Evil lasts an hour, but truth lasts until the end of time.
– Arabic Proverb
Events
Raising the visibility of international media development and improving its effectiveness are core goals of CIMA.
World Press Freedom Day 2010: Bloggers Behind Bars: Increasing Number of Online Journalists in Jail Limits Freedom of Expression
In honor of World Press Freedom Day 2010, CIMA organized a discussion about threats to the safety of bloggers. For the first time, the number of online journalists in prison almost surpasses the number of jailed traditional print and broadcast journalists. At least 68 bloggers, Web-based reporters, and online editors are under arrest worldwide, constituting half of all journalists now in jail, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported in its 2009 prison census.
There are no upcoming events at this time.
The Role of Media in Humanitarian Crises: Lessons Learned from the Earthquake in Haiti
The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, crippled broadcast and print media outlets, leaving Haitians without critical information about the humanitarian response. The crisis exacerbated existing challenges to free and independent media, such as inadequate salaries for reporters and a brain drain of trained professional journalists. With much of their infrastructure destroyed, community radio stations, TV networks, and newspapers scrambled to get back to business.
Shifting Sands: The Impact of Satellite TV on Media in the Arab World
A new CIMA report by Deborah Horan, Shifting Sands: The Impact of Satellite TV on Media in the Arab World, explores the media landscape in the MENA region more than a decade after the rise of transnational Arab satellite news channels. Why does the region still lack media freedom? What are the positive effects of satellite television coverage on the media environment in the region? What is the impact of satellite television on the quality of journalism in print, radio, and the Internet?
Supporting Independent Media in Africa: Cross-border Collaboration
Newspapers, commercial and community broadcasters, bloggers, and online news services represent a driving force in the continent’s transition to more open political and economic systems. The African media business has become a hotbed of experimentation and innovation, with cellphones now challenging the traditional dominance of radio as information providers, even in the most remote rural areas. Professional, nonpartisan news services are essential to improving health, education, environmental protection, and democratic governance in Africa. Yet Africa’s media are facing immense challenges. Precarious finances and low salaries leave too many news organizations vulnerable to intimidation and corruption. Criminal libel and insult laws expose investigative journalists to punitive retaliation. In a number of countries, newspapers and radio stations still suffer arbitrary closure by government decree. Violence and threats against journalists are rarely investigated and prosecuted.
World Press Freedom Day 2010: Bloggers Behind Bars: Increasing Number of Online Journalists in Jail Limits Freedom of Expression
In honor of World Press Freedom Day 2010, CIMA organized a discussion about threats to the safety of bloggers. For the first time, the number of online journalists in prison almost surpasses the number of jailed traditional print and broadcast journalists. At least 68 bloggers, Web-based reporters, and online editors are under arrest worldwide, constituting half of all journalists now in jail, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported in its 2009 prison census.
