions by media owners and editors, policy makers, press freedom organisations and journalists." (Back cover)
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"This report focuses on how digital-born news media navigate audience engagement in the context of both rapid developments in a digital, mobile, and platform-dominated media environment and significant political pressure, including the ‘weaponisation’ of social media to target and harass indepen
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dent news organisations and individual journalists, along with their audiences. It is based on analysis of data from Participatory Action Research, including fieldwork and interviews at three news organisations in the process of actively redefining audience engagement. They are Rappler (the Philippines), Daily Maverick (South Africa), and The Quint (India) – all commercial news organisations of the Global South, whose public interest journalism has been recognised with top international industry awards. We show how these outlets, two of which – Rappler and The Quint – relied heavily on social media for distribution and audience engagement at the outset, are now faced with the risks accompanying open and social journalism at-scale, including the ‘weaponisation’ of online communities by political actors, and the frequently changing priorities of the platforms. We find that, in response to political attacks, and the risks associated with various forms of what we’re calling platform capture’, these news organisations are evolving, and are increasingly focused on forging deeper, narrower, and stronger relationships with audiences, emphasising physical encounters, investment in niche audiences over empty reach, and moving communities to action." (Publisher description)
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"This report is based on more than 30 interviews with key figures in high-profile collaborative journalism experiments in three different countries, including journalists as well as senior management, community organisers, data analysts, technical experts, and others. The three primary cases feature
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d are the Bureau Local (UK), ‘L’Italia Delle Slot’ (Italy), and Lännen Media (Finland). We also interviewed the director of CORRECTIV.Lokal, an initiative in Germany seeking to replicate the work of the Bureau Local. These cases reflect three distinct models of collaboration: (1) a permanent network of journalists and non-journalists engaged in topic-driven reporting projects (the Bureau Local); (2) legacy and start-up news organisations working together on a single extended investigation (‘L’Italia Delle Slot’); and (3) regional news organisations sharing content through a collaborative newsroom (Lännen Media). These initiatives involve both similar and divergent approaches to network building, project development, and content distribution. Two of the collaborations focus on publishing high-impact stories simultaneously across multiple outlets; the Bureau Local pursues multiple projects each year, while ‘L’Italia Delle Slot’ is a time-limited project focused on one subject. The third collaboration, Lännen Media, includes journalists working in newsrooms around Finland to produce national and international reporting shared among 12 member newspapers. We find that these very different initiatives feature many common elements that offer potential lessons for other local newsrooms: Each collaboration is designed to facilitate concrete forms of resource sharing – of both human and technical resources – while minimising potential competitive friction among the individuals and organisations involved. All three collaborations feature diverse and dispersed networks, and are dedicated to creating connections, both virtually and in person, to allow for knowledge-sharing, skills enhancement, and mentorship. They also aim to engage participants as equal partners in editorial processes. Participants suggest that collaborative approaches have allowed them to report on topics they would not typically cover as well as engage with familiar subjects in more comprehensive ways. Many said they have also learned how to better incorporate data and multimedia elements into their reporting. Two of the collaborations embrace strategies that allow them to connect with communities to tell their stories. The Bureau Local and ‘L’Italia Delle Slot’ have worked to build partnerships with individuals and organisations affected by the issues they cover, while Lännen Media journalists aim for coverage with broad appeal that doesn’t favour particular localities." (Publisher description)
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"This report examines how digital-born news media in the Global South have developed innovative reporting and storytelling practices in response to growing disinformation problems. Based on field observation and interviews at Rappler in the Philippines, Daily Maverick in South Africa, and The Quint
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in India, we show that all three organisations combine a clear sense of mission and a commitment to core journalistic values with an active effort to find new ways of identifying and countering disinformation, based on a combination of investigative journalism fact-checking, data and social network analysis, and sometimes strategic collaboration with both audiences and platform companies. In the process, each of these organisations are developing new capacities and skills, sharing them across the newsroom, differentiating themselves from their competitors, and potentially increasing their long-term sustainability, in ways we believe other news media worldwide could learn from. All three case organisations we examine here are digital-born, mobile-first (or in the process of becoming so), and at least in part enabled by social media in terms of audience development and reach. While smaller than their most important legacy media competitors, all have built significant online audiences across their websites and social media channels. They represent a strategic sample of leading digital-born commercial news media operating with limited resources in challenging media, political, and press freedom environments in the Global South." (Publisher description)
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"This booklet contains a series of stories and essays on the impact and rationale behind the various PubLeaks platforms that Free Press Unlimited has helped set up over the years." (Publisher description)
"Through a content analysis of 532 programs screened on various national television networks in Colombia, this paper examines portrayals of women in the country’s narconovelas, fictional series derived from the telenovela genre that resonate forcefully with the public. We do so in order to gain a
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better understanding of their role in representing gender in Colombia. Relevant topics include: the widespread violence against women in a traditional, patriarchal country, the ineffectiveness of policies targeting gender discrimination, and ideologies of machismo and Marianismo. These practices are discussed as factors that may prevent women’s social empowerment and participation in the workforce and politics of the country. Our results show that, as per Colombia’s prevailing social relations, narconovelas demonstrate a gendered power imbalance and mestizo heteronormativity via macho plots that glamorize violence against women. Women are rarely key characters in narconovelas, and when they appear, they are dependent on men, and attain status through men or their families. In addition, the genre represents continuous verbal and physical aggression against women, especially if they belong to ethnic or racial minorities." (Abstract)
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"To understand the situation and examine what can be done to address it, we sent out a questionnaire to journalists in 16 countries in the region, asking them about the state of press freedom and the areas in which they felt their ability to work was being curtailed. We also asked them about sources
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of support and solidarity in their profession and asked what may be of assistance to them in the future. This report focused very much on the experience of working journalists and the threats that they directly identify. The journalists questioned spoke of coming under attack from politicians who discredit individual journalists and media outlets, launch vexatious lawsuits, and weaponise government advertising revenue to harm critical media and financially boost friendly outlets. There is also in many countries an outright state of media capture, where media outlets have been brought under direct or indirect government control. The region’s media landscape is also marked by rising job insecurity for journalists, along with increased polarisation in the media landscape. Outlets are characterised as being starkly pro- or anti-government and the journalists who work for them are also essentially made to pick a side." (Executive summary)
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"The Handbook showcases IAWRT members’ experiences and best practices for working towards advancing gender equality in and on the media in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, India and Uganda." (Publisher description)
"This open access book explores the emotional labour of crisis reporters in an original style that combines fictional and factual narrative. Exploring how journalists make sense of their emotional experience and development in relation to their professional ideology, it illustrates how media profess
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ionals learn to think and act within crisis situations. Drawing on in-depth interviews with journalists reporting on wars, terror attacks and natural disasters, the book rethinks traditional concepts in journalistic thought. Finally, it reflects on the specific, contemporary vulnerabilities of industry professionals, including the impact of new technologies, specific forms of precarity, and a particular strain of cynicism central to the industry. Combining comprehensive, empirical research with the fictional narrative of a journalist protagonist, the book establishes an innovative approach to academic storytelling." (Publisher description)
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