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Two Decades of Progress Towards Legal Recognition of Community Media Worldwide

Paris: UNESCO (2025), 6 pp.

"Nearly half of all countries now recognize community media, underscoring its importance in amplifying local voices and fostering pluralism and diversity in the media ecosystem. UNESCO's latest global mapping reveals encouraging progress over the past two decades, with more countries adopting suppor ... more

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Strengthening Soft Power of Cyber Resilience against State-Based Disinformation Attacks: Insights from South and Southeast Asia

Sangeeta Mahapatra

Hamburg: GIGA (2025), 29 pp.

"This paper proposes a cyber resilience strategy that integrates cognitive resilience – namely, the individual and collective capacity to withstand informational and psychological manipulation campaigns intended to destabilise social and political systems. This integrated approach addresses threat ... more

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Digital Disinformation Trends in Latin America: Organisation, Goals, and Policy Pushback

Jesus A. Renzullo N.

Hamburg: GIGA (2025), 31 pp.

"The topic of digital disinformation in Latin America has gained significant traction in recent decades as polarisation increases in the region, trust in institutions erodes, and the arrival of digital propaganda to countries including Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Mexico threatens the democrat ... more

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WorldCat (135)

La communication des gouvernants en Afrique à l'ère des technologies de l'information et de la communication

K. Holonou Danklou

Paris: L'Harmattan (2025), 237 pp.

"Ce livre analyse la communication politique des gouvernants africains, un levier crucial pour asseoir leur légitimité. Il montre l’influence des héritages coloniaux, de la diversité culturelle et des contextes locaux sur cette communication. Dans les régimes autoritaires, elle sert à contr ... more

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Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence

Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Dicastery for Culture and Education

Vatican City: Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Dicastery for Culture and Education (2025)

"[...] it is crucial to know how to evaluate individual applications of AI in particular contexts to determine whether its use promotes human dignity, the vocation of the human person, and the common good. As with many technologies, the effects of the various uses of AI may not always be predictabl ... more

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Russian information operations outside of the Western information environment

Jonathan Morley-Davies, Jem Thomas, Graham Baines

Riga: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, Rev. version (2025), 184 pp.

"This report, drawing from research, qualitative and quantitative data, Key Insight Interviews (KIIs), digital tools, and Russian information and deception doctrine, explores the Kremlin’s IIOs in non-Western environments using five selected countries as case studies: Egypt, Mali, Kenya, South Afr ... more

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The Expanding Media Landscape, Decline in Journalists' Safety, and Low Media Literacy. The Future of the Media in Kosovo – Facts and Trends

Jeton Mehmeti

Sarajevo; Pristina; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Press Council of Kosovo; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 32 pp.

"Kosovo enjoys a relatively good legal framework when it comes to the protection of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. Laws concerning protection of journalism sources, protection of whistleblowers, and access to public information appear to be in line with European standards. The overa ... more

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From Crisis to Renewal: Addressing AI’s Impact on Our Information Ecosystem

Lena Maria Böswald, Roa Powell, Tyreese Calnan

Berlin: Interface – Tech Analysis and Policy Ideas for Europe (2025), 18 pp.

"AI-driven search-summary features, with Google's AI Overviews (AIOs) being the most promiment example, are rapidly transforming how people access news, with profound implications for our information ecosystem. While AI holds potential to improve access to information, its current deployment risks u ... ndermining the sustainability, diversity, and reliability of news. As AI summaries summarise information directly within search results, they can significantly reduce traffic to news publishers. Evidence suggests users are less likely to click through to original sources when AIOs are present on Google, threatening the financial viability of journalism. These impacts from AI summaries and AIOs in particular are unlikely to be evenly distributed and will play out in different ways across the news sector across Europe, with smaller and ad-funded outlets particularly vulnerable, raising concerns about declining media plurality. At the same time, AI-generated summaries often fail to provide accurate and diverse information. Research shows that AI tools disproportionately rely on a narrow set of sources, marginalising smaller publishers. In addition, persistent issues with accuracy – including misleading or incorrect outputs – risk distorting public understanding and weakening trust in information systems. Current regulatory frameworks in both the EU and UK are struggling to address these challenges effectively. While multiple legal instruments are relevant and already in place – including competition law, platform regulation, copyright, and AI governance – none are fully equipped to respond quickly and comprehensively to the harms of monopolisation and the lack of remuneration for media outlets posed by AI summaries. We argue that competition policy offers the most effective and immediate route to intervention, with digital regulation serving as a secondary lever. The UK’s approach, based on flexible, case-specific competition rules, enables faster action through tailored conduct requirements for dominant firms like Google. In contrast, the EU’s framework is broader but slower, relying more heavily on traditional, time-intensive antitrust investigations and ongoing debates around copyright and remuneration for publishers. Both systems offer complementary strengths, and policymakers should learn from each other’s approaches. We therefore recommend a “competition-first” policy package to ensure fairer outcomes. Key measures include enforcing fair ranking and attribution practices, preventing unauthorised use of publisher content, and potentially requiring platforms to compensate news organisations. However, competition policy alone is not the key. We therefore propose additional long-term interventions, including greater transparency through “nutrition labels” for AI-generated content and increased public or democratic funding for journalism. These measures aim to strengthen the resilience and independence of the news sector, ensuring that trustworthy information remains accessible in an information ecosystem shaped by AI." (Executive summary) more

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Recommendation of the Council on Information Integrity

Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2025), 17 pp.

"The Recommendation on Information Integrity was adopted by the OECD Council on 17 December 2024 on the proposal of the Public Governance Committee (PGC). The Recommendation aims to establish a wide-ranging and applicable policy framework for Adherents to address threats posed by information manipul ... more

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The Economic Imperative of Investing in Public Interest Media

High-Level Panel on Public Interest Media

Forum on Information & Democracy (2025), 20 pp.

"Halting the decline of public interest media requires systematically recognizing, measuring, and rewarding the true value of public interest media to national and global economies and enabling governments to more effectively guide both public and private innovation. As we have argued, too much of t ... more

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Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy: A Global Synthesis of the State of Knowledge on New Media, AI and Data Governance
Deep Insights

Robin Mansell, Flavia Durach, Matthias C Kettemann, Théophile Lenoir, Rob Procter, Gyan Tripathi, Emily Tucker

Paris: International Observatory on Information and Democracy (2025), xxxvi, 265 pp.

"This report is an invitation to grapple with the complex interplay between infrastructure, media systems, civil society, and public sector institutions. Our findings suggest that effective policy solutions must: acknowledge the historical, political, economic, and social forces that shape informati ... more

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Le Congo numérique en construction: Plaidoyer pour une structuration cohérente des infrastructures de connectivité

Max Bouhoyi

Brazzaville: L'Harmattan Brazzaville (2025), 138 pp.

"Dans cet ouvrage ambitieux, Max Bouhoyi dresse un état des lieux rigoureux des infrastructures numériques du Congo, en s'intéressant aux deux piliers de la connectivité : le segment spatial (satellites) et le segment maritime (câbles sous-marins et fibre optique). À travers une approche à la ... more

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Eroding Media Freedoms, Eroding Democracy. The Future of the Media in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Facts and Trends

Anida Sokol

Sarajevo; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 37 pp.

"Significant changes in journalism and the media have been unfolding in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), yet these shifts have not been accompanied by adequate policies or interventions. This report outlines key trends affecting journalism, media usage, and democracy, highlighting issues crucial for th ... e future of the profession: • The number of journalism students has significantly decreased over the past decade, a trend which could lead to a shortage of qualified professionals in the long run. • Although unemployment among journalists has declined in recent years, 2023 saw a considerable number of journalists lose their jobs due to the non-renewal of fixed-term contracts or being deemed surplus labour. Unionizing remains unpopular among journalists in the country and without protection mechanisms, journalism in BiH risks becoming even more unstable. • Reports of attacks and violations of journalists’ rights have increased in recent years, reflecting a decline in BiH’s rankings on media freedom indexes. • Despite rapid technological advancements, including the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, the media lack guidelines for their use or studies addressing potential abuses in the media. This absence of regulation and oversight increases the risk of misuse and potential harm. • While regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms exist, they fail to tackle a core issue in the media: biased reporting, which risks becoming normalized in journalistic practices. • The digital era has brought a proliferation of media outlets, including new television channels. The growth of media outlets does not necessarily improve media pluralism, but could lead to smaller newsrooms, increased workloads of journalists and less quality journalistic content. • Print media has been on the decline, and the country’s major political weekly magazines have ceased publication. Without strategic interventions, print media operations will be difficult to sustain in the future. • Media ownership transparency remains unregulated further aggravating media capture. Media outlets are predominantly owned by companies or individuals with business interests beyond the media sector. • The advertising market has grown slightly in recent years, likely influenced by inflation. However, it remains insufficient to support the growing number of media outlets, posing challenges to financial sustainability. • Television still dominates advertising revenue, but online media’s share is steadily increasing, signalling that digital marketing will become increasingly dominant in the coming years. • Public budgets and donor support remain important for sustaining media operations. Without proper regulation, financing from public budgets, however, bring risks to media independence. • Media primarily serve the interests of the three major ethnic groups, excluding minorities from decision-making roles and positions in mainstream outlets, limiting media pluralism." (Executive summary) more

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From threat to reality: Independent media endangered, security and democracy weakened, autocracy and disinformation thriving

International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) (2025), 18 pp.

"Rooted in research and consultation with independent media organisations in 30 middle- and low-income countries, this briefing argues that the weakening of democracy, security, and development is closely correlated with the near extinction of independent media. It demonstrates – with evidence � ... more

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Digital Infrastructure Investment Initiative: Closing the digital infrastructure investment gap by 2030

Geneva: ITU (2025), vi, 37 pp.

"This white paper summarizes the outcomes of the initial phase of the Digital Infrastructure Investment Initiative (DIII), launched in 2024 by the ITU in collaboration with the International and Regional Development Finance community, and in coordination with the G20 Brazil Presidency. The initiativ ... e also benefitted from the advice and feedback of over 40 organizations who comprised the DIII Working Group. The aims of the DIII in its initial stage are: i) Understand the digital infrastructure investment gap and opportunity: Despite the increase in internet usage in recent years, 35% of the global population does not use the internet at sufficient speeds. This percentage increases to 54% in low and lower-middle-income countries, primarily due to the absence of necessary infrastructure. Developing this infrastructure is estimated to require at least USD 1.6 trillion, according to high-level calculations by the DIII. ii) Develop a framework that describes the key areas that need to be addressed to increase investment and measure a country’s digital infrastructure investment readiness: By exploring the factors affecting investments, the DIII has identified five archetypal challenges that hinder investments in digital infrastructure. These challenges are demand fragmentation, significant gaps in core infrastructure, unclear digital agendas and policies, execution risks, and country risks. The presence and significance of these challenges depend on the context. iii) Identify innovative financing mechanisms and instruments that international organizations and private or public plurilateral/multilateral financing institutions can implement to accelerate reaching the target of universal and meaningful connectivity by 2030: Closing the digital infrastructure investment gap will necessitate the identification and deployment of innovative financing mechanisms and instruments. Through a series of discussions, the DIII has identified a range of initiatives, including platforms for pooled digital investments and technical forums designed to enhance coordination and share best practices. Detailed in the report, these initiatives aim to enable stakeholders to improve coordination and collaboratively finance infrastructure projects. With this document, the initiative aims to inspire multistakeholder solutions through innovative financing of digital infrastructure, moving toward the goal of providing universal, meaningful connectivity to the 2.6 billion unconnected individuals across the world by 2030." (Executive summary) more

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Media Bias, Legislative Challenges, and the Fight for Freedom. The Future of the Media in Serbia – Facts and Trends

Valentina Sigeti, Teodora Koledin

Sarajevo; Novi Sad; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Novi Sad School of Journalism; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 50 pp.

"Alongside the rise of new technologies and the evolving global conditions in the media industry, journalism and media in Serbia will face numerous challenges, particularly in the areas of basic media freedom and journalist protection, based on the findings of this research: • There is no reliable ... data on the number of journalists in Serbia, or how many of them are women or members of marginalized groups. • Media ownership in Serbia is highly concentrated, particularly in the television broadcasting sector, which affects media reporting. Channels with national frequencies often align their narratives with the government’s or ruling party’s agenda. • The state and ruling party demonstrate tendencies to control the media. This is evident in the newly updated law that allows business companies engaged in electronic communications, such as the state-owned Telekom, to own media outlets. Additionally, findings indicate that some media owners at the local level are connected to the ruling party. • Media financing is often misused to encourage biased reporting. Public calls for funding are corrupted by GONGO media organizations, which prioritize funding pro-government outlets; state advertising is not regulated by law, and the media community was left out of the discussion on new advertising laws; despite receiving the majority of its budget from citizens’ subscriptions, the national public broadcaster RTS is still perceived as one of the most progovernment outlets in the country; foreign donors, including the EU, US and UK, provide significant financial support for media projects in Serbia, but there is no transparent data on the total amount of money donated. • National minorities are represented through media outlets funded by National Councils of National Minorities. However, journalists from some of these media outlets work under political pressures and engage in self-censorship. National minorities living in the northern province of Serbia, Vojvodina, are also served by the provincial public broadcaster RTV. RTS does not provide content in the languages of the Bosnian, Vlach and Bulgarian communities in Serbia’s eastern and western regions. Romani and Albanian communities are represented on RTS, but the amount of content is minimal. • Television is the most commonly used source of news and information, with citizens watching up to eight hours of television daily. The most-watched TV news programmes are central-informative political shows on channels with national frequencies, which are widely considered pro-government. • Only 30% of Serbian citizens trust the media. Social media is the least trusted media type, while television is the most trusted." (Executive summary) more

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State of the Media: Niue

ABC International Development; University of Adelaide; Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) (2025), 37 pp.

"The findings from this report highlight the importance of social media and online content as the primary sources of information for Niueans, especially the significant diaspora communities that reside abroad. It also highlights the important role that the small Niuean media sector plays in cultural ... more

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State of the Media: Pacific Region

ABC International Development; University of Adelaide; Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) (2025), 66 pp.

"The Pacific media landscape has evolved significantly within the past decade with increased digital connectivity and infrastructure, vastly improving digital access and reach throughout the region. Media organisations have leveraged digital platforms and mobile telecommunications to continue delive ... more

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L'Afrique face à la corruption: La solution numérique pour les marchés publics

Roger Lokpatchu Bahemuka

Brice Arsène Mankou (préface)

Paris: L'Harmattan (2025), 132 pp.

"Ce livre met en lumière l'urgence d'agir face à l'un des fléaux les plus destructeurs du développement africain : la corruption dans les marchés publics. À travers une analyse rigoureuse et des solutions concrètes, Roger Lokpatchu Bahemuka explore comment les technologies - blockchain, intel ... more

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Crisis in Journalism: The Impact of the US Government Funding Cuts on Global Media

Rafiq Copeland (prep.)

Internews Europe (2025), 12 pp.

"In FY2024, the US Congress approved $271.5 million in foreign assistance through the US State Department and USAID in the category of “Independent Media and Free Flow of Information”. Of this, an estimated $150 million directly funded journalism and media support, with the remainder supporting ... the wider information ecosystem and enabling environment through related topics such as freedom of expression, technology policy and digital rights (often with significant overlap between programming). In 2025 and beyond, the vast majority of this funding will disappear – potentially for good. The sudden revocation of funding has dealt a devastating blow to local media outlets, forcing many to shut down or drastically reduce their operations. This has cut off crucial financial support and resources, leaving journalists without the means to continue their vital work when they need it most. The media outlets that have been most reliant on US Government (USG) funding are those operating in the world’s most challenging and volatile environments – conflict zones, authoritarian regimes, disaster-affected regions and underserved communities where access to reliable information can be a matter of life and death. In these contexts, other business models, such as advertising or subscriptions, are often non-existent or unreliable. And it’s not just media organisations that have been devastated by these cuts – associated support organisations, such as unions, training institutions, legal services, and advocacy bodies, have also been severely impacted. Many of the global media outlets that received USG funding have had to immediately cut staff and reduce coverage, while almost all face reduced ability to operate, and uncertainty around longer-term viability. For media operating in high-risk or authoritarian contexts, funding cuts have dramatically increased their vulnerability, not only by weakening operations but by exposing them to greater legal and physical threats. As “lawfare” tactics like defamation suits and restrictive media laws rise, so too do coordinated attacks on journalists’ digital and physical safety – deliberate efforts to silence dissent and suppress democratic discourse. While some partners have been able to temporarily maintain operations, without new funding, the resulting reduction in capacity looks set to deteriorate further." (Overview, page 2) more

Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy: A Global Synthesis of the State of Knowledge on New Media, AI and Data Governance Deep Insights

Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy: A Global Synthesis of the State of Knowledge on New Media, AI and Data Governance
Deep Insights