"[...] This thesis contributes to the emerging academic literature on media development and its role in statebuilding. It does so by investigating media development in the new state of South Sudan. Ethnographic observations, a social survey, and unstructured interviews have been applied during a fie
...
ldwork spell in Juba, which lasted from November 2014 to August 2015. The application of three methods allowed for an in-depth investigation of the South Sudanese understanding of media, which differed significantly from the aims of western media experts implementing media development projects. Furthermore, the thesis compares the strengths and weaknesses, and the results delivered, by each utilised research method, and thus investigates how these methods perform in a country of the global South. I argue that the various understandings of media in South Sudan differ significantly from the thinking and practices of western media practitioners. In South Sudan, this resulted in a deteriorating relationship between the country’s government and its international donors and led to problems for the newly trained journalists. Furthermore, my results show the limitations of using just one method in a country of the global South; and they provide an argument for bricolage, a research approach that combines perspectives, theories, and methods, when researching policy-relevant questions in environments where the researcher is not a cultural native." (Abstract)
more
"The top six roles, all with means above 4.3 and standard deviations below 1, for Tanzanian journalists, were a mix of those aligned with a liberal press (e.g. promote tolerance and cultural diversity) and those relevant to development journalism (e.g. support national development). “Provide the k
...
ind of news that attracts the largest audience” (mean=4.58) and “Promote tolerance and cultural diversity” (mean=4.56) were the top two roles for these journalists (see Table 1) with 97.8 percent and 98.5 percent of the journalists respectively saying that they considered these roles “extremely” or “very” important. As the low standard deviations indicate, the journalists showed high agreement on the importance of these roles. The least important roles, both with means well below the midpoint of three, were “Be an adversary of government” (mean=1.98) and “Support government policy” (mean=1.99)." (Journalistic roles, page 1)
more
"This report explores the socio-economic impact of connectivity for refugees in a large, rural camp setting in Tanzania. Nyarugusu is one of three large refugee camps in the Kigoma region. Established in 1996, it now hosts more than 136,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Bu
...
rundi. In 2016, Vodacom installed a 3G tower in Nyarugusu camp for the first time, providing an opportunity to assess the impact of mobile connectivity on refugees. Today, Airtel, Halotel and Tigo also provide connectivity to refugees in the camp. Nyarugusu remains the only camp in the Kigoma region with access to 3G. The purpose of this report is to provide robust evidence of the current use, value and impact of connectivity, and the barriers and challenges that refugees face in accessing and using mobile devices. This research provides mobile network operators (MNOs) and humanitarian agencies with key insights on the opportunities and barriers to enhancing the provision of mobile services to refugees." (Executive summary, page 2)
more
"The paper summarizes evidence on food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa and strategies to provide information on innovative agricultural practices to smallholder farmers. The research in this paper is then discussed within the context of research on information and communication technologies (ICTS)
...
for development. Next, the paper presents the ICT-enhanced participatory radio campaign approach and ICT innovations introduced by Farm Radio International, a Canadian nongovernmental organization. The paper analyzes two participatory radio campaigns that use both listening groups and ICTs to engage African farmers. Research on these radio campaigns in six African countries is reported to examine how the participatory approach impacted listenership, knowledge and initial adoption of agricultural techniques and practices presented in the radio campaigns. The authors conclude that the findings of research on these projects could be highly relevant for increasing awareness and adoption of agricultural practices in Sub-Saharan Africa." (Abstract)
more
"Alarmingly, the research reveals that fake news is a pervasive problem surrounding the Kenyan elections with 90% of respondents having seen false or inaccurate information and 87% viewing this information as being deliberately false. Why does this matter? An informed citizenry is vital to Kenya’s
...
democracy and the findings have serious implications for the media and society at large. With a third of Kenyans unable to access accurate information about the election, fake news is limiting the public’s ability to make informed decisions. This is of course extremely relevant to the business and political communities alike. For the mainstream media, the survey findings will come as good news, with most Kenyans trusting traditional media sources such as TV, which has a trust level of 76%. With 67% of Kenyans actively wanting comprehensive and detailed information and 78% wanting factual and accurate information, Kenya’s media establishment should be encouraged to invest in better journalism." (In conclusion, page 14)
more
"The media play a key role in post-apartheid South Africa and is often positioned at the centre of debates around politics, identity and culture. Media, such as radio, are often said to also play a role in deepening democracy, while simultaneously holding the power to frame political events, shape p
...
ublic discourse and impact citizens' perceptions of reality. Broadcasting Democracy: Radio and Identity in South Africa provides an exciting look into the diverse world of South African radio, exploring how various radio formats and stations play a role in constructing post-apartheid identities. At the centre of the book is the argument that various types of radio stations represent autonomous systems of cultural activity, and are 'consumed' as such by listeners. In this sense, it argues that South African radio is 'broadcasting democracy." (Back cover)
more
"The trade publishing sector in South Africa produces books primarily in English and Afrikaans, which is not representative of the spread of languages spoken in the country. In particular, there are very few books published for general readers in the local African languages. The Indigenous Language
...
Publishing Programme (ILPP) is a government-sponsored initiative that aims to improve this situation. This article assesses the impact and sustainability of the ILPP as an attempt to represent the official languages more equally in the publishing industry. Our study, based on an analysis of documents and interviews, found that the national language and book policies have not been well implemented, which is a failure in terms of reaching constitutional ideals. Moreover, despite the ILPP being an attempt at creating language equality, the initiative seems not to be sustainable because it is reliant on external funding. The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) is not willing to fund such a project on an ongoing basis, which puts the programme’s longevity at risk. As a result, the ILPP’s influence remains limited. The minority languages remain under-represented and this raises questions about whether there is in fact a viable market for books in all of the South African languages." (Abstract)
more
"More than 20 years into democracy, the South African media landscape, although free and moderately pluralistic, still does not represent fairly the diversity of viewpoints held in the country. Yet, the South African media debate on transformation has been dominated by the ANC’s continued focus on
...
media accountability. This has silenced a more constructive debate on how to foster media diversity. In the wake of a review of the MDDA (Media Development and Diversity Agency) Act, this paper seeks to reignite this debate by investigating different types of print media regulation and support in Scandinavia, Latin America and West Africa. It argues, firstly, that print media regulation and support is crucial to foster and maintain democratic debate, which is endangered if the media market is left to its own devices. Secondly, government support to print media has been much more common around the globe than often assumed, especially in the Scandinavian countries, which have invested heavily and successfully in the sector. Thirdly, an analysis of national contexts of print media support highlights the perpetual danger of governments exerting censorship or control. However, as is demonstrated in the paper’s final section, a multiplicity of mechanisms of support exist that could be adapted to the South African context, whilst seeking to minimise state control." (Abstract)
more
"Funded by DFID, under the Global Grant project, BBC Media Action produced three seasons of the weekly TV and radio programme Sema Kenya (Kenya Speaks). Sema Kenya featured a moderated discussion between a live panel of officials and an audience of ‘ordinary’ Kenyans and was designed to enable i
...
ndividuals, communities and governments to be better informed and more engaged in tackling governance challenges. Alongside this, BBC Media Action delivered a mentoring programme, initially with six local radio stations, and later with the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which has the largest footprint in the country. Through this work, BBC Media Action aimed to strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s media sector to produce governance programming that supported and mainstreamed the overall objectives of the project at both the local and national level. [...] Sema Kenya contributed to people being more informed about and engaged in politics. Audiences were more knowledgeable about politics, discussed it more with friends and family, felt more confident in their ability to influence political processes and participated more in governance related activities (particularly at the community level) – all factors that support bottom-up accountability. Audiences themselves linked Sema Kenya with these outcomes. This finding was validated by analysis confirming a significant positive relationship between watching or listening to Sema Kenya and consistently higher knowledge, discussion and confidence to engage in politics, even when taking into account other factors that might influence these outcomes (such as education, age and interest in politics). While Sema Kenya’s audience was more likely to participate in politics, qualitative research respondents rarely attributed their actions directly to what they had heard on Sema Kenya. This reflects findings from advanced quantitative analysis (structural equation modelling) that suggests the link between Sema Kenya and increased political participation is indirect and mediated by political knowledge, discussion and self-efficacy. Supported by an extensive network of broadcast partners that stretched across all 47 counties in Kenya, the discussion programme reached an estimated 12.7 million people over three seasons, with a peak audience of 5.7 million in 2013 – the year of the general election. The show also maintained a loyal audience throughout all three seasons, with around half of all those reached annually tuning in for at least every second episode." (Executive summary, pages 6-7)
more
"This publication takes a look at current developments in the field of audience research in media development and presents three case studies testing innovative methods that can be of use for research, monitoring, and evaluation. They are meant as an orientation and inspirational source for future p
...
rojects in this domain. Based on the information assembled in this study we make the case that media development needs audience research to improve its projects. Media development actors need to know more about the impact on their final beneficiaries if they want their work to be truly successful. However, it does not always make sense for media development actors to conduct or commission expensive and broadly representative research. Budgets and project sizes are limited, and often the results of market or academic research efforts are only of very general use to a particular media development project in question. Therefore ways have to be found to conduct focused audience research in media development – in order to gain specific and relevant knowledge directly related to the interventions. The three case studies we present in this publication are directly related to ongoing media development projects. They apply tailor-made approaches to a particular setting. On top of this, we have assembled more general knowledge from the literature and past studies in audience research that are of relevance here." (Executive summary)
more
"The article discusses the significance of the past in the planning of media policies in two neighbouring countries in Africa, namely Kenya and Tanzania. The theoretical frame is composed of four concepts: social imaginary, collective memory, domestication, and liminality. The scrutiny starts from t
...
he last years of colonialism and ends with the present-day situation with online media. In both countries, the basic media approach is still distinctly top-down and focuses on authorities—either the state or market elites. Kenya appears as a representative of continuity, while the media history of Tanzania is filled with jerky turns. However, the Tanzanian mediascape comes closer to the ordinary person, thanks to the use of Kiswahili and colloquial vocabulary, while the press in Kenya remains very elite oriented. The far more advanced Kenyan information and communications technology (ICT) situation does not change the situation much, because at the citizen level, the emphasis in ICT development is on services, not citizens’ voices. The shadow of the state is strong." (Abstract)
more
"The present research examines media agenda setting effects in a Kenyan context in 2013 and 2014. Specifically, focusing on the first level of agenda setting, the study investigates whether two national daily newspapers influenced public opinion on six issues of national importance: corruption, devo
...
lution, economic crisis, insecurity, poverty, and unemployment. Moreover, the study examines whether the newspapers’ agendas are related in connection to the coverage of the six issues. Findings indicate that the two newspapers had little influence on the opinion of the Kenyan public regarding the six issues. This is based on a low correlation of +.30 between the two newspapers’ agendas and the public agenda. However, the agendas of the two publications were strikingly similar—yielding a perfect correlation of + 1. This means in their news coverage, the newspapers gave similar weight to the six issues." (Abstract)
more
"This edited collection argues that the connective and orientation roles ascribed to diasporic media overlook the wider roles they perform in reporting intractable conflicts in the Homeland. Considering the impacts of conflict on migration in the past decades, it is important to understand the capac
...
ity of diasporic media to escalate or deescalate conflicts and to serve as a source of information for their audiences in a competitive and fragmented media landscape. Using an interdisciplinary perspective, the chapters examine how the diasporic media projects the constructive and destructive outcomes of conflicts to their particularistic audiences within the global public sphere. The result is a volume that makes an important contribution to scholarship by offering critical engagements and analyzing how the diasporic media communicates information and facilitates dialogue between conflicting parties, while adding to new avenues of empirical case studies and theory development in comprehending the media coverage of conflict." (Publisher description)
more
"Culture and Crisis Communication presents an examination of how politics, culture, religion, and other social issues affect crisis communication and management in nonwestern countries. From intense human tragedy to the follies of the rich, the chapters examine how companies, organizations, news out
...
lets, health organizations, technical experts, politicians, and local communities communicate in crisis situations. Taking a wider view than a single country’s perspective, the text contains a cross-cultural and cross-country approach. In addition, the case studies offer valuable lessons that organizations that wish to operate or are operating in those cultures can adopt in preparing and managing crises. The book highlights recent crisis events such as Syria’s civil war, missing Malaysia Flight MH370, andJapan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Each of the case studies examines how culture impacts communication and responses to crises." (Publisher description)
more
"Der Begriff "Weltmusik" war in den 1980er Jahren die gängige Beschreibung für Musikstile, die aus westlicher Perspektive "exotisch" wirkten. Er stand für unterschiedlichste musikalische Traditionen, die oftmals nicht viel mehr gemein hatten, als dass sie plötzlich für den westlichen Markt inte
...
ressant und doch mit den dortigen Hörgewohnheiten kompatibel waren. Diesen Prozess der kulturellen Globalisierung und Aneignung bezeichnen Kritiker als koloniales Relikt, schreibt die Vermarktung von "Weltmusik" doch zuweilen die globalen asymmetrischen Machtverhältnisse fort. Nichtsdestotrotz haben es Labels, Privatleute und Communities geschafft, Hörern auf der ganzen Welt diverse Musiktraditionen näherzubringen und kulturelle Vermischungen und Transfers zu bewerkstelligen. Zusehends richtet sich der der Blick nun auf die vielfältigen, eigenständigen und unbequemen Sounds beispielsweise aus Afrika, Lateinamerika oder Asien und den hybriden Charakter vieler transnationaler Musikproduktionen, die eine "Weltmusik 2.0." oder einen "Global Pop" begründen. Dieses Buch stellt Konzepte und Diskurse sowie Akteure, Ausprägungen und Erscheinungsformen der abseits des Mainstreams bestehenden globalen Populärmusik vor und erhebt dabei nicht den Anspruch, die unermessliche Fülle regionaler Sounds zu dokumentieren oder gar zu systematisieren." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more
"Community broadcasting is known as the third tier of broadcasting, occupying the space between commercial and state broadcasters. In Kenya, this sector has been active only since 2004. Despite its recognised value in other contexts across the globe, community broadcasting is still struggling to fin
...
d footing in the Kenyan media landscape, and there is a paucity of research on how this sector actually operates – its structures, content and audiences. This work therefore explores the roles and relevance of community radio in the vibrant Kenyan media landscape. Using a complementary mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, three community radio stations with different social contexts, funding and management structures were investigated. The research focused on the ideas and actors behind community radio, its funding and management structures, content, content production processes, listenership patterns and participation practices. Brought to light was that this sector navigates legislation and funding challenges, and juggles between global and local ideals about community broadcasting, most distinct of which are democracy and development. The local, the national and the global inform the ideas under which Kenyan community broadcasting operates, and these ideas are interpreted differently in each context. Communities interact with each of the stations based on their particular local contexts. Not only do they listen to community broadcasters according to specific daily rhythms, but they also mobilise themselves into social formations – most often fan groups and clubs – as a way of collective participation in the life of the station. Contrary to much radio audience research, this work shows that listenership is a distinct activity and participation in and through the media is not only an individual endeavour, but a collective undertaking drawing on pre-existent social solidarities. Community radio content addresses its listeners as different kinds of communities and publics at specific times of the day, and they respond accordingly. As well, there is content transformation across diverse media platforms, which may be a step towards new genres. Despite working within different and hybrid journalistic cultures, the producers play similar roles to their communities across the three contexts including mediation, mobilisation, space-creation, information and entertainment. Of these roles, mobilisation is a strength of community radio. The research reveals the intertwined nature of state, media and audience relationships, and argues for the fact that there are no homogenous audiences even at a micro-level, and that the affective and democratic functions of media participation are intricately linked to each other." (Abstract)
more