"Is it conceivable that there may be an autonomous evolution of digital publications in developing countries, entirely independent of the richest nations? What support policies could be implemented to promote the growth of this new industry and accompany traditional actors in the process of adapting
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to the changes involved? The digital experiences undertaken in the South suggest that new technologies represent a great opportunity for developing countries - particularly in terms of diffusion -, but on the condition that local entrepreneurs seek out original models adapted to the concrete needs of their communities." (Back cover)
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"Chapter 1 describes the current, critical situation public media finds itself in, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Twenty years after the regime changes, the current trend in media politics can be best described as a “counter-reformation” rather than a progressive transition. Many publ
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ic media organisations are further away from stable and sound operation than ever, some of them teetering continuously on the brink of collapse. In a mix of cause and effect, this dire situation manifests itself in lack of funding, dearth of status among the public, a creative brain drain and waning program quality, quantity and variety. At the same time, the whole media sector comes under increasing economic pressure that is fuelled by the impact of both digitalisation and a concurrent world financial crisis. In chapter 2 the remit of public media is discussed, with a special emphasis on scrutinising the thesis of universal objectives versus the necessity to provide an acceptable level of programming diversity. Chapter 3 contains the three constitutional pillars of media regulation as identifi ed by the authors: governance, funding and access. The suggestion being that the malfunctioning of just one of these three elements would cause the disintegration of the whole system." (Page 8)
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"Nowhere in modern history has media assistance been as concentrated and large in scale as in the case of Kosovo, where under the auspices of the OSCE, different state and non-governmental actors have invested millions in the crisis-ridden media system. This thesis discusses the strategies for media
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assistance actors in Kosovo and focuses on their outcome by questioning whether the international actors involved have been able to establish a more democratic media system, and questioning which strategies have been successful and which have not. The results are discussed by utilising the theoretical framework of the modernisation theory. The author has interviewed media assistance actors by using two methods: an online survey and face-to-face interviews. In addition, 26 Kosovar journalists, media owners and researchers were questioned in order to evaluate the approach used by the international actors. The findings primarily suggest that media assistance actors have focused too little on economic development in Kosovo and that since the beginning of the international intervention, Kosovar media has never been as fragile and threatened as now." (Abstract)
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"To what extent do the structures and conduct of leading news media correspond with their specific democratic role? Authors from 10 countries provide empirical evidence based on the 26 indicators included in the Media for Democracy Monitor." (Back cover)
"In the year of the Arab uprisings Global Information Society Watch 2011 investigates how governments and internet and mobile phone companies are trying to restrict freedom online – and how citizens are responding to this using the very same technologies. Everyone is familiar with the stories of E
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gypt and Tunisia. GISWatch authors tell these and other lesser-known stories from more than 60 countries. Stories about: Prison conditions in Argentina - prisoners are using the internet to protest living conditions and demand respect for their rights; Torture in Indonesia - the torture of two West Papuan farmers was recorded on a mobile phone and leaked to the internet, the video spread to well-known human rights sites sparking public outrage and a formal investigation by the authorities; The tsunami in Japan - citizens used social media to share actionable information during the devastating tsunami, and in the aftermath online discussions contradicted misleading reports coming from state authorities. GISWatch also includes thematic reports and an introduction from Frank La Rue, Un special rapporteur." (Back cover)
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"Serbia has a strategy for switching over from analog to digital broadcasting, prepared with broad public consultation. The basic legal framework is in place, but implementation is not yet underway. Moreover, if fair access to digital licenses is to be ensured, a new media law—harmonized with the
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EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive—is still needed. Broadband internet has had by far the most significant growth among the available distribution platforms over the past five years. More than 23 percent of Serbian households had an internet connection at the end of 2009—more than doubling the number of such connections just four years earlier. The internet as a platform for activism is rapidly expanding, with the number of petitions, initiatives, and debates online growing considerably. The internet has also led to more diversity and to a plurality of voices in political life. All that said, Serbia remains a television nation, with almost all households owning a TV set and three quarters of the population still using television as their main source of information. Serbia’s private media sector continues to be plagued by opaque ownership structures, with the owners of various media hiding behind off shore–registered businesses. Additionally, there is no publicly available register of media owners. Without mechanisms to render media ownership transparent, Serbia’s media sector will not achieve its potential for independence and diversity." (Website Open Society Foundation, 19.12.2011)
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"This article is divided into three main parts. The first is an overview of the situation of the Roma minorities in Slovenia and Poland. The second part of the article presents minority broadcast media and the main elements of the legal and institutional framework they operate in. Finally, this arti
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cle focuses on the visibility of Roma in the media. This article draws attention to cultural pluralism and how cultural pluralism is implemented by the public service broadcasters in Poland and Slovenia, particularly in the context of the presence of Roma minorities in the media. The research is based on 15 interviews carried out in Slovenia and Poland between 2006-2009 with journalists, editors, researchers, workers of NGOs, government representatives and Roma minority leaders. This study is also based on policy documents, reports of governments, NGOs and international organisations, academic literature and content analysis of Roma minority media." (Abstract)
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"Spontane Proteste, die über soziale Netzwerke organisiert werden, haben das politische Leben Belarus’ in Aufruhr versetzt. Die Bewegung, die diese Proteste organisierte, bediente sich – im Vergleich zu anderen politischen Kräften – innovativer Methoden und konnte eine Vielzahl neuer Mitglie
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der gewinnen. Ab August 2011 beschränkte sie sich allerdings wieder auf den online-Bereich. Vor dem Hintergrund des neuen großen Einflusses sozialer Netzwerke auf politische Ereignisse weltweit geht es in Belarus nicht um eine "Revolution" im herkömmlichen Sinne, sondern eher um die Formierung einer neuen politischen Kraft, die wiederum zur Formierung einer Bürgergesellschaft beitragen kann." (Zusammenfassung)
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"Diskussionen um den öffentlichen Rundfunk gibt es in der Ukraine schon, seitdem die Unabhängigkeit dieses Staates ausgerufen wurde. Aus ihnen resultierten unter anderem ein verabschiedetes, jedoch nicht umgesetztes Gesetz zum öffentlichen Rundfunk aus dem Jahre 1997, diverse gescheiterte Gesetze
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sprojekte, rund zehn größere Konzepte des öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunks sowie Dutzende von Artikeln, Tagungen und Seminaren. Und obwohl weitgehend alle Parteien sich das Thema auf die Fahnen geschrieben haben, gibt es im zwanzigsten Jahr der Unabhängigkeit noch immer keinen öffentlichen Rundfunkveranstalter, der die gesellschaftlichen Interessen und Probleme staatsfern thematisiert. Der vorliegende Artikel befasst sich mit den Hintergründen dieses Scheiterns. Dazu finden Sie im Anhang eine Chronologie der wichtigsten Etappen, die auf dem langen Weg zu einem öffentlichen Rundfunk bisher durchlaufen wurden und eine Synopse der wichtigsten Konzepte, die bisher unterbreitet wurden." (Zusammenfassung).
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