US Net Neutrality Debate Sees Major Milestone
Net neutrality = the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.It’s a basic definition, yet one people often find hard to grasp. And it’s not something y... |
The Great Debate: Freedom of Information and Med...
UN Representative, Global Forum for Media Development This Monday, the UN General Assembly began its final phase of negotiations over the UN’s next set of global development goals, which will succeed the expiring Millennium Development Goals and guide international development priorities and aid f... |
The Self-Defeating Censorship of Xi Jinping
When Xi Jinping emerged as the likely successor to the Chairmanship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2008, there was hope among Western leaders that he would usher in a more open and politically pragmatic era for China. After all, Xi’s generation is largely removed from the revolutionary st... |
Making the Case for Media’s Impact on Demo...
Those working in the media development field may often take for granted the idea that independent media, and its counterpart, access to information, are essential to a free and open society. The burden of proof falls upon us to show the impact of media on development issues like good governance, and... |
Draconian Secrecy Law Threatens Japan’s Media ...
Thousands of people took to the streets in Japan’s major cities last week to protest against a controversial new secrecy law that took effect on December 10th, one year after its passage in the Diet. The law, formally called the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets (SDS), has be... |
UN Secretary General Calls for Media in Post-201...
The campaign for media and access to information’s inclusion in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals gained a new advocate last week in UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who reaffirmed their importance in a synthesis report for the SDGs. The report, noting the evolving information needs of ... |
Post-2015 Goals Should Include Independent Media...
Access to information, transparency, independent media, accountability and citizen participation are not being adequately addressed by the global effort to set a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a diverse group of global development specialists. Drawn from an informal su... |
Open Journalism and the Open Road Ahead
Guest post by Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media As the technological landscape evolves in an increasingly digitized world, so widens the wellspring of news and information: shaky cell phone footage, amateur photography, even hastily composed tweets and social media posts.... |
Africa Summit 2014: Recommendations for the Medi...
Yesterday, we offered a behind-the-scenes look at what representatives of the media sector in Africa saw as the greatest challenges facing the region’s media development. Today, that group met in Washington to make recommendations on how to combat these challenges. The panel’s spokespers... |
Africa Summit 2014: Challenges to the Media Sect...
In the midst of the US-Africa Summit taking place for the government leaders in Washington, DC this week, civil society and media groups met at the National Endowment for Democracy to create a specific set of recommendations and goals for the region’s development. While broad facets of civil... |