The Center for International Media Assistance is pleased to add to its collection of research and working group reports a series of new publications under the title Media Visionaries: Conversations With Key Players. This will be an occasional series of feature articles profiling people who are making a difference in the field of international media development. Our inaugural piece, Reinventing the Media Investor, is about Sasa Vucinic, managing director of the Media Development Loan Fund.
Reports
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CIMA commissions research reports on key topics in media development and also publishes reports on some of its events and working groups.
Featured Reports
New CIMA Report Series – Media Visionaries: Conversations With Key Players
Broadcasting in UN Blue: The Unexamined Past and Uncertain Future of Peacekeeping Radio
CIMA is pleased to release a new report, Broadcasting in UN Blue: The Unexamined Past and Uncertain Future of Peacekeeping Radio by Bill Orme, who served for the past seven years at the United Nations Development Program as a senior advisor on media development and strategic communications. Orme is a former executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists and has been a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.
From Cambodia to Liberia, radio stations established by UN peacekeeping missions have helped end violent conflict and make political transition possible. They have provided citizens with trusted local news programs and nonpartisan discussion forums, often for the first time. But a lack of long-term UN planning and commitment to media development as an integral part of post-peacekeeping democratization have often made these achievements disappointingly ephemeral. This report examines the role that peacekeeping radio stations have played in post-conflict countries and offers recommendations to help UN radio services make lasting contributions to free media.
Libel Tourism: Silencing the Press Through Transnational Legal Threats
CIMA is pleased to release a new report, Libel Tourism: Silencing the Press through Transnational Legal Threats, which describes the legal risks that independent media worldwide face from libel and defamation suits. This report by Drew Sullivan, a journalist, editor, and media development specialist, explains how lawsuits can force media organizations to censor themselves or limit the distribution of their news content, restricting freedom of expression and thus threatening one of the foundations of democracy.
Vested political, business, and criminal interests, especially in the developing world, are increasingly using the courts to redress alleged harms, punish journalists and scare off publishers. Sullivan’s report describes the practice, known as “libel tourism,” of shopping worldwide for plaintiff-friendly courts. While the United Kingdom is currently the jurisdiction of choice for many plaintiffs, by publishing online, a media organization faces the risk of a lawsuit in just about any country. Given the wide variety of defamation standards, court practices, and freedom of speech standards, the risks are almost impossible to manage. Leveling the playing field requires the passage of laws in many jurisdictions, better standards and awareness of risks among journalists, and an industry-wide solution to the problems of insurance and legal defense.
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Under Attack: Practicing Journalism in a Dangerous World
Under Attack: Practicing Journalism in a Dangerous World examines the key issues surrounding threats to the physical safety of journalists, particularly in countries with hostile media environments. The report by Bill Ristow, a journalist and international journalism trainer based in Seattle, provides a clear look at the problem of violence against journalists and offers some potential solutions.
Drawing on the experience of press freedom experts, and the insights of some of those on the front lines of the violence, Ristow recommends more targeted coordination of efforts by international organizations, increased investment in safety training programs, and a tougher policy approach on the part of governments and multilaterals toward countries that condone journalists’ killings.
Funding for Media Development by Major Donors Outside the United States
This report examines trends in non-U.S. donor financing of the media development and media for development sector. The report by Mary Myers, an expert on international media development with many years of experience in this field, surveys European and other governments and donors spending on international media development. It examines where the money is going, what types of media development programs are being funded and trends in terms of donor priorities and approaches. As the report makes clear, reporting standards and definitions vary widely from country to country, making precise comparisons difficult. However, the report provides a valuable resource by pointing how donors compare in the emphasis they place on media development out in general.
Throwing the Switch: Challenges in the Conversion to Digital Broadcasting
Throwing the Switch: Challenges in the Conversion to Digital Broadcasting explores the consequences for democracy of the worldwide conversion from analog television broadcasting to digital. The report by John Burgess, a former Washington Post editor, technology writer and foreign correspondent, looks at whether the creation of multiple broadcast channels will provide more openness and diversity on the airwaves. Alternatively, he asks, could it result in governments clamping down on critical broadcasters or loss of service? Burgess explores how media development organizations, broadcasters, regulators, and civil society groups can ensure that decisions on airwave space are made in a fair and open manner.
Experimentation and Evolution in Private U.S. Funding of Media Development
In this report, Anne Nelson, a former journalist now teaching at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, examines recent trends in private U.S. funding of media development projects around the world. While U.S. foundations have long funded both “media development” and “media for development” programs, recent political and economic trends have shifted the balance in favor of the latter. In addition, the recent economic crisis, which has exacerbated the precarious condition of journalism in the United States, has led to retrenchment among many U.S. donor organizations.
The report recommends that foundations continue their consultative processes and explore new avenues for media development. New foundations should be included in these discussions to stimulate ideas, and U.S. foundations and implementers should try harder to think beyond their cultural context to include more new media technologies.
Digital Media in Conflict-Prone Societies
Throughout history, war has affected media, with conflict often creating an information void. In the 21st century, media has begun to affect war more than ever before. Digital media technologies – particularly participatory, networked tools – have increased communication and information dissemination in conflict settings, affecting all sides and involving new producers of news coverage. These new tools can be used to foment violence or to foster peace, and it is possible to build communication systems that encourage dialogue and nonviolent political solutions. The international media development community must adapt its conflict-zone programs to fit a new media environment, designing projects that encompass digital media applications that encourage more open communities and states, provide venues for dialogue, and reduce control of information.
Media Literacy: Understanding the News
A media-literate public is essential to building and sustaining a democracy of active citizens. Effective free and independent media depend not only on skilled journalists but also on the knowledge of their readers. Media literacy training is a tool that the development sector can use to educate citizens to better understand the value of accurate and fair news. This report, by Susan D. Moeller, director of the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda at the University of Maryland, explores why media literacy is crucial to many areas of development and how donors and implementers can coordinate their efforts and expand the field.
*This report is the first in a series of three on the status of U.S. and international understanding of and funding for media literacy.
Media Literacy: Citizen Journalists
Citizen journalists are quickly becoming a potent force for creating, supporting, and building open and democratic societies. In countries where repressive governments limit the operations of professional journalists, citizen journalists are filling the gaps. Yet they often have no formal training or understanding of the essential roles independent media play in ensuring accountable and transparent government. This report, also by Moeller, makes clear that it is essential for citizen journalists to learn and adopt standards of fairness, accuracy, and ethics through media literacy training.
*This report is the second in a series of three on the status of U.S. and international understanding of and funding for media literacy.
Media Literacy: Empowering Youth Worldwide
At all levels of education, initiatives in media literacy are premised on teaching youth and young adults to consume media critically—from how media shape political messages to the increasing pervasiveness of advertising. But the challenges to such initiatives are daunting. Schools need the necessary resources and educators the requisite expertise and training to teach media literacy. Supporting media literacy education for youth can help prepare children and young adults for lives of active inquiry and give them a better understanding of the ties between information, community, and democracy. This report, by Paul Mihailidis, professor of journalism, media and public relations at Hofstra University, makes the case that as media become more central to the development of youth in society, funders should recognize that media literacy education for youth is an important part of democratic development.
*This report is the third in a series of three on the status of U.S. and international understanding of and funding for media literacy.
Challenges to U.S. Government Support for Media Development
In this report, Andrew Green, principal of DG Metrics, a consultancy focusing on applied research in U.S. foreign assistance, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, assesses the U.S. government’s ability to support media development around the world. Green finds that while media play a pivotal role in U.S. foreign policy, there are significant resource shortfalls in this area. Too few media experts, not enough technological know-how, and potentially problematic funding mechanisms are just a few of the challenges facing the media development sector.
Print and Broadcast Media Freedom: Disparities and Opening
This report examines how the communications landscape has changed over the past decade, and discusses new opportunities and restrictions for both print and broadcast media outlets and journalists. Written by Karin Deutsch Karlekar, the managing editor of Freedom of the Press, an annual index that tracks trends in media freedom worldwide, this report recommends the promotion of a more open and diverse broadcast sector through the reform of licensing and regulatory frameworks accompanied by broader legal reforms, self-regulatory mechanisms, and training to improve professionalism.
The Role of New Media in the 2009 Iranian Elections
This report is the result of a CIMA workshop held on July 7, 2009. Approximately 150 media development implementers, new media experts, journalists, representatives of international organizations, and others, came together to discuss the impact of new communications technologies in Iran. The discussion centered on the role of new media in pre- and post-election Iran, as well as the future of new media in social movements.
Good, But How Good? Monitoring and Evaluation of Media Assistance Projects
This report examines the methodology for measuring the effectiveness of media development programs among media development organizations. Written by Andy Mosher, a media consultant with 28 years of experience as a journalist and editor, this report traces the increasing use of monitoring and evaluation among practitioners in the media assistance community.
YouthTube: Empowering Youth Through Independent Media
This report is the result of a CIMA workshop held May 28, 2009. Approximately 70 representatives of international organizations, media development implementers, journalists, and others came together to discuss strategies, challenges, and experiences empowering youth with independent media. The discussion centered on the demographics of youth around the world, their use of and access to new media, and engaging youth through media.
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