Panel Discussion: Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 12-2:00 p.m. -  From Cambodia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, local United Nations peacekeeping radio programs have helped mitigate violent conflict and make peaceful elections possible. In a dozen countries the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations became the provider of trusted national news services, without which transition from civil war to democracy may not have occurred. Nonetheless, a weak exit strategy when the UN peacekeeping missions end can leave broadcast staff dispersed and nations with little independent or professional broadcasting capacity. A forthcoming CIMA report by Bill Orme, On the Air, Keeping the Peace: UN Radio’s Unexamined Past and Uncertain Future, reviews some of the policies and practices that have guided peacekeeping radio in the past and makes recommendations on how to face challenges in the future. The report discusses lessons learned from UN peacekeeping radio operations in places such as Angola, East Timor, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read more »

On Friday, January 22, CIMA held a panel dicussion on Capitol Hill to discuss new threats to media in the digital age.  Authoritarian regimes are finding new and subtle ways to counter opposition voices and influence the public online. While traditional censorship of the Internet—through blocking or hacking into opposition Web sites and intimidating citizen journalists—remains an ongoing threat, digital media are also becoming a platform to disguise the voice of the government as the voice of the people. Tactics include providing free Internet service for state-run Web sites and charging for independent sites, or paying citizens to post pro-regime material to overwhelm and counter dissenting views online. These tactics could prove to be highly effective and hard to combat. For example, there are multiple ways to access blocked Web sites, but no clear means to distinguish government spin from independent postings. How can digital activists protect themselves against traditional censorship? How can government influence on the Internet be uncovered? What can civil society organizations, media specialists, and the international community do to adjust to the new threats? Read more »