"This book documents the researcher's effort to gain insights on how Thailand's public broadcaster Thai Public Broadcasting Service strategised its civil-society strengthening mechanisms, including creating a television programme called 'TV Jor Nuer', that is produced by and for the citizen journali
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sts. The contents of the programme reflect the needs and tastes of viewers across the 17 northern provinces of Thailand. Research statistics were compiled and analysed in all perspectives to build a database that would explain the model that TV Thai uses to strengthen civic consciousness among its viewers to enhance the station's public broadcasting service function. The book serves as a useful reference for public broadcasters, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region, who wish to engage civil participation to produce content that serves its nation and reflects the needs of its citizens." (Synopsis at AMIC website, 15.12.2011)
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"This article is divided into three main parts. The first is an overview of the situation of the Roma minorities in Slovenia and Poland. The second part of the article presents minority broadcast media and the main elements of the legal and institutional framework they operate in. Finally, this arti
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cle focuses on the visibility of Roma in the media. This article draws attention to cultural pluralism and how cultural pluralism is implemented by the public service broadcasters in Poland and Slovenia, particularly in the context of the presence of Roma minorities in the media. The research is based on 15 interviews carried out in Slovenia and Poland between 2006-2009 with journalists, editors, researchers, workers of NGOs, government representatives and Roma minority leaders. This study is also based on policy documents, reports of governments, NGOs and international organisations, academic literature and content analysis of Roma minority media." (Abstract)
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"Diskussionen um den öffentlichen Rundfunk gibt es in der Ukraine schon, seitdem die Unabhängigkeit dieses Staates ausgerufen wurde. Aus ihnen resultierten unter anderem ein verabschiedetes, jedoch nicht umgesetztes Gesetz zum öffentlichen Rundfunk aus dem Jahre 1997, diverse gescheiterte Gesetze
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sprojekte, rund zehn größere Konzepte des öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunks sowie Dutzende von Artikeln, Tagungen und Seminaren. Und obwohl weitgehend alle Parteien sich das Thema auf die Fahnen geschrieben haben, gibt es im zwanzigsten Jahr der Unabhängigkeit noch immer keinen öffentlichen Rundfunkveranstalter, der die gesellschaftlichen Interessen und Probleme staatsfern thematisiert. Der vorliegende Artikel befasst sich mit den Hintergründen dieses Scheiterns. Dazu finden Sie im Anhang eine Chronologie der wichtigsten Etappen, die auf dem langen Weg zu einem öffentlichen Rundfunk bisher durchlaufen wurden und eine Synopse der wichtigsten Konzepte, die bisher unterbreitet wurden." (Zusammenfassung).
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"The majority of political elites still consider media as a central instrument for manipulating public opinion [...] Fortunately, long-standing debates illustrate that the critical attitude of journalists and civil society organisations has increased through new media developments. The demands for p
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ublic, state-independent broadcasting have been advanced and defended. As the comparison of legislative projects and concepts show, suggestions from civil society organisations have been incorporated over time. Discussions should be continued. They should be designed to involve as many civil society and political groups as well as state actors, especially the Ukrainian President, and convince them of the importance of state-distant public broadcasting. The aim of the talks should be the elaboration of a common denominator." (Conclusion)
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"In September 2011 FES initiated the Balkan Media Barometer (BMB) with Bosnia and Herzegovina serving as a pilot project for South East Europe and the rest of the continent. A panel of experts from BiH discussed and scored a list of 44 indicators based on standards referenced to European documents,
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most of them drawn up by the Council of Europe. This approach of working on the basis of home-grown principles is meant to give the assessments greater relevance and to allow civil society groups and media activists in the various countries to evaluate and measure up their findings directly against declarations and documents adopted and accepted by their own governments." (Introduction)
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"This book explores the legal and regulatory systems governing public service broadcasters in eight different countries around the world, looking at the services they provide, the way in which their mandates are defined, their internal governance systems, mechanisms of oversight or accountability an
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d funding. In selecting the various countries, an attempt has been made to ensure wide geographic representation, while including only countries that have a strong commitment to public service broadcasting. Special emphasis has been placed on the strategies that have evolved over the years to ensure that public service broadcasters are not undermined by two critical phenomena: external control (political or other), particularly over editorial output, and inadequate public funding. The book outlines tested approaches to resolving these key problems, but it also highlights innovative systems that are being piloted in different countries to address some of the new challenges that face public service broadcasters." (Back cover)
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"Die in Deutschland diskutierten Modelle und Fragen zu Regulierung, Partizipation und Mitbestimmung in den elektronischen Medien sind auch in anderen europäischen Staaten relevant. Die AutorInnen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis thematisieren dabei insbesondere die Beteiligung der Zivilgesellschaft. Da
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sich die Medienpolitik zunehmend auf europäischer Ebene abspielt, ist es sinnvoll, die europäischen wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse mit den Erfahrungen von PraktikerInnen zusammenzuführen und zu diskutieren." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Kenya’s liberalisation of the airwaves since the mind-1990s has resulted in the transformation of broadcasting with numerous stations now serving as a platform for information and public debate. This has promoted a culture of participation in the democratic process, and has impacted positively to
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ward good governance. However, the report, written by Grace Githaiga, does argue the need for media laws and regulations on the statute books to align with the country’s new constitution; top amongst which, is the urgent need for a new Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Act. The report provides evidence showing that KBC is both by law and practice, controlled by government, and is used largely to promote the interest of government alone. This, the report further states, goes against the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa, which espouses for state broadcasters to be transformed into public broadcasters, independent of government and free from political and economic manipulation." (www.afrimap.org)
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"Leading researchers from different regions of Europe and the United States address five major interrelated themes: 1) how ideological and normative constructs gave way to empirical systematic comparative work in media research; 2) the role of foreign media groups in post-communist regions and the e
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ffects of ownership in terms of impacts on media freedom; 3) the various dimensions of the relationship between mass media and political systems in a comparative perspective; 4) professionalization of journalism in different political cultures—autonomy of journalists, professional norms and practices, political instrumentalization and the commercialization of the media; 5) the role of state intervention in media systems." (Publisher description)
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"This book highlights the importance of the news media as watchdogs, agenda setters and gatekeepers for the quality of democratic deliberation in the public sphere. At the same time, it theorizes that the capacity of journalists and media systems to fulfill these roles depends on the broader context
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determined by the profession, the market and the state. Media systems' performance often falls far short of the ideals, as succesive case studies from different world regions demonstrate. Finally, the book asks what policy interventions work effectively to close the gap between the democratic promise and perfomance of the news media as an institution. The final chapter, "Policy recommendations", concludes (page 406): "Interventions include reforms directed at strengthening the journalistic profession, notably institutional capacity building, through bodies such as press councils, press freedom advocacy NGOs, and organizations concerned with journalistic training and accreditation. Other important reforms seek to overcome market failures, including developing a regulatory framework for media systems to ensure pluralism of ownership and diversity of contents. Finally, policies also address the role of the state, including deregulation to shift state-run broadcasting to public service broadcasting, overseen by independent broadcasting regulatory bodies, and the protection of constitutional principles of freedom of the press, speech, and expression." (commbox)
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"Uganda's broadcast media landscape has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years. While the public broadcaster remains the dominant national player - in terms of reach - in both radio and television, commercial broadcasters have introduced a substantial level of diversity in the industry. Public
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broadcasting faces serious competition from the numerous private and independent broadcasters, especially in and around the capital Kampala and major urban centres. In fact, the private/commercial sector clearly dominates the industry in most respects, notably productivity and profitability. The public broadcaster, which enjoys wider geographical coverage, faces the challenge of trying to fulfill a broad mandate with little funding. This makes it difficult for UBC to compete with the more nimble operators in the commercial/private sector. Overall, there appears to be a healthy degree of pluralism and diversity in terms of ownership." (Publisher description)
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