"La cobertura mediática de lo sucedido en el departamento boliviano de Pando sobre la masacre de campesinos afines al gobierno, ejemplifica una tendencia mucho mayor, relacionada con el papel desempeñado por los medios de comunicación durante la polarización política vivida en Bolivia entre el
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2004 y el 2009. En este periodo una gran mayoría de los mass media bolivianos reflejaron la situación de polarización política adoptando una postura clara en el conflicto. Por un lado, los medios de comunicación privados adoptaron una postura política opuesta al gobierno de Morales, y por otro los medios estatales y comunitarios, que se perfilaron como partidarios del gobierno. Esto llevó a una situación de manipulación de la información, en la que los medios privados, especialmente televisivos, difundían una versión de la realidad que favorecía a los partidos políticos y movimientos cívicos y sociales oponentes al gobierno, mientras que los medios estatales difundían una versión que favorecía al gobierno de Morales. Consecuencia de esto fue que la opinión pública fue dejada a las expensas de lo que los medios de comunicación, en base a su propia postura política, decidían (des)informar (Mayorga 2009:9, 17)." (Resumen)
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"The Best Practice Guide gives a general overview of new media in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories and Syria. It analyses new media experiences acquired in conflict and post conflict areas, presenting best practice examples and recommendations developed by the workshop participants
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on how to use new media as a tool to facilitate peace and dialogue in the region. The Pedagogical Toolkit contains a series of articles by experts on new media. It formed the basis of the training sessions at the “Arab New Media for Peace and Dialogue Workshop” and provides useful, practical insight into the field of new media within the region and in other contexts." (Preface)
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"Disclosure laws for politicians exist in over a hundred countries. But can disclosures about politician performance and qualifications influence electoral accountability in settings characterized by weak institutions and less educated populations? In the run-up to elections in Delhi we implemented
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a field experiment where we provided slum dwellers with newspapers containing report cards with information on candidate qualifications and legislator performance obtained under India’s disclosure laws. We observe striking changes along three dimensions. Access to report cards increased voter turnout, reduced the incidence of cash-based vote buying and caused electoral gains for better performing incumbents. The turnout effects are more pronounced in more competitive jurisdictions and when the incumbent is a worse performer. We also observe significant voter sophistication – voters make comparisons across candidates to overcome political agency problems and reward better performing incumbents." (Abstract)
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"Focusing on the Iranian presidential elections of 2009 and ensuing demonstrations in major cities across Iran and world, Media, Power, and Politics in the Digital Age provides a balanced discussion of the role and impact of modern communication technologies, particularly the novel utilization of 's
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mall digital media' vis-^-vis the elections and global media coverage. Written in a non-technical, easy to read, and accessible manner, the volume will appeal to scholars, students, policy makers and print professionals alike. To provide a global overview of media coverage and diverse perspectives on the controversial 2009 presidential election, this book consists of 24 original essays, covering issues from global media coverage to new media-social networking, from the ideological-political dimensions to the cultural facets of the elections." (Publisher description)
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"This paper examines the relationship between parliamentary journalists and Spanish Members of Parliament. The study, based on surveys, is part of a European research in which Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom have also participated. Among the key conclusions, it highlights the remarkable powe
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r of the media in politics and the sensationalism in political texts perceived by politicians. Concerning journalists, the majority felt that their professional work is driven by competition with other media and internal pressures, political and economic, coming from their own organization." (Abstract)
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"When political elites receive unfavorable news coverage, a common strategy is to attack the source. Past research suggests that attacks on the news media increase perceptions of media bias, but it remains unclear how this occurs. Using two experiments, the author examines how attacks on the news me
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dia increase perceptions of bias. For the experiments, all participants read news articles about elected officials, but some read an attack on the source. The author also manipulated the direction of the attack (liberal or conservative bias) and its placement before or after the article. The results suggest that elite attacks increase perceptions of bias in the news source, and this occurs even when the attack is read following the article. In addition, attacks were effective when they came from politicians in both parties, suggesting that Republicans and Democrats are able to influence perceptions of bias. In conclusion, the author argues that elite attacks are likely to benefit the attackers but weaken democratic accountability." (Abstract)
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"This first book-length study of infotainment and its globalization by a leading scholar of global communication, offers a comprehensive and critical analysis of this emerging phenomenon. Going beyond - both geographically and theoretically - the ‘dumbing down’ discourse, largely confined to the
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Anglo-American media, the book argues that infotainment may have an important ideological role, a diversion in which ‘soft news’ masks the hard realities of neo-liberal imperialism." (Publisher description)
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"Esta guía realizada en conjunto por Periodismo Social, Poder Ciudadano, Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, se propone como una herramienta indispensable para los profesionales que deben enfrentarse diariamente con políticos y funcionarios públicos en los distintos momentos de la vida democrá
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tica: campaña – gestión- rendición de cuentas. Se trata de una herramienta de consulta gratuita en la que se acercan instrumentos claves como fuentes y pautas para el mejoramiento de la cobertura de temas vitales y cotidianos pero poco o superficialmente tratados. En muchas ocasiones los periodistas suelen ser manipulados por parte de los gobernantes y terminan siendo funcionales a las necesidades y objetivos de promoción de los mismos en lugar de cumplir con su papel de informar con precisión a la opinión pública. Por lo tanto, este cuadernillo tiene como objetivo de máxima fortalecer la institucionalidad democrática al intentar transparentar los actos de gobierno por medio de las armas del periodismo tradicional: investigación, seriedad y cumplir con el mandato del derecho a la información pública." (Introducción, página 7)
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"This paper explores the linkages between debates about corruption and the role of the media in Africa. It advances arguments about how citizens in Africa encounter corruption – both grand and petty – and how they perceive it, as well as factors that may contribute to the development of corrupt
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practices. These reflections are then linked to a discussion of how the press in Africa deals with corruption and whether the media may serve as a strong deterrent in combating this form of criminal behaviour." (Abstract)
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