"Across various demographics, Sri Lankan audiences highly value news and current information. More than three quarters (77%) identified news as being very important, and another 18% said it was somewhat important. National news on current affairs had the highest level of audience interest (76%), fol
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lowed by national politics, local current affairs, national level entertainment news, national weather, local politics and national level sports. There was limited interest in economic and business news, and even less in international news. Audiences have a good sense of what good journalism means to them. Among the many attributes of good journalism highlighted by participants were: trustworthy, evidence-based information; clear and accurate; timely and relevant; balanced and unbiased reporting with a sufficient level of detail; respecting privacy; drawing from multiple sources; ethical use of sensitive visuals; and never advocating racism or violence. Most people turn to two, three orfour newssources on a regular basis apparently to guard against being misled by media biases and manipulation [...]" (Executive summary)
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"The study examines content produced and distributed to ethnic minorities in Mon, Kayin and Kayah and looks into the news and media habits and understandings of the same groups. It consists of two different research efforts: a content analysis and a qualitative audience study. The content analysis f
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ound that media targeted at ethnic minorities - here represented by three ELTV contributors: Mon News Agency (MNA), Karen Information Center (KIC) and Kanthayawaddy Times - consistently involve their target groups in news coverage compared to national averages. Representatives from ethnic minorities were used as sources in eight out 15 stories analyzed. Yet, ethnic minorities are often portrayed as victims and therefore rarely framed from an empowered position. Furthermore, the audience study showed that some minorities felt less represented by the media than others, resulting in limited trust in the media." (Executive summary)
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"The study revealed some clear patterns about why people fall for misinformation, regardless of their age, gender or education level. Some of the key trends common across city and village respondents were: 1. Majority of the respondents do not question the source of the information, or assess if the
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source or sender is a credible authority on the subject. Respondents across demographics focus more on the content of the message and rely on personal biases and beliefs while deciding whether they will believe or reject a message. 2. Respondents usually do not verify information from alternative sources on the web. There is a noticeable skepticism against social media, but despite that it is noteworthy that majority respondents are unaware of strategies to evaluate evidence or verify online content. 3. A great deal of trust in mainstream media, to the point that they blindly trust information misattributed to mainstream media. 4. Majority respondents do not realise the extent of manipulated content they access online. Respondents are also oblivious to the absence of gatekeeping on social media and the difference of nature between news versus non-news content. 5. If the sender is a prominent influencer or a person they look upto, respondents were more likely to believe the message. Believability increases if the ideology of person sharing information aligns with that of the audience." (Key insights from user study, page 4)
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"Key finding 1: A trusted thirdperson is the most important information provider. When asked for their main source of information, family, friends, and religious leaders accounted for 89% of the response choices combined. Additionally, 97% stated they trust their family and friends. Key finding 2: S
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ocial media, the new player in the game? Even though radio remains the main channel of information used by the population (76%) – followed by television (48%) – WhatsApp (29%) and Facebook (28%) combined total 57% of respondents’ choice. Moreover, among participants who have Internet access, the leading applications to receive news areWhatsApp (82%) and Facebook (70%). Key finding 3: News on current events and sports are the most preferred content in traditional media channels. Participants mostly responded they like to see “news on current events” and “sports news” in traditional media channels. Radio listeners mostly enjoy “news on current events” (61%), newspapers readers like to read about “news on current events” (65%) and “sports” (33%), and television consumers mostly favor “news on current events” (49%) and “sports” (37%). Sports are ahead of educational and/or health programs in all types of media. Key finding 4: Residents in Port-au-Prince have unmet information needs. When asked about the information they need the most – at the time –, 52% of participants selected “how to find a job”, followed closely by “general news about what is happening in the country including COVID-19” (51%). Respondents also mentioned the need for information on “access to food and drinking water” (48%), as well as information about the “security situation in Port-au-Prince” (47%). Key finding 5: Information consumers are not passive actors: trust and relevance are key points. Content and source are the two main factors affecting the information ecosystem in Port-auPrince. Even among their preferred source of information – family and friends – or their preferred channel – radio –, trust is not blindly granted. In the focus groups, participants point out the lack of training of journalists, the fact that many confuse facts with opinions or place greater value in sensationalism, often leading to unsubstantiated claims and misinformation [...]" (Pages 5-14)
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"Facebook is “best” source of information for elections, but television is still most trusted Among irst time youth voters, 83% of survey respondents cited Facebook as the best channel to receive elections information. In Myanmar, Facebook and the Internet are virtually interchangeable. Key Info
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rmant Interviews (KII) and Focused Group Discussions (FGD) confirmed that information flows fluidly among Facebook users, who receive and share information in their respective common interest groups on Facebook, highlighting the important role of informal social media networks, which function as information sharing mechanisms. A few qualifying facts add more nuance to this finding: 1) the online survey was distributed through Facebook, which selfselects Facebook users; 2) the emergence of COVID-19 has increased Facebook use and the number of Facebook users; 3) respondents and interviewees were well aware of disinformation common to the platform, diluting their trust in information received via social media [...] Traditional media still plays a central role in inclusive voter education/elections outreach. While social media use is now widespread, survey respondents and interviewees still cited television, print and radio as main sources of information. 49% of respondents still regularly read the newspaper, 65% still watch TV, and 36% still listen to the radio. Moreover, insights from interviews and FGDs show that voters in Rakhine, Chin and Shan, affected by Internet outages, those in rural areas with limited access to Internet and digital communications infrastructure, and internally displaced persons may be excluded from information distributed solely on social media. Though traditional media is essential to inclusive quality information, this sector, especially those at the local and regional level, is struggling to survive financially ..." (Summary of key findings)
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"Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, el 57% de los lectores de medios digitales en Argentina, Brazil, Colombia y Mexico ha aumentado su consumo de noticias. El 90% de los consumidores está accediendo a las noticias digitales por lo menos dos veces a la semana y el 78% por lo menos una vez al día. Las
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plataformas digitales ahora representan más de la mitad (53%) de todos los contenidos de noticias a los que se accede, lo que evidencia la creciente expansión de las plataformas digitales como las principales fuentes de noticias e información. En promedio, el 13% de los consumidores encuestados paga actualmente por lo menos por una suscripción o servicio de noticias. Aunque a primera vista modestas, estas cifras muestran que la predisposición a pagar por noticias digitales entre los consumidores es mayor que en algunos otros países, incluidos mercados establecidos como el Reino Unido (8%) y Alemania (10%) y no está muy lejos de los EE. UU. (20%). Para los consumidores que actualmente están suscriptos, dos de los factores más importantes a la hora de pagar son la capacidad de proporcionar un contenido de alta calidad (36%) y la credibilidad del medio de comunicación como fuente de información seria y fiable (34%). Además, la metodología MaxDiff encontró que para todos los encuestados, incluidos los que no pagan actualmente por las noticias, la independencia de los medios de comunicación de los poderes de turno se encuentra entre los factores más importantes." (Principales hallazgos, página 10-12)
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"La encuesta se realizó entre el 10 y 20 de abril a través de un formulario de Google compartido por redes de contactos y en redes sociales (principalmente Twitter). Las 2.325 respuestas no representan al universo de oyentes de podcasts ya que no se realizó ningún trabajo estadístico sobre la m
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uestra (que no es muestra) [...] El 27,3% comenzó a escuchar podcast en 2019 y el 24,5% en 2018. El 96% de los encuestados escucha podcast a través de teléfonos móviles y el 46% lo hace desde computadoras personales o de escritorio. La plataforma preferida para eschuchar es Spotify. La segunda plataforma es YouTube con el 23%. Los formatos preferidos de los participantes son: los de conversación/mesa redonda (51%) y los de entrevistas (22,7%). Especialmente si son sobre: Cine y series, Sociedad y Cultura, y Economía y política." (Página 2, Resumen, página 9)
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"For the past decade, internet connectivity has been praised for its potential to close the gender gap in Africa. Among the many benefits of digitalization, digital tools enable groups that are marginalized across the intersections of gender, race, sex, class, religion, ability and nationality to pr
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oduce and access new forms of knowledge and conceive counter-discources. However, the internet, once viewed as a utopia for equality, is proving to be the embodiment of old systems of oppression and violence. In order to understand experiences of African women in online spaces, this violence must be viewed on a continuum rather than as isolated incidents removed from existing structural frameworks. Discriminatory gendered practices are shaped by social, economic, cultural and political structures in the physical world and are similarly reproduced online across digital platforms. In this paper, we research the online lived experiences of women living in five sub-Saharan Africa to illustrate that repeated negative encounters fundamentally impact how women navigate and utilize the internet. This in turn, strengthens the argument for a radical shift in developing alternate digital networks grounded in feminist theory." (Opening, page 3)
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"Das SVR-Integrationsbarometer misst die Sichtweisen und Bewertungen auf beiden Seiten der Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Meistgenutztes Medium für politische Nachrichten ist bei Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund das Fernsehen. Wichtigste Faktoren für die Mediennutzung von Migranten sind Bildung und
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deutsche Sprachkenntnisse. Auch das Vertrauen in deutsche Medien ist bei Migranten mit höherer Bildung größer. Bei Zugewanderten, die bereits länger in Deutschland leben, vergrößert sich die Medienskepsis." (Kurz und knapp, Seite 626)
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"Data, including information collected by the MERIT project, demonstrates that social media and social messaging are powerful tools in Mali, and have the potential to both positively and negatively impact society, particularly in relation to violent extremism. Malian youth use social media and messa
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ging as a means of communication and information sharing on various topics. According to the youth respondents, confirmed by external information sources, violent extremist groups use the same types of social media both to collect and spread information, as well as to attract attention and support (including financial resources). Social media channels enable violent extremist groups to quickly and cheaply spread their propaganda among young people, who may be a vulnerable target because of their age, socio-economic situation and other contingent vulnerabilities. Because social media platforms are used by both the youth community and violent extremists, social media is a key means to either fuel or reduce violence in the country. It is therefore paramount for all users, from authorities to communities, to be aware of the risks and benefits that modern digital technologies can yield in preventing and countering violent extremism, and to be trained on the best ways to use these channels in a positive manner while preserving their security. The data collected and analysed provide valuable insight for future initiatives in Mali aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism. Further attention should be paid to the key role that youth can play as the main user community and, at the same time, as a potential target of extremist and terrorist groups. In this regard, training efforts should strengthen youth’s media literacy, by focusing on the risks implied in the use of media and by respecting and reflecting the specificities of the local contexts in which the different tools and platforms are used. Innovative approaches should be explored and enhanced in the attempt to develop effective alternatives and counter narratives, based on the fundamentals of media literacy." (Conclusions, page 13)
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"This report aims to assess the perception of the media and media skills among the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in 2020 and shows the dynamics compared to the first similar report conducted in 2018. This study assesses the extent to which media consumers can assess the quality media content,
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the level of knowledge among different target groups on issues such as propaganda and disinformation. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, was conducted a qualitative study and a quantitative study." (Summary)
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"C’est par le biais des actualités portant sur les questions migratoires et les conflits armés que les Français sont le plus à même de s’informer à propos de la pauvreté dans le monde. Le public français préfère être informé sur la pauvreté dans le monde à l’occasion des actualit
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és et au cours de reportages; il y a peu d’appétence quant au fait que ce sujet soit développé dans d’autres formats télévisuels. Plus d’un tiers des répondants interagissent avec des associations en « likant », en « commentant » ou en « partageant » les contenus qu’elles proposent. Seuls 18% des répondants déclarent que les personnes qu’ils suivent sur les réseaux sociaux partagent des contenus sur le développement et la pauvreté dans le monde." (slide 11)
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"1. Women with disabilities have among the lowest rates of mobile and smartphone ownership. In most countries, ownership gaps are widest between men without disabilities and women with disabilities. Even in countries where the mobile gender gap is small or nonexistent, there is still a disability ga
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p in mobile ownership.
2. Persons with disabilities perceive mobile as less beneficial than non-disabled persons, and, specifically, women with disabilities perceive benefits the least.
3. Women with disabilities report various barriers to mobile ownership. In Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Uganda, relevance, literacy and skills, and safety and security were among the most commonly reported barriers.
4. In most countries, regardless of gender, persons with disabilities are less aware of mobile internet than those without disabilities. While awareness of mobile internet is lower for women than men, it is even lower for persons with disabilities, except in India. Women with disabilities have the lowest level of awareness.
5. Persons with disabilities tend to have lower levels of internet use than non-disabled persons. Women with disabilities are the least likely to use mobile internet, particularly in India where women are least likely to use mobile internet regardless of disability and the most commonly mentioned barrier to mobile internet is the cost of buying a phone and data." (Key findings)
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"Using interactive radio dialogues, AVF aims to contribute towards the achievement of World Vision Kenya’s (WVK) Emergency Response in Kitui and Makueni counties project (July-December 2020). More specifically, Africa’s Voices deployed its interactive radio methodology to achieve the following o
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bjectives: 1. At the beginning of the project, gather information on Knowledge Attitude and Practices among Community members in Kitui and Makueni Counties on COVID- 19; 2. At the end of the Project, gather information on Knowledge Attitude and Practices among Community members in Kitui and Makueni Counties on COVID 19 to compare with initial information gathered at the beginning of the project; 3. Participate in the evaluation of the project effectiveness at the end of the six-month project intervention as may be established by WVK. This report presents the findings from the first two phases of this project, captured under Objective 1 above." (Introduction, page 6)
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"Fake news has trumped up attention across cultures from the United States Elections to the Arab Spring. While political marketers have long used the language of fear and persuasion in their messaging, social media has intensified its impact. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence
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of demographics and culture on the spread of fake news via social media. Based on a quantitative study, it finds that culture has the most significant impact on the spread of fake news. Results shows that age and not gender or education has a greater influence on the acceptance of fake news in particular cultures." (Abstract)
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"Quatre Togolais sur cinq environ disposent d’une radio dans leur ménage (81%) et suivent régulièrement les informations à la radio (78%). Deux ménages sur cinq (44%) ne possèdent pas de télévision. La moitié (51%) des Togolais ne suivent jamais ou rarement les informations à la télé.
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Un cinquième des Togolais (18%) possède un ordinateur. Quatre Togolais sur cinq (82%) ont un téléphone portable à usage personnel. Un tiers (32%) de la population ont des téléphones qui peuvent accéder à l’Internet. Moins de deux Togolais sur 10 (18%) s’informent souvent via l’Internet." (Résultats clés)
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"We conducted a mixed-methods research project in Nigeria, India, and Pakistan consisting of surveys, survey experiments, and semi-structured interviews, to better understand the spread and impact of misinformation, and in particular of misinformation on mobile messaging apps (MIMs). One of our goal
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s was to evaluate the relevance and prevalence of viral false claims in each country. We found evidence that popular “false claims” debunked by fact-checking companies are widely recognized, but, unsurprisingly, news from mainstream media are more widely recognized than the false claims. This is certainly a good sign, which confirms similar trends reported elsewhere. However, we also found preliminary evidence that misinformation circulates wide on messaging apps. When asked whether and where they encountered researcher-selected false claims, participants reported to be exposed to more false claims than “mainstream claims” (i.e., true) on messaging apps, while this was not the case for traditional media, such as newspapers and TV News. While others have found false claims to be more prevalent on social media than on mainstream media, this is the first systematic evidence that messaging apps might be the primary source for spread of misinformation." (Executive summary)
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"The bulk of this report is based on data collected by a survey of more than 80,000 people in 40 markets and reflects media usage in January/February just before the coronavirus hit many of these countries. But the key trends that we document here, including changes in how people access news, low tr
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ust, and rising concern about misinformation have been a backdrop against which journalists, editors, politicians, and public health officials have been battling to reach ordinary people with key messages over the last few months. We know that this crisis has substantially increased the amount and frequency of news consumption as well as influenced attitudes to the news media, at least temporarily. We’ve captured this in a second set of polling data collected in April when the crisis was at its peak in some countries. This has helped us to see the impact of the crisis in terms of sources of news and also reminded us of the critical role that the news media play at times of national crisis, including documenting that people who rely on news media are better informed about the virus than those who do not. While many media companies have been enjoying record audience figures, news fatigue is also setting in, and the short-term and long-term economic impact of the crisis is likely to be profound – advertising budgets are slashed and a recession looms, threatening news media, some of whom are struggling with adapting to a changing world. Against this background, this year’s report also focuses on the shift towards paying for online news in many countries across the world, with detailed analysis of progress in three countries (the UK, USA, and Norway). This year, our report carries important data about the extent to which people value and trust local news, perhaps the sector most vulnerable to the economic shocks that will inevitably follow the health crisis itself. And we also explore the way people access news about climate change as well as attitudes to media coverage for the first time." (Foreword)
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"The spread of misinformation on Facebook in Bangladesh, a country with a population of over 163 million, has resulted in chaos, hate attacks, and killings. By interviewing journalists, fact-checkers, in addition to surveying the general public, we analyzed the current state of verifying misinformat
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ion in Bangladesh. Our findings show that most people in the ‘news audience’ want the news media to verify the authenticity of online information that they see online. However, the newspaper journalists say that fact-checking online information is not a part of their job, and it is also beyond their capacity given the amount of information being published online every day. We further find that the voluntary fact-checkers in Bangladesh are not equipped with sufficient infrastructural support to fill in this gap. We show how our findings are connected to some of the core concerns of CSCW (Computer-Supported Collaborative Work and Social Computing) community around social media, collaboration, infrastructural politics, and information inequality. From our analysis, we also suggest several pathways to increase the impact of fact-checking efforts through collaboration, technology design, and infrastructure development." (Abstract)
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