"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
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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)
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"In terms of professional role orientations, Filipino journalists found it most important to report things as they are, educate the audience, and advocate for social change. Most journalists were in strong agreement in the importance of these roles, as reflected by the relatively low standard deviat
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ions. In contrast, there were significant disagreements in the roles that were ranked the least important: providing entertainment and relaxation, being an adversary of the government, supporting government policy, and conveying a positive image of political leadership. A majority of journalists in the Philippines also found it important to promote tolerance and cultural diversity, let people express their views, monitor and scrutinize political leaders, provide information people need to make political decisions, and provide analysis of current affairs." (Journalistic roles, pages 1-2)
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"Social sector communication helps address issues by influencing policy and can be used to bring about desired behavioral change among the targeted public. This book not only highlights the theoretical underpinnings, practice, and skill of social sector communications in India, but also provides an
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understanding of various tools and strategies required in development communication encompassing social marketing, media advocacy, social mobilization, grassroots communication, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). With the aid of case studies, it offers tips on how to plan campaigns; write a concept note, field report, and press release, and effectively use social media to achieve developmental program goals. The book discusses the different perspectives of NGOs and program implementers, and helps in understanding the corporate–NGO interface vis-à-vis CSR projects." (Publisher description)
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"The community radio has made an impression in all grounds of rural society with specific need of sustenance in the long run. The study was taken up to compare the status of three community radios operational each under State Agricultural University (SAU), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and Non-Governme
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nt Organization (NGO). Four villages have been selected randomly from one purposively selected block. Forty (40) respondents from four randomly selected villages from each CRS coverage were selected for the study. Thus, a total of 120 respondents constituted the sample of the study. Sustainability of radio station is considered as the combination of social sustainability (social capital and social equity), operational sustainability (suitability of approach and training-cum problem solving) and financial sustainability. The sustainability index of NGO-CRS was found to 0.60 followed by KVK-CRS (0.58) and SAU-CRS (0.57). It is also revealed that financial sustainability of NGO-CRS was found more important than other indicators of for its long term sustenance." (Abstract)
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"Citizen Media and Public Spaces presents a pioneering exploration of citizen media as a highly interdisciplinary domain that raises vital political, social and ethical issues relating to conceptions of citizenship and state boundaries, the construction of publics and social imaginaries, processes o
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f co-optation and reverse co-optation, power and resistance, the ethics of witnessing and solidarity, and novel responses to the democratic deficit. Framed by a substantial introduction by the editors, the twelve contributions to the volume interrogate the concept of citizen media theoretically and empirically, and offer detailed case studies that extend from the UK to Russia and Bulgaria and from China to Denmark and the liminal spaces within which a growing number of refugees now live. A rich new domain of scholarship and practice emerges out of the studies presented. Citizen media is shown to embrace both physical and digital interventions in public space, as well as the sets of values and agendas that influence and drive the practices and discourses through which individuals and collectives position themselves within and in relation to society and participate in the creation of diverse publics." (Publisher description)
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"Outbreaks of religious intolerance are usually assumed to be visceral and spontaneous. But in 'Hate Spin', Cherian George shows that they often involve sophisticated campaigns manufactured by political opportunists to mobilize supporters and marginalize opponents. Right-wing networks orchestrate th
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e giving of offense and the taking of offense as instruments of identity politics, exploiting democratic space to promote agendas that undermine democratic values. George calls this strategy “hate spin”—a double-sided technique that combines hate speech (incitement through vilification) with manufactured offense-taking (the performing of righteous indignation). It is deployed in societies as diverse as Buddhist Myanmar and Orthodox Christian Russia. George looks at the world's three largest democracies, where intolerant groups within India's Hindu right, America's Christian right, and Indonesia's Muslim right are all accomplished users of hate spin. He also shows how the Internet and Google have opened up new opportunities for cross-border hate spin." (Publisher description)
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"This publication provides a selection of literacy programmes that use radio, TV, mobile phones, tablets and computers to support the development of literacy, numeracy and language skills. Due to continuous demand, the second edition of the publication has been updated with new case studies. All pro
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grammes included in this publication are also available on UNESCO’s Effective Literacy and Numeracy Practices database (LitBase). This database allows users to identify trends, challenges and lessons learnt in applying ICTs to literacy teaching and learning worldwide. The programmes share valuable examples of how ICTs can be used creatively and innovatively to complement face-to-face adult literacy teaching. They highlight the prerequisites that must be met to reach the full potential of ICTs." (Foreword)
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"This article focuses on the case of Google, the newly emerged US Internet industry and global geographical market expansion. Google's struggles in China, where Chinese domestic Internet firm, Baidu, controls the market, have been commonly presented in the Western mainstream media in terms of a stru
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ggle over a strategic information infrastructure between two nation states - newly 'emerging' global power China countering the United States, the world's current hegemon and information empire. Is China really becoming an imperial rival to the United States? What is the nature of this opposition over this new industry? Given that the search engine industry in China is heavily backed by transnational capital - and in particular US capital - and is experiencing intense inter-capitalist competition, this perceived view of inter-state rivalry is incomplete and misleading. By looking at the tussle over the global search business, this article seeks to illuminate the changing dynamics of the US-led transnationalizing capitalism in the context of China's reintegration into the global capitalist market." (Abstract)
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"Radio broadcasting is an important means for reaching, informing and engaging rural communities in the Philippines. Many households in fact rely on radio for their information and communication needs. Media practitioners are therefore important actors in the communication process, especially in com
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municating to communities about climate change, agriculture and food security. Most of the times, however, media practitioners and rural broadcasters do not have the skills and technical knowledge to report effectively and efficiently about these subjects. The PFRB initiative to hold seminar workshops on reporting climate change and related issues for rural broadcasters and information officers of government agencies in the Philippines aimed to address this gap. As one of the outcomes from the media seminar workshop series conducted by CCAFS-SEA in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the PFRB workshop series discussed climate change and agriculture in the context of the communities wherein the broadcasters work. It also enhanced their skills in packaging technical information in messages that appeal to their audiences, the rural communities." (Conclusion, page 19)
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"This report reflects the findings of a survey performed by Afghan Journalists Safety Committee on the status of female journalists and media workers in Afghanistan. The purpose of the report is to identify the extensive challenges female journalists and media workers face and develop specific measu
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res to tackle those challenges subsequent to development of this report." (Page i)
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"The images used to market development often feature women, as victims of terrible traditions and disempowering situations, or – more commonly these days – as enterprising agents of change, poised to ‘lift’ economies and their families and communities. These images tell a story of victims an
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d heroines, representing development as a project of uplift and rescue. This chapter explores the politics of these representations. It takes as its point of entry a film project that sought to disrupt these narratives, producing a short film called Save us from Saviours. Engaging with those often represented as tragic victims and left out of the story of enterprising entrepreneurs to tell a story about sex work, collective action and social change, the film speaks to a set of larger questions about development intervention. Juxtaposing Save us from Saviours with another film, made at the same time about some of the same people, which gave rise to a third film, made by the sex workers in response, the chapter reflects on the complexities of development communications in an age of global connectivity." (Abstract)
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"With regards to professional role orientations, Chinese journalists found it most important to report things as they are, to provide analysis of current affairs, to support national development, to provide advice, orientation and direction for daily life, and to be a detached observer. The relevanc
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e of these “classic” roles such as “to report things as they are” and “to provide analysis of current affairs” was fairly undisputed among the interviewed journalists as the relatively low standard deviations indicate. Likewise, there was a strong consensus among the respondents over the importance of supporting national development. Still, a majority of journalists in China found it important to provide the kind of news that attracts the largest audience, to let people express their views, to influence public opinion, and to support government policy. The most disputative role is to be an adversary of the government (s=1.32), which is also the least supportive role. Another highly disputative role is to convey a positive image of political leadership (s=1.16). Except for the roles of supporting national development and supporting government policy, other politically more assertive roles were not widely supported, such as setting the political agenda, motivating people to participate in political activity, and monitoring and scrutinizing political leaders." (Journalistic roles, pages 1-2)
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"Hong Kong journalists treated as most important the roles of monitoring and scrutinizing political leaders, reporting things as they are, monitoring and scrutinizing businesses, providing analysis of current affairs, and letting people express their views. Given the emphasis on monitoring the power
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holders, “to be a detached observer” was treated as important only by slightly more than half of the respondents. Twelve of the 18 roles included in the questionnaire were treated as important by fewer than half of the respondents. About one-third saw the advocacy role of the press as important, and about three in ten saw setting the political agenda and motivating people to participate in politics as important. The Hong Kong journalists were least likely to see conveying a positive image of political leadership, supporting government policy, providing entertainment and relaxation, and supporting national development as important roles. However, the percentage of journalists seeing the press as an adversary of the government is also low (14.4%). It indicates that the Hong Kong journalists saw themselves as an independent watchdog without being an adversary to the power holders." (Journalistic roles, page 2)
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"This report provides a broad overview and assessment of how Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are being implemented in international development work with an emphasis on the particular role IVR can play in peacebuilding work in post-conflict contexts. In order to narrow the scope of research
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, this study focuses primarily on the usage of IVR in conjunction with radio for development projects in different crisis and post-crisis zones in Africa and India, as operationalized within the larger international development contexts. This report offers a review of the existing literature about IVR applications in non-Western contexts, supplemented by primary research based on interviews with practitioners who are using or designing IVR systems in the field. Many of the individuals interviewed work at organizations that have conducted their own impact evaluations of the new technologies they are using. This study aggregates these assessments." (Executive summary, page 2)
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