"This book provides case studies on the strategies used by African governments in monitoring and controlling digital and social media, as well as the implications of such actions for claims about media freedom and freedom of expression. Further, the book examines the human rights challenges posed by
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state control and monitoring of digital and social media forms of communication. In the context of a digital surveillance state, it questions how digital and social media can possibly enhance the democratisation of both the communicative and political spaces. The book focuses on questions of censorship and control of digital and social media in ‘supposedly’ democratic societies. It discusses regulation and how governments have imposed their state power by ‘switching off’ the internet and blocking social media sites under the guise of national security and order maintenance." (Back cover)
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"Several UN peacekeeping operations communicate with the populations in their host state through radio, which remains the most popular medium in many countries. UN strategic communications via radio can help reduce violence against civilians, both during and after armed conflict. This protective eff
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ect of UN radio is evident even in areas where no UN military peacekeepers are deployed. There are four main ways that strategic communications by UN peacekeepers may reduce violence: (1) by building trust in the mission and enhancing cooperation with peacekeepers’ protection activities; (2) by filling gaps in reliable information that might otherwise be filled by misinformation that incites violence; (3) by fostering pro-peace behavioral change among ordinary civilians; and (4) by incentivizing rank-and-file combatants to exercise restraint.
There are many conditions that enhance the persuasiveness of UN strategic communications. Most crucially, messages are more effective when they are perceived as accurate and informative by local audiences. Moreover, narrative messages that are adapted to the local context can strengthen the persuasiveness of UN strategic communications. UN radio stations can leave a positive legacy for the protection of civilians even after peacekeeping operations have left if they transition into a local or regional media outlet. The radio stations that succeed UN radio stations once peacekeeping operations depart will be most likely to contribute to an information environment that protects rather than threatens civilians when NGOs guarantee their independence with continuous funding. Going forward, as the UN seeks to enhance strategic communications in peacekeeping operations, it must carefully manage several trade-offs. These include trade-offs between empowering civilians vs. exposing them to risk; ensuring that messaging is coherent vs. tailoring it to the local context; sustaining independent media vs. promoting national ownership; and expanding access to data vs. maintaining security and host-state consent." (Executive summary)
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"This study explores the usefulness of Community Information Centres (CICs) amidst growing ubiquity of mobile phones. It examines how CICs can play a complementary role to personal mobile phones, specifically in facilitating access to information that translates into social and economic progress. Th
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is study was guided by an Integrative Model of Digital Engagement and Impact (IMDEI) employing selected constructs from three dominant theories namely the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Through a quantitative research design, 500 respondents from 10 CICs were surveyed with 451 valid responses returned. SPSS and SmartPLS software version 25.0 were used to process and analyse the data collected. The findings indicate that although mobile phones are suitable for simple tasks, complicated tasks are better performed in CICs, suggesting a complementary nature of the two (2). The study recommends that future telecentre initiatives adopt models of co-location, which are so far lacking in the Ghanaian case. Moreover, the paper discusses the implications of increased information availability, which allows CICs to widen the scope of services and involve more citizens in their operations, thereby enhancing involvement in activities. The research also discusses the implications of universal service on a wider scale, challenging the adequacy of current service definitions to cater to the needs of heterogeneous communities. The paper concludes that CICs remain an indispensable facility for equitable information access and a source of empowerment, but their success hinges on user participation, adequate policies, and deliberate technology integration. The paper argues for a balanced approach that utilises both mobile technology and CICs to maximize community development and engagement. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on the role of information access in community development in an increasingly digitalised world." (Abstract)
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"This volume, Shaping Global Cultures through Screenwriting: Women Who Write Our Worlds, tells stories of women who have worked with and within communities to bring the communities’ stories to life through screenwriting. In gathering these examples, we asked for stories that achieved some level
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of impact for the communities. Impact was considered across a number of indices. We wanted to show that attitudes have shifted, policies have been rewritten and the life experiences and ranges of possibility for some have changed for the better as a result of women’s work. We hope to show through our stories that film can change lives; that sharing stories matters; and that women are everywhere, using their skills in screen production for the good of many.
In her excellent book, Women in the International Film Industry: Policy Practice and Power, Susan Liddy (2020) offers ‘a wide-ranging, critical assessment of practice, policy and progress’ to establish the range and scale of gender inequality that currently exists in the world of screen production. She quotes O’Neill and Domingo (2015) to point out that social, economic and political conditions vary, and ‘combine in different ways to enable or constrain women’s agency and leadership’ in screen production (Liddy 2020: 1). In contrast, our book approaches the same problem from the opposite perspective: we seek to correlate the ‘policy, practice and power’ (Liddy 2020) with the actual work of women screenwriters. Our aim is to point out what women screenwriters, creators and filmmakers are doing in disparate corners of the world, and how their effort is positively impacting communities, shaping culture and creating change.
We argue that, despite the fact that women screenwriters are underrepresented in leadership roles in film industries worldwide, the impact of their films remains visible and palpable. We provide evidence that, as women step into the roles of screenwriter, filmmaker and collaborator, using known and emerging technologies, formats and genres under the broad scope of ‘screen production’, they raise the voices of other women and other communities. This volume shows the impact of women’s voices in creating real change for the communities whose stories are told through the topics and themes of these women’s screen works. Not least, this volume seeks to celebrate these women and their communities and bring awareness of that impact to broader communities worldwide." (Introduction, page 1)
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"Based on qualitative and quantitative research conducted between May and August 2025, including interviews with journalists, media organisations, policymakers, and civil society activists, the report highlights how Sudan’s media environment has transformed into a “parallel battlefield” where
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information warfare runs alongside physical conflict. Key findings include:
- Collapse of traditional media: Print, radio, and television outlets have been decimated or repurposed as propaganda tools, with hundreds of journalists displaced or exiled.
- Rise of digital platforms: In the absence of reliable news, Sudanese citizens increasingly rely on social media, particularly Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok, for information, often encountering misinformation and hate speech.
- Weaponisation of media: Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have systematically targeted independent journalism, using harassment, detention, and surveillance to suppress dissent.
- Exclusion and fragmentation: Marginalised groups face significant barriers to accessing information, exacerbated by poor connectivity and digital divides.
- Emerging resilience: Despite the challenges, exiled media initiatives are working to counter hate speech and uphold professional standards, though sustainability remains a major concern.
The report calls for urgent international support across four key areas: protection of journalists, capacity building, institutional strengthening, and independent funding. Without immediate intervention, Sudan risks losing an entire generation of media professionals and the infrastructure essential for democratic recovery and peacebuilding." (https://internews.org)
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"This book offers an in-depth view of how intricate and intractable conflicts can be and how the communicative aspects of conflict are equally challenging. The author reviews and guides readers through classic and contemporary analysis in the field, providing a truly interdisciplinary work. Handbook
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of Conflict and Peace Communication is divided into five navigable sections - Theory Development, Method Development, Traditional/Digital Media and Peace and Conflict, Case Studies, and Innovative Approaches - that help illuminate workable and innovative peace communication strategies relevant to today's conflicts. Readers will also find: informative contributions from a collection of outstanding scholars, practitioners, and activists; comprehensive explorations of past conflict communication theory in the context of contemporary theory; practical tools to navigate complex local and global conflicts; in-depth examinations of strategies of peace communication from the margins that acknowledge and elevate solutions for and from the most vulnerable." (Publisher description)
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"This report presents findings from the third wave of the Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS3), conducted between 2021 and 2025. In this iteration, we focused on journalists’ perceptions of risk and uncertainty in their profession and sought to identify key factors that shape how journalists navigate
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journalism’s changing environment. These risks and uncertainties arise from four partially overlapping domains: politics, economy, technology, and news consumption. Accordingly, the WJS3 questionnaire addressed journalists’ safety, editorial freedom, professional roles, news influences, and labor conditions. Our survey confirms that journalism is under pressure. Journalists worldwide are often undercompensated, and more than one-third engage in secondary employment. Economic pressures on news organizations have intensified in most countries. Nearly half of journalists have been targeted with hate speech, while psychological, physical, and digital threats are more prevalent in the Global South than in the Global North. More than 300 researchers from 75 countries participated in WJS3. This report provides a concise overview of key global findings. Subsequent publications will analyze specific topics in greater depth; please visit worldsofjournalism.org for more information." (Foreword, page 4)
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"Measuring the quality of news media is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of enabling informed decision-making among citizens. Despite the lack of consensus on its definition and measurement, this paper introduces a practice-oriented methodology for evaluating news media quality across print, ra
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dio, and TV. The methodology utilizes quantitative content analysis based on quality criteria derived from democracy theory and refined by journalism professionals and media non-governmental organizations. Since 2017, we have tested and applied this methodology in Tanzania, demonstrating its effectiveness in tracking overall trends in news media quality and evaluating the performance of individual outlets. The findings from the quantitative content analysis were validated through qualitative interviews with editors and reporters. The conclusions of the qualitative interviews confirm the validity of the measurement tool. This methodology can serve as a model for scholars and countries seeking to study news media quality, thereby ensuring that citizens are better equipped to navigate the complexities of information in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape. Furthermore, this paper makes a significant contribution to the scholarly discourse on assessing news media quality, a field that is still evolving." (Abstract)
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"This second volume focuses on primary trauma experienced by journalists, with a particular focus on the gendered dimensions, as shared by female journalists and researchers. By focusing on female journalists’ firsthand encounters, the book explores the complex psychological, emotional, and profes
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sional challenges they face both inside and outside the newsroom. The chapters deal with specific issues relating to sexual harassment, online threats, risks and vulnerabilities, and physical and psychological violence experienced by journalists in various sub-Saharan African countries. In addition, the book explores the coping mechanisms employed by journalists in the field; thereby contributing to ongoing discussion on how to support media professionals navigating challenging newsrooms and journalistic roles in Africa and beyond. Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam is Deputy Head of School for Teaching and Research, senior lecturer in Media Studies, and Master’s programme coordinator in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, South Africa. His latest book is Children and Young People’s Digital Lifeworlds: Domestication, Mediation, and Agency published in 2024 by Palgrave Macmillan under the book series of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). Kealeboga Aiseng is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His books include Sociolinguistics of South African Television: Language Ideologies in Selected Case Studies, Political Economy of African Popular Culture: Political Interplay (co-edited), Public Health Communication Challenges to Minority and Indigenous Communities (co-edited), and Social Media and Gender in Africa: Discourses and Politics of Everyday Life (co-edited)." (Publisher description)
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"Simbabwes Präsident Emmerson Mnangagwa verspricht, die Massaker an Zehntausenden Ndebele vor rund 40 Jahren aufarbeiten zu lassen. Überlebende dieses sogenannten Gukurahundi sehen dafür nur wenige Anzeichen." (Einführung)
"Listening to the World — 100 Years of Radio Art takes the 100 year anniversary of Radio Art in Germany as an opportunity to inquire radio and listening as global phenomena with visible and invisible worldwide connections. On 19 October 2024, the multiformat programme presents perspectives and pra
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ctices from Southern Africa and other geographically, politically, and sonically related areas. In the process of studying the role of radio broadcasting in Southern Africa one is invited to ask existential questions, such as: What can radio broadcasting provide today? How can the medium be used to intervene artistically? And in which areas and from which perspective? Through these questions, attention shifts towards mechanisms of different knowledge production systems that shape and define the interpretations of radio both as technology and cultural entity. In many people’s experience, acts of listening are intertwined with acts of remembering: sound can function as a form of memory. In the aforementioned regions, this manifests as creative rituals that carry a plethora of subjective and political meaning. This programme considers these acts of listening as operating from and within a background of colonial trauma. How can radio both as technology and cultural medium facilitate a reappraisal and amplify its healing effect? The encounters focussing on these questions are hosted in a 12-hour live radiophonic exchange involving communities and radio stations in Cape Town, Harare, and Berlin. This live platform, broadcasted in and from HKW via the experimental radio station Cashmere Radio in Berlin, provides a chance to test collective commitments on listening towards global justice, addressing colonially fractured practices of listening." (Introduction)
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"Cet ouvrage scientifique, rigoureux et captivant explore ainsi les nombreuses facettes de la violence – telle qu’elle est médiatisée ou exprimée à travers des études sociologiques, des œuvres littéraires, musicales, historiques, culturelles et archivistiques, ou encore dans des TIC –,
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révélant les dynamiques complexes à l’origine de ces représentations. En adoptant une approche analytique minutieuse et poussée, cette étude examine comment la violence postcoloniale, sous ses diverses formes, influence les relations interpersonnelles contemporaines en Afrique et déclenche des conflits à plus ou moins grande échelle. En outre, les deux chercheurs ne dressent pas seulement un état des lieux de l’impact de la violence sur le continent, mais proposent des solutions concrètes pour limiter l’expression et la diffusion de cette violence, en transmettant un message de paix et de vivre-ensemble sur le continent." (Dos de couverture)
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"To foster a multifaceted perspective on AI ethics, a pluriversal approach needs to be employed. This two-day workshop “AI Ethics from the Majority World: Reconstructing the Global Debate Through Decolonial Lenses” offers a forum to discuss alternatives to the status quo of AI ethics. Hosted by
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the University of Bonn’s Institute for Sciences and Ethics, the workshop aims to advance a reconstruction of the proliferated perspectives of AI ethics, dominantly shaped by ethical standards from historically hegemonic groups in the Minority World, by examining the plural decolonial schools of thought that challenge the positions that have shaped AI development worldwide." (Introduction)
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"Addressing a rarely-examined intersection, the magazine features eight articles highlighting the use of technology in Indigenous communities. These include AI’s role in exacerbating violence and inequality, the use of AI in tracking salmon migration, Indigenous representation in video games, and
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the use of Indigenous languages in coding. Focused on fighting for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and sovereignty, Cultural Survival herewith delves into Indigenous leaders as solution builders rather than simply excluded and discriminated against." (https://www.channelfoundation.org)
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"The Media survey indicates that Television remains the primary source of news, with 47% of respondents indicating it as their go-to platform for staying informed. Following closely is Radio, with 31% of respondents relying on it for news updates. The survey also revealed that Citizen Tv emerged as
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the most watched and trusted Tv. Similarly, Radio Citizen and Radio Jambo garnered substantial listenership, solidifying their positions as popular choices for radio news and entertainment. In contrast, the readership of newspapers has experienced a significant decline dropping from 29% in 2022 to 26% in 2023. This trend reflects the shifting preferences of consumers towards digital and broadcast media for accessing news content. Furthermore, the survey identified Tuko as the most visited news website, underscoring the growing prominence of online platforms in disseminating information. Notably, the survey highlighted the substantial consumption of online content by the youth demographic particularly those aged between 18 and 35. Additionally, the survey found that social media platforms are predominantly utilised for entertainment purposes, with both local and international content being equally popular among users. However, the survey also raised concerns regarding the level of trust in media sources, indicating a decrease from 42% in 2022 to 38.2% in 2023. The spread of misinformation and disinformation emerged as significant concerns stemming from the media survey in both 2022 and 2023." (Executive summary, page x)
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"Imagining AI: How the World Sees Intelligent Machines is the first volume showcasing research into how different cultures around the globe envision life with artificial intelligence. AI is now a global phenomenon. Yet Hollywood narratives dominate perceptions of AI in the English-speaking West and
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beyond, and much of the technology itself is shaped by a disproportionately white, male, US-based elite. However, different cultures have been imagining intelligent machines since long before we could build them, in visions that vary greatly across religious, philosophical, literary and cinematic traditions. This book aims to spotlight these alternative visions. Imagining AI draws attention to the range and variety of visions of a future with intelligent machines and their potential significance for the research, regulation and implementation of AI. The book is structured geographically, with each chapter presenting insights into how a specific region or culture imagines intelligent machines. The contributors, leading experts from academia and the arts, explore how the encounters between local narratives, digital technologies, and mainstream Western narratives create new imaginaries and insights in different contexts across the globe. The narratives they analyse range from ancient philosophy to contemporary science fiction, and visual art to policy discourse. The book sheds new light on some of the most important themes in AI ethics, from the differences between Chinese and American visions of AI, to digital neo-colonialism. It is an essential work for anyone wishing to understand how different cultural contexts interplay with the most significant technology of our time." (Publisher description)
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"Künstliche Intelligenz ist auf Smartphones unser ständiger Begleiter, in sozialen Netzwerken verbreitet sie Desinformation, sie wird zur Überwachung und beim Militär eingesetzt. Welche Regeln braucht es, damit uns KI mehr nützt als schadet? Welche billigen Arbeitskräfte liefern die Daten für
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maschinelles Lernen? Und wie verbessert KI in Bangladesch den Flutschutz?"
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"Malawian journalists are ambivalent in their roles. They perceive themselves as faithful reporters and objective analysts of current affairs, who not only help their audiences make informed decisions, but also give voice to the people (see Table 1). They also perceive themselves as monitors and scr
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utinizers of political leadership and business. This approach would classify Malawians journalists as operating within the Occidental/Western journalism framework. However, the same journalists also see themselves as advocates for social change, supporters of national development, motivators of popular political participation, and educators of their audiences. More than half of the respondents stuck to their traditional roles of providing advice, orientation and direction for daily life as well as providing entertainment and relaxation. While the Malawian journalists portray themselves as professionals with the mission to contribute positively to national governance and promote social change, they avoid being adversaries of their government or promoters of political leadership." (Journalistic roles, page 2)
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"Im subsaharischen Afrika orientieren sich die Medien am Entwicklungsjournalismus und am westlichen Journalismusverständnis. Daniel Kuehnhenrich untersucht mit verschiedenen Methoden die Ausprägung dieser Konzepte in den ghanaischen Zeitungen. Seine umfassende Analyse beruht auf der ersten Journal
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istenbefragung in Westafrika, teilnehmenden Beobachtungen in zwei großen Zeitungsredaktionen, qualitativen Interviews mit deren Chefredakteuren und einer quantitativen Inhaltsanalyse von über 1100 Zeitungsartikeln. Die detaillierte und umfangreiche Literaturanalyse ordnet die empirischen Ergebnisse in die subsaharische Presselandschaft ein." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This is a major study on publishing in South Africa, providing an in-depth analysis of the book industry, reviewing its social and historical context, and examining its role as a strategic industry in South Africa's future development. With contributions by some of the country's leading book profes
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sionals and practitioners, the book examines fields such as policies of literacy and development of African languages, academic publishing, writers and publishing, reading promotion, new digital technologies and their impact on publishing, and issues relating copyright and reproduction rights. There are also some interesting papers on alternative publishing, and the alternative press, under the former repressive apartheid regime." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1002)
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