"This state-of-the-art Handbook provides unique insights into the governance practices and institutions shaping digitalized public spheres. Focusing on the power relations involved, it presents diverse approaches to key debates in media and communication governance, showcasing groundbreaking advance
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s in the field. Contributing authors explore the impact of long-standing trends such as commercialization, digitalization and transnationalization on media and communication governance, highlighting urgent new developments including algorithmization and datafication. Combining theoretical inquiry with cutting-edge empirical analysis, they address governance challenges at the regional, national and global levels to provide a broad view of the social ordering of media systems. Ultimately, the Handbook explores how to protect the public sphere in the digital age and ensure that media organizations and platforms meet democratic expectations." (Publisher description)
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"The below principles seek to reinvigorate international support to media and the information environment. They aspire to encourage current development co-operation providers to increase levels of financial and other forms of assistance and to improve the relevance and effectiveness of their existin
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g support to preserve, protect, and promote public interest media and information integrity. Official development assistance (ODA) can be essential to address the major challenges facing the global information environment. The principles presented here may guide development co-operation providers’ endeavours to respond to the challenges laid out in the preamble. The principles are supported by a non-exhaustive, indicative list of practical, concrete ways to operationalise each principle. The first principle on ‘do no harm to public interest media’, is intended as a minimum standard which all development co-operation providers are expected to respect. The other principles are more ambitious, seeking to function as a guide and an inspiration to development co-operation providers to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their support.
1. Ensure that assistance does no harm to public interest media [...]
2. Increase financial and other forms of support to public interest media and the information environment, in order to strengthen democratic resilience [...]
3. Take a whole of system perspective on supporting the media and information environment to make support more relevant, effective and sustainable. Consider the media and information environment as a development sector in itself, a critical part of efforts to promote and protect democracy, human rights, gender equality and development as well as a sector which can support implementation of other development goals [...]
4. Strengthen local leadership and ownership, empowering media partners as well as other actors in the information environment such as civil society organisations and online content creators to meaningfully participate in policies and programmes [...]
5. Improve co-ordination of support to the media and information environment, both among donor agencies and between development and diplomatic efforts to support media freedom, especially in contexts of crisis [...]
6. Invest in knowledge, research, and learning [...]" (Page 8-11)
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"The public’s increased access to journalists via social networks is arguably the defining shift in audience-media relations over the past two decades. While some laud this potential for dialogue, the reality is that many journalists face targeted hostility, with women often subjected to particula
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rly challenging content. Underpinning this project is the question of how contemporary social media dynamics, and particularly negative or hostile interactions, affect journalists in Ireland. Drawing on interviews with 36 national-level female journalists, this project documents their experiences in their own words, analyses how they handle negativity, and explores how they think those with power should respond. The project also includes focus groups with 40 student journalists who are grappling with the expectations around social media use moving forward in their careers." (Abstract)
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"Is it necessary for journalists to seek refuge with foreign agencies to escape national governmental and policy restrictions? Should journalism education rely on international support, or is it feasible to detach it from foreign development collab
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oration? Should education be viewed as a business or commodity? Is any international development support sustainable within the local context? Is free thinking truly free from the structural constraints of slavery and financial influence? Is absolute freedom a utopian ideal or a tangible reality? These inquiries, coupled with corresponding philosophical methodologies, aim to evaluate the structure, constituents, excellence, and norms of current journalism education programs. The goal is to uncover if and to what extent international media development organizations sway journalism education programs during the transition phase (2011–2021) in Myanmar or beyond.
2011 marked a turning point, as the military-supported government of Myanmar granted media professionals the ability to exercise their fundamental rights to express themselves and access information. The government has taken a number of favorable measures towards the democratic path, such as partially lifting censorship from several news publications, authorizing private daily newspapers, approving new television channels, establishing a press council, and permitting journalist unions and associations. The formation of the quasi-elected government in 2015 brought renewed hope. However, the military coup at the beginning of 2021 has once again impeded progress towards a democratic environment, and fundamental rights such as access to information and freedom of speech. Capacity building facilities for journalists and media professionals remain an important aspect of the democratic process in the country." (Publisher description)
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"The aim of this article is to show to what extent alternative audio media can be built online, not only by amateurs but also as a combination of the energy and involvement of professional journalists and the community of listeners who are ready to support them [...] The podcast Raport o stanie swia
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ta and two Internet radio stations, Radio Nowy Swiat and Radio 357 from Poland, which are analysed in this article, were born in an act of protest against the negative changes in public service broadcasting, which became a propaganda tool. They are financed by listeners via the crowdfunding platform Patronite and do not broadcast advertising. A framework for analysing their functioning is devised using, in particular, theories of the public sphere and of alternative media. The study is based on content analysis of the call-in broadcasts disseminated for the first anniversary of the stations, Radio Nowy Swiat (April 16 and July 9, 2022) and Radio 357 (January 5, 2022). Pre-structured interviews with the patrons of Raport o stanie swiata are also used. Websites and social media accounts of these initiatives, as well as press coverage and data gathered by the National Broadcasting Council in relation to Polish Radio, are analysed as well. The research found that all three initiatives Raport o stanie swiata, Radio Nowy Swiat and Radio 357, despite being started by professionals, share some of the characteristics of alternative media and can significantly change the model of audio production, financing and consumption routines in Poland." (Abstract)
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"The Council of the European Union [...] invites the Commission and member states, within their areas of competence and in due compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, to: 42. continue and undertake further efforts in terms of a systematic, c
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omprehensive and cross-sectoral approach to developing media literacy and raising awareness of the importance of media literacy; national efforts undertaken in this perspective, including funding initiatives, should be accompanied at EU level; 43. foster better use of the possibilities offered by EU funds and EU programmes to support media education and diverse media literacy projects and initiatives (e.g. support for the media through the Creative Europe programme, in particular the new action on support for the media) and to develop additional funding sources as well as create synergies between the relevant EU programmes; 44. ensure that media literacy measures targeting minors under the Better Internet for Children Strategy keep pace with the continuously evolving digital environment; 45. finance and foster systematic and regular research into media literacy and the impact of media and digital platforms (e. g. systematic research on media literacy measures and initiatives; research into the influence of new media and communication platforms on well-being of citizens; research into the operation of algorithms and AI and their influence on public opinion, people’s lives, and media consumption, as well as on the European media and audiovisual industry); 46. support the audiovisual industry in developing quality European content and distribution platforms, taking into account the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the audiovisual sector in general; 47. encourage platforms and media outlets to cooperate on the development of tools and processes that promote the visibility and findability of quality news sources, along with the visibility and findability of quality European audiovisual content." (Page 26)
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"This research is aimed at assessing national vulnerabilities and preparedness to counteract foreign-led disinformation in 14 countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The Visegrad states (Czech Re
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public, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine), the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Romania are covered. An integral part of the research is the Disinformation Resilience Index, which is quantitative assessment of exposure to Kremlin-led disinformation and the level of national resilience to disinformation campaigns." (Page 1)
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"This book is the first to incorporate current academic literature on European, transnational, and international media law into a comprehensive overview intended primarily for students. It introduces the legal framework for globalised communication via mass media, and considers the transformative ef
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fect globalisation has had on domestic media law. Engaging case examples at the beginning of each chapter and questions at the end give students a clearer idea of legal problems and encourage them to think critically. A wide variety of topics - including media economics, media technology, and social norms concerning media publications - are discussed in relation to media law, and numerous references to case law and suggestions for further reading allow students to conduct independent research easily." (Back cover)
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"Communicating research findings to potential users outside the academic community, whether in government, business, Third Sector or the general public, has, or at least should become, an essential element in most social scientists’ working lives
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. Engaging with the media enables you not just to reach ‘opinion formers’, the public and their academic peers, it is also the most effective way of: communicating research to potential users; raising your profile; getting involved in wider public debate; meeting the broader obligations of accountability that are incumbent on all publicly funded researchers. This publication provides some practical guidelines on how you can engage with the media in order to have a greater impact on the national debate. It will also provide you with information about: what makes a good news story; working effectively with journalist; writing press releases; giving TV and radio interviews; working with radio and TV documentary makers." (Introduction)
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"The issue of media accountability mechanisms has been brought into the spotlight in South Africa following the release by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of a discussion paper entitled ‘Media Transformation, Ownership and Diversity’
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for deliberation at its National General Council meeting in September 2010, and the subsequent resolutions from the meeting. The paper and subsequent 2010 resolutions, among other things, reinforce a 2007 ANC Conference resolution to investigate the establishment of a statutory Media Appeals Tribunal (MAT) as the ruling party has suggested that the current self-regulatory system established by the print media does not sufficiently ensure that standards and ethics are upheld by newspapers. The print media have defended the self -regulatory mechanisms they have put in place, and argued that statutory regulation would inhibit freedom of expression and breach South Africa’s Constitution.
This paper does not evaluate the different arguments, nor does it make any recommendations on a way forward, beyond proposing that any accountability mechanisms/policies put in place must be responsive to evident public need and premised on reinforcing the media’s responsibility to hold those with economic, political and/or social power to account and to tell the news truthfully, accurately and fairly. The research instead focuses on highlighting approaches taken in other countries and ways the media and/or governments promote adherence by the media to principles and standards while reinforcing freedom of expression. It also briefly looks at additional proposals on transformation of the media suggested by the ANC in its paper. It focuses particularly on print media as this is the primary focus of the ruling party recommendations." (Introduction)
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"Between August and October 2009, the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group, funded by the British Council, conducted research
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in south africa to gauge public understanding of climate change. The research consisted of 16 focus group discussions with south african citizens, and 18 in-depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media, and civil society. the overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support south africa’s response to climate change.
Key findings
Most South Africans are aware of the phenomenon of global climate change, but their understanding of the science is patchy, although they associate the terms ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ with carbon emissions, many also conflate them with ozone depletion. they tend to use ‘climate change’, ‘global warming‘, and ‘ozone depletion’ interchangeably.
The term ‘climate change’ often triggers associations with some of the global impacts of climate change, such as melting ice caps, rising sea levels, hurricanes, and the possible inundation of low lying countries like the Maldives and Bangladesh.
Many South Africans do not see climate change as having any special relevance to south africa or the rest of the African continent. However, when prompted to think about the impacts of climate change locally, they link it to national issues which they are already concerned about, such as the loss of wildlife and increased flooding.
Many South Africans use climate change as an umbrella term to refer to the destruction occurring in their natural surroundings, with changes in the weather and seasons forming part of the broader environmental changes people have observed over the course of their lifetimes." (Executive summary)
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"Presents the baseline data of quantitative research undertaken into the reading, book reading, and book buying habits of South Africans from the age of 16. The survey was commissioned by the South African Department of Arts and Culture through the
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Print Industries Cluster Council (PICC), now part of the South African Book Development Council. The survey, supported by a massive amount of statistical analysis in the form of charts and tables, is presented under five sectors: Reading and the research in context; South African leisure life; Reading in South Africa; Book reading in South Africa-segmenting the market, and Strategic interpretations and the way forward." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1077)
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"Griffith University researchers in 2002 presented the final results of a national survey of community radio stations. The final report ‘Culture Commitment Community – The Australian Community Radio Sector’ contained a wealth of information o
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n the sector and covered many ‘station–based’ perspectives on issues such as localism, funding and sponsorship, Indigenous and ethnic programming and training. A key criticism of this report was the lack of data on community radio audiences. Two years later, an expanded research team received funding from the Australian Research Council along with financial and in-kind support from Department of Communication, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA), the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) to investigate community radio and television audiences. This project is the first comprehensive qualitative audience study of the community media sector in Australia and responds to a need within the sector, from policy bodies and the broader Australian community, to better understand community broadcasters and their diverse audiences. Internationally, this project, in both scale and approach, is unprecedented. Thus, it heralds an exciting and pioneering stage in community broadcasting research. This paper outlines the aims and objectives of the project and our methodology for accessing Australian community media audiences. A qualitative engagement with the diversity of audiences characteristic of the community media sector has demanded new ways of doing audience research. This paper discusses some of the methodological hurdles we have crossed in our attempts to negotiate the research terrain and we raise some of the questions associated with the qualitative method and assert its validity and portability as a tool for better understanding and knowing the nature and composition of community media audiences in Australia." (Abstract)
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"The primary objective of this research has been to review the experiences and analyse the role of the mainline churches in advocacy in support of human rights, democracy and poverty alleviation in Africa. It has set out to identify what is the par
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ticular contribution that churches can bring to such advocacy, and what opportunities exist for mutual support from other organisations involved in campaigning for human rights and democratic development. In particular the relationship between church-related NGOs in Europe and the mainline churches in Africa for advocacy work is examined. The analysis is based on an examination of three issues that are considered to be critical to the effective involvement of churches in advocacy: the external linkages and relationships of the church to other groups in society; the organisational implications of engaging in advocacy; and thirdly the ideological and theological positioning of the Church. Case studies were conducted on: the role of the National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) in advocating for human rights and democracy; the role of the churches in Malawi in the transition to a multi-party democracy, and the role of the churches in advocating on economic issues in Zambia." (Abstract)
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"The proceedings of a British Council hosted conference held in Manchester in October 1991, which was the first international conference to examine all the issues raised by the African book sector studies commissioned by the World Bank and the UK
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s Overseas Development Administration (ODA). A comprehensive book sector study, it is argued, provides a multifaceted analysis and research which is needed to guide policy makers, book project designers, investors, and both national and donor agencies. Includes discussions of policy issues connected with the book sector studies, covering publishing, printing, distribution, raw materials, regional co-operation and library development, and which were drawn from nine African book sector studies." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1869)
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"A UNESCO mission report whose purpose was to assist the Sierra Leone Ministry of Education in the review of existing facilities for the preparation, production, printing and distribution of textbooks in Sierra Leone (particularly those for primary schools); identify any inherent weaknesses and reco
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mmend appropriate solutions; and to assist the setting up of a National Book Development Council, and preparing its administrative and management plan in order for it to become operational." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 919)
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"Primarily "a study of institutions of the public or public utility character whose purpose is to promote the art and technique of the cinema and their applications in education, science and culture." Thus, film and trade associations and trade union types of associations are not dealt with. It uses
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as examples detailed descriptions and charts of organizations in Britain, India, Sweden, and Poland, with an annex giving names and addresses of national branches of the International Council for Educational Media (ICEM) and the International Scientific Film Association (ISFA) throughout the world. There is also a list of the membership of the International Newsreel Association (INA)." (Eleanor Blum, Frances G. Wilhoit: Mass media bibliography. 3rd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990 Nr. 1201)
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"Analysis of the contributions of major specialists in the mass media (more especially in the developing countries): Schramm, Schils, de Sola Pool, Lerner. This work constitutes the first volume of a series of 6 works entitled "Studies in political development", published under the patronage of the
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Committee on Comparative Politics of the Social Science Research Council." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1835, topic code 070)
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