"Recent high-profile scandals raise concerns about how development cooperation is represented. This article examines how the subject gets in the media, examining the tone of voice and framing in newspaper articles and NGO advertisements in the Neth
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erlands. It reveals a remarkable difference between newspaper articles and opinion pieces. Regular reports are characterised by, a neutral to slightly positive tone. In contrast, opinion pieces are predominantly negative. The article identifies possible explanations for the critical tone of opinion pieces. It finds that NGOs’ own advertisements may contribute to negative opinion pieces, by problematising the situation in developing countries while rarely demonstrating their impacts achieved." (Abstract)
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"Afghanistan media has a history of 147 years. In 1873 the first ever paper, Shamsunahar, was established. The first radio transmitter was installed in 1920. The first TV broadcast happened in Kabul in 1978. The Internet was linked and used in Afghanistan during the Taliban period after 1996, althou
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gh it was not public and was used only by Taliban leaders. According to Nai Supporting Open Media, the leading Media Advocacy NGO in Afghanistan, there are 464 operational media in the country, which has the best media law in the region and one of the tops “Access to Information” bills in the world. But, since 2001, almost 120 journalists and media workers have been killed; more than 1550 violence cases against media have been registered and, except for a few of them, no prosecution processes have been launched for the cases. In practice access to information, despite having a good law, is one of the biggest challenges regarding freedom of expression, along with security and financial sustainability. The Taliban pose a great threat to media. Out of 120 journalists and media staff that have been killed since 2001, over 55 have been killed by the Taliban. On the other side, the Government of Afghanistan is yet to start addressing the violence cases against journalists allegedly perpetrated by governmental staff, particularly security forces. The government is not as supportive as it is stated to be by law and poses pressures which are among the challenges to freedom of expression. It has been known to set barriers to a free flow of information and to find various ways to prevent broadcasting stories about its failures. Financial challenges caused almost 240 media outlets to stop their activities in the country since 2014. Tens of radio stations and almost 6 TV stations are among the media outlets that have stopped their activities mainly because of financial problems. Although there are no specific studies that analyse public trust in media, the article “Media and government in the era of democracy” published on The Daily Afghanistan magazine shows the existence of a strong public trust in the media. When people are disappointed or have their rights infringed by a governmental entity, they turn to various media to make the problem known. That explains the popularity of media programmes that review cases and court hearings." (Overview)
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"During 2019, together with key Lithuanian partners KOPŽI and Missing Persons Families Support Centre, we developed and implemented a prevention campaign to raise awareness of the labour exploitation of Lithuanian people in the UK or those considering travelling to the UK to find work. The campaign
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was comprised of videos published on social media, paid for by our partner Facebook, telling the story of a young man named Karolis who was offered a job in the UK that was too good to be true. It touches on the ways he was exploited, and his subsequent escape from his traffickers with the support of an NGO. The video signposted to relevant partners and a STOP THE TRAFFIK webpage with further information regarding labour rights in the UK. The overarching aim of the campaign was for people to watch the video and take positive action as a result. Alongside the campaign, specialist insight agency Humankind Research conducted a research and evaluation project aimed at informing the campaign content and evaluating its outcomes and impact." (Page 4)
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"This review has shown that media assistance from donor sources enhanced the development of the African media generally especially after the Second World War, but the inability of outlets to sustain their operations financially usher them into the “operational survival phase” where private inves
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tors take over with sensationalism and profit-oriented objectives that tend to contradict the traditional functions of the media which donors envisaged. Moreover, the application for funding eligibilities, criteria, and prescribed reporting themes become conditions which to some extent strip off media’s ability to determine its own agenda, and ultimately independence. By this, the very models, “philanthro-journalism” and/or “NGO-funded” to protect and establish a resilient media system, are somewhat becoming a threat to media freedom in a masquerading form. Whenever donors are in the driving seat of setting media agenda, (a) local pressing issues are ignored or given less attention and (b) image of recipient countries is dented. These put the African media on the path to becoming controlled because as long as its quest for donor assistance is unceasing, then its susceptibility to demands of donors will abound." (Conclusion)
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"Reliable, high quality information is a key priority for the young generation in Burkina Faso. Perhaps as a consequence of political insecurities and the prevalence of violent extremism, a majority of young people between 15 and 25 years seems very aware of the negative consequences of malevolent f
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orms of communication such as cyberbullying, disinformation and hate speech. At the same time, many young people lack vital Media and Information Literacy skills in the fields of access, creation and analysis of media content. This is according to results from a 2019 representative survey conducted for the MIL INDEX study on behalf of DW Akademie. Cyrille Guel from media NGO EducommunicAfrik echoes these findings, saying in an interview for the study that a basic knowledge of “how media work and how information is disseminated” is lacking. Denis Vincenti of development agency Fondation Hirondelle argues that this lack of skills emanates from the fact that young people are not given a chance to voice their concerns in the country, despite below 25-year-olds accounting for roughly 65 % of the population. The country report presented here is based on the findings of the MIL INDEX study, for which a representative survey, eight focus groups and six expert interviews were conducted in Burkina Faso between November 2018 and April 2019. The Study focused on five Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skill sets: Access, analysis, reflection, creation and action. For each of these dimensions, survey respondents received a score ranging between 0 (= no skills whatsoever) and 20 (= highest level of skills) points, adding up to a total maximum score of 100. The average 15-25-year-old Burkinabè respondent had moderate to good skills when it came to access (10.5), analysis (10.8), as well as reflection (11.5). Deficits were found mainly in the areas of action (8.2) and creation (5.6). The total score amounted to 46.6 out of a possible 100." (Executive summary)
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"Radio as a medium is continuously playing a significant role not only in the dissemination of information but also in the propagation of culture and nation-building, providing many minorities, remote, and disenfranchised areas with a low-cost civic sphere. Radio is an essential and useful tool for
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communication. The phrase “a radio service by the people, close to the people and for the people” sums up the essential features of this service. So, we can say that Community Radio must not only be run by but also serve the welfare of the society. It aims to help and benefit the public group through its programming. In this paper, the researcher intends to observe the community radio as an emerging platform to discuss developmental issues programming of broadcasts by total four CRS. So, two stations from educational category and two is from Ngo category from Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Alwar and Sirohi district of Rajasthan as a case study." (Abstract)
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"Speaking of trust in the Catholic Church necessarily leads to talking about the management of the crisis of clerical sexual abuse by its leaders. The focus is on managing responsibility and information, with case studies by Paulina Guzik and Patrick O'Brien. The first deals with the case of Poland,
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emphasizing the need for accountability and suggesting five actions to regain trust. O'Brien offers a map of the management of abuses in the 197 dioceses of the United States, and points to transparency in communication and government as a key to regaining trust. As you will read in these pages, neither the communicator nor the communication serves to mask a negative reality. The institution must justify its existence only if it is a good for society, even if it makes mistakes. This question is approached from a theological point of view: Is it still possible to trust the Church? To answer this question, Marco Vanzini highlights the tensions that characterize and define the identity of the Church: such as her divine origin and her human composition, or the inner coexistence of holiness and sin, among others. On the other hand, Gabriel Magalhães, taking a cue from passages of sacred and universal literature, invites reflection on the contrast between human and divine justice, highlighting the excessive and almost ‘scandalous’ nature of divine mercy. Faced with the reality of a certain human solidarity in evil, he explores the need for collective guilt and forgiveness as a common horizon that allows trust to be recovered at the social level.
It is precisely ‘the Church communicator’ on whom the article by Professors Gil and Gili puts the focus. His role as spokesman for an institution and bearer of a message gives him great responsibility. The credibility that he demands and needs, the authors maintain, depends to a great extent on his human and professional virtues. Creative fidelity, reliable transmission of an ideal and embodiment of the values he communicates are expected from him. Internal communication in organizations, with the transformation of the channels through which trust travels – more horizontal and collaborative than vertical and hierarchical (Botsman Citation2017) – represents a challenge for those who govern the organization. Receiving trust from the leadership in turn generates confidence in the workers. To put these ‘spirals of trust’ into action, Gara and La Porte analyze one of the most important moments in the relationship between an employee and an organization: recruitment. Trust, they say, must be considered one of the great strategic tools of the Human Resources department.
In the legal field, Moreno and Díaz show with a case study the ‘legal defense of corporate reputation’, where law and communication work in a complementary way. In recent years, especially with the digital revolution, new fields of interaction have opened up with their own followers, as well as new spaces for vulnerability (e.g. privacy, personal data, copyright…). In this context of the Internet, the authors present the crisis of reputation of an NGO linked to the Church and show how law and communication are two strategic tools of the organizations destined to collaborate. Looking at trust management in the public sector is a necessary source of inspiration for an institution like the Church. María José Canel conducts the academic interview with Steven Van de Walle on trust in public administration. He deals with a wide range of topics: from the ways of measuring trust and its typologies, to the influence of emotions on the inspiration of trust. The interview offers some comparative considerations between some other institutions, such as NGOs, and the Church. It also includes a final reflection on the new scenario created by COVID-19, which is testing citizens’ trust in the state and the health system.
In the public sphere, the management of vulnerability takes on a particular nuance in the case of high reliability organizations, entities that by their nature must avoid errors at all costs (Lekka Citation2011). Sanders takes the criteria of the HROs as her model to measure the trust that the British government has earned (or lost) with its public communication during the pandemic generated by the COVID-19, a situation that has tested the strength of social relations – especially trust toward public services – and that will merit another special issue of this journal." (Editorial: Contents of the special issue, pages 295-296)
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"Welche Darstellungen von ‚fernen Anderen‘ finden im Globalen Norden Verbreitung und Anklang? Welche nicht? Wer spricht für wen? Wer bleibt ungehört? Und: Weshalb scheint es zunehmend wichtig und geboten, diese Fragen zu stellen? Die sozialwissenschaftliche Studie analysiert und diskutiert kon
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troverse Debatten um epistemische, politische und ethische Aspekte der Repräsentation in Zusammenhängen humanitärer und wissenschaftlicher Wissensproduktion. Sie zeigt auf, wie kritisiert aber auch gerechtfertigt wird, dass internationale NGOs nach wie vor mit Elendsfotografien um Spenden werben, und beleuchtet, warum Forschung über, für oder mit marginalisierten Personen politisch und ethisch verantwortungsvoll betrieben werden soll." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Dieses Handbuch trägt den aktuellen Stand der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema Fundraising in Deutschland, Schweiz und Österreich zusammen. Erkenntnisse und Kennzahlen werden praxisorientiert aufbereitet. Ausgewiesene Experten, die sich sowohl wissenschaftlich als auch praktisc
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h mit zentralen Fragen der Mittelbeschaffung auseinandersetzen, teilen ihre Erkenntnisse zu strategischen und operativen Fragen des Fundraising bei Privatpersonen, Unternehmen und Stiftungen. Für die zweite Auflage wurde das Handbuch um Beiträge zu aktuellen Themen wie CSR, agile Führung, Digitalisierung und insbesondere im Bereich Online-Fundraising erweitert." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"The Startup Guide is our attempt to curate the information and tools we think are essential to launch an independent newsroom and leading a successful enterprise well beyond startup. The areas of focus include business planning, audience development, revenue generation and nonprofit management. All
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to support those who want to start a sustainable nonprofit news organization." (https://inn.org/research/guides/startup-guide)
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"Die neuen Möglichkeiten der Digitalisierung werden von vielen Organisationen bislang nicht ausreichend genutzt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen dafür vier wesentliche Erklärungen: Einseitiges Digitalisierungsverständnis: a) Digitalisierung wird in 86% der gemeinnützigen Organisationen als Mittel der Arb
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eitserleichterung, d.h. der effizienten und transparenten Bewältigung von organisationsinternen Aufgaben verstanden. Demgegenüber stehen nur 47% an Organisationen, die in der Digitalisierung auch die Möglichkeit sehen, ihre gesellschaftliche Wirkung zu steigern. b) Potenziale digitaler Schlüsseltechnologien werden nicht erkannt: Einige wenige innovative Organisationen im dritten Sektor zeigen zudem bereits anschaulich, wie digitale Schlüsseltechnologien ihre Arbeit bereichern und die gesellschaftliche Wirkung steigern können [...] c) Mehr Investitionen erforderlich, insbesondere in den Faktor „Mensch“: Eine erfolgreiche digitale Transformation endet nicht bei der Übersetzung von Daten vom Analogen zum Digitalen, sondern erfordert zusätzliches Wissen, Kompetenzen und Strukturen, um eine Organisation in letzter Konsequenz „digital zu denken“. Dafür braucht es Investitionen. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen allerdings, dass die Höhe der ITBudgets bei 47% der NPOs stagnieren. Alarmierend ist vor allem, dass nur 8% der derzeitigen IT-Investitionen in das IT-Personal fließen, wohingegen 59% für Hard- und Software eingesetzt werden [...] d) Alte und neue Hindernisse bremsen die Digitalisierung: Ein seit jeher bekanntes und chronisches Problem im dritten Sektor sind die oft knappen personellen und finanziellen Ressourcen, was im Falle der Digitalisierung wichtige Investitionen verhindert. Die Problematik, erforderliche Ressourcen aufzubringen, in Kombination mit der Schwierigkeit, sich relevantes Wissen anzueignen, zeigt: Nur 14% des dritten Sektors sind gut positioniert, um sich erfolgreich zu digitalisieren." (Executive summary, Seite 6-7)
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"In 10 Kapiteln werden traditionelle und neue Erscheinungsformen der Zivilgesellschaft einander gegenübergestellt. Als Folien dienen ein analytisches Bereichskonzept von Zivilgesellschaft, die Hirschmansche Einteilung in ‚loyal, exit, voice‘ und die im Maecenata Institut entwickelte Funktionsdi
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fferenzierung. In Anlehnung an das Habermassche Konzept der deliberativen Demokratie wird die politische Dimension von Zivilgesellschaft herausgestellt. Vermittelt werden sollen Grundlagen, Strömungen, Diskurse und Verknüpfungsansätze, die das soziale Phänomen beschreiben, einordnen und theoretisch begründen. Dazu werden die maßgeblichen Autoren mit ihren Kernaussagen vorgestellt und die Diskurse und Forschungslinien beleuchtet, die die Theoriebildung und Praxisentwicklung zur Zivilgesellschaft bestimmt haben. Die Vielseitigkeit der Herangehensweise und die damit verbundene interdisziplinäre Anknüpfbarkeit bieten Chancen für vielseitige Erkenntnisgewinne." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"In this guide I am going to walk you through a few methods you can use to evaluate a website. The specific method(s) you choose will depend a lot on your evaluation goals. And ultimately, you will probably want to mix these methods. But website evaluation doesn’t need to be overly complex. Our go
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al here is to use the web to actually accomplish something. An evaluation is going to help us see if we are on the right track, and specifically, how we might be able to improve our website or digital strategy." (Author)
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"The Global NGO Technology Report is a biennial research project that seeks to gain a better understanding of how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide use technology. Sponsored by Funraise and produced by Nonprofit Tech for Good, the rep
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ort examines how NGOs use web and email communications, online fundraising tools, social media, mobile technology, and productivity software. Now in its fourth edition, this year’s report provides technology benchmarks for Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States and Canada. A global average of the benchmark data—as well as Global NGO Technology Ratings—is also provided." (Page 3)
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"By understanding the ontogenesis of NGOs as civil society organizations from a historical-anthropological, communicational, sociological, economical and managerial perspective, Evandro Oliveira outlines the Instigatory Theory of NGO Communication
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(ITNC). This proposes the ontological principles, an applied conceptual model and a cybernetic operational model for understanding and managing communication at NGOs. Those models were tested using a mixed-method research design." (Publisher description)
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"If digitalization truly is an element of great social change, it has to be sustainable, fair, and relevant to all people and working for the common good. Without proper discussions on benefits or risk, without democratic control and regulations, technologies have the potential to lead to more and n
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ew social, economic and ecological problems. Important first steps have been made to discuss the role of technology and the digital world. Yet we have to continue to actively shape the path of a truly sustainable digitalization. As a framework, in this paper we propose one of the most comprehensive sustainability concepts ever agreed on by the world: The 2030 Agenda with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." (Page 1)
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"An important sub-discipline within the field of Communication and Social Change addresses how meaningful participation can be practically implemented. This article presents the case of an intervention developed by the NGO ‘Half the Sky Movement
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and reflects upon how participation took shape within a primarily top-down program model. The design of the project bridges traditional, outsider-led and participatory, bottom-up design. The project accomplishes this by focusing on small group discussion and short videos as catalysts for reflection. In addition, the data suggest that storytelling may be particularly helpful for promoting engaged discussion and critical reflection." (Abstract)
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"Offering insights from pioneering new perspectives in addition to well-established traditions of research and pioneering new perspectives, this Handbook considers the activities not only of advocacy groups in the environmental, feminist, human rights, humanitarian, and peace sectors, but also the a
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rray of religious, professional, and business associations that make up the wider Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) community. Including perspectives from multiple world regions the book takes account of institutions in the Global South, alongside better-known structures of the Global North. International contributors from a range of disciplines cover all the major aspects of research into NGOs in International Relations IR to present." (Publisher description)
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"This publication documents how authorities have stepped up censorship of the media and arbitrarily arrested and, in some cases, prosecuted journalists and activists perceived to be government critics. They have also exerted tighter control over NGOs and political opposition parties. The repression
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has effectively silenced critics and activists. The report calls on the Tanzanian government to take steps to protect the rights of freedom of expression and association, particularly ahead of elections, including by refraining from public rhetoric hostile to human rights issues; urgently reversing the pattern of repression and taking measures to stop the arbitrary arrest and harassment of journalists, NGO representatives and other activists, and political opposition members; and reforming repressive laws." (Back cover)
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