"The Center for International Media Assistance and Deutsche Welle Akademie have launched a series of regional consultations with media stakeholders–civil society and media watchdog NGOs, broadcast regulators, academics, media industry representatives, government officials, and others in the media
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and development sectors–to diagnose the problems facing independent media in the world today. The first of these conferences took place in Bogota, Colombia, in November 2015. CIMA and DW Akademie are pleased to publish Media in Latin America: A Path Forward, a summary of the discussion and the findings. We hope it will serve to foster more discussion about how independent media around the world can best be supported." (CIMA website)
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"The fundamental problem with cyber surveillance, even for the most well-intentioned governments, is that laws have not evolved with the technology. Governments must enforce the laws that exist and apply them to the modern age. And they should consider that just because technology makes surveillance
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possible doesn’t mean it makes it necessary or justifiable in all cases. The best one can hope for is international adoption of a set of standards, and the use of those standards by international monitoring organizations to apply pressure on authoritarian governments to meet them." (Conclusion)
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"Even as a growing number of authoritarian regimes crack down on the political press, business news is thriving. And the coverage is more vigorous than might be expected. Enterprising journalists are exposing mismanagement and unearthing shady business deals, and — even at times exposing official
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corruption — that otherwise might never see the light of day. While other journalists face censorship, jail, or worse, business journalists are eschewing political stories to provide news and statistics on markets, business deals, and international trade. The expansion of economic and business journalism is not a substitute for truly free and independent media. But it is a sign that — even in the most repressive environments — the demand for trustworthy information is strong and growing. And the demand comes not just from investors and citizens trying to keep track of what's going on in these fast-changing markets, but also from governments, who themselves rely on the press for up-to-date information." (Page 1)
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