"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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"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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"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 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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"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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"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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"This book provides an important set of critical reflections from a selection of foundational scholars of African media and communication studies through biographical method. The book interrogates the center of mainstream academic scholarship by providing the foundational history and origins of an A
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fricanist conceptual model while highlighting its significance globally. The editors use biographical and life story interviews to critically review the respondents’ interpretations of their key works and arguments in relation to key moments in the field, the continent and globally. Though the book is focussed on recovering pioneering arguments by key thinkers in African media and communication, efforts of individual academics are to be understood in the context of their work with others and within institutions that are networked, locally and globally. By bringing together many of the leading figures of African communication and media studies in a single volume, this book provides a critical corrective to the dearth of knowledge and information about who the key thinkers are and what their key arguments, theories and models for media and communication in African contexts entail." (Publisher description)
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"A clear indicator of Uganda's digital divide is that, even in 2023, radio remained both the primary and most trusted source of information in the country. This is why we, at TRAC FM, leverage radio and toll-free SMS technology to serve the increasingly isolated public spheres across Uganda's distri
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cts. By posing multiple-choice poll questions on the radio, we provide people with a platform to voice their opinions on matters of public importance, and to hear how others, sometimes hundreds of kilmetres away, have responded. Here are some of the views we received from our radio listeners this year: 1. 64% of 18,000 polled citizens are uninformed about their rights, More than half of these individuals actively sought information but were unable to find it. 2. 60% of 18,000 polled citizens prioritise healthcare, education, and basic needs over political and wome's rights. 3. Tow-thirds of 4,000 respondents observed that accidental teenage pregnancies often lead to forced children marriages. However, Uganda's policy apporach assumes the reverse: that forced child marriages lead to teenage pregnancies." (Page 36)
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"This paper aims to shed light on the threats that young people living in refugee camps face in their use of Facebook. While social media enable a participatory process of communication (Russo et al., 2008), which is based on the agency of the communicator and defined by their own cultural and moral
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goals (Lee et al., 2023), these platforms can at times be inappropriately pursued if the communicator lacks relevant skills. The outcome of such a pursuit can also inadvertently damage social cohesion in the camp and lead to conflict.
Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 semi-structured interviews were carried out in 2023 with young people between the ages of 20 and 29 living in Kakuma refugee camp. The young refugees were asked questions related to their own behaviour and practices on Facebook and to those of their peers. The focus was specifically on the context of the interactions with other youth in Kakuma and on the camp’s Facebook groups or pages.
Findings: Findings reveal that limited knowledge, understanding and awareness of the functioning and affordances of social media platforms such as Facebook are leading young refugees towards multiple risks involved in public online interactions. This has significant negative impacts not only on the lives of the youth who are active on social media in the camp but also on the relationships with their peers and overall community harmony.
Originality/value: A number of studies have identified some of the dangers arising for refugees operating in online spaces, and particularly on social media platforms (see, for example, Tech Transparency Project, 2022; Dekker et al., 2018). Yet, there is a lack of research on the outcomes that young refugees face in their immediate virtual and physical environment as a result of their online behaviour. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to bring to light the nature of the interactions and the dynamics that young, encamped refugees engage in on Facebook and to offer useful reflections that can inform digital literacy efforts carried out by development agencies." (Abstract)
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"In 'Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes', an international team of prominent scholars examines both long-term media systems and fluctuating trends in media usage around the world. Integrating country-specific summaries and cross-cutting studies of geopolitical regions, this
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interdisciplinary reference work describes key elements in the political, social, demographic, cultural, and economic conditions of media infrastructures and public communication. Enabling the mapping of media landscapes internationally, Media Compass contains up-to-date empirical surveys of individual countries and regions, as well as cross-country comparisons of particular areas of public communication. 45 entries, each guiding readers from a general summary to a more in-depth discussion of a country’s specific media landscape, address formative conditions and circumstances, historical background and development, current issues and challenges, and more." (Publisher description)
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"How can current debates on ‘media capture’ be understood within the contexts of Africa and Latin America? This edited collection provides a nuanced exploration of media capture—a critical yet contested concept that examines and illuminates how media can become skewed in favour of power—whil
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e also highlighting spaces and strategies of resistance. By adopting a South-South perspective, it brings together scholars focused on these issues in both regions, featuring a dialogue between two leading scholars, Herman Wasserman and Silvio Waisbord in the Foreword. The book not only demonstrates how media practices in Africa and Latin America are influenced by the political economy of their media systems, but also contributes significantly to advancing empirical, theoretical, and comparative research on media in non-Western settings." (Publisher description)
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"What does it mean to decolonise academia in Africa? Is this important project limited to the humanities? Is it a project for the future? Are there forerunners at African universities today? The contributors to this volume show different trajectories for anthropology as a discipline and for decoloni
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sing academia across the continent and beyond. They offer a variety of perspectives, especially regarding collaboration between African and German scholars in the areas of research, teaching and institutional development: While some are hopeful and take inspiration from earlier experiences of disciplinary and methodological developments in academic decolonisation and international collaborations, others remain critical and call for more radical attempts at decolonisation." (Publisher description)
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"Since the early 2010s, humanitarian donors have increasingly contracted private firms to monitor and evaluate humanitarian activities, accompanied by a promise of improving accountability through their data and data analytics. This article contributes to scholarship on data practices in the humanit
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arian sector by interrogating the implications of this new set of actors on humanitarian accountability relations. Drawing on insights from 60 interviews with humanitarian donors, implementing agencies, third-party monitors and data enumerators in Somalia, this article interrogates data narratives and data practices around thirdparty monitoring. We find that, while humanitarian donors are highly aware of challenges to accountability within the sector, there is a less critical view of data challenges and limitations by these external firms. This fuels donor optimism about third-party monitoring data, while obscuring the ways that third-partymonitoring data practices are complicating accountability relations in practice. Resultant data practices, which are aimed at separating data from the people involved, reproduce power asymmetries around the well-being and expertise of the Global North versus Global South. This challenges accountability to donors and to crisis-affected communities, by providing a partial view of reality that is, at the same time, assumed to be reflective of crisis- affected communities’ experiences. This article contributes to critical data studies by showing howmonitoring data practices intended to improve accountability relations are imbued with, and reproduce, power asymmetries that silence local actors." (Abstract)
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"This paper examines the role that community radio can play in a refugee camp, with particular focus on community building and social cohesion among young people. The article introduces the experience of RefFM in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Findings from four focus groups with young refugees in Kaku
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ma shed light on both the uses and perceptions of the radio station among Kakuma youth. They also present insights into the design of radio-based interventions for humanitarian agencies working in refugee camps. In particular, reflections are offered on how “refugee community radio” programming can be developed to strengthen the ties between different communities living in the camp, and particularly among young people, while addressing the critical needs of a displaced population." (Abstract)
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"This report presents an in-depth examination of Uganda’s media legal and regulatory framework, with a particular focus on its implications for press freedom, democratic engagement, and the overarching vitality of the media sector. The findings reveal a disconcerting trend: although constitutional
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protections for freedom of expression ostensibly exist, their practical enforcement is increasingly compromised by restrictive legislation, administrative overreach, and a lack of transparency in regulatory processes. The evolution of the regulatory framework governing media in Uganda has intensified in recent years, particularly in relation to digital expression, with significant ramifications for journalists, media organisations, and civic stakeholders." (Executive summary)
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"All over the world, satirists courageously stand up for democratic values, often under extremely difficult conditions. Through their art, they create spaces for freedom and challenge authorities. On the other hand, extremists use humour for their political purposes too: They ridicule those who diss
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ent and make fun of democratic values. It is not helpful that political debates are increasingly taking place in digital spaces that lack transparency and fair rules." (Publisher description)
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"The uniqueness of journalism cultures across African nations often highlights the inapplicability of normative, Western-centric theories. The newly proposed African media typology suggests that media systems in Africa would be best understood by thinking about them within the context of the type of
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individual in a leadership position in that country at a specific moment in time. This study aims to begin operationalizing the African media typology by investigating journalist perspectives about political leadership, changes in press freedom, and the role of news media in promoting or inhibiting various forms of development and democratization. Cross-national surveys of journalists in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, conducted in 2019 (N = 424 journalists: 174 in Rwanda, 148 in Uganda, and 102 in Kenya), reveal ways in which journalists’ perceptions about the role of news media as contributing to various forms of development are similar and different across varying media environments within the typology." (Abstract)
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