"Bringing together scholarly perspectives from around the world and across disciplines, the authors explore how 'spiritualities' express themselves through and with media - from television to Internet, from fashion to art murals - as socially transforming voices and practices. The very fluidity of t
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he meaning of spirituality is part of its appeal: it can service as easily as a reference to a perceived common essence of humanness as it can work to legitimate market-based practices. While the involvement of spiritual life with social transformation is certainly not peculiar to contemporary societies, what has changed is the upsurge of media in these matters. In the specific case of religion, globalization has unleashed a cascade of unexpected and unpredictable implications, many of which are consequences of the media." (Publisher description)
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"In Europe, Germany and France are ahead in digitally embracing trade books, notably !ction, yet are clearly behind the US and UK. But countries as diverse as Austria, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden have recently seen the implementation of an ebook distribution infrastructure, and at lea
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st the largest publishing groups are broadly releasing their new titles as ebooks, aside from print. With retail prices on average significantly higher, as in the English language, and VAT discriminating against ebooks in favor of print, the initial momentum of growth still confronts an environment that is di"cult for early adopters. Yet as Amazon, Apple, Sony, and Kobo have started to roll out localized versions of their online selling platforms and devices, with Google expected to follow soon, significant momentum is building up, and future projections see a double digit market share for ebooks for 2015 in most European markets. In China and Brazil, distinct local factors set those developments clearly apart. In China, mobile is the preferred platform, while “online literature,” often as a serialized stream of content, provides a channel for the dissemination of bookish content well apart from the traditional format of the “book.” In Brazil, educational content may become the main driver for digital." (Executive summary)
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"Daniel Lerner's 1958 book 'The Passing of Traditional Society' was central in shaping Cold War-era ideas about the use of mass media and culture to promote social and economic progress in postcolonial nations. Based on a study of the effectiveness of propaganda in the Middle East, Lerner's book cla
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imed that exposure to American media messages could motivate "traditional" people in the postcolonial nations to become "modern" by cultivating empathy for American ideas, goods, and ways of life. The Production of Modernization examines Lerner's writings to construct the intellectual trajectory of his thinking about mass media and modernization up to and beyond the publication of his famous book. Shah has written not just an intellectual biography of Lerner but also a history of the discipline he shaped." (Publisher description)
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"While this report will examine some traditional, or “legacy,” business models for media, our focus is on the economic issues that news organizations—large and small, old and new—face with their digital ventures. This report focuses on news organizations that do original journalism, defined
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for our purposes as independent fact-finding undertaken for the benefit of communities of citizens. Those communities can be defined in the traditional way, by geography, but can also be brought together by topics or commonalities of interest. We also look into media companies that aggregate content and generate traffic in the process. We confine our report mostly to for-profit news enterprises. We recognize the outstanding work done by such national organizations as ProPublica and the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as local sites like Voice of San Diego and MinnPost. But for the purposes of this study, we felt it was more valuable to spend our time examining organizations that rely as much as possible on the commercial market." (Introduction, page 3)
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"This report is based on an extensive analysis of several nonprofit news sites conducted by Community Wealth Ventures (CWV), a management consulting firm that focuses on innovative approaches to the growth and sustainability of nonprofit organizations. Knight Foundation commissioned the review as pa
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rt of its broader programmatic efforts to explore how journalism that informs local communities and holds institutions accountable might survive and thrive in the digital age. The study examined the state of eight organizations in 2009 to early 2010 with particular emphasis on social impact, business strategy, economic viability, adaptability and capacity – all components of long-term sustainability. The sites reviewed were The Bay Citizen (San Francisco), Crosscut (Seattle), MinnPost (Minnesota), New Haven Independent, St. Louis Beacon, The Texas Tribune and Voice of San Diego. An eighth site, Chi-Town Daily News, closed in 2009 while the study was under way." (About the report)
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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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"Foundations are making more media and journalism grants not for the sake of media alone, but because they are finding they need a healthy news ecosystem in order to achieve their strategic goals." With this in mind, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the William Penn Foundation have pub
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lished this booklet as a resource for use as a starting point for organisations interested in making media, journalism, or community-information grants. The booklet is divided in two primary sections - the first containing key points that a user is encouraged to know, the second a short list of suggestions on how to get started. A final section of "Additional reading" is included at the end, as well as a link to the Information Needs website for further resources." (Communication Initiative)
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"There is abundant evidence of underrepresentation of women as subjects of coverage, but until now there were no reliable, comprehensive data on which to make a clear determination about where women currently fit into the news-making operation or in the decision-making or ownership structure of thei
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r companies. The IWMF Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media seeks to fill this gap by presenting for the first time sound data on gender positions in news organizations around the world [...] The findings presented in this report, conducted over a two-year period, offer the most complete picture to date of women’s status globally in news media ownership, publishing, governance, reporting, editing, photojournalism, broadcast production and other media jobs. More than 150 researchers interviewed executives at more than 500 companies in 59 nations using a 12-page questionnaire." (Introduction)
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"This book explores the legal and regulatory systems governing public service broadcasters in eight different countries around the world, looking at the services they provide, the way in which their mandates are defined, their internal governance systems, mechanisms of oversight or accountability an
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d funding. In selecting the various countries, an attempt has been made to ensure wide geographic representation, while including only countries that have a strong commitment to public service broadcasting. Special emphasis has been placed on the strategies that have evolved over the years to ensure that public service broadcasters are not undermined by two critical phenomena: external control (political or other), particularly over editorial output, and inadequate public funding. The book outlines tested approaches to resolving these key problems, but it also highlights innovative systems that are being piloted in different countries to address some of the new challenges that face public service broadcasters." (Back cover)
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"In social sciences, the interdependence between media systems and political systems is generally not in doubt. However, empirical knowledge about the relation between the two types of systems is rare. A deeper understanding can be gained by an international comparison of media and political systems
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from a macro perspective using aggregated data. The pilot study presented in this article offers an approach to international comparison based on four dimensions: freedom, diversity, centrality and tradition. These concepts serve as dimensions of comparison for both media - and political systems. The instrument is tested by using an intentionally heterogeneous sample of seven countries from around the world: China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia and the US. In combination with a pragmatic use of systems theory as a theoretical framework, the dimensions allow more profound insights into the relation between media and political systems. In sum, the research project prepares the ground for future international large-N comparisons." (Abstract)
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Examines the impact that the rise of digital communications is having on the media, and on human rights activism. The report goes on to explore the main policy issues which must be addressed at the national and international levels to shape an enabling environment. The report combines global level a
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nalysis with a specific focus on eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, India, Indonesia, South Africa and the United States of America.
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"This work is an update of the October 2009 CIMA report, Experimentation and Evolution in Private U.S. Funding of Media Development by the same author. The field of private sector funding of independent media abroad has continued to undergo a massive upheaval over the past two years. Both the 2008 r
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ecession and the increased influence of digital technologies have shaped the field and driven it in a new direction. The working definitions of media development are also shifting, with the lines between “media development” and “media for development” becoming blurred. This report describes and analyzes the evolving landscape of private donor support for media development." (http://cima.ned.org, January 11, 2012)
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"This is the first book to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of how media produced by ethnic communities, and for ethnic communities, affect identity and perceived lines of division between “us” and “others,” as well as how the production and consumption of ethnic media affect the
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character of the larger media and societal landscapes. Integrating key ethnic media studies with original research, this book makes a unique contribution to the teaching literature by covering both consumers and producers of ethnic media, as well as the history of ethnic media, its role in ethnic communities, the effect of globalization, and the professional challenges faced by ethnic media journalists. A compelling discussion of the future of ethnic media concludes the book and points the way toward further research." (Publisher description)
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"Many have attributed anti-American sentiment within Arab countries to a highly negative information environment propagated by transnational Arab satellite TV news channels such as Al-Jazeera. However, theoretical models and empirical evidence evaluating the linkages between media exposure and opini
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on about the United States remains scant. Drawing on theories of media effects, identity, and public opinion, this article develops a theoretical framework explicating how the influence of transnational Arab TV on opinion formation is contingent on competing political identities within the region. Employing 5 years of survey data collected across six Arab countries, we empirically test several propositions about the relationship between Arab TV exposure and public opinion about the United States generated by our theoretical framework. Our results demonstrate significant associations between transnational Arab TV exposure and anti-American sentiment, but also show these associations vary substantially by channel and political identification. The theoretical and policy implications of the study are discussed." (Abstract)
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"Vietnam gilt als der letzte Krieg, aus dem frei und unbehindert berichtet werden konnte, und in dem sich Journalisten und Militärs gleichberechtigt gegenüber standen. Diese Sicht wurde zwar von der Forschung weitgehend widerlegt, zumeist jedoch bezogen auf die Spätphase des Krieges sowie speziel
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l auf das Medium Fernsehen. Dessen ungeachtet genießen die Reporter der »Vietnam-Generation« weiterhin hohes Ansehen. Die Vorstellung, sie hätten den Grundstein für einen beispiellosen Triumph des Journalismus gelegt, fußt wesentlich auf generationellen Selbstzuschreibungen der Berichterstatter: »It started in Vietnam and ended in Watergate«, sagte David Halberstam, und sah sich und seine Kollegen als »front men for a whole generation«. Der Vietnam-Mythos von einer kritischen und einflussreichen Berichterstattung ist bis heute - scheinbar losgelöst von wissenschaftlichen Forschungen - sowohl in das Rollenverständnis von Journalisten wie in jenes von Politikern und Militärs eingeschrieben. Während Politiker und Militärs »Vietnam« instrumentalisieren, um Medien zu disziplinieren, ziehen Journalisten daraus ihr professionelles Selbstvertrauen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Das vorliegende Buch vermittelt Grundlagenwissen über PR-Kampagnen und erklärt am Beispiel von Case Studies, wie man erfolgreiche Kampagnen plant, durchführt und bewertet. Es gliedert sich in die drei Teile Theorie, Praxis und Ausblick. Nach drei Beiträgen zu grundlegenden Fragen von Kampagnen
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folgen acht Case Studies aus der Kampagnenpraxis, die nach einem einheitlichen Raster aufgebaut sind: vier aus Unternehmen sowie jeweils zwei von politischen Institutionen und Nichtregierungsorganisationen. Dabei werden auch Schwierigkeiten und Probleme bei der Durchführung der Kampagnen beschrieben. Der letzte Block mit vier Beiträgen wirft einen Blick auf die Zukunft der Kampagnenpraxis – auf die wachsende Bedeutung von Social Media und auf die USA. Ziel des Bandes ist es, eine Brücke zwischen Theorie und Praxis zu schlagen und in Form einer kompakten und zugleich lesefreundlichen Einführung handhabbares Wissen zu PR-Kampagnen zu vermitteln." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This thesis considers how the mediation of poverty in Canada and the United Kingdom influences responses to the issue of poverty. The thesis focuses in particular on the issue dynamics concerning children as constructions of a “deserving poor” and immigrants as constructions of an “undeservin
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g poor”. A frame analysis of mainstream news content in both countries demonstrates the extent to which individualizing and rationalizing frames dominate coverage, and that the publication of the news online is not leading to an expansion of discourses, as hoped. A frame analysis of alternative news coverage and coverage from the 1960s and 70s demonstrates significant absences of social justice frames and rights-based discourse in contemporary coverage. I suggest that mainstream news coverage narrows and limits the way poverty is talked about in a way that reinforces the dominance of neoliberalism and market-based approaches to the issue. Interviews with journalists, politicians, researchers and activists collectively indicate that getting media coverage is essential to gaining political attention in both countries. These interviews also reveal the power dynamics influencing the relationships between these actors and the way the issue of poverty is approached. I argue that while new media tools create new opportunities to share information, these tools are also creating new pressures by speeding up the working practices in mediated political centres in a way that forecloses potentials to challenge dominant news coverage and approaches to poverty. However, this cross-national comparison also reveals context-specific factors influencing poverty politics in each country. I conclude that this analysis and comparison of poverty issue dynamics reveals shortcomings in the democratic processes in both countries. Changing poverty coverage and approaches to the issue will require changing specific media and political practices." (Abstract)
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"Die Forderung nach Sicherheit im Internet, besonders in Hinblick auf die persönlichen Daten, die Gewährung der Freiheit dieses Mediums ohne staatliche Eingriffe, die Diskussion um adäquate Formen des Urheberrechts und seiner Durchsetzung sowie eine Fokussierung auf die Risiken verbunden mit eine
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m latenten Vorwurf eines unbedingten Reglementierungswillens des Staates sind Eckpunkte der deutschen netzpolitischen Debatte. Die Publikation soll mit Blick auf die netzpolitischen Entscheidungen in anderen Ländern einen Referenzrahmen bieten, der die Diskussion in Deutschland befruchten kann." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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