"This in-depth investigation of the role that local news media play in Central African conflicts combines theoretical analysis with case studies from nine African countries: Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republi
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c of Congo, and Rwanda. Each case study presents a comprehensive discussion of media influences during the various conflicts that have spread in the region and their impact on the peace process. Enriching the exploration, a chapter by Jean- Paul Marthoz (former director of information at Human Rights Watch) focuses on the ways in which the media in the global North cover crises on the African continent." (About the book, page 287)
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"Obwohl sich Kolumbien inzwischen zu einem der wichtigsten Buchexporteure Lateinamerikas entwickelt hat, ist die rasante Entwicklung der kolumbianischen Buchproduktion und Buchkultur bisher im Verborgenen verlaufen. Inka Ihmels bietet eine vor Ort recherchierte Darstellung der vier wichtigsten Einfl
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ussfaktoren der Buchkultur in Kolumbien: Die Entwicklung des kolumbianischen Buchmarktes, die Entstehung des Kinder- und Jugendbuchmarktes, das Wachstum der kolumbianischen Bibliothekslandschaft und das Wirken der verschiedenen Institutionen zur Leseförderung. Die Verbreitung des Buches in der kolumbianischen Gesellschaft wird aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln beleuchtet und die wichtigsten Akteure auf dem Buchmarkt, in der Bibliothekslandschaft und in der Leseförderung vorgestellt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"With regard to the media, Kosovo has made commendable progress by putting into place a framework of laws, regulatory bodies and educational institutions. However, some media laws need to be fine-tuned, as Kosovo can ill-afforded less than perfect legislation. Insult should be struck out of the defa
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mation law. The independence of the public service broadcaster and the broadcast media regulator could be better safeguarded. An Information Commissioner should be appointed to make the freedom of information law work. The public service broadcaster should establish a second channel for minorities. This would also strengthen the case for public broadcasting in Kosovo. The Press Council has the potential of improving the quality of print journalism in Kosovo. However, for the print media to play their watchdog role, circulation figures have to go up. Children should be familiarised with reading the news through the establishment of a daily newspaper to be distributed through the school system. In order to professionalise the media, the success of kmi is crucial. Journalistic standards have risen in recent years, but nowhere near to European levels. KMI will also be of vital importance for Kosovo to benefit from the opportunities offered by new technologies. New technologies, such as distributing the news though mobile phones, have the potential of gaining access to hundreds of thousands of customers. But they also require new skills for journalists and other media professionals." (Conclusion, page 69)
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"Headlines From the Heartland: Reinventing the Hindi Public Sphere is the first in-depth study of the ongoing newspaper revolution in the Hindi-speaking states of India. With improved literacy levels, communications and purchasing power, the circulation of Hindi newspapers has grown rapidly in small
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towns and rural areas. By focusing their content to serve a local readership, some multi-edition Hindi newspapers have risen to the top of the national readership charts. Against the backdrop of the relationship between press and society, author Sevanti Ninan describes the emergence of a local public sphere; reinvention of the public sphere by the new non-elite readership; the effect on politics, administration, and social activism; the consequences of making newspapers reader rather than editor-led; the democratization of the Hindi press with the advent of village-level citizen journalists; and the impact of caste and communalism on the Hindi press. Based on over 150 interviews with journalists, readers, publishers, politicians, administrators, and activists, as well as expert content analysis, this book tells the ongoing story of the press in the Hindi heartland." (Publisher description)
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"1. There has been remarkable growth in both private and non-for-profit radio in Nepal since 1997: 216 licenses had been issued as of July 2007 with 78 FM stations broadcasting; of 93 licenses issued to non-profit groups, 31 were operational as of May 2007.
2. To its detriment, the FM radio sector h
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as and continues to be largely unplanned and unmanaged. There is technical congestion in the capital region and high redundancy of licensed services, even in some rural areas; there are major policy gaps and limited means to ensure accountability of broadcasters. The current system of regulation does little to promote a diversity of services or to ensure that broadcasters meet public needs or address national development priorities.
3. The application and practice of community radio principles is remarkably inconsistent. Many stations are community radios in name only. Community radio in Nepal is poorly defined and there is no policy framework to guide the development of the sector. Of particular concern are issues of limited ownership, ‘capture’ by the elite, poor representation of community groups, particularly on gender, caste and ethnic lines. There is a risk that community orientation and the focus on public interest programming will be weakened.
4. In spite of gaps, Nepal’s community radio sector possesses a certain maturity and sophistication. There are a large number of stations, increasingly coordinated. There are excellent practices in programming and community participation, many of which are being replicated. There are resource centres and support organizations with high capacity, both private and non-profit. There is an active national association of community stations." (Key findings, page 4-5)
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"Como conclusión del estudio se presentan las siguientes reflexiones y recomendaciones:
1. Definitivamente las radios comunitarias han cumplido un papel fundamental en el desarrollo de la sociedad ecuatoriana a nivel de educativo, organización popular, participación ciudadana, etc. Sin embargo es
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te rol no es reconocido por la sociedad. Además la identidad de las llamadas radios comunitarias está en un constante proceso de definición. Por ello consideramos básico la generación de espacios en donde los diferentes actores involucrados en el proceso de comunicación comunitario definir el nuevo papel de las radios comunitarias en el Ecuador.
2. Las radios que se autocalifican como comunitarias o populares y que son miembros de la CORAPE, representan un porcentaje muy pequeño dentro del universo de estaciones autorizadas para operar en el territorio ecuatoriano. Por esta razón es importante propiciar el fortalecimiento de esta organización a fin de expandir esta red de estaciones que comparten principios de desarrollo basados en la participación y el trabajo comunitario.
3. A pesar de los esfuerzos realizados en distintos ámbitos, no se ha conseguido un reconocimiento de las radios comunitarias dentro del ordenamiento jurídico vigente. Emisoras de servicio comunal, estaciones de baja potencia o estaciones públicas, son términos mal utilizados al momento de referirse a la radiodifusión comunitaria. Además de la falta de reconocimiento, y a pesar de que las limitaciones que existían (prohibición de pasar publicidad y limitación de potencia) fueron eliminadas, no existe el escenario propicio para el otorgamiento de frecuencias de manera transparente.
4. En la práctica el acceso a frecuencias para radios comunitarias, no solo que no tiene facilidades especiales, sino que por el contrario cuenta con mayores trabas por la designación discrecional que hacen las autoridades al momento de otorgar frecuencias. Por ello es necesario impulsar un proceso de reforma en la regulación en el sector de la radiodifusión y televisión, el cual de manera explícita considere a las radios comunitarias como un actor clave dentro del sector.
5. Finalmente un reto importante digno de ser tomado en cuenta, es la forma de potenciar el papel de la radio comunitario a través del uso creativo de las llamadas “nuevas tecnologías de información y comunicaciones” en especial Internet. Por esta razón sugerimos identificar formas concretas en que las radios comunitarias hagan uso de la posibilidad de trabajo colaborativo, mayor cobertura, interacción e interactividad, que provee la red de redes." (Página 14)
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"Liberation and the Media takes a look at the development of the South African daily newspaper market since the end of apartheid. It covers the country's most important political, social and economical developments since 1990 and explains correlations between South Africa's general development and i
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ts newspaper's market between 1990 and 2006. By looking at changes of ownership and new ideas of publishing for a society as divided as South Africa, Liberation and the Media explains what the factors for successful publishing in South Africa are since the end of apartheid, and asks to what extent the market is still influenced by apartheid." (Publisher description)
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"The state of the media report consists of two parts: a media content analysis and a media and civil society organisation (CSO) data survey. The media content analysis deals with news, current affairs, and documentary content produced by a sample of Papua New Guinea (PNG) media organisations that us
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e radio, print and television for the purpose of disseminating content on governance and development. The content analysis involved an intensive three-week period of data collection and coding of material from 23 different media, government departments/agencies and CSOs. The second stream of the project involved a media, government department/agency and CSO data survey of organisations that produce media content on governance and development. This database will provide MDI with information on the capacity of these organisations to produce media content (print, radio, television, video, and online) for governance and development." (Introduction, page 7)
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