"Using case studies from countries such as Burma, Mexico and Uganda, the study explores whether the use of technology in citizen participation programs amplifies citizen voices and increases government responsiveness and accountability, and whether the use of digital technology increases the politic
...
al clout of citizens. The research shows that while more people are using technology—such as social media for mobile organizing, and interactive websites and text messaging systems that enable direct communication between constituents and elected officials or crowdsourcing election day experiences— the type and quality of their political participation, and therefore its impact on democratization, varies. It also suggests that, in order to leverage technology’s potential, there is a need to focus on non-technological areas such as political organizing, leadership skills and political analysis." (NDI website)
more
"This Global Information Society Watch tracks the state of communications surveillance in 57 countries across the world – countries as diverse as Hungary, India, Argentina, The Gambia, Lebanon and the United Kingdom. Each country report approaches the issue from a different perspective. Some analy
...
se legal frameworks that allow surveillance, others the role of businesses in collecting data (including marketing data on children), the potential of biometrics to violate rights, or the privacy challenges when implementing a centralised universal health system. The perspectives from long-time internet activists on surveillance are also recorded. Using the 13 International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance as a starting point, eight thematic reports frame the key issues at stake. These include discussions on what we mean by digital surveillance, the implications for a human rights agenda on surveillance, the “Five Eyes” inter-government surveillance network led by the US, cyber security, and the role of intermediaries." (GIS website)
more
"Internet freedom around the world has declined for the fourth consecutive year, with a growing number of countries introducing online censorship and monitoring practices that are simultaneously more aggressive and more sophisticated in their targeting of individual users. In a departure from the pa
...
st, when most governments preferred a behind-the-scenes approach to internet control, countries are rapidly adopting new laws that legitimize existing repression and effectively criminalize online dissent." (Page 1)
more
"Today, Mexican journalists see themselves as generational change agents. These journalists — many of whom are university graduates — stand in stark contrast to their corrupt, ill-equipped, trained-on-the-job predecessors who were fond of bribery and manipulation. Today‘s journalists define th
...
emselves as professionals who strive to counter established power, seek to impart the truth without bias, and endeavour to overcome ordinary pressures and provide politically relevant and reliable information to their audiences. However, political structures, occupational culture, and individual values clearly influence the extent to which this cherished autonomy and committment to ethics can be practised. Therefore, it is not possible to speak about two separate generations — one unethical and the other ethical — but, instead, of one transitional generation where old and new elements blend." (Conclusion)
more
"El Manual tiene el propósito de presentar los contenidos principales de las recientes reformas normativas en estos temas con el objetivo de que las y los comunicadores cuenten con una herramienta de apoyo para su labor comunicativa y de difusión [...] La reforma constitucional en materia de derec
...
hos humanos, que entró en vigor el 11 de junio del 2011, es un hecho trascendente en tanto reconoce y aporta al sistema de fuentes legales federales y nacionales, un sistema enriquecido con todas los intrumentos internacionales de protección de los derechos humanos, todas las disposiciones y los estándares que México ha firmado. La Ley para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas que dio origen al Mecanismo de Protección para Periodistas y Personas Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos, que entró en vigor el 26 de junio de 2012, es de suma relevancia en el contexto nacional actual, dado que crea un dispositivo especializado para que el Estado atienda su responsabilidad fundamental de proteger, promover y garantizar los derechos humanos de periodistas, comunicadores y defensores que se encuentran en situación de riesgo como consecuencia de su labor en la defensa y promoción de los derechos humanos, del ejercicio de la libertad de expresión y el periodismo [...] Los contenidos de este manual están organizados en cinco apartados: el primero se refiere a la Reforma constitucional en materia de derechos Humanos; el segundo a la Ley de protección para Periodistas y Personas Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos y al Mecanismo que originó; el tercero corresponde a la Reforma Constitucional en materia de Telecomunicaciones. El cuarto apartado contiene referencias de utilidad relacionadas con los temas y posteriormente de incluyen las versiones en mixe, zapoteco, mazateco y purépecha, a fin de que comunicadores/as indígenas tengan acceso a la información legislativa." (Presentación, página -6-7)
more
"El objetivo de este trabajo es ampliar la información y difusión sobre el contexto real en el que las radios comunitarias posibilitan el ejercicio de la libertad de expresión desde las comunidades. Con este informe esperamos contribuir a visibilizar e impulsar el análisis sobre el tercer sector
...
de la comunicación en el país. Este trabajo ha sido elaborado a partir de los resultados obtenidos de la investigación de campo levantada en siete estados de la república con contextos diversos que han incidido en el quehacer radiofónico de la ciudadanía y de las comunidades. Con la ayuda de nuestras asociadas se contactó a otros colectivos radiofónicos en Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Sonora, Nuevo León y Chiapas, con quienes se organizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas grupales e individuales." (Presentación)
more
"La cultura es la riqueza de los pueblos que defienden su identidad y que tratan de reinventarse en un mundoglobalizado, multicultural y diverso. Es imprescindible, pues, impulsar la reflexión sobre el papel de la cultura en su desarrollo. Esta segunda edición del estudios "Cultura y desarrollo ec
...
onómico en Iberoamérica" aborda el efecto de la cultura en el desarrollo económico de nuestros paíse, y llega a una conclusión impactante: los aportes de la cultura al desarrollo económico de los países son muy superiores a los presupuestos que los mismos países beneficiados invierten en el desarrollo de la cultura. Finalmente, el estudio pon en relieve que aún falta mucho camino por recorrer para que todos los países lleguen a destinar al menos el 1% de su presupuesto a la inversión cultural, tal como se aprobó en la Conferencia de Ministros de Cultura celebrada en Chile, en Julio de 2007." (Tapa posterior)
more
"Mexico ranks as one of the most violent countries in the world for journalists, and especially for those who work on the country’s periphery such as its northern border. Given the dire situation for Mexican reporters covering the northern part of the country, and the continued responsibility of U
...
S journalists to report on the area just south of the border, this qualitative study addresses the overarching research question that examines how Mexican and US journalists who cover northern Mexico are using social media, given the heightened levels of violence in the region. The authors utilize a modified version of the conceptual framework of scale-shifting to investigate how journalists in a specific transnational environment of conflict are using social media. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of 41 interviews gathered in fall 2011 in 18 cities with news media outlets along the United States–Mexico border. Findings describe the innovative ways that journalists are circumventing online security risks (what the authors call scale-shifting) and how social media are used to build cross-border relationships." (Abstract)
more
"Se presenta un ejercicio de análisis crítico del discurso cuyo propósito es establecer las representaciones construidas por periodistas de opinión acerca de la pobreza, reproducidas en uno de los principales diarios de México en el momento estratégico de la crisis económica mundial de 2008-2
...
009. Utilizando un andamiaje de niveles y categorías textuales, retóricas e ideológicas, se analizó un corpus de catorce piezas publicadas a lo largo de nueves meses. El análisis constata la utilización amplia de falacias y recursos retóricos dirigidos a construir una caracterización estereotípica de la pobreza, representando a los sujetos como víctimas sin agencia y carenciados particularmente en el plano material, elidiendo otras dimensiones de la problemática. La atribución reiterada de la pobreza al gobierno, sin explicaciones vinculantes con la crisis económica, apunta a que el abordaje del tema es un medio utilizado para criticar a las instituciones gubernamentales, más que un intento de explicación del mismo." (Resumen)
more
"Media Systems and Communication Policies in Latin America proposes, tests and analyses the liberal captured model. It explores to what extent to which globalisation, marketization, commercialism, regional bodies and the nation State redefine the media's role in Latin American societies." (Publisher
...
description)
more
"Campaigns and movements targeting corruption often face decentralized targets rather than an identifiable dictator or external government, and can be found both in undemocratic and democratic systems. Graft and abuse are manifested in a systemic manner rather than a hodgepodge collection of illicit
...
transactions. Consequently, this research brings to light new applications of civil resistance beyond the more commonly known cases against occupations, such as the Indian independence movement, and authoritarian regimes from Chile to Poland. It also expands our understanding about the dynamics of how people collectively wield nonviolent power for the common good. The focus of this research is on citizen agency: what civic actors and regular people—organized together and exerting their collective power—are doing to curb corruption as they define and experience it. Hence, the analytical framework is based on the skills, strategies, objectives, and demands of such initiatives, rather than on the phenomenon of corruption itself, which has been judiciously studied for more than two decades by scholars and practitioners from the anticorruption and development realms. I selected cases that met the following criteria: they were “popular” initiatives. They were civilian-based, involved grassroots participation, and were led and implemented by individuals from the civic realm, rather than governments or external actors, such as donors, development institutions, and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs); they were nonviolent. They did not threaten or use violence to further their aims; they involved some degree of organization and planning, which varied depending on the scope—objectives, geographical range, duration—of the civic initiative; multiple nonviolent actions were employed (thus, instances of one-off demonstrations or spontaneous protests were not considered); objectives and demands were articulated; the civic initiative was sustained over a period of time." (Introduction, pages 2-3)
more
"Journalism in Mexico has become a high-risk profession. With 137 journalists killed and 14 missing since the start of the “drug wars” there, Mexico has become the Latin American country with the most crimes against journalists (Rodríguez Olvera, 2011). Between 2000 and 2011, the National Commi
...
ssion of Human Rights (CNDH. Mexico) reported 74 murders of journalists in Mexico (cited in Meneses, 2012); consequently, some international organizations placed it as the second most dangerous country to practice journalism (Meneses, 2012). They have become endangered observers of drug trafficking crimes when retaliation threatens their disappearance or murder. This reduces freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and threatens citizens’ right to be informed. Historically, journalists have performed their jobs under pressure, and have thus been dependent on the interests of the media. In Mexico, over the past decade, members of this profession have faced great risks in order to do their jobs in the midst of a war against drug trafficking." (Introduction)
more
"During President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa’s administration, the military was called on to confront organized crime, and dozens of journalists were killed in Mexico. Attacks on journalists have continued under the new administration. This study focuses on the erosion of the democratic institution
...
of the press in Mexico’s northern states, for the majority of journalists murdered in the last decade worked in that region. Utilizing Shoemaker and Reese’s hierarchy of influences model, this study examines pressures constraining the press working in a tide of violence. The thirty-nine semistructured, in-depth interviews with Mexican journalists, who report in five of the northern states, indicate the strongest influences came from outside newsrooms, where intimidation and unthinkable crimes were committed against the press along the entire border. Individual-level influences, such as lack of conflict-reporting training, safety concerns, and handling the trauma of covering violence, were among the strongest pressures often leading to self-censorship. Organizational-level influences, including newsroom policies and financial arrangements with government and business, also influenced journalistic practice. The study added an inter-media level for analyses of news organizations and individual journalists working together to increase safety. Additional findings show major disruptions in border reporting where news “blackouts” exist amid pockets of lawlessness." (Abstract)
more
"Die Beiträge dieses Buches zeigen am Beispiel des ¡muestra! IberoAmerikanischen Filmfests in Passau, welche filmischen Schätze der Kulturraum zu bieten hat und wie diese im deutschsprachigen Raum rezipiert werden. Gleichzeitig dokumentieren sie die zwar junge, aber sehr erfolgreiche Festivalgesc
...
hichte der Passauer ¡muestra!" (Buchrücken)
more
"The structure of this Yearbook is divided in three parts. The first part is an introduction chapter that makes a comparative synthesis of fiction in Obitel countries. This comparison is made from a quantitative and qualitative perspective that allows us to observe fiction development in each countr
...
y, pointing out its main products as well as the topic of the year: transmedia production strategies in television fiction. The second part includes 12 chapters (one for each country) with an internal structure in which sections of the Yearbook are usually constant, although some are more specific than others." (Pages 19-20)
more