"The 45 country reports gathered here illustrate the link between the internet and economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs). Some of the topics will be familiar to information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) activists: the right to health, education and culture; the socioec
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onomic empowerment of women using the internet; the inclusion of rural and indigenous communities in the information society; and the use of ICT to combat the marginalisation of local languages. Others deal with relatively new areas of exploration, such as using 3D printing technology to preserve cultural heritage, creating participatory community networks to capture an “inventory of things” that enables socioeconomic rights, crowdfunding rights, or the negative impact of algorithms on calculating social benefits. Workers’ rights receive some attention, as does the use of the internet during natural disasters. Ten thematic reports frame the country reports. These deal both with overarching concerns when it comes to ESCRs and the internet – such as institutional frameworks and policy considerations – as well as more specific issues that impact on our rights: the legal justification for online education resources, the plight of migrant domestic workers, the use of digital databases to protect traditional knowledge from biopiracy, digital archiving, and the impact of multilateral trade deals on the international human rights framework. The reports highlight the institutional and country-level possibilities and challenges that civil society faces in using the internet to enable ESCRs. They also suggest that in a number of instances, individuals, groups and communities are using the internet to enact their socioeconomic and cultural rights in the face of disinterest, inaction or censure by the state." (Back cover)
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"Clandestine broadcasts are politically-motivated broadcasts produced by groups opposed to the government of the target country. Other target broadcasts can be produced by either governmental or non-governmental organisations and are targetted at zones of regional or local conflict." (Page 508)
"Internet freedom around the world has declined for the fifth consecutive year, with more governments censoring information of public interest and placing greater demands on the private sector to take down offending content. State authorities have also jailed more users for their online writings, wh
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ile criminal and terrorist groups have made public examples of those who dared to expose their activities online. This was especially evident in the Middle East, where the public flogging of liberal bloggers, life sentences for online critics, and beheadings of internet-based journalists provided a powerful deterrent to the sort of digital organizing that contributed to the Arab Spring. In a new trend, many governments have sought to shift the burden of censorship to private companies and individuals by pressing them to remove content, often resorting to direct blocking only when those measures fail. Local companies are especially vulnerable to the whims of law enforcement agencies and a recent proliferation of repressive laws. But large, international companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter have faced similar demands due to their significant popularity and reach." (Page 1)
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"The Cambodia Communication Assistance Project (CCAP) is a media development initiative (2012-2014) funded by Australia’s aid program. The project is implemented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s International Development (ABCID) unit, in collaboration with four Cambodian Provincial D
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epartments of Information (PDIs) and the Department of Media and Communication (DMC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). The project targets provincial media in Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampot and Siem Reap. The goal of CCAP is to contribute to the achievement of better governance in Cambodia. This is achieved by using communication for development tools that enhance citizens’ voices and promote transparency and accountability of local authorities. The CCAP Endline Research Briefing illustrates the progress and impact of the project over the previous three years (2012-2015). One of the objectives is to assess the impact of CCAP at an audience level – to determine their understanding and engagement on governance issues. It explores audience knowledge and perceptions of governance, transparency, and accountability and specifcally draws upon comparisons between radio talkback listeners and non-talkback listeners. The briefng examines the potential changes in the capacity of PDI staf in radio program production and professional skill development. This research briefng provides some of the key fndings of the Endline Study analysis at the audience and PDI level. The Endline Research Briefing is based on quantitative audience research with 119 talkback program listeners and non-talkback listeners from the four targeted provinces – Kampot (30), Battambang (29), Kampong Cham (26), and Siem Reap (34). A comparative analysis was also conducted against baseline indicators. A slightly higher baseline sample (177) was achieved." (Page 4)
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"Two basic principles should prevail for media regulation in Cambodia: 1. Consistent application of the principles of the rule of law on the basis of the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and press (Art. 35 and 41: Cambodian Constitution). 2. Transparent and predictable regulative decision-
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making that is oriented towards professional journalistic standards." (Executive summary)
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"Youth Voice was launched in July 2012 by the Battambang Provincial Department of Information (PDI) in Cambodia, as a weekly youth-oriented program. It provides information that aims to give young people the confidence and understanding to participate in governance processes. The program delivers in
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formation through a mix of entertainment, personal story sharing, current affairs, discussion, and news. The program encourages listeners to call into the program live on-air to share their stories, ask questions, and discuss issues important to them in order to promote youth civic participation and engagement." (Page 2)
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"On average across Asia and the Pacific, women make up 28.6 percent of the media workforce. The proportions are lower in decision-making roles in media organizations where women make up 17.9 percent of executive roles, 19.5 percent of senior editorial and 22.6 percent of mid-level editorial position
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s. There is a clear gender pay gap, with women on average earning US$436 per month, compared with men earning US$506 per month. In Malaysia, the pay gap is the smallest with women earning much higher money and at more equitable levels than the regional average. In contrast, Cambodia and Pakistan had the widest gender pay gap with men earning much higher salaries. Arguably, in Cambodia this could be due to more women journalists recently joining the profession. Women continue to be restricted by stereotypical beats, and face more job insecurity, lower wages and gender discrimination but they are multi-skilled and usually working across more beats than men." (Executive summary)
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"Data for this report were gathered through an electronic survey of 895 Cambodian Internet users conducted from March 12 to 18, 2015, as well as through three follow-up focus group discussions [...] Cambodians find the Internet to be useful for personal, professional and civic interests, with the ma
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jority of respondents agreeing that the Internet makes their job easier (78.8%) and helps in their education and studies (73.7%). 75.3% of Cambodians report the Internet provides them with access to news and information they cannot find elsewhere in Cambodia’s mainstream, offline media. The majority of Cambodian Internet users (62.7%) feel “very” or “somewhat” free to express their opinions online without fear of repercussions." (Executive summary)
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"The Media Ownership Monitor Cambodia revealed high levels of ownership concentration, a low transparency level, and a problematic dependency of media outlets on the government. The research and publication, jointly conducted together with the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) from Septe
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mber to December 2015, highlights the related dangers to media freedom, particularly thorugh self-censorship and the absence of critical reporting." (http://www.mom-rsf.org)
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"As only Japanese comics output has received close and by now voluminous scrutiny, Asian Comics tells the story of the major comics creators outside of Japan. Lent covers the nations and regions of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philipp
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ines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Organized by regions of East, Southeast, and South Asia, Asian Comics provides 178 black and white illustrations and detailed information on comics of sixteen countries and regions – their histories, key creators, characters, contemporary status, problems, trends, and issues. One chapter harkens back to predecessors of comics in Asia, describing scrolls, paintings, books, and puppetry with humorous tinges, primarily in China, India, Indonesia, and Japan." (Publisher website)
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"This thesis explores how the impacts of Australian media assistance on social change and governance can be most effectively evaluated and understood. It is based on a three-stage research design, using predominantly qualitative research methods. In doing so it contributes in-depth insights into the
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politics, theories, and practices of media assistance evaluation, with illustrations of how this knowledge can be directly applied to improve practice in this area. The findings of this research suggest the importance of early investment in participatory planning of evaluation designs, which are then periodically revisited. These evaluation designs should be based on a theoretically sound link between models of change, evaluative questions and methods." (Abstract)
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"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
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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)
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"The Cambodian Communications Assistance Project (CCAP) is a sub-national governance project, working with four provincial departments of information (PDI) – Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampot and Siem Reap. It started in May 2012 and is due to be completed in December 2014. The project, with a budg
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et of $3,554,662 is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and is implemented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s International Development department (ABC ID) in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Information as well as the four provincial departments. The Department of Media and Communications (DMC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh has also been a partner in the project [...] Overall, CCAP has been very successful in meeting the three objectives and outcomes set for the project and contributing to Australian Aid’s overall objectives. There have been a number of challenges it has had to overcome including the coinciding of the project with a turbulent time in Cambodia’s political environment as well as capacity limitations of counterparts and varying degrees of hesitancy and suspicion on the part of some senior provincial officials." (Executive summary, page 3-5)
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"Internews’ research reveals a confluence of conditions in ASEAN that make the present time a critical moment for Freedom of Expression / Right to Information (FoE/RTI) interventions in the region. As donor support dwindles, and threats to FoE increase, there is a danger of a severe roll-back of t
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he rights and freedoms in the region that underpin thriving democracies. The backdrop to this scenario – ASEAN integration along with various other regional synergies – has created an opening for dialogue on key social issues such as FoE/RTI that connect countries within the region." (Conclusion)
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"Cambodia is a country on the cusp of rapid media change. TV and radio remain the top media and main sources of news. Apolitical newcomer Hang Meas is top source with tabloid news, entertainment. But new media is gaining, fueled by widespread mobile use: almost all households have a mobile phone; yo
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ung, educated and urban drive new media use. Internet numbers remain in low double digits, but growth is exponential: outside infrastructure investment increasing broadband mobile rapidly; those who use the Internet use it for broadband activities¡Xvideo, audio¡Xeven in the countryside. Facebook dominates social media and is the top online news source." (Key takeaways, slide 37)
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"Losing Control: freedom of the press in Asia takes us right up to the end of this tumultuous century. It deals with the Chinese media cranking up its latest propaganda campaign, this time against the Falun Gong. It discusses how the Indonesian media lost its way in reporting the tragedy in East Tim
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or. And it comments on how the Cambodian media-or at least parts of it-surprisingly reported the allegations that the Prime Minister's wife had her husband's movie star girlfriend assassinated. The book adopts a country-by-country approach dealing with all the countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia. It does not attempt to sweep across to the sub-continent. It would not be possible to do justice to any discussion of freedom of the press in that region by sandwiching it in between the pages of a book about East Asia. The methodology is based on an underlying assumption: that journalists are best placed to provide the most up-to-date analysis of their own industry. Where possible, local journalists have contributed the country chapters. In some cases a more useful outcome could be achieved by employing foreign correspondents and commentators. Authors have written their chapters using journalistic research tools, such as first hand interviews, as well as more conventional academic methods." (Page 14)
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