"Serbia has a strategy for switching over from analog to digital broadcasting, prepared with broad public consultation. The basic legal framework is in place, but implementation is not yet underway. Moreover, if fair access to digital licenses is to be ensured, a new media law—harmonized with the
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EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive—is still needed. Broadband internet has had by far the most significant growth among the available distribution platforms over the past five years. More than 23 percent of Serbian households had an internet connection at the end of 2009—more than doubling the number of such connections just four years earlier. The internet as a platform for activism is rapidly expanding, with the number of petitions, initiatives, and debates online growing considerably. The internet has also led to more diversity and to a plurality of voices in political life. All that said, Serbia remains a television nation, with almost all households owning a TV set and three quarters of the population still using television as their main source of information. Serbia’s private media sector continues to be plagued by opaque ownership structures, with the owners of various media hiding behind off shore–registered businesses. Additionally, there is no publicly available register of media owners. Without mechanisms to render media ownership transparent, Serbia’s media sector will not achieve its potential for independence and diversity." (Website Open Society Foundation, 19.12.2011)
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"The explosion of digital media and their impact on journalism and democracy in Lithuania coincided with the country's second decade of independence and with the economic crisis of 2009-2010. With the rapid growth of internet penetration, websites dedicated to news appeared and traditional media wen
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t online. The near-doubling of internet subscriptions from 34.3 percent of the population in 2005 to 60.5 percent in 2010 was accompanied by dynamic growth in ownership of PCs, laptops, mobile phones, and later smart phones. The internet took on an increasing role as a news source for the public, especially younger audiences. Formerly marginalized groups, such as ethnic and sexual minorities, have gained a platform on the internet which they were almost entirely denied in mainstream media. Also, politicians have taken up communicating through new media; some have begun blogging, while others are active on social networks. Government transparency and civic engagement in politics have been enhanced by a range of online tools and initiatives by civil society groups which let voters access and analyze government data, and occasionally generate mainstream media coverage. However, there are no separate regulations or legal liability provisions concerning internet content that differ from those which apply to other media. Media regulation is in practice independent from government, but the regulators are lax in exercising their powers, e.g. to enforce ownership transparency rules. A weakness of the regulatory system is its dispersion among several bodies which don’t always coordinate among themselves. Their composition raises questions about competence and impartiality. This report calls for the creation of a single regulatory body with robust appointment criteria as well as for clear and transparent rules for allocating EU funds to the media. It recommends that the government introduce legislation restricting media concentration and intensify efforts to ensure universal public access to media after switch-over." (Open Society website)
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"In Moldova, the combination of digitization and political change has increased the diversity of media outlets and their news, the plurality of opinions, and the transparency of public institutions, while it has diminished political interference in the media. Yet the lack of independence of regulato
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ry institutions, the nontransparent media ownership structure, and the slow pace of digital switch-over continue to undermine these achievements. In order to reinforce positive change, this report proposes four kinds of reform. Firstly, the legal framework for digital switch-over must be completed in the near future if the country is to be ready for the transition before the switch-off date. The provisions for public interest, access, and affordability should be given priority and, for this purpose, participation of civil society groups in the drafting process is vital. This framework will also speed up the adoption of the new Broadcasting Code, a historic document that will end the era of non-transparent media ownership, the second area that needs urgent reform. Thirdly, with public awareness of the purpose and implications of switch-over virtually nonexistent, an information campaign and public debate on the issue need to start without delay. Finally, the independence of two key institutions, the Broadcasting Coordinating Council and the PSB, needs to be strengthened. In both cases, this can be done by changing funding models and adopting clearer regulatory safeguards against government interference." (Publisher description)
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"The political and economic environment in some regions of the world present specific challenges for investigative journalists: countries that score low on governance and transparency present particular risks and underline the need to build investigative journalism capacity. This Brief analyses the
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obstacles to investigative journalism in the East African region, focusing on Kenya and Uganda, and discusses what can be done to help address these barriers." (Page 1)
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"This manual provides a guide to basic methods and techniques of investigative journalism, and it consciously fills a gap in the literature of the profession. The majority of investigative manuals devote a lot of space to the subject of where to find information. They assume that once a reporter fin
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ds the information he or she seeks, he or she will be able to compose a viable story. We do not share that assumption. We do not think that the basic issue is finding information. Instead, we think the core task is telling a story. That leads to the basic methodological innovation of this manual: We use stories as the cement which holds together every step of the investigative process, from conception to research, writing, quality control and publication. We also call this approach hypothesis-based inquiry, because we begin by formulating the story we hope to write as a hypothesis that will be verified or disproved." (Introduction, page 2)
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"These first chapters form the core of what is planned as a growing guide to investigative journalism over the next two years. To begin, we have assembled the basics: definitions of the field and some key techniques and resources. We will add to these over time a series of supplements dealing with i
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nvestigative work in particular fields – such as politics or health – or particular countries, or types of institution. All will be available free to read and work from on the internet." (How to use these chapters)
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"On trouvera également une introduction qui replace le journalisme d’investigation dans le contexte de la tradition du journalisme professionnel en Afrique, une section consacrée à la manière d’utiliser les manuels dont le but est de fournir aux étudiants ou à ceux qui utilisent ce matéri
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el en autodidacte des pistes et des tuyaux de base, ainsi qu’une liste d’ouvrages, de ressources et de liens à caractère général. Des chapitres traitant plus spécifiquement de certains aspects ou domaines du journalisme d’investigation viendront s’y ajouter au cours des deux prochaines années. (L’un d’eux, sur le journalisme d’investigation dans le domaine de la santé, est déjà disponible). Les chapitres renferment toutes les informations nécessaires pour permettre à une personne de se servir de cette série comme d’un manuel de base sur le journalisme d’investigation: exercices, pistes et tuyaux et listes d’ouvrages complémentaires ou liens pour en apprendre davantage. Chaque chapitre est un mélange de manuel et de manuel d’instructions/journal intime. Les utilisateurs font des exercices et des « devoirs », et il leur est recommandé de garder trace de leurs réactions aux idées et arguments développés dans le texte." (Notes à l’intention des formateurs)
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"On trouvera également une introduction qui replace le journalisme d’investigation dans le contexte de la tradition du journalisme professionnel en Afrique, une section consacrée à la manière d’utiliser les manuels dont le but est de fournir aux étudiants ou à ceux qui utilisent ce matéri
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el en autodidacte des pistes et des tuyaux de base, ainsi qu’une liste d’ouvrages, de ressources et de liens à caractère général. Des chapitres traitant plus spécifiquement de certains aspects ou domaines du journalisme d’investigation viendront s’y ajouter au cours des deux prochaines années. (L’un d’eux, sur le journalisme d’investigation dans le domaine de la santé, est déjà disponible). Les chapitres renferment toutes les informations nécessaires pour permettre à une personne de se servir de cette série comme d’un manuel de base sur le journalisme d’investigation: exercices, pistes et tuyaux et listes d’ouvrages complémentaires ou liens pour en apprendre davantage. Chaque chapitre est un mélange de manuel et de manuel d’instructions/journal intime. Les utilisateurs font des exercices et des « devoirs », et il leur est recommandé de garder trace de leurs réactions aux idées et arguments développés dans le texte." (Notes à l’intention des formateurs)
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"This resource book is designed to walk the reporters, especially those in the regions, from the start to finish of an investigative journalism story or a project. By following the chapters in sequence, reporters and editors will learn how investigative reporting is different from conventional journ
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alism and what it takes to construct a high-impact report. The resource book includes the steps of finding an investigative story idea, following source trails—human, paper and electronic—to writing or producing a final report on a variety of platforms. It also addresses a crucial but often overlooked subject of how gatekeepers and media houses can support and manage investigative reporting projects. Where possible, this resource book draws upon real-life examples from Sri Lanka and elsewhere in South Asia." (Page 5)
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"[...] este documento [...] busca aportar varias reflexiones al periodismo de investigación impactado por la era digital, en un contexto como el latinoamericano. Las incógnitas y los desafíos que yacen en este reto se presentan en las siguientes páginas, a través de ejemplos mundiales y latinoa
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mericanos. El texto considera las bases mismas del oficio, el contexto en el que este se desarrolla y la manera en que periodistas en diversos puntos del globo han entendido la innovación de las tecnologías recientes para potenciar su forma de ver el mundo, su forma de hacer reportería y de relacionarse con las audiencias. Las ideas presentadas en este manual buscan servir de aporte, siendo conscientes de que apenas nos encontramos en los albores de la era digital y es mucho lo que falta por recorrer. Es fácil predecir que en ese camino se decantarán muchas cosas que hoy son fascinantes. Con el tiempo, algunas de ellas se verán como obsoletas. Es por eso que la apuesta conceptual de este documento es por aquellos aspectos que como resultado de la era digital ya están generando cambios en la forma como se hace el periodismo, prácticas que a juzgar por sus tempranos resultados, ya están generando una identidad de lo que será el periodismo en este milenio." (Introducción)
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"Learn how to use fundamental news reporting and writing skills, from gathering sources and tracking information, to interviewing and pursuing investigative stories on a variety of beats with the Investigative Reporter's Handbook." (Publisher description)
"This guide, compiled with the most updated sources at the time of going to press in early 2009, will take you step by step towards becoming an effective investigative journalist, gaining and practicing the necessary skills and thus gaining the self-confidence required to do a job that is both effec
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tive and fulfilling for you. We'll show you each step wit the help of examples of good reporting, both from Afghanistan, countries in the region as well as international examples which turned around situations and removed powerful people from the public scene after they crossed the line." (Preface)
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