"This edited volume focuses on the lived experiences of children during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020, their knowledge and emotional reactions, the adjustments they made in their everyday lives, and the strengths and skills they developed in response. A central theme
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of inquiry is the place media held in all of these aspects: the roles they played for children’s informational, emotional, and social needs, how these have changed under the pandemic circumstances, and the media competencies children developed in utilizing and controlling the media in their lives. The book is based on responses of 4,200 children ages 9-13 to an international survey administered in 42 countries as well as additional complementaries localized studies. Comparative dimensions are central to this unique collection of chapters, along geographical and cultural lines, as well as gender, age, class, health, and refugee status. With 40 authors from around the world, this book highlights the potential of media to assist children and their families in times of crisis as well as their potential drawbacks." (Publisher description)
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"Delving into the meanings, implications, contexts and effects of extreme speech and gated communities in the media landscape, the chapters analyse misleading metaphors and rhetoric via focused case studies to understand how we can overcome the risks and threats stemming from the past decade's defin
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ing communicative phenomena. The book brings together an international team of experts, enabling a broad, multidisciplinary approach that examines hate speech, dislike, polarization and enclave deliberation as cross axes that influence offline and digital conversations." (Publisher description)
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"This is the annual report for the Interactive Radio for Ecologically Sustainable Agricultural Practises (IRESAP) among small scale farmers in Northern and Central Tanzania. The reporting period was from January 2021 to December 2022." (commbox)
"We find that there is a will for reform from the civilian part of the government, the international community, independent media professionals, and a handful of Sudanese CSOs. However, pushing for a free media is a low priority for most of the population, who have more urgent survival and security
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needs. Furthermore, the military/Islamist wing of the transitional government seems to want to control, not free, the media." (Conclusion, page 24)
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"This document concludes that 1. Digital broadcasting migration is generally a process in which broadcasting services offered on traditional analogue technology are replaced with digital networks. It is the transition or switch from analogue broadcasting to digital broadcasting; 2. Most Southern Afr
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ican countries have made good progress and are in the final stages of digital migration. However, some countries are struggling due to financial constraints and a lack of urgency to comply with ITU and SADC guidelines; 3. Digital broadcasting has improved signals and technical picture quality. It affords audio descriptions for the visually impaired. This group was previously uncatered for as analogue could only provide sign language services for the deaf and hard of hearing; 4. Subsidizing STBs is also a clear indication of the political will of some governments in the region to ensure that citizens enjoy the full benefits of digital migration and its inherent spin-offs, which include access to information." (Page 1)
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"Access to information is an essential component of best practices in public administration management and governance in Africa. Transparency is progressively becoming the rule, and secrecy the exception. The campaigns for the expansion of access to information alongside the development of the digit
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al era have enhanced the scope of journalism, especially investigative reporting in several African countries. Currently, 25 African countries have adopted Access to information laws. The African Union, its organs and African governments ought to boost the adoption of constitutional provisions and laws on access to information for everyone." (Page 1)
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"This study reviews patterns of domestic and international media reporting and the role of disinformation, misinformation, and media bias in the Tigray conflict, which has been raging since November 2020. Since its outbreak, the conflict has evolved through four broad phases. Throughout these phases
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, the conflict was characterised by egregious violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law. To analyse the role of the media in the conflict, this study reviewed local and international media, conducted interviews with local and international journalists and analysts, and consulted secondary literature. Patterns of reporting by international and local media exhibited fairly significant levels of divergence in the issues that were selected for reporting and how they were reported during these four phases of the conflict." (Executive summary)
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"Our work in 2020 and 2021 focused on different aspects of COVID-19 to provide audiences with accurate information and appropriate strategies to deal with the pandemic. This media content contributed to increased knowledge, changed attitudes and positive behaviour change to counter the damaging effe
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cts of the pandemic. Overall, audiences and media professionals suggest that the programmes should continue to provide COVID-19 awareness and information and focus on how to live with the virus as the pandemic continues." (Learnings and recommendations, page 14)
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"Internet shutdowns in Africa are becoming increasingly widespread, particularly when governments face competitive or contentious elections. They have also come to symbolise a widening fracture between competing conceptions of the global Internet and its regulation. Governments in Africa are justify
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ing shutdowns as able address misinformation and disinformation, protect the election process, and ensure national security. International organisations, NGOs, and social networking platforms condemn these as an inadmissible form of censorship and information control, an abuse by political actors seeking to silence critics or manipulate elections. This article offers an alternative reading on internet shutdowns by placing them in the historical context of the wide range of information controls around elections, many of which are widely regarded as being acceptable and legitimate mechanisms to support competitive elections. By offering this context, we can ask what is new about shutdowns and whether they can ever be regarded as a proportionate response to real concerns of social media and election manipulation. We conclude by highlighting the inequalities of online content moderation as an often-overlooked factor in driving the use of shutdowns, and the failure of social media companies to effectively address misinformation and disinformation in Africa, particularly around elections." (Abstract)
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"The purpose of this political economy analysis (PEA) is to understand how political and economic factors have affected, or hindered, the media sector in Sierra Leone as well as the potential for private sector investment in the media [...] The report presents a contextual analysis of the media sect
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or in Sierra Leone: the stakeholders; the financial motivation and incentives for their engagement; and the political and economic factors that influence media independence and viability. It also examines the business climate in Sierra Leone, and the current scope of private investment in the media sector. Additionally, it provides a brief analysis of the legal and structural constraints to the development of a sustainable market as well as the opportunities unlocked by the legal reform processes enacted by the state. This is followed by an examination of the existing skill gaps within the sector, and the interaction between the media sector, civil society and/or local communities. This report has five sections. The second section elaborates on the methodology used for the report; the third section presents the main findings; the fourth section draws the conclusions of the study; and the fifth section provides the recommendations." (Introduction)
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"The Lugara Humanitarian Bulletin is an output of Internews in South Sudan. Under the global Rooted in Trust project, Internews in South Sudan aims to address concerns of diverse communities, including IDPs, refugees, cattle communities, youth, through online and face to face social listening." (Pag
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e 1)
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"Internews in Zimbabwe collected 276 rumors on-line and 36 offline in the communities of Masvingo, Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Midlands. The most trending rumors include that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe for children (35%), COVID-19 vaccines cause death (31%), COVID-19 vacc
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ines are experimental (19%), COVID-19 is endemic (8%), and that government is using COVID-19 for corruption (8%). 41% of collected rumors showed sentiment of confusion, 14% indicated anger or frustration, 14% showed fear, 10% were sad, 3% demonstrated excitement and 3% were shocked." (Rumor data overview, page 2)
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"This study aims to understand the experiences of digital creatives in Kampala, Uganda, through a gendered lens. There is a large gap in the availability of data and knowledge on the digital creative industry in Uganda and this paper aims to address some of these blindspots. To understand these expe
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riences, this body of work explores a number of sector wide concerns through exploratory qualitative research methodologies around issues of access and use of digital technologies by digital creatives, the role of emerging technologies on the sector and finally, the policy ecosystem governing the creative industry in Uganda. The paper also draws from existing literature on the traditional creative industries in Uganda given the limited scholarship on the digital creative industries in the country. Key findings of the paper include a need to clearly define the digital creative industry, which at present is largely informal. Creatives face a number of structural barriers such as negative or harmful perceptions, policies and practices which hinder the growth of the sector. The study also found a significant discriminatory and sexist trend towards women digital creatives. Lastly, the research identifies a number of untapped opportunities which have the potential to leapfrog Uganda's digital creative sector. The paper concludes by making recommendations to different key stakeholders in the sector." (Executive summary, page 1)
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"Le présent livre blanc passe au peigne fin le parcours trépidant de la HAAC pendant cette campagne inédite au Bénin et dans le monde. Il retrace et analyse les activités menées par la HAAC dans le cadre des communales de 2020, en pointant singulièrement la période de campagne électorale qu
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i fut exclusivement médiatique. C’est un ouvrage de référence qui vise à faire la promotion des expériences de la HAAC en matière de gestion de campagne médiatique des élections, et notamment de cet aspect nouveau de campagne électorale exclusivement médiatique. Cet ouvrage pourrait inspirer plus tard la HAAC ellemême et les instances de régulation des médias qui seraient amenées à faire face à des expériences similaires." (Preface, page 7)
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"Following years of government shutdowns, social media has become both freer and more influential in Chadian politics – particularly since the country entered a political transition with the death of President Idriss Déby in April 2021. While it has democratised political participation, social me
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dia has also fuelled socio political tensions. Why does it matter? Chad’s transition has entered a sensitive phase. A government crackdown in October killed dozens of protesters, putting the country on edge. In the run-up to 2024 elections, social media can enhance access to politics by provid ing a forum for open debate, but it could also drive polarisation and violence. What should be done? The government should keep social media platforms free and open, while social media companies should improve monitoring and content moderation. With donor support, civil society should offer influencers training on refraining from online hate speech, incitement and disinformation, which influencers should apply. Donors should support local, professional, independent media." (Summary)
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"Die Mehrheit der christlichen Weltbevölkerung lebt heute im globalen Süden. Kenntnisse ihrer Geschichte sind darum unerlässlich. Dieses Lehrbuch bietet einen ebenso kompakten wie anschaulichen Überblick über die Christentumsgeschichte Asiens, Afrikas und Lateinamerikas seit ca. 1450. Vielfalt
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und Verflechtung, lokale Akteure und globale Auswirkungen stehen im Fokus der Darstellung." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This report seeks to serve two purposes. The first is to research and document the state of media freedom and safety of journalists in Africa and to provide specific and evidence-based recommendations to guide policy makers, media development organisations and other media freedom and human rights a
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ctors to address identified gaps that undermine the safety of journalists and media freedom in Africa. Secondly, the report seeks to reinforce the safety of journalists and enhance legal and institutional frameworks by providing recommendations to support the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists (UNPoA) and the Issue of Impunity" (Introduction, page 6)
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"Access to information about family planning (FP) continues to have financial, physical and social barriers among young women living in Kenya. This paper draws on social norms theory to explore how young women and their social networks access FP information on digital media (e.g., WhatsApp, websites
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). Qualitative phone interviews were conducted with 40 participants – young women, their partners and key influencers – in seven peri-urban wards in Nairobi, Kenya. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggested that young women, their partners and key influencers predominately accessed FP information online through their informal networks, but identified healthcare workers as the most trusted sources of FP information. In digital spaces, participants described beingmore comfortable sharing FP information as digital spaces allowed for greater privacy and reduced stigma to talk about FP openly. Our findings highlight the importance of digital media in disseminating FP information among young women and their networks, the differences in norms governing the acceptability to talk about FP online vs. in-person and the significance of targeting misinformation about FP in digital media spaces." (Abstract)
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"Who constructs Africa’s global media image? That is the main focus of this longitudinal study. It looks at both the journalists and the news sources applied in the British press coverage of Africa between 1992 and 2017. Four British national newspapers (The Guardian, Financial Times, The Times, a
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nd Daily Mail) and a mixed research approach (content analysis and semi-structured interviews) were used. A total sample of 7027 articles were utilized, while nine journalists were interviewed. This study discovered that the British newspapers’ coverage of Africa was dominated by Western journalists and the news sources used in the articles were a proportionate mixture of both African and Western sources, especially in the quality newspapers. It also uncovered that Africa’s global influence, in addition to other factors impact on the UK newspapers’ coverage of Africa. This study concludes that there are some positive changes in the post-colonial British press coverage of Africa, especially in their use of news sources, but there are still some elements of neo-colonialism and racism in the British newspapers’ use of journalists in reporting on Africa." (Abstract)
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