"National and Regional Internet Governance Forums (NRIs) are the stars of the 2017 Global Information Society Watch. The story of NRIs began two years after the first global IGF held in 2006. In 2008, stakeholders from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda organised national forums and a subsequent Eas
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t African IGF, to prepare for and discuss common concerns in anticipation of the global forum held later that year in Hyderabad. Soon after, many other national and regional initiatives emerged, impacting the global forum from the bottom up, enhancing inclusiveness and the broad engagement of multiple stakeholders. Today there is widespread agreement that national and regional forums constitute an important part of the IGF process, that their rise has added significance to the global forum and, at the same time, strengthened national and regional initiatives in their quest for inclusive, participatory decision making on their home turf. This GISWatch edition is the first comprehensive look at national and regional IGF initiatives from a critical, civil society perspective. In all, 54 reports are presented, including seven reports addressing cross-cutting themes, 40 covering national IGFs, and seven examining regional initiatives." (Preface)
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"It is often assumed that a robust, free and independent media will contribute to the deepening of democracy by keeping governments accountable and broadening citizen participation in deliberative democratic debates. But in new democracies such as South Africa, the deepening and broadening of democr
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atic participation is often curtailed by challenges such as unequal access to the media, the orientation of mainstream media towards elite audiences and renewed attempts by sources of power to control the free flow of information. Despite the promise of a peaceful, equitable and democratic society after the end of apartheid, conflicts continue to erupt due to continued social polarisation, vast socio-economic inequalities and new struggles for power. In South Africa these conflicts include social protests on a daily basis, repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence and disruptions to the parliamentary process. This paper probes the role of the media in these conflicts from the perspective of journalists who have reported on these issues. The paper explores ways in which journalists critically reflect on their abilities to perform the roles expected of them within a normative framework informed by the Habermasian ideal of deliberative democracy. The reasons they offer for not fulfilling these roles, and the conditions underpinning these failures, lead them to question the ability of the South African media to contribute to an emerging democracy." (Abstract)
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"Journalists in many countries are experimenting with how to build trust and engage with audiences, and our report examines their efforts. In our study we profile organizations that are working to build bridges with their readers, viewers and listeners and deliver relevant news to local audiences. W
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e surveyed 17 organizations and conducted interviews with representatives of 15 organizations, one of which chose to remain anonymous. Among others we spoke to Chequeado in Argentina, GroundUp in South Africa, Raseef 22 in the Middle East, 263 Chat in Zimbabwe, Krautreporter and Correct!v in Germany, as well as Bristol Cable in the UK [...] Although the groups we surveyed are concerned by the broader phenomena of falling trust in media and media credibility, they are also, by necessity, focused on immediate fixes important to their organizations and readerships. Some believe that media credibility depends on engagement with readers. Some place more emphasis on journalism practices, including audience engagement, ethical standards and news gathering practices. The outlets we profiled use digital technology to communicate with audiences. Some also involve their readers in sourcing and sometimes verifying information. Some conduct focus groups and online surveys. Responding to comments online is part of their engagement efforts. Readers appreciate investigative reporting as well as stories that touch on their daily lives [...] There seems to be a tradeoff between audience size and the quality of content produced. Some groups with large followings (Hivisasa and 263Chat) promote headlines and short snippets rather than carrying out deep investigative reporting [...] Several groups said their audience is different from what their founders had originally expected. The reach of the outlets we surveyed is generally not as diverse as they had hoped. Their audiences tend to be educated and urban and, in some cases, include large diaspora communities. The outlets largely cater to niche audiences, but they have broader reach through their online presence and national influence when their stories are picked up by legacy media or other outlets." (https://gijn.org, accessed: June 8, 2018)
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"The overall conclusion is that there is an urgent need to address the specific legal framework and major technical and financial challenges identified in this study to ensure pluralism and media diversity in the Kingdom of Swaziland." (Page 10)
"This report outlines the methodology and processes of the Radio Content Analysis Tool, a prototype developed by Pulse Lab Kampala to analyse public radio content in Uganda and explore its value for informing development of UN projects and programmes on the ground. It distills the technology behind
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the creation of the Radio Content Analysis Tool and presents the lessons learned along the way. The report also details the results of several pilot studies that were conducted together with partners from the Government, UN agencies and academia to understand the validity and value of unfiltered public radio discussions for development [...] By sampling different indigenous languages, types of broadcasters, and locations within Uganda, the pilot studies assess the potential uses of radio talk across five topics: perceptions towards refugees in Uganda, the impact of small-scale disasters on livelihoods, perceptions around the delivery of healthcare services, understanding the spread of infectious diseases, and monitoring the effectiveness of awareness raising radio campaigns." (Executive summary)
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"In 2015, Farm Radio International applied to Making All Voices Count for a practitioner research and learning grant. Farm Radio International (FRI) is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organisation working in direct partnership with approximately 600 radio broadcasters in 38 African countries to figh
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t poverty and food insecurity. The research studied the impact of one of FRI’s projects, the Listening Post, initially developed as a pilot project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help agricultural development actors ensure their initiatives are responsive and accountable to farmers. The Listening Post is an interactive radio series aimed at an audience of farmers. It combines specialised interactive radio broadcasts with Uliza, a tool created by FRI for gathering and analysing feedback and questions from audience members. Uliza is built on an interactive voice response (IVR) system which enables listeners to vote on poll questions, leave messages and request the delivery of specific information. The research aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Listening Post, and to examine its potential as a tool for the adaptive management of agricultural programmes. This practice paper describes the research, and reflects more broadly on the challenges and opportunities provided by feedback models such as the Listening Post for improving inclusive and participatory agricultural development, and for advancing adaptive programme implementation based on feedback. It also discusses the potential of building on a tech-enabled feedback model to enable collective civic action for extension services that are responsive to the priorities of smallholder farmers. If the information generated by multi-stakeholder platforms like the Listening Post is to lead to adaptation and change in service provision, it is necessary to develop common understandings of the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders from the outset of programme design and implementation." (Summary)
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"At HDIF, we want to share learning from our own experience to assist players in ICT4D to ensure we are not creating more stacks of unused hardware and limited viability which combine to create a larger wasteland of well-intended development projects. A broad set of donors and partners have combined
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to develop the Principles for Digital Development, which form a simple set of values that have helped HDIF understand our impact and establish whether we are setting partners on the best path for success. This White Paper is HDIF’s first formal publication sharing our initial insights and learning around the application of the Principles for Digital Development in Tanzania. We hope our learning will provide practice insights for the ICT4D community in Tanzania and abroad. By applying the principles to our work, we and our partners can assess their validity through 'learning by doing' and anticipate the challenges in scaling our innovations." (Foreword, page 2)
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"The research in these pages covers the theory around multistakeholder participation in Internet governance through a review of relevant literature. It also analyses case studies from Kenya to Brazil, South Korea, and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which illustrate how multistakeholder approac
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hes to Internet governance are applied in practice in diverse places and on different issues. In two of these cases, the outcome had legal repercussions that advanced the role of the Internet in terms of respect for rights; in the other two, the impact was positive for wider norms and processes." (Foreword, page 6)
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"In this chapter we have discussed a number of concrete strategies and practical examples on how to implement digital media literacy projects even in a difficult political and socio-cultural context like South Sudan. These are based in developing a holistic approach that considers citizen interactio
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n with media via the accessible vehicle of social media platforms, as an integral part of both a peacebuilding as well as literacy development strategy. From raising awareness of the direct effects of media-induced hate speech on the conflict, even for citizens who are not media literate, to the training of technical ICT, text messaging and social media skills, familiarizes people with a technology and social process such that they feel empowered to take action to move beyond conflict. Social media interaction can also be transformed from a very individual practice, into a truly social and collaborative exercise, for example through "peace jamming" or integrating social media into the many peacebuilding conferences and youth actions that regularly take place across the country. Where often the manipulation of social media with the intention to exacerbate conflict and instability comes from outside the country, learning counter-messaging skills, employing and understanding social media ethics, and identifying the vocabulary of dangerous speech can act toward occupying an undefined social media space with a language of peacebuilding, rather than leaving that space open to agents of conflict." (Conclusion)
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"Segmented media audiences often reflect deeper divides within a society. As the relationship between race and class is dynamically changing in South Africa, I investigate to what extent students from different racialised and socio-economic backgrounds differ in their media consumption habits. I con
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ducted a survey (n = 1221) and two focus group interviews (N = 14) at a relatively integrated and prestigious university. Bi- and multivariate analysis revealed that both race and socio-economic background genuinely affected the formation of consumption habits. Students from all groups used local journalistic products, but white students rarely consumed local entertainment productions. Among students from stronger socio-economic backgrounds, consumption preferences converged towards a global entertainment orientation, with types of schooling being more influential than household income. I discuss language barriers, physical access, the relatability of global/local media content, and peer group dynamics as potential underlying mechanisms." (Abstract)
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"I am proud to present the first ever Media Development Policy. This is the first time in the history of the country that Government has come up with a policy that sets out its vision and mission to promote freedom of expression by guaranteeing press freedom. The Policy is anchored on four main pill
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ars namely: media freedom, media pluralism, media independence and safety of journalists. In this regard, the policy seeks to achieve the internationally agreed media development indicators namely: a system of regulation conducive to freedom of expression, pluralism and diversity of the media, professional and infrastructural capacity building and support institutions that underpin freedom of expression and media as a platform for democratic discourse." (Foreword)
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"Local radio stations have mushroomed in Africa, including Tanzania, partly due to increased support from international donors. However, research results show that the lack of economic viability is a major constraint for local radio stations. They can hardly generate sufficient revenues from adverti
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sers to sustain the station. This leads to high turnover of staff due to low pay, low quality of content, and lack of capacity in serious programming. Based on a market model, the goal of this paper is to identify these problems from both a business and a journalism perspective and to find possible solutions. The results of this analysis show that a viable economic model in Africa requires simultaneous support for three different fields, (a) development of good content, (b) development of media management capacities, and (c) media research covering the extent and satisfaction of local audiences in order to develop local advertising markets that serve local media." (Abstract)
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"The study tested the following hypotheses: the use of subsidised services only forms part of data use; people do not move beyond the use of subsidised services; using the internet first through subsidised services leaves people with less of an understanding of the Internet. Using subsidised data fo
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rms one of many strategies to use the Internet, confirming the first hypothesis. However, the second hypothesis was not confirmed, as respondents moved beyond subsidised data. Concerns that zero-rated data, such as Free Basics locks users into one application, because it is fully subsidised were not supported by this research. What was apparent was the lack of awareness of and favour for this free service. Free services, in particular from mobile network operators, are viewed with scepticism, as the perception is that nothing is completely free. In order to understand the ways in which people make use of the Internet (the third hypothesis), the study had to take into account a number of factors, which included the options to access the internet, motivations for Internet use, why they use the Internet the way they do, and how they use it. Context is a stronger determining factor contributing to what respondents use the Internet for than subsidised data. For example, respondents in rural South Africa favour operators that are dominant in the market because of extensive network coverage and the availability of signal; because family and friends are on the same network; and because of the promotions or rewards that come with using the network. The network that offers subsidised zero-rated content and a lower priced, service specific bundle is not used in the rural community, primarily because it is not available or the quality is poor. Most respondents access the Internet to facilitate efficient communication and find information. Only in Nigeria do respondents use the Internet when they have received rewards data (data received as a bonus or extra after purchasing a service) after recharging from their operator." (Conclusion, page 37)
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"Beneficiary Communication is a program which emphasizes the use of communication equipment in passing relevant, timely and accurate lifesaving information to communities. The program supports an environment of transparency and accountability through creation of feedback mechanism. It is about provi
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ding practical, useful information at the right time, listening to people’s needs and opinions and using this information to improve the programming and operations of Partner national society (PNS), National Society (NS) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Beneficiary Communication program utilizes technology like SMS, Radio, Mobile Cinema, Posters, Sound tracks, Wall painting or traditional channels like drama and community meetings to pass lifesaving information to communities.
The impacts listed in this report cannot be solely attributed to the use of beneficiary communication tools. The impact is the contribution of the tools to the realization of the results of the projects in which the tools were mainstreamed. Indeed, the results of the programs in which beneficiary communication tools was mainstreamed are the impact of the use of tools by proxy.
The levels of knowledge of the beneficiaries with regards to causes of malnutrition and prevention of diseases which are caused by unhygienic conditions such as cholera have increased tremendously. This is evident from the results obtained through the pre and post mobile cinema evaluation on the above mentioned thematic areas, from the sites where the Red Cross Societies have implemented projects aimed at addressing malnutrition and hygiene.
The activities of the beneficiary communication program were well received by the target communities in all the five countries. The communities appreciated the mobile cinema and drama perhaps due to ease of learning from audio visual or observation. The putting to practice the knowledge gained in various thematic areas is another way of determining how well the beneficiaries have received beneficiary communication activities. A random check of households by personnel in-charge of community health in Rwanda revealed that nine in ten beneficiaries put to practice the knowledge they acquired from the mobile cinema shows.
The use of audio visuals and drama in local languages in all the countries sampled has proved to be an effective way of training both literate and illiterate members of the society. This is because both illiterate and literate members of the community simply learn through listening and observation." (Executive summary)
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"The impact assessment comprised a survey, focus-group discussions and key informant interviews as its sources of data. The survey covered 194 members of the Peace Radio listener clubs, in which members discuss the Peace Radio contents and initiate peace initiatives on the basis of a standardised qu
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estionnaire of open and closed questions [...] The impact assessment came to the following conclusions: The Peace Radio approach, using broadcasts in combination with listener club meetings, has the potential to reach a broad audience effectively. It was generally found to be well appreciated and considered relevant by its target communities. The diversity of media formats used in the Peace Radio make the programme attractive and unique, as different media formats correlate with different listeners’ preferences. The very high attendance of listener club meetings indicates its high level of attractiveness. Listener clubs are appropriate forums where people from different (ethnic) groups – even from conflicting parties – come together and discuss issues in a constructive and peaceful manner. The clubs are an essential part of the Peace Radio Programme. The programme equips listener club members with basic peace-building skills, with members feeling able to apply them. Changes in attitude are very difficult to achieve. Increasing tolerance and respect towards other groups and communities usually takes years, if not decades, to achieve. As the findings of the impact assessment indicate, the Peace Radio approach was able to achieve measurable change in attitudes in a short time period of 2-5 years. Prejudices and stereotypes which had previously served as a breeding ground for conflicts were significantly reduced through the broadcasts but also through the interaction in the (joint) listener club sessions. This is a very impressive result." (Executive summary)
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