"Results show that, overall, REDD+ has received limited attention in the Nepali media. Within the overall climate change discourse in Nepal, the melting of the Himalayan ice-caps and glaciers has dominated all other discourses, including that on REDD+. Nepali journalists have found the science behin
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d REDD+ to be very complex, making it difficult to understand and report. Moreover, technical topics such as REDD+ tend to attract less media attention than political issues. Our analysis also revealed that reporting on REDD+ has concentrated on major national and international events, such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Cabinet meeting of the Government of Nepal in Kalapatthar (Mt Everest base camp). Similarly, the analysis of media framing shows that ‘symptomatic’, ‘prognostic’ and ‘motivational’ approaches prevail in reporting about REDD+ in Nepal. This tells us that the focus of media articles has been on the identification of specific issues and problems concerning REDD+, articulation of proposed solutions, and justification of why stakeholders should be concerned about the issue. We did not find a single article in which the views of adversaries of the dominant opinion were expressed." (Executive summary)
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"In this case study, I have studied three community radio stations- RS in Nepal, KCR in Sri Lanka and SCR in New Zealand- investigating how the radio management policies are positively or negatively, affecting community access and participation. The study shows that in their effort to stay economica
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lly sustainable, the three stations are gradually evolving as a ‘hybrid’; something that sits in-between community and commercial radio. Consequently, programmes that are produced by the local community are often replaced by programmes that are produced by full-time paid staff; and they are more entertaining in nature and accommodate more advertisements. The radio stations also actively seek the sale of airtime to wellfunded NGOs, giving agency-driven programmes priority over local community programmes. This means the stations have become vehicles that help agency objectives. Hence, although ‘hybrid’ initiatives have merits financially, while depicting as local community representatives, they are marginalising the voices and interests of the very people that gave the radio stations their community characteristics and identity. Hence, in the interest of earning more revenue to secure market survival, the ‘hybrid’ initiatives are in fact, settling for a lesser community role." (Abstract)
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"The Report is composed of four thematic parts. Part 1 describes the conceptual framework and relates the findings of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2012. In addition, Part 1 features selected expert contributions on the general theme of hyperconnectivity. Part 2 includes two case studies showi
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ng the efforts that two countries, Azerbaijan and Mauritius, are making to develop ICT and fully leverage their potential benefits. Part 3 comprises detailed profiles for the 142 economies covered in this year’s Report, providing a thorough picture of each economy’s current networked readiness landscape and allowing for international comparisons of specific variables or components of the NRI. Part 4 includes data tables for each of the 53 variables composing the NRI, with rankings for the economies covered as well as technical notes and sources for the quantitative variables used." (Executive summary, page xi)
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"This article presents an overview of the emergence of sustainability themes in communication for development and argues that there is an urgent need for a framework of sustainability indicators for communication for development and social change projects around the world. It fills a crucial gap in
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the growing body of literature by first synthesizing the most relevant data currently produced by global and local institutions, NGOs, UN-based organizations, academics, and professionals regarding assessment indicators for development projects, and second, produces a framework of sustainability indicators that can be used by a wide variety of people in the field to assess the sustainability of existing projects and the sustainable potential of planned ones. It then tests the framework in two representative cases." (Abstract)
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"The manual is designed for a three-day workshop. It is accompanied by two sets of PowerPoint slides: Gender and security and Security and security sector reform (SSR) and a Companion workbook. The workbook contains tools, hand-outs, briefing information sheets and selected reading materials. It has
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been designed to be as helpful as possible to trainers. It also contains daily learning diaries and lists of resources on gender and security issues for journalists and civil society. The workbook can be given to participants for use during the workshop and for future reference." (Introduction, page 5)
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"This publication updates a 2005 review of communication in Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS). It includes four country case studies (Ghana, Tanzania, Moldova, and Nepal) and a regional analysis of Latin America and the Caribbean. It explores how the use of strategic communication has expanded beyo
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nd the PRS and is now being integrated into national development planning and implementation. Many of these strategies are shifting their focus from a “dissemination and publicity strategy” to a“communication program” that emphasizes information intervention beyond the traditional campaign, workshop or seminars. Compared with the 2005 review, the main difference is the institutionalization of communication, moving beyond the one-time experience for the first set of PRSs to broader, deeper sustained communication in support of poverty reduction and national development strategies. A second major difference is expanding beyond communication and participation in PRS formulation to PRS implementation, monitoring, and evaluation." (Executive summary)
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This publication outlines four communication approaches used by United Nations organizations: (i) behaviour change communication; (ii) communication for social change; (iii) communication for advocacy; and (iv) strengthening an enabling media and communications environment. The second part provides
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an in-depth exploration of Communication for Development efforts within seven United Nations agencies, programmes and funds: FAO, ILO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO, followed by case studies that demonstrate C4D in practice either as part of a larger project or as a ‘stand alone’ project contributing to the strategic objectives of the organization.
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"Peace journalism finds its place in newspapers and magazines, on radio and television, in film and documentaries, in digital media and mainstream cultural events such as public exhibitions and debates. There are also transnational online communities like Avaaz.org, which is dedicated to organizing
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“citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.” At the heart of the matter lies power. Excluding, invisibilizing, and marginalizing people facilitate all kinds of travesty and injustice. Including, making visible, and placing people at the centre of decision-making uphold their human rights. Thus, peace journalism falls squarely within the realm of the right to communicate – strengthening the ability of people and communities to make known their economic, political, social, and cultural aspirations and urging them to live in peace with one another." (Editorial, page 2)
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"This article explores the use of sound in the context of two BBC World Service development-focused social realist radio drama productions in Afghanistan (New Home, New Life) and Nepal (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi). It examines the various ‘sound strategies' employed to enhance the realist aspirati
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ons of the productions, while examining the ‘creative labour’ employed in crafting discrete ‘acoustic environments' or ‘soundscapes'. It argues that sound helps to index narrative, but in doing so suggests that too specific a rendering of sound environment may confound the abilities of listeners to construct a satisfying sense of place and therein affect any sense of social realism derived." (Abstract)
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"The study uses qualitative and quantitative research to perform a community-based needs assessment. It highlights the underlying issues of a weak economy, infrastructure and caste system. It also highlights social and family networks that strengthen communities. The research then investigates how t
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he community radio station is responding to these needs, presenting findings alongside the potential 'role of radio' (HCR 2002). The study uses a set o community radio indicators (James 2004) in collaboration with 'five conditions for social change' (Dragon and Tufte 2006) to identify limitations and constraints, and review effectiveness. The dissertation concludes with key recommendations for the station to: increase networking, increase learning and, most importantly, increase community involvement. It makes recommendations for donors to reduce control and increase community participation." (Abstract)
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"This document reports on the pilot assessment of 15 community radio stations – or of radios that claim to be community radios – based on the Community Radio Performance Assessment System (CR-PAS) developed by the Community Radio Support Centre (CRSC) / Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (
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NEFEJ). The CR-PAS seeks to assess community radio stations in seven performance areas: participation and ownership, governance, programs, resource structure and management, station management, financial management and networking. It uses a set of 60 indicators and is intended to be a practical tool that the stations could eventually adopt for continuous self-assessment. Following a brief overview of radio in Nepal, this report provides an overview of the CR-PAS and the assessment process. Thereafter, it reports on the findings and analysis both of all the radios that were assessed and also of individual stations, leading to conclusions and recommendations." (Executive summary)
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"In the year of the Arab uprisings Global Information Society Watch 2011 investigates how governments and internet and mobile phone companies are trying to restrict freedom online – and how citizens are responding to this using the very same technologies. Everyone is familiar with the stories of E
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gypt and Tunisia. GISWatch authors tell these and other lesser-known stories from more than 60 countries. Stories about: Prison conditions in Argentina - prisoners are using the internet to protest living conditions and demand respect for their rights; Torture in Indonesia - the torture of two West Papuan farmers was recorded on a mobile phone and leaked to the internet, the video spread to well-known human rights sites sparking public outrage and a formal investigation by the authorities; The tsunami in Japan - citizens used social media to share actionable information during the devastating tsunami, and in the aftermath online discussions contradicted misleading reports coming from state authorities. GISWatch also includes thematic reports and an introduction from Frank La Rue, Un special rapporteur." (Back cover)
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"By assessing edutainment as a space of cultural translation, Drama for Development advances an often neglected perspective in this topics' research. It focuses on what happens when various goals, worldviews and needs from donors, producers and the audiences come together in the production and meani
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ng construction of soap operas. The perspective is illustrated by examples from the largely South Asian experiences of the BBC World Service Trust, itself seen as a cross-cultural contact zone. Tensions between western scientific paradigm and local researcher in the audience research process (chapter 3), the cosmopolitan competencies of the production team in harmonizing the urge for authenticity, cultural sensitivity and development objectives (chapter 6) and the construction of social realism as an interplay of the observed realities of the audiences and the neo-liberal themes of donors (e.g., opium in ch.6 and forced marriage in chapter 11) exemplify some of the processes taking place in that zone. The epistemological position of the book is complementary to the more technical perspective of the existing body of literature, which sometimes fails to capture the complex processes of meaning construction and link it to the wider social context." (commbox)
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"This companion workbook is designed for use in tandem with the Saferworld/IHRICON Training of trainers’ manual on gender and security for the media and civil society in Nepal. It contains tools, hand-outs, briefing information sheets, selected reading materials for exercises, daily learning diari
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es and a list of useful resources on gender and security sector reform (SSR) for journalists and civil society." (Page 2)
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