"This book is about how to grow an independent media business, and we are perfectly aware that news publishing these days is not for the faint of heart [...] We ask: Is there a media business approach that is not primarily focused on the needs and wants of an advertiser, a funder or the journalists
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in the newsroom, but instead aims to meet the needs of all the individuals within the community served? Assuming there is, how does a news enterprise capture some of the value created for that community? We have three reasons to believe these are the right questions. First, social actors need reliable, decision-grade information and insight to thrive, and at our best, that’s exactly what we provide. Second, we are neither alone nor unique in the challenges we face – and firms in adjacent industries, confronted with similar forces, can and do succeed. Finally, in our work with hundreds of news enterprises in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia, we have seen success stories within and outside traditional journalism. It can be done." (Introduction, page 8)
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"Offering a collection of invited contributions from scholars across the world, the volume is structured in seven parts, each exploring a particular aspect of local media and journalism that provide the framework to bring together and consolidate the latest research and theorisations from the field,
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and fresh understandings of local media from a comparative perspective and within a global context. Addressing the significant changes local media and journalism has undergone in the last decade, the companion explores the history, politics, ethics and contents of local media, as well as delving deeper into the business and practices that affect not only the journalists and media-makers involved, but consumers as well. For students and researchers in the fields of journalism studies, journalism education, cultural studies and media and communications programmes, this is the comprehensive guide to local media and journalism." (Publisher description)
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"This book tells the story of community radio in four South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The three parts of the book focus on policy (discussed country by country), issues in practice, and case studies. In effect, however, each of the chapters touches on these topics to
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one degree or another. The first section presents very helpful background on the introduction of community radio in the four countries, focusing not only on policy issues but also on the history of setting up the stations. The second section calls attention to particular challenges such as the role of NGOs, radio spectrum management, the introduction of somewhat advanced technologies into rural communities, the role of women, the possibilities of community radio for disaster response, and issues of sustainability. The third section (the case studies) offers a good deal of practical suggestions to address challenges such as conflicts in the communities, assessment of the stations, and the practices of democracy." (Review in "Religion and Social Communication", vol. 20:2, 2022, page 418-421, https://www.asianresearchcenter.org)
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"This book traces the trajectory of the community archives movement, expanding the definition of community archives to include sites such as historical societies, social movement organisations and community centres. It also explores new definitions of what community archives might encompass, particu
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larly in relation to disciplines outside the archives. Over ten years have passed since the first volume of 'Community Archives', and inspired by continued research as well as by the formal recognition of community archives in the UK, the community archives movement has become an important area of research, recognition and appreciation by archivists, archival scholars and others worldwide. Increasingly the subject of papers and conferences, community archives are now seen as being in the vanguard of social concerns, markers of community-based activism, a participatory approach exemplifying the on-going evolution of 'professional' archival (and heritage) practice and integral to the ability of people to articulate and assert their identity." (Publisher description)
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"This book provides empirical accounts to understand the situatedness of open data along the following themes: 1) open data practices; 2) the local implementation of global trends; and 3) open data ecosystems. Many chapters in this volume simultaneously address several of these themes. The thematic
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grouping of chapters is an attempt to foreground salient questions for open data research. In addition, the book covers country-specific, localised applications of open data with a few chapters explicitly focusing on how open government data initiatives unfold within different socio-political contexts. The geographical scope of the contributions spans four continents, providing insights on open data practices in Europe (Kosovo, Belgium, United Kingdom), Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania), Asia (Indonesia, the Philippines), and Latin America (Paraguay, Brazil)." (Introduction, page viii)
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"The Media Ownership Monitor – India finds out that while the ownership of media seems fairly plural at the national level, it is highly concentrated when one zooms into the regional level. More importantly, prominent national players have ceded their position of eminence at the regional level, wh
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ere local players rule." (http://india.mom-rsf.org/en)
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"This study focused on creating a picture of the local media in the country, by analyzing the main institutional players, the problems that they are facing, the status of the local journalists, as well as prospects for the future. The objective of this study was the identification of the whole unive
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rse of the local media, as well as the mapping of the local media. Convinced that the mapping of the local media will serve as an important basis for the launch of other in-depth studies, we have carefully analyzed the majority of available sources from which we could collect information on the local media landscape [...] The effects of the lengthy Albanian transition are clearly visible in the way the local media have been developing. During these three decades of free press, the local media in Albania have not managed to build a sustainable business model and have been continuously fighting for their survival in the market. The small markets, poor economic development, and a lack of media literacy in many local communities in the country, have made the job even harder for these media. Besides these problems, local media operators also have had to face the transformative power of technology at a time when they still had not perfected their model of management. The proliferation of web-based media publications, the social media, and lately the switch to digital broadcasting have found these media unprepared." (Conclusions, page 51-53)
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"This report analyses the Chin media sector. It is based on research conducted by MDIF from late 2018 through December 2019, as well as a quantitative and qualitative survey conducted by Myanmar Survey Research (MSR) in May 2019. The report provides data on the Chin media operations themselves, as w
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ell as the news and information needs and preferences of their actual and potential audiences in Chin State and Sagaing Region [...] What we have found is that, in many respects, Chin media face very similar problems to their counterparts elsewhere in Myanmar. They have often been set up by individuals who are deeply committed to serving the information needs of their communities, and they are often an important source of information for their audiences. We also have found that Chin media are dealing with challenges managing the digital transition that are similar to both their national and local media counterparts, and that more than half of them are also simultaneously continuing to produce print publications that remain a valuable news source for local communities. And, like local media all over the country, MDIF’s research has confirmed that Chin media are facing a major struggle to survive financially, often having to rely on local donors and personal savings as well as more traditional revenue sources such as advertising and print copy sales." (Introduction)
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"Myanmar’s local media outlets face a variety of internal and external obstacles hampering their prospects for sustainability. Key among these today, and the focus of this report, are the business realities that every media outlet must tackle." (Introduction)
"Tal como plantea el autor, frente a la producción de los medios electrónicos comerciales que se da en condiciones de ausencia de sujeto y con destinatarios convertidos en meros espectadores y consumidores de contenidos rápidamente digeribles, el reto es repensar la comunicación como acción del
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común, como una plataforma para replantear las relaciones y las posibilidades de constituirse en lazos sociales. Luego del desarrollo y consolidación del poder mediático a nivel global, que ha significado la mortificación y los intentos de anular las tramas antropológicas del lugar fomentando el individualismo y debilitando los procesos de colectivización, se plantea la necesidad de una inversión radical: concebir a una comunicación mediática no divorciada de la comunicación de proximidad." (Descripción de la casa editorial)
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"Afghanistan has made great strides in establishing media and communications outlets. However, very little is known about the ways in which Afghans actually engage in information exchange. To inform work with the media and effectively enhance access to information in Afghanistan, Internews commissio
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ned Sayara Research to map information ecosystems in three areas of Afghanistan. The information ecosystem in Afghanistan is vital to understand how Afghans make decisions about everything from personal security to health, migration, and livelihoods. Using a systems approach to analyzing information within and across communities is a powerful way to uncover deficiencies in current approaches and opportunities for future work." (Internews website)
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