"Youth and young adults (15-29) are often assumed to be leaders in mobile phone use, but this is not entirely the case in Zambia. While those 15 to 29 make up the largest segment of overall mobile phone users, they do not show the highest rate of weekly (regular) users that is taken by those 30 to 4
...
4. Geographic Breakdown: There are substantial differences in rates of mobile phone use among Zambia's nine provinces. These differences reflect varying levels of human development around the country, but other factors come into play. Cost Factors: When respondents were asked to agree or disagree that "using a mobile phone is expensive," 63 percent answered in the affirmative. Even those residing in high-income households were more likely to agree than disagree with the statement. The same can be said for frequent mobile users, with some 52 percent of daily users and 53 percent of regular users agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement that mobile phone use is expensive. Mobile Radio: A key feature of Zambian (and more generally, African) mobile phone use is an old-new media convergence phenomenon: handset-based radio listening. Among regular mobile users, a third said they listen to the radio via their handset on a weekly basis, and 25 percent said they listen on a daily basis. Unlike the use of mobile internet, radio listening is more evenly spread across urban and rural users. Mobile-based radio listening may also continue to expand; given that youth and young adults (YYAs) are currently the most likely to do so and thus will set the pattern going forward." (Report sumary, page 7)
more
"This paper explores the political and psychological angles of white South African and Serbian diasporas’ discourses on-line. On the basis of textual analysis of diasporic websites we argue that participants speak of ongoing grievance over the loss of their countries and assert that they have been
...
the victims of “unjust” history and globalisation. Each online discourse articulates claims of belonging not on the grounds of, for example, citizenship or multiculturalism, but rather on the basis of “a victim-hood”, “civilisation”, and “grief”." (Abstract)
more
"In this essay an attempt is made to reflect upon, and to provide, a general overview of the position of the media and religion and the relationship between these two sectors in Southern Africa. Instead of covering the vast Southern African region, it will confine itself to reviewing the position an
...
d interconnection of these elements in specific countries. Before contextualising religion and the media in a given region, there is a need to construct a theoretical framework that will assist the understanding and nature of this relationship." (Abstract)
more
"El estudio de los medios públicos desde la doble perspectiva jurídica y de análisis de desempeño constituye una iniciativa inédita y necesaria. Lo consideramos así porque no hay todavía distinciones conceptuales claras entre lo que son medios públicos, medios de servicio público y medios g
...
ubernamentales, ni entre interés público y servicio público, por poner algunos ejemplos. Ha faltado en este sentido una mirada rigurosa de los preceptos normativos que dan rostro y sentido a lo que deben ser los medios públicos, y a la vez un análisis basado en datos objetivos sobre el comportamiento de nuestros medios gubernamentales federales." (Descripción de la casa editorial)
more
"This article focuses on ethnic and linguistic minorities and radio broadcasting in South Africa. It examines the country’s language, cultural and broadcasting policies and their potential impact on the participation of ethnic minorities in radio broadcasting. In particular, special focus is given
...
to community and public radio. The study is broadly theoretical and exploratory, and examines how such policies influenced institutional changes in broadcasting and the communication rights of ethnic minorities. The critique of policy is done within the broader context of international human rights law which the South African government has ratified. Some of these treaties clearly put an obligation on state parties to support the rights of ethnic and linguistic minorities. These obligations are not only discussed within a rights framework, but also the country’s specific social and historical context." (Abstract)
more
"Less than a decade after the advent of democracy in South Africa, tabloid newspapers have taken the country by storm. One of these papers—the Daily Sun—is now the largest in the country, but it has generated controversy for its perceived lack of respect for privacy, brazen sexual content, and u
...
nrestrained truth-stretching. Herman Wasserman examines the success of tabloid journalism in South Africa at a time when global print media are in decline. He considers the social significance of the tabloids and how they play a role in integrating readers and their daily struggles with the political and social sphere of the new democracy. Wasserman shows how these papers have found an important niche in popular and civic culture largely ignored by the mainstream media and formal political channels." (Publisher description)
more
Publishing and Alternative Licensing Models in Africa (PALM Africa) has been a two-country research programme conducted in South Africa and Uganda, using action research to explore the potential of open access and flexible and open intellectual property licences with the aim of enhancing the impact
...
of African publishing.
more
"The article discusses the coverage of politics in South African women’s magazine Fair Lady in selected years from democratisation in 1994 to ten years later in 2004. In a democracy, the media has the explicit duty to inform society. Within this context three questions are asked: (1) Which politic
...
al themes are covered? (2) In what genres do the political items feature? (3) In what ways does the magazine focus the reader’s attention on political items? These aspects were selected to provide a clear view of the extent and manner in which Fair Lady presents politics in its content. This study was done by means of a qualitative content analysis. By focusing on these issues and by drawing on the functions of the media; the agenda setting theory; the schema theory and the on-line evaluation theory, it is argued that the magazine deems politics as important and incorporates it on its agenda to provide readers with necessary political information which they might not otherwise attain. Fair Lady overcomes the fact that politics does not traditionally feature in women’s magazines by taking care in attracting and keeping readers’ attention to political items. The publication (especially in 2004) can be held up as an example to other women’s magazines trying to fulfil their function as a medium to educate and inform readers whilst at the same time not alienating the entertainment-seekers." (Abstract)
more
"The Anthropology of News and Journalism is the first book to explore the role of news and journalism in contemporary culture from an anthropological perspective—as a form of cultural meaning-making in its creation, content, and dissemination. Anthropology's global, comparative perspective and eth
...
nographic methods provide powerful insights for analyzing case studies from around the world. Essays by leading scholars explore communities of professional and nonprofessional journalists. They describe news-making processes ranging from the local to the global digital environment, as well as how news is disseminated and received in a variety of cultural settings." (Publisher description)
more
"This book highlights the importance of the news media as watchdogs, agenda setters and gatekeepers for the quality of democratic deliberation in the public sphere. At the same time, it theorizes that the capacity of journalists and media systems to fulfill these roles depends on the broader context
...
determined by the profession, the market and the state. Media systems' performance often falls far short of the ideals, as succesive case studies from different world regions demonstrate. Finally, the book asks what policy interventions work effectively to close the gap between the democratic promise and perfomance of the news media as an institution. The final chapter, "Policy recommendations", concludes (page 406): "Interventions include reforms directed at strengthening the journalistic profession, notably institutional capacity building, through bodies such as press councils, press freedom advocacy NGOs, and organizations concerned with journalistic training and accreditation. Other important reforms seek to overcome market failures, including developing a regulatory framework for media systems to ensure pluralism of ownership and diversity of contents. Finally, policies also address the role of the state, including deregulation to shift state-run broadcasting to public service broadcasting, overseen by independent broadcasting regulatory bodies, and the protection of constitutional principles of freedom of the press, speech, and expression." (commbox)
more
"In May 2009, the BBC world Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group, on behalf of the British Council, conducted research in Kenya to gauge public understanding of climate change. The research consisted of 12 focus-group discussions with Kenyan citizens, as well as 17 in-depth interviews with
...
opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society. The overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change, and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support Kenya’s response to climate change.
Key findings
Drought and food scarcity are causing frustration and despair across Kenya. Farmers, fishermen and pastoralists do not know how they would cope if these problems became worse.
Kenyans have noticed changes in their weather. They say that it is getting hotter, that the seasons have shifted and that the rains are more unpredictable. Most, however, have no understanding of the relationship between these issues and climate change.
Most Kenyans are unfamiliar with the concepts of climate change and global warming. They believe the term “climate change” refers to changes in the weather or seasons and have little knowledge of its global context or the greenhouse effect.
People need more information about the causes of climate change and how its long-term impacts will affect their lives." (Executive summary)
more
"Between August and October 2009, the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group, funded by the British Council, conducted research in south africa to gauge public understanding of climate change. The research consisted of 16 focus group discussions with south african citizens, and 18 i
...
n-depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media, and civil society. the overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support south africa’s response to climate change.
Key findings
Most South Africans are aware of the phenomenon of global climate change, but their understanding of the science is patchy, although they associate the terms ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ with carbon emissions, many also conflate them with ozone depletion. they tend to use ‘climate change’, ‘global warming‘, and ‘ozone depletion’ interchangeably.
The term ‘climate change’ often triggers associations with some of the global impacts of climate change, such as melting ice caps, rising sea levels, hurricanes, and the possible inundation of low lying countries like the Maldives and Bangladesh.
Many South Africans do not see climate change as having any special relevance to south africa or the rest of the African continent. However, when prompted to think about the impacts of climate change locally, they link it to national issues which they are already concerned about, such as the loss of wildlife and increased flooding.
Many South Africans use climate change as an umbrella term to refer to the destruction occurring in their natural surroundings, with changes in the weather and seasons forming part of the broader environmental changes people have observed over the course of their lifetimes." (Executive summary)
more
"In August 2009, the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group, on behalf of the British Council, conducted research in northern and southern Sudan to gauge the public understanding of climate change. The research consisted of 12 focus group discussions with Sudanese citizens, as well
...
as 18 in-depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society. The overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change, and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support Sudan’s response to climate change. Main findings and recommendations are presented in this report. Although some Sudanese in urban areas explain climate change with reference to scientific terms and concepts, most Sudanese outside of urban areas do not. Most Sudanese have noticed changes in the weather and seasons, and experienced drought, flooding, changes in rainfall and temperature increases, but do not associate these phenomena with global climate change." (https://www.gov.uk/research-for-development-outputs/sudan-talks-climate)
more
"From August to October 2009, the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning group, on behalf of the British Council, conducted research in Tanzania to gauge public understanding of climate change. The research consisted of 12 focus-group discussions with Tanzanian citizens, as well as 17 in-
...
depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society. The overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change, and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support Tanzania’s response to climate change. Key findings: Tanzanians have noticed changes in the weather and seasons. They say that temperatures have increased and that the rains are not falling as they used to. Many are struggling with the impacts of drought and are frustrated by increased environmental degradation and resource scarcity. Yet most Tanzanians have no understanding of the relationship between these issues and climate change. Most Tanzanians are unfamiliar with the concepts of climate change and global warming. They believe the term “climate change” refers to changes in the weather or seasons and have little knowledge of its global context or the greenhouse effect. Tanzanians draw on their existing knowledge to explain the environmental changes they experience. Most believe that humans are to blame but point to local deforestation and local pollution as the primary causes of the drought and environmental degradation they have experienced." (Executive summary)
more
"In May 2009, the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group, on behalf of the British Council, conducted research in Uganda to gauge public understanding of climate change. The research consisted of 12 focus group discussions with Ugandan citizens, as well as 18 in-depth interviews wit
...
h opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society. The overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change, and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support Uganda’s response to climate change.
Key findings
Whilst most Ugandans do not understand the science of climate change, they have noticed changes in the weather and seasons, and accept the idea that these changes are linked to human activity. They tell of excessive heat, increasing seasonal variability and reduced rainfall. Most people, however, do not connect these with global climate change.
Changes in climate are not noticed by Ugandans in isolation from broader environmental changes. People in Uganda are keenly aware of environmental degradation and natural resource depletion. They often make little distinction between environmental degradation and climate change. Drought and food scarcity are causing frustration and despair across Kenya. Farmers, fishermen and pastoralists do not know how they would cope if these problems became worse.
Crop failure and death of livestock are causing frustration and despair. Farmers and pastoralists do not have a sense of how they would cope if the problems became worse. other issues that people are worried about include bush fires, deforestation, flooding, soil erosion, poor sanitation and air pollution. opinion leaders are particularly concerned for rural communities and the urban poor.
There is a strong tendency for Ugandans to hold themselves individually and collectively responsible for local changes in the environment and the weather. They believe their own activities, such as deforestation and draining swampland, have brought about these changes. There is little awareness that climatic problems – now or in the future – are likely to have causes that extend beyond Uganda." (Executive summary)
more
"This publication was created to serve two purposes: Firstly, it aims to provide a thorough review of the status quo of the Namibian media system. Secondly, it is the first study to apply the theory of the European-focused news value research tradition to Namibian media. Aside from literature and on
...
line research, in-depth interviews with media representatives were conducted and questionnaires distributed amongst Namibian journalists and media students in 2009." (Introduction, page 9)
more