Panel Discussion: Thursday, March 18, 12:00-2:00 p.m. - Violence constitutes the majority of threats to the media in Latin America, according to a newly released study, The State of Freedom of Expression in the Americas, by the Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information based in Argentina. Judicial penal actions are still [...]

On Tuesday, March 9, the Center for International Media Assistance hosted a workshop on Mexican Media Under Attack: Lessons Learned from Colombia. Over 40 people attended the event.
In the face of violent murders of reporters and bombings of newspaper headquarters, a number of journalists in Colombia emerged as aggressive investigators of drug corruption in their country [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

In publishing online, media organizations face the risk of libel and defamation suits in many countries around the world. Vested political, business, and criminal interests, especially in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, are increasingly using the courts to redress alleged harms, punish journalists and scare off publishers.  Libel Tourism: Silencing the Press through [...]

Hate speech in fragile democracies and divided societies can have catastrophic consequences. In Kenya, an outbreak of violence after the December 2007 elections left at least 1,000 people dead in six months. Malicious propaganda was spread via SMS, blog posts, and local language radio. In Russia, laws designed to contain the use of hate language [...]

A new CIMA report, Throwing the Switch: Challenges in the Conversion to Digital Broadcasting, explores the consequences for democracy of the worldwide conversion from analog to digital television broadcasting. The report by John Burgess, a former Washington Post editor, technology writer and foreign correspondent, looks at how digital conversion has the potential to provide new [...]

Over 60 people attended CIMA’s dicussion on U.S. Private and Non-U.S. Funding of Media Development.  As both U.S. journalism and private foundations have entered a period of crisis, new avenues and approaches are being explored for the media development business model. Traditional foundations–especially those rooted in U.S. journalism companies–are cutting back on international funding, and [...]

Over 30 people attended CIMA’s discussion on increasing transparency in governance in the Arab world. Greater media freedom and access to information is a cornerstone to good governance and fighting corruption. There are generally accepted common core characteristics of freedom of information laws necessary for them to operate successfully: 

Presumption of openness to public information
Exceptions to [...]

Over 60 people attended CIMA’s discussion on digital media in conflict-prone societies. Digital media in conflict-prone societies have the potential to foster dialogue and peace or to fuel hate speech and violence. The rapid spread of digital-based communications and information networks is likely to have an effect on 21st-century wars, which increasingly center on internal conflict, disputed [...]

Over 30 people attened CIMA’s workshop on media literacy. The workshop was based on a new series of CIMA reports on media literacy: Understanding the News and Citizen Journalism by Susan Moeller and Empowering Youth Worldwide by Paul Mihailidis. A media literate population is crucial to sustaining democracy, yet few media development programs are specifically geared [...]

Over 40 people attened CIMA’s event on declining media freedom in the South Caucasus. Recent arrests of prominent bloggers in Azerbaijan, government control of TV stations in Georgia, and legal restrictions combined with continued violence against journalists in Armenia highlight the repressive media environment in the South Caucasus. Freedom of the Press, an annual survey of media [...]

Over 45 people attended CIMA’s discussion on freedom of expression in the Americas. Radio stations, television channels, and newspapers in several Latin American countries have been facing increasing opposition from their leaders in recent months.  In Venezuela, which has one of the most authoritarian governments in the region, legislation has been proposed to further restrict the country’s news [...]

Over 50 people attended CIMA’s discussion on Challenges to U.S. Government Support for Media Development. Media play a pivotal role in U.S. foreign policy—but U.S. funding doesn’t reflect this reality. There are significant resource shortfalls in government support of the media development sector. Too few media experts, not enough media know-how, and potentially problematic funding [...]

Over 80 people attended CIMA’s discussion on the monitoring and evaluation of media assistance projects. In recent years, the process of monitoring and evaluation of assistance projects, or M&E, has received increased attention from both donors, who want to know if their money has been well spent, and implementers, who want to know their programs [...]

IREX’s 2009 Media Sustainability Index for Europe and Eurasia provides an in-depth analysis of the strength and viability of the independent media sector in 21 countries of Europe and Eurasia during 2008 and shows trends in the media sector since 2001. To arrive at its rankings, the MSI considered a number of factors, such as [...]

The public critique of media through press councils and ombudsmen is a fundamental way for the public to criticize and challenge print and broadcast news coverage. A major question remains, however, as to whether these institutions are effective in raising journalistic standards, or if they too easily can become tools for governments to manipulate the [...]

Over 140 people attended CIMA’s discussion of the impact of new media during the Iranian elections. New technologies played a major role in the events leading up to and following the recent Iranian elections and should continue to have a tremendous impact. Social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogging have changed the way Iranian [...]

According to Empowering Independent Media, CIMA’s inaugural report on U.S. media assistance to developing countries, free media play an integral role in fostering democracy and development, and have the ability to transform a number of critical areas, including government accountability, empowerment of women and minorities, and education. As governments and foundations have increasingly embraced the [...]

CIMA hosted a workshop on Thursday, May 28 on involving and empowering youth through independent media in developing and democratizing countries. The workshop explored the following questions: what media platforms do youth prefer and why? What is their level of access to these platforms? How do they use these platforms-as generators, consumers, or both? How [...]

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, online journalists in Malaysia report more freely than their traditional media counterparts, who are subject to strong governmental intimidation and restrictions. Internet publications, such as Malaysiakini, frequently cover stories on government corruption, minority rights demonstrations, and opposition parties. With well over half of the population accessing the Internet, [...]

In honor of World Press Freedom Day 2009, CIMA held a discussion on Capitol Hill about the safety of journalists worldwide. Congressman Adam Schiff made remarks on the importance of journalist safety, and speakers from the International News Safety Institute and the Committee to Protect Journalists addressed how attacks and threats against journalists are a brutal and [...]

In post-conflict societies, organizations such as Search for Common Ground and the U.S. Institute for Peace argue that an effective media development strategy is an integral part of creating an atmosphere where democratic processes can develop. The development of a pluralistic, independent, and economically viable media sector is critical to fostering long-term peace and stability. [...]

On March 17, 2009, CIMA hosted a discussion of press freedom in Sri Lanka.
Since the 1980s, the Sri Lankan government has been engaged in a conflict with various militant separatist groups from the country’s Tamil ethnic minority. According to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2008, the conflict has not only led to human rights [...]

A major challenge in developing countries is balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. According to the Millennium Development Goals, which the United Nations outlined in September 2000, achieving such a balance can help ensure political stability and promote a country’s peaceful transition toward democratic governance. The local media in these transitioning countries can play a [...]

Years ago, the notion of a business model for community media would have brought responses ranging from dismay to ridicule. Community media’s origins in political struggle, its community ownership structure, and its mission-to give voice to the voiceless, to provide an alternative to mainstream media, to place control of media in the hands of ordinary [...]

To listen to an audio recording of this event, please click here:
CIMA Liberia Workshop – 2-17-09

To download the report on this event please click here.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Goals of the workshop

To identify the needs and challenges of the media environment in Liberia;
To examine the media’s role in contributing to the country’s peace and reconciliation process;
To [...]

According to Soft Censorship: How Governments Around the Globe Use Money to Manipulate the Media, a new report published by CIMA and written by Don Podesta, moves by formerly authoritarian regimes toward greater pluralism have spawned an insidious form of censorship. In many such countries, manipulation of the news media now manifests itself as “soft [...]

The purpose of the discussion was to explore the following questions: Where and how are cell phones being used as a medium of communication for news and information? Who is using them to receive information? How are journalists and NGOs integrating them into their work? What are potential mobile technologies, and how soon will they [...]

NED’s Center for International Media Assistance and the Europe and Eurasia Program, together with the Eurasia Foundation, hosted a discussion on the state of regional print media in Russia. Anna Koshman, the executive director of the Russian Alliance of Independent Regional Publishers and visiting inaugural Bill Maynes Fellow with the Eurasia Foundation, gave the main [...]

In advance of IREX’s second Media Sustainability Index for the Middle East and North Africa, CIMA and NED’s MENA Program hosted a discussion on the region’s media environment.
Laith Kubba, the senior director of NED’s Middle East and North Africa Program, moderated the event, while IREX’s Leon Morse reviewed the Index’s findings, including the growth of [...]

NED’s CIMA and Asia Program hosted an afternoon presentation on September 17, 2008, which analyzed the media landscape in Indonesia, including new regulations for  broadcast media, the latest defamation case against Tempo, and rising violence toward journalists, which have posed a threat to the nation’s hard-won press freedoms.
Speakers included Janet Steele, an associate professor of [...]

On July 15, 2008, CIMA launched its inaugural report Empowering Independent Media: U.S. Efforts to Foster Free and Independent News Around the World, which provides an in-depth assessment of media development efforts funded by the U.S. government and U.S.-based private donors.
The honorary co-hosts for the event were Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), [...]

In a luncheon presentation on June 12, 2008, the following panelists discussed the findings of the index and prospects for independent media development in sub-Saharan Africa:

Leon Morse, IREX’s project manager for the MSI Africa
Mark Nelson, program leader for governance diagnostics work at the World Bank Institute, which provided partial support for the MSI
Collins Wagumba, an audio visual [...]

This luncheon presentation on June 2, 2008 featured:

Natalia Ligacheva, editor of Telekritika, a NED-supported, Web-based media watchdog and online news site
Myroslava Gongadze, correspondent at the Voice of America
Nadia Diuk, directorof NED’s Europe and Eurasia Program

The discussion focused on the current state of the media in Ukraine. The discussion was co-sponsored by Internews Network.

Download the video

On May 27, CIMA held a roundtable discussion on news literacy featuring three speakers:

Ann C. Olson, media consultant and author of the CIMA report The Role of Media-support Organizations and Public Literacy in Strengthening Independent Media Worldwide
Paul Mihailidis, director of Media Education Initiatives at the University of Maryland’s International Center for Media and the Public [...]

On April 30, 2008, CIMA hosted an event entitled “Securing and Expanding Press Freedom through New Media” on Capitol Hill, exploring journalists’ use of new media and the importance of information technologies in expanding press freedom in closed societies.
Honorary co-hosts for the event were  Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Rep. Adam Schiff [...]

At this presentation on February 27, 2008, the following panelists spoke about the state of the media in Pakistan:

Steve Coll of the New America Foundation and The New Yorker
freelance journalist Nicholas Schmidle
Sami Abrahamof Geo-TV
Manzur Ejaz of the Daily Times

The discussion highlighted the challenges of domestic and foreign reporters working in Pakistan, the recent restrictions [...]

In a luncheon presentation on January 17, Mr. Andrés Cañizález of the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello presented the results of a recent investigation on media coverage in Venezuela of the December proposed constitutional reforms, and explored the lessons that were drawn from the experience.
His presentation was followed by comments by:

Eduardo A. Bertoni, of the Due [...]

In a luncheon presentation on January 16, 2008, David E. Kaplan, the author of CIMA’s newly published report Global Investigative Journalism: Strategies for Support, addressed the growth of investigative journalism centers worldwide and highlights opportunities for stakeholders to invest in more sustained programs that professionalize the news media and foster greater transparency in governance.
His presentation [...]

On September 26, 2007, CIMA and Panos London launched the Panos Institute’s report entitled At the Heart of Change: The Role of Communication in Sustainable Development.
This event featured presentations by:

Mark Wilson, Executive Director of Panos London
Meg Gaydosik, Senior Media Development Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Shanthi Kalathil, Consultant to Communication for Governance [...]

On May 2, 2007, CIMA hosted its inaugural event at the U.S. Capitol building celebrating press freedom day. The honorary co-hosts were Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Michael Pence (R-Ind.), co-founders of the Congressional Caucus for the Freedom of the Press.
Speakers at the event were:

Daniel Kaufmann, [...]

On June 20, 2007, CIMA and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presented a report by the Jefferson Institute entitled An Imperative to Innovate: Sustainable Journalism Training in Central and Eastern Europe.
The event featured:

Eric Newton, Vice President of the Knight Foundation;
Aaron Presnall, Director of Studies at the Jefferson Institute and an author of [...]