"This article critically assesses the possibilities and limitations of strategic communication initiatives to enhance cultures of governance among youth in Northern Ghana. The analysis is embedded within contemporary debates about communication and social change, with particular focus upon dynamics
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between citizen media development, youth-centred citizen journalism, and processes of community mobilisation and development. Findings suggest that the project has opened up to dynamic, youth-led social change processes, evidenced by the creative, proactive enactment of citizen engagement. Youth changed not only their self-perception around agency and ability to act, but also influenced community development in a variety of ways." (Abstract)
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"Ashoka is an organization that supports social entrepreneurs around the world and has the longest track record of doing so. It has identified and supported over 3,500 “Ashoka Fellows,” many of whom are in the media sector. Therefore, Ashoka sits on a treasure trove of data on transformative med
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ia innovations. We analyzed this data to understand how social entrepreneurs around the world are trying to improve the media landscape, assessed the most successful approaches, and identified gaps that social entrepreneurship has not yet filled. To do so, we selected a subset of Ashoka Fellows whose primary aim is to improve the media landscape and who are demonstrably making a substantial impact. We call them “Core Media Fellows” and selected them from an initial pool of 231 Fellows, after gathering extensive data and applying rigorous selection criteria to identify the final cohort. Each of these fifty social entrepreneurs seeks to harness the tectonic shifts under way in the global media landscape to more constructively serve societal interests. Among the group, we found stunning diversity. For example, Core Media Fellows hailed from twenty-two countries. But we also discerned broad similarities. Indeed, each of the fifty Fellows pursued one of five overarching goals: Improving the infrastructure and environment within which the media operates; Improving standards of reporting to strengthen the quality of journalism; Ensuring the media is a vehicle for civic engagement; Making the media a self-sustaining business; Increasing media literacy by providing the public with diverse and representative content. Our study of social entrepreneurs reveals important lessons—spanning strategies to represent marginalized voices to partnership models within and beyond the media industry—for how to transform the media. But it also uncovers areas of need, such as business model innovations, where too few social entrepreneurs have found the support to pilot approaches that ultimately could reverse the media’s declining fortunes." (Pages 1-2)
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"This document presents an update on the activities undertaken with respect to IPDC Special Initiatives on 1) the Safety of Journalists and Issue of Impunity, 2) media-related indicators, 3) Global Initiative for Excellence in Journalism Education and 4) knowledge-driven media development: follow-up
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to SDGs. The document also reports on IPDC responses to emerging issues, namely on 1) media and migration and 2) fighting violent extremism." (Page 1)
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"The authors assessed 32,422 relevant grants totaling $1.8 billion distributed by 6,568 foundations supporting journalism and media-related activities between 2010 and 2015. About a third of this funding or $570 million was dedicated to journalism higher education, the Newseum, journalism fellowship
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s, and journalism research, legal support, and technology development. An additional 44% or $795 million supported public media and 5% or about $81 million backed nonprofit magazines. In comparison, 20% or about $331 million directly supported national, local/state, and university-based digital news nonprofits. In evaluating direct support for digital news nonprofits, the authors conclude that many innovative projects and experiments have happened and continue to take place, but that grantmaking remains far below what is needed, even in an era of increased journalism giving following the 2016 elections. Their analysis identifies sharp geographic disparities in foundation funding, a heavy concentration of resources in a few dozen successful digital news nonprofits and on behalf of coverage of a few issues. At the national level, there was also the granting of money to a disproportionate number of ideologically-oriented outlets. Although there are some success stories, neither the digital news nonprofit sector, nor any other form of commercial media have yet been able to meaningfully fill the gaps in coverage created by the collapse of the newspaper industry. A major challenge is that despite more than 6,500 foundations supporting journalism- and media-related activities during the first half of this decade, just a few dozen foundations have provided the bulk of direct support for news gathering." (https://shorensteincenter.org)
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"While this guide shows only a small sampling of how funders and publishers are working together to financially sustain the fourth estate, we hope that it nonetheless serves as a starting point for your own work by providing solid examples of groundbreaking funding efforts—ones that are both pione
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ering and effective. If you’re a grantee, you may also want to use this document to think about how your work might appeal to potential funders." (Page 6)
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"This report puts forth a Walton Family Foundation (WFF) Media Impact Framework and identifies key indicators and research methods that can be used to assess journalism investments across program areas, based on best practices in the field of media strategy and research. The companion WFF Media Impa
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ct Toolkit provides a set of steps for grantmakers to take to get from the decision to invest in media all the way to identifying the appropriate indicators, targets and baselines. The information that follows is customized to reflect WFF goals, priorities and processes, but it is our hope that other partners can utilize the materials to become more effective communicators and grantmakers. This report also provides background information about the journalistic profession, noting in particular its differences from social change and advocacy organizations. This context is especially important for framing what can be difficult conversations with journalism organizations, given their commitment to neutrality and the recent— and ongoing — upheaval in the industry." (Summary, page 3)
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"Esta investigación tiene como objetivo determinar los alcances y las limitaciones que tienen las organizaciones de prensa colombianas al momento de preparar a los periodistas para cubrir y afrontar el proceso de posconflicto, derivado del Acuerdo Final para la Terminación del Conflicto y la Const
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rucción de una Paz Estable y Duradera firmados entre el Gobierno Nacional y las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia FARC. Por lo tanto, analiza las acciones llevadas a cabo por las organizaciones de prensa dirigidas a afrontar este nuevo escenario y a la vez estudia la percepción de algunos periodistas del país frente a estas acciones. Con esto en mente, se hizo una comparación entre dichas acciones y las percepciones de los comunicadores para comprender hasta dónde puede llegar el trabajo de las organizaciones de prensa, los vacíos existentes, los retos y las metas que tienen para afrontar el posconflicto." (Resumen)
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"This report was commissioned to examine the nature and quality of media stories produced by journalists supported by the Voices of African Migrants pilot programme (see http://migrantvoices.org/), managed by International Media Support (IMS), in four migration ‘Hubs’ in Africa, and explored how
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local audiences interpreted and responded to those stories. It used content analysis, interviews and focus group discussions. The research findings show that most stories used human interest frames and foregrounded migrant experiences. The migrants’ main contributions to the stories were to provide a human face to hardships and suffering. Meanwhile, NGOs were included to provide facts, statements of general causes of migrations, statistics, and a sense of scale. Government statements were used to provide a comment on policies and solutions. Most articles were supportive in their sentiments to the plight of migrants. Participants in the focus groups (especially migrants themselves) recognised that migrant voices were missing from mainstream media reporting on migration, that reporting on migration tends to be negative, and that there are pressing issues relating to migration that need to be discussed in the public sphere. Focus group participants generally responded with empathy and understanding in response to stories about the hardships migrants face. Some stories provoked a distancing or disruption to understanding, especially when an aspect of the story did not match their prior tacit or cultural knowledge about migration. A small number of stories deeply moved focus group participants." (Executive summary)
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"Section 1 summarises the background to and rationale for philanthropic funding of the media, including from a social justice and human rights perspective. This should help Ariadne grantmakers who are not sure if and why they should support media directly to make an informed decision, or to help mak
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e the case to colleagues. Section 2 is framed around the key advice offered by experienced media grantmakers about making grants to or investments in the media. This should help grantmakers entering the field to ask themselves, colleagues and partners the right questions about how they do so. Section 3 looks specifically at five areas of opportunity and threat in the journalism, media and information fields to which philanthropic funding does or might respond. This should help orient grantmakers in respect of plausible potential areas of intervention, and provide them with a range of jumping-off points from which to explore in more depth." (Page 5)
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"Media democracy promotion is a hidden form of international development aid (IDA). However, the dynamics underlying democracy promotion and their adaptation in local contexts is hardly considered when evaluating or theorizing international media development aid (IMDA). Multi-lateral organizations (
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MLOs) are important carriers of democratic ideals and different interpretations. In this paper, I unravel the dynamics between multi-lateral organizations and local actors during the media reform debates in three MERCOSUR countries; Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay." (Abstract)
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"¿Cuál ha sido el papel de la cooperación internacional en la configuración de las prácticas, investigación, educación y políticas de comunicación en América Latina desde los años 70? Argumento que la ayuda extranjera a la comunicación en América Latina fue crucial para: (1) desarrollar
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las principales instituciones del campo de la comunicación regional; (2) promover intelectuales, activistas y políticos tanto en el campo de la comunicación como en el político; y (3) potenciar organizaciones que tuvieron impacto en las reformas de las políticas de comunicación durante los últimos 15 años. La asistencia internacional ha ayudado a promover actores asociados a modelos participativos, al tiempo que promueve políticas modernizadoras." (Resumen)
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"A pesar de una larga tradición de práctica y reflexión de la cooperación internacional en apoyo a la libertad de prensa y el pluralismo mediático, no queda claro que constituya un área o campo definido de especialización, con un objeto común de estudio y acción o preguntas comunes. Esto se
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complejizó aún más después del fin de la Guerra Fría: frente al libertarismo ortodoxo, ganan terreno visiones más atentas a los contextos específicos y basadas en el paradigma de los derechos humanos. Además, mientras los antiguos problemas de la comunicación pública persisten, surgen otros nuevos. Estas condiciones agudizan problemas crónicos que esta área enfrenta para definirse como tal." (Resumen)
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"Back in 2011, the Spanish government decided to fund the creation of the newspaper Voces in El Salvador within the wider context of public diplomacy and a favorable political atmosphere. This article examines the implications of this aid in the frame of news media plurality in that nation. We sugge
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st that thanks to it the Salvadorian public was offered a news agenda that reflected alternative worldview. However, we also argue, the intervention itself possess a series of ethical issues and challenges that merit further study in order to inform present and future discussions around foreign aid, media and journalism." (Abstract)
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"Este artículo analiza las estrategias de colaboración transnacional desarrolladas en los últimos años por medios latinoamericanos, destinadas a desplegar proyectos periodísticos que ponen el acento en la investigación y la calidad. Financiadas con la aportación de fundaciones internacionales
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, estas iniciativas aprovechan las ventajas digitales y las sinergias para unir esfuerzos en la denuncia de la corrupción o la violación de derechos humanos." (Resumen)
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"Esta reflexão diz respeito à ajuda internacional recebida pelo Brasil e América Latina no campo da Comunicação e do Jornalismo digital nos últimos 30 anos. Trata-se das primeiras impressões sobre o apoio internacional e nacional (do Brasil a outros países) oferecido para desenvolver prátic
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as, pesquisas e estudos voltados para a comunicação digital, redes sociais digitais e internet. Em tempos digitais, esse tipo de apoio cruzou a fronteira dos Estudos de Comunicação, mesclando os campos da Comunicação e das telecomunicações. Entre as instituições que oferecem ajuda internacional ao Brasil e América Latina estão, por exemplo, a União Internacional de Telecomunicações (UIT), Fundação Ford e Open Society." (Resumo)
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"Cuando se habla de programas de asistencia y cooperación internacional dirigidos al desarrollo de los medios se suele pensar, por lo general, en dos áreas distintas. Por un lado, se hace referencia a las intervenciones de las grandes potencias con programas dirigidos a socavar gobiernos legítima
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mente constituidos en América Latina. En ese sentido, se piensa en los programas de la Agencia Central de Información (CIA, por sus siglas en inglés) de los Estados Unidos para controlar, sobornar o asesinar periodistas. Por otro lado, se alude a aspectos más sutiles de la cooperación, comúnmente asociados a programas de desarrollo urbano y rural, transferencia de conocimiento y fortalecimiento de las instituciones democráticas -entre las que se cuenta el periodismo como institución social (Chaparro Escudero, 2009; Beltrán, 2006). Estas voces han sido vitales en cambiar la forma en que entendemos la relación entre programas de desarrollo y los medios en América Latina." (Resumen)
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"Part of a €17 million EU-funded programme entitled “Media and Culture for Development in the Southern Mediterranean”, MedMedia was implemented in the Southern Mediterranean from January 2014 until May 2018. The MedMedia programme has given media policy makers, regulators, public service broad
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casters, journalists’ unions, media schools and human rights campaigners in the Southern Mediterranean a unique opportunity to act as catalysts for media sector reform in their region. MedMedia supported local stakeholders’ efforts to push forward media reform processes, sparked by the Arab Spring with a view to creating a regulatory environment supportive of media freedom and public trust in mainstream media outlets. It has offered access to expertise and know-how from both sides of the Mediterranean and has facilitated a mutual learning process between media institutions from the Southern Mediterranean. MedMedia’s activities were divided into three complementary components: capacity development for media professionals and institutions based on a bottom-up approach; networking activities involving decision makers and media practitioners; an overview of the media sector for decision-makers and practitioners across the region." (Page 4)
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"The authors briefly survey the contemporary and complex relationship between aid and journalism and the role of foreign aid/development assistance in shaping African media systems. A call is made for greater research into the aid and journalism relationship and the impact these processes have on fo
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stering independent national media sectors in Africa." (Abstract)
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