"Esta edición de Perspectivas Progresistas analiza el reciente debate y proceso po-lítico sobre las reformas a la legislación de radio, televisión y telecomunicaciones en México.“Una ley para Televisa: crónica de una regresión política” es el título del análisis que realizó el investi
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gador y especialista en medios Raúl Trejo Delarbre, a través pre-cisamente de una crónica de aquellos aciagos días que desembocaron en la aprobación a toda costa de la llamada Ley Televisa. “La aprobación a las reformas de a la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión y a la de Telecomunicaciones significa para México uno de los retrocesos más grandes en la construcción de nuestra democracia”, dice Aleida Calleja, de la Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias (AMARC) en sus reflexio-nes sobre el tema. En un texto publicado inicialmente en su columna editorial para la revista Proceso, con el significativo nombre “Paisaje después de la batalla”, la politóloga Denise Dresser recuerda la triste y dura lección sobre la política mexicana contemporá-nea que aprendieron varios de sus estudiantes que fueron testigos de las reuniones de la Comisión de Comunicaciones y Transportes en el Senado de la República en marzo de 2006. A su vez, en sus “Apuntes sobre los contenidos de da la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión”, Damián Loreti, experto en legislación internacional de los medios elec-trónicos, desarrolla algunos principios básicos e internacionalmente reconocidos para una legislación plural en la materia." (Editorial)
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"This book discusses the fundamental elements of media systems and shows how they are used in eight sample countries. Unlike other books, it is organized according to media elements, with comparative discussions of all eight countries within each chapter. This helps readers make connections and comp
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arisons between the countries and allows them to apply the concepts to other countries not discussed in the book. Comparing Media from Around the World also features exciting photographs from the sample countries showing not only the media but how they are experienced in context (for example, a newspaper stand in France and an internet cafe in Ghana)." (Publisher description)
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"In passing and implementing the Access to Information Act 2002, Jamaica has established a new and more open form of governance and accomplished what many other countries are still attempting. The Act, which provides citizens an enforceable right to official documents held by public authorities, is
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key to enhancing democracy, ensuring citizens’ participation, and building greater trust in Government decision making. Access to public documents can assist citizens in exercising their other fundamental socioeconomic rights, such as the right to housing, appropriate health care, and a clean and healthy environment, and it can serve to make government more efficient and effective. Passing an access to information law is, relatively speaking, easy in comparison to the practise of implementation, which can be challenging for any country. Successful implementation of an open information regime requires a commitment of resources (human, financial, and time), preparation of public bodies, development of procedures, change in culture and behaviours, and expertise. It is clear that the Jamaican Government and its public authorities, who entered into effect in phases with the final large group beginning in July 2005, have made great progress in the implementation of the Act including training of civil servants in the law and best practices. Many of the efforts in Jamaica serve as a model for other jurisdictions. However, as with any new regime there is the potential for constructive reform and advancement." (Introduction)
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"Young people, working with a range of media materials, produce innovative content through dialogue and discussions says this publication. On the basis of case studies in Ghana, Haiti, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Vietnam, and Zambia, the study examines how
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youth get involved with an assortment of media including newspaper and magazine, radio, television and video, the internet, and personal digital assistants. The study [...] provides a detailed sketch of the various initiatives, offers some interesting perspectives on how ICTs and media mixes have become popular with youngsters both in creative engagement and content creation. It explores the various kinds of innovative uses and participation of youth in media in different cultural contexts, and demonstrates that young people, working with a range of media materials, produce innovative content through dialogue and discussions." (UNESCO website)
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"Indigenous peoples from all corners of the globe continue to struggle for acknowledgement and recognition of their unique visions of water, both at home and in national, regional and international forums. But almost without exception, their voices remain obscured by a mainstream discourse rooted in
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the conception of water as a mere commodity. Water and Indigenous Peoples is based on the papers delivered on the occasion of the Second and the Third World Water Forums (The Hague in 2000 and Kyoto in 2003). It brings to the fore some of the most incisive indigenous critics of international debates on water access, use and management, as well as indigenous expressions of generosity that share community knowledge and insight in order to propose remedies for the global water crisis." (Back cover)
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"This report records and analyzes the results of a study in which partners of the Justice Initiative in 14 countries filed a total of 1,926 requests for information. In each country, seven different requesters twice submitted up to 70 questions to 18 public institutions. Requesters included NGOs, jo
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urnalists, business persons, non-affiliated persons, and members of excluded groups, such as illiterate or disabled persons or those from vulnerable minorities. The requests were for the types of information that public bodies hold—or should hold." (Summary of findings, page 11)
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"From the Taino Indians of the Caribbean, the U’wa of the Amazon rainforest, and the Tunomans and Assyrians of Iraq, to the Tingas and Zapatistas, Native on the Net is a lively and intriguing exploration of how new technologies have enabled these previously isolated peoples to reach new levels of
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communication and community: creating new communities online, confronting global corporations, or even challenging their own native traditions. Featuring case studies ranging from the Artic to the Australian outback, this book addresses important recurrent themes, such as the relationship between identity and place, community, traditional cultures and the nature of the ‘indigenous’." (Publisher description)
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