mediadev library

The podcast as the centre of young Colombians’ information consumption in the digital sonosphere

Andrés Barrios-Rubio

Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, volume 23, issue 1 (2025), pp. 59-81

"The relationship between the sound industry and its audience is influenced by the widespread use of smartphones as the primary means of accessing the internet. This has led to a transformation in media logics, particularly among young people in Colombia, as they adapt to an evolving ecosystem that ... more

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What is journalism for?

Jon Allsop

Bristol: Bristol University Press (2025), 180 pp.

"Drawing on his experience as a journalist and media commentator, and on interviews with journalists from the US to Myanmar, Jon Allsop examines key concepts that constitute journalism’s role: good judgement, concern for truth and critical scrutiny of one or more communities. Along the way, he als ... more

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Media development pathways: A case study of the Media Institute of Southern Africa

Susan Abbott

London: University of Westminster, Doctoral Thesis (2025), 222 pp.

"The purpose of this research project is to contribute to the academic and practitioner understanding of how donors impact the development of media systems in developing and transitioning countries. The study reflects on the evolution of donor strategies in media development over the past 30 years s ... ince 1989, highlighting several key trends [...] Early optimism about democratic transitions has waned, with media development now seen as a rescue operation. A clear definition of ‘democracy’ has become blurred, with autocrats co-opting the term, leading to growing scepticism about its true meaning. The cynicism about democracy is joined by a sense of naïve expectations in that donors once believed that funding free and independent media would automatically strengthen other democratic institutions. This assumption has been challenged as reality proved more complex. When it came to specific feedback on donor strategies, respondents shared that donor funding initially supported traditional media infrastructure. With the rise of the internet and digital media, strategies shifted to support the digital transformation of journalism. Respondents also note that donor strategies have often shifted with geopolitical interests, leaving media development in regions like Eastern Europe and Southern Africa in flux. Wars and political changes have diverted funds and attention, impacting the sustainability of media projects. There is criticism that donors lack a coherent long-term strategy or clear goals for media development related investments. Many rely on Western NGOs to devise strategies, leading to concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of these efforts. Overall, the research undertaken underscores the need for more stable, well-defined, and strategically coherent donor approaches to support independent media development effectively. Finally, the study relayed concerns from local stakeholders that they feel there is a pressing need to localise practices and prioritize localisation to enhance long-term impact and sustainability. This dissertation focuses on the post-1989 context, which was significant for the spread of democracy following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the end of apartheid in Africa. This period, often called the third wave of democratisation, was marked by a belief in the inevitable spread of democracy and liberal democratic order. My research connects media development theories with practical applications in specific contexts examining how donor strategies affect journalism and press freedom, informed by scholarship on liberal democracy. The qualitative research, based on interpretivism/constructivism, probes donor impact on media space and evaluates program success, contributing to a theory of change in media development. The comparative research and grounded theory approach led to the development of a case study about the Media Institute of Southern Africa. Findings and analysis are drawn from the perspectives from donors, program beneficiaries, implementers, academics, and experts. The research interprets the legacy of donor-supported media development in the context of democratisation efforts by Western government aid agencies and foundations." (Abstract) more

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Outsourcing accountability: Extractive data practice and inequities of power in humanitarian third-party monitoring

Stephanie Diepeveen, John Bryant, Wasuge Mahad

Big Data & Society, issue January–March (2025), 14 pp.

"Since the early 2010s, humanitarian donors have increasingly contracted private firms to monitor and evaluate humanitarian activities, accompanied by a promise of improving accountability through their data and data analytics. This article contributes to scholarship on data practices in the humanit ... more

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Posting “what” on social media? The (mis-)use of Facebook by young people in refugee camps

Valentina Baú

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, volume 23, issue 1 (2025), pp. 134-147

"This paper aims to shed light on the threats that young people living in refugee camps face in their use of Facebook. While social media enable a participatory process of communication (Russo et al., 2008), which is based on the agency of the communicator and defined by their own cultural and moral ... more

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African Media and Communication: Foundational Conversations

Viola C. Milton, Winston Mano (eds.)

Oxford; New York: Routledge (2025), 380 pp.

"This book provides an important set of critical reflections from a selection of foundational scholars of African media and communication studies through biographical method. The book interrogates the center of mainstream academic scholarship by providing the foundational history and origins of an A ... more

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Expectations of News Media in Uganda: Advancing a Theory of Relative Institutional Trust in Journalism

Meagan E. Doll

International Journal of Communication, volume 18 (2024), pp. 1873–1892

"Compared with work on trust in news, surprisingly little research examines audiences’ expectations of journalism. Audiences’ expectations, after all, elucidate public opinion of news, including the criteria by which news and journalists may be trusted. Journalism expectancy research is particul ... more

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Conflict journalism, coloniality and election violence in Zimbabwe: The case for Ubuntu ethics

Tendai Chari

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 16, issue 3 (2024), pp. 303-320

"Drawing insights from decolonial theory and Ubuntu ethics, this article examines coloniality practices embedded in conflict journalism in Zimbabwe. It uses election violence reporting between 2000 and 2013 as a lens for gaining insights into how reporting conflicts perpetuates coloniality. How colo ... more

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Digital Media Utilization by Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri for Evangelization During COVID-19 Pandemic

Joseph Kibuthu Waithaka

Nairobi: Daystar University, Master Thesis (2024), xii, 119 pp.

"Tied on New Media Theory, this study came up with three objectives. First, to explore how the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri utilized digital media to reach its congregants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, to examine the views of congregants of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri regarding the ... more

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Mapping ODA to media and information environment integrity
Top Insights

Laure-Hélène Piron

Paris: OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (2024), 105 pp.

"Interviews with 25 officials from development ministries and agencies and media experts, and a review of over 100 documents, confirmed that development partners are aware of the pressures faced by traditional and new media, and how the information environment can influence their wider democracy and ... more

Transforming Crises Into Opportunities: Self-Managed Media in Argentina

Carolina Escudero

Media and Communication, volume 12, issue 7455 (2024), 17 pp.

"The current situation for journalism in Argentina represents a great challenge due to the continuous economic changes linked to inflation and labour precariousness. Faced with this, a phenomenon known as self-managed media has grown over the recent years, also connected to recovered media that prom ... more

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‘We’re Losing Our Bread and Butter Like Never Before’: Journalism in Bangladesh in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Shaharior Rahman Razu, Fajlay Rabbi, Mahdi-Al-Muhtasim Nibir, Farhana Hoque, Shahidul Islam

In: Communicating COVID-19: Media, Trust, and Public Engagement

Monique Lewis, Eliza Govender, Kate Holland (eds.)

Palgrave Macmillan (2024), pp. 65-82

"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increased challenge for journalists and media professionals worldwide. However, there is a lack of information on these adversities in many developing countries, including Bangladesh. Our study aims to explore these challenges and risks associated with journalism ... more

Southern European press challenges in a time of crisis: A cross-national study of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Malta

Lada Trifonova Price, Marilyn Clark, Lambrini Papadopoulou, Theodora A. Maniou

Journalism, volume 25, issue 11 (2024), pp. 2420-2439

"The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for newsrooms across the world range from severe economic hardship to increased threats to press freedom. The “perfect storm” that engulfed the media and journalists globally has threatened and continues to challenge their existence, and the core of the ... more

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Psychological Aid and Training for Journalists Who Face Continued Emotionally Demanding Environments: The Case of Venezuelan Journalists

María T. Soto-Sanfiel, Virpi Salojärvi

In: Handbook of Applied Journalism: Theory and Practice

Leon Barkho, Jairo Alfonso Lugo-Ocando, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

Cham: Springer (2024), pp. 301-315

"Journalism, particularly in conflict reporting, poses significant emotional challenges, with journalists often grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder and other traumas. This research delves into the emotional dimensions of journalistic practice, examining journalists’ perspectives on menta ... more

Persisting inequalities in the digitalized society: Migrant women facing coercive dimensions of everyday digitalization

Ulla Buchert, Sirpa Wrede, Anne Kouvonen

Information, Communication & Society, volume 27, issue 5 (2024), pp. 935-950

"Understanding the ubiquitous digitalization of everyday life and associated inequalities presupposes rich conceptualizations of the associated social dynamics. Accordingly, we investigate digital service domestication as a social dimension of people’s lives, building on concepts that center users ... more

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“The goal is to make you weaker”: Mental well-being and risks among European cross-border investigative journalists

Belle de Jong, Johana Kotišová

Journalism (2024), [no pag.]

"The increased scale of cross-border journalistic investigations brings about severe challenges: online harassment, physical violence, legal threats, but also emotional challenges and mental stress that can lead to burnout. The latter has never been the focus of studies on cross-border investigative ... more

Legal Strategies for Protecting Journalists in Conflict Zones

Fatimah Sahdan, Jelena Gregorius

Interdisciplinary Studies in Society, Law, and Politics, volume 3, issue 2 (2024), pp. 25-31

"The safety of journalists in conflict zones remains a critical concern, with myriad risks stemming from both physical and digital threats. This study aims to explore the legal strategies that can effectively protect journalists in these environments, focusing on understanding the existing legal fra ... more

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“No One Is Going to Silence Me”: A Comparison of the Conditions for Press Freedom and Independent Journalism as a Prerequisite for Democracy in the United States, Sweden, and Egypt

Elin Rantakrans

In: Handbook of Applied Journalism: Theory and Practice

Leon Barkho, Jairo Alfonso Lugo-Ocando, Sadia Jamil (eds.)

Cham: Springer (2024), pp. 615-629

"This chapter looks at the status of the freedom of the press, and the legal possibilities and obstacles that affect media’s ability to hold power to account and safeguard the principles of democracy. The legal environment in countries as diverse as the United States, Egypt, and Sweden differs gre ... more

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