"The contributors to The Media and Religious Authority examine the ways in which new centers of power and influence are emerging as religions seek to "brand" themselves in the media age. Putting their in-depth, incisive studies of particular instances of media production and reception in Asia, Afric
...
a, Latin America, and North America into conversation with one another, the volume explores how evolving mediations of religion in various places affect the prospects, aspirations, and durability of religious authority across the globe." (Publisher description)
more
"This study examines how Haitians used “information source repertoires” to meet information insufficiencies following the 2010 earthquake. Using survey data gained in Haiti, the study explores which demographic and structural factors predicted the number of sources used and combinations of infor
...
mation sources following the disaster. Analysis of the data revealed two distinct repertoires of information sources: a “traditional” repertoire of radio, TV, church, and word of mouth; and an “elite” repertoire of newspapers, the Internet, short-message-service, billboards, and the national police. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that demographic variables like education were stronger predictors of information repertoires than conditions like living in a refugee camp or having one’s home destroyed. Results also suggested that greater reliance on a traditional repertoire led to decreased information sufficiency. Contrary to previous crisis research, men were found to be more active information seekers than women, suggesting that scholarly knowledge about information seeking and media use after crises in developing nations is limited. Implications for practice are directed at international development and aid organizations in planning postdisaster information provision efforts." (Abstract)
more
"The role of the media as a civic institution that acts on behalf of and in alliance with civil society in times of crisis is the central theme of this dissertation. Prior research has demonstrated that Haiti’s media has been at the heart of such a role in civic society throughout the country’s
...
two hundred plus years of independent existence. This dissertation argues that this media tradition has been revitalized, strengthened and put to the test by the current crisis the country faces in physical reconstruction from natural disaster, political reconstruction from fragile early attempts at democracy, and social reconstruction from decades of economic stagnation that have exacerbated poverty and living conditions of the average Haitian. This project uses a mixed methodological approach of qualitative methods and basic quantitative methods to analyze how Haitian journalists have covered the aftermath of the disaster. This research addressed three key elements: (1) the impact of the disaster on the fractions that existed within the leading news media outlets during the nation’s ongoing experiment with democracy (2) the impact of the disaster on how journalists view and practice their profession (3) the impact of the disaster on the quality of news being produced in Haiti." (Abstract)
more
"Through the methodological framework of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), the report measures the extent to which 144 economies, from both the developed and developing worlds, take advantage of ICTs and other new technologies to increase their growth and well-being. The NRI identifies the most r
...
elevant factors driving ICT readiness and impacts, providing policymakers, business leaders, and civil society at large with a useful tool for designing national strategies for increased networked readiness and for benchmarking their country’s performance against other relevant comparators. The Global Information Technology Report 2013 features the latest computation and rankings of the NRI, and in referring to this year’s theme, dives deeper into the connection between ICTs and economic growth and job creation. As in previous years, it also showcases a number of ICT development stories of particular interest. In addition, the report includes detailed profiles for the 144 economies covered this year together with data tables for each of the 54 indicators used in the computation of the NRI." (Back cover)
more
"This report is an evaluation of the methods and tools used by the Red Cross and Red Crescent to communicate with communities following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The study draws recommendations for the continued and more effective use of communications to engage with communities in H
...
aiti and elsewhere in the future." (Back cover)
more
"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
...
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)
more
"From the massacre of the Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee to the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, from famine in China to apartheid in South Africa, Picturing Atrocity examines a broad spectrum of photographs. Each of the essays focuses specifically on an iconic image, offering a distinct approach
...
and context, in order to enable us to look again; and this time more closely at the picture. In addition, four photo-essays showcase the work of photographers involved in the making of photographs of brutality as well as the artists' own reflections on these images. Together these essays cover the historical and geographical range of atrocity photographs and respond to current concerns about such disturbing images; they probe why we as viewers feel compelled to look even when our instinct might be to look away." (Publisher description)
more
"In the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the CDAC (Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities) Network undertook its first ever ground initiative. This initiative, which came to be known as CDAC Haiti, was funded largely through the OCHA’s ERRF with some additiona
...
l short-term funding in 2011 from the global CDAC Network and the World Health Organisation (WHO). In total, CDAC Haiti received US $615,000. This Learning Review aims to document CDAC Haiti’s activities, assess achievements, and contribute knowledge about what worked, what didn’t, and why. A key component of the Review is the identification of lessons from this ‘new’ area of humanitarian coordination that can be drawn for other emergency operations." (Page iv)
more
"This publication is an important contribution to literature on disaster and humanitarian crisis communication. It analyses in detail the response to two major but very different emergencies in Haiti: the 2010 earthquake and, later that year, the outbreak of cholera. While humanitarian agencies stil
...
l see 'communication' as primarily the process of delivering or extracting information, for the affected population, the process of communication seems to matter as much as the information itself. The best communication strategies, whether highly localised or nationwide, were those that meshed a number of different communication channels, says this report. However, more coordination is needed, and monitoring and evaluation practice in communication projects was quite weak." (CAMECO Update 1-2012)
more
"This report provides an overview of the discussions and conclusions from the International Partnership Meeting in New York on 26 January 2010 organised by the Open Society Institute and International Media Support. At the meeting, 30 media support and press freedom organisations from across the wor
...
ld met to discuss partnerships and countries in which the partnership process might be pursued in 2010. Nine target countries in 2010 were selected for partnership action in 2010." (IMS website)
more
"The traditional disaster-response system employed by relief actors in Haiti concentrated on enabling information-sharing among teams of responders from the international community. This system lacked the ability to aggregate and prioritize data that came from outside sources, making it difficult to
...
benefit from valuable information coming from the Haitian community. Ushahidi, an open-source crisis-mapping software first developed and used in Kenya, provided a way to capture, organize, and share critical information coming directly from Haitians. Information was gathered through social media (e.g., blogs, Twitter, and Facebook) and text messages sent via mobile phones. Reports about trapped persons, medical emergencies, and specific needs, such as food, water, and shelter, were received and plotted on maps that were updated in real time by an international group of volunteers. These reports, and associated geographic information, were available to anyone with an Internet connection. Responders on the ground soon began to use them in determining how, when, and where to direct resources. The most significant challenges arose in verifying and triaging the large volume of reports received. Ad hoc but sufficient solutions were found that involved the manual monitoring and sorting of information. The Ushahidi-Haiti Project demonstrated the potential of crowdsourced maps for targeted disaster response, providing a useful foundational model for the international community to leverage and improve upon in advance of future emergencies." (Summary)
more
"Depuis le séisme du 12 janvier 2010, l'aide internationale afflue à Haïti. Passés les premiers secours, c'est maintenant tout un pays qui doit se reconstruire. Un soutien durable est donc nécessaire pour que les Haïtiens puissent retrouver une vie normale. C'est pourquoi les dessinateurs de p
...
resse et de bandes dessinées se sont mobilisés en réalisant ces 100 illustrations. En partenariat avec Le Monde, Radio France et l'association Cartooning for Peace, les Editions Casterman reverseront l'intégralité des profits de ce livre à la Fondation de France. Cette dernière se chargera de répartir les fonds entre les différents projets concrets sur place pour venir en aide aux victimes du tremblement de terre de la Perle des Caraïbes."
more
"The essays collected in this book follow a contemporary critical trend in the field of trauma studies that reflects comparatively on artistic and media representations of traumatic histories and experiences from countries around the world. Focusing on a diversity of art and media forms—including
...
memorials, literature, visual and installation art, music, video, film, and journalism—they both apply dominant theories of trauma and explore the former’s limitations while bearing in mind other possible methodologies." (Publisher description)
more