"In terms of quality of media coverage, there are various outcomes: In Asia, for example, small and independent outlets, able to provide reliable information, gained momentum, whereas citizens in the MENA-region turned to social media in search of trustworthy facts on the coronavirus. In South-Easte
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rn Europe, pseudo-journalism and fake news spread mainly via the Internet, while in sub-Saharan Africa innovative formats emerged, which also enhanced the quality of reporting. In many regions and countries, not least in Germany, demand for factbased, reliable reporting increased, offering an opportunity for quality-oriented media to regain audiences’ trust. The economic situation is difficult for almost all media outlets worldwide, although there are some differences. In Central and Eastern Europe, for example, pro-government media continued to benefit from state-sponsored advertising, while other media suffered even more acute drops in revenue. In many regions, media outlets expanded their online presence to partly compensate these losses by introducing additional paywalls, as was the case in the US, for example. In Latin America, many news outlets had to reduce their staff shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19 due to a shortfall in revenues. Small, independent outlets in Asia and Central Eastern Europe could raise their income through an increase in memberships or subscriptions. In Central Eastern Europe, especially younger generations acknowledged that quality journalism requires financing, while in Southeast Europe, it is still uncommon to pay for online media consumption, which is a setback for independent online journalism." (At a glance, page 2-3)
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"The five research streams are listed below. For each stream, three top research questions were identified, resulting in a list of 15 top priority research questions for the public health research agenda for infodemic management. Further, we listed for each subcategory a second tier of important res
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earch questions, totalling 50 questions [...] Research stream 1: Measure and monitor the impact of infodemics during health emergencies [...] Research stream 2: Detect and understand the spread and impact of infodemics [...] Research stream 3: Respond and deploy interventions that protect against the infodemic and mitigate its harmful effects [...] Research stream 4: Evaluate infodemic interventions and strengthen the resilience of individuals and communities to infodemics [...] Research stream 5: Promote the development, adaptation and application of tools for managing infodemics ..." (Annex 1, page 19 ff.)
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"In the first pandemic of the datafied society, the disempowered were denied a voice in the heavily quantified mainstream narrative. Featuring stories of invisibility, injustice, hope and resistance, this book gives voice to communities at the margins in the Global South and beyond. The multilingual
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, polycentric and pluriversal narration invites the reader to enact and experience “Big Data from the South(s)” as a decolonial lens to read the pandemic." (Back cover)
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"Dozens of plans to help save journalism have emerged since the Covid-19 pandemic decimated media outlets around the world. This report summarizes some of the trends we’ve seen and evaluates where they currently stand. Most promising are Australia’s efforts to get Google and Facebook to pay for
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news and efforts in the U.S. to get laws and investment that would support local news." (Executive summary)
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"The pandemic marks a new technological milestone in audiences’ media usage and habits, one that has thus far been both positive – through the interconnectedness and agency – and negative – because of a lack of access for some – for cultural diversity and intercultural relations. The adopt
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ion of mobile internet skyrocketed in the region, and some countries, particularly Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have ranked among the countries with the highest penetration rates globally for platforms such as Facebook and YouTube." (Page 1)
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"With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic came a flood of novel misinformation. Ranging from harmless false cures to dangerous rhetoric targeting minorities, coronavirus-related misinformation spread quickly wherever the virus itself did. Fact-checking organizations around the world took up the
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charge against misinformation, essentially crowdsourcing the task of debunking false narratives. In many places, engagement with coronavirus-related content drove a large percentage of overall user engagement with fact-checking content, and the capacity organizations developed to address coronavirus-related misinformation was later deployed to debunk misinformation on other topics." (Abstract)
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"This white paper discusses how digital technologies are building COVID resilience, shaping and accelerating the recovery, and diffusing within Asia Pacific region (APAC) in ways that are likely to persist in a post-COVID world. Section 1 presents the role of digital technologies in the Sustainable
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Development Goals (SDGs), examines the digital divide during COVID-19, and how APAC economies have been affected by the crisis. Section 2 presents six cases of resilience, providing examples of how digital technologies can help solve immediate, pressing problems. Hien, a business owner in Vietnam, demonstrates how MSMEs can go digital when entrepreneurs have the appropriate training. Miss Thanchanok Kamwinit, a teacher in Thailand, describes her work educating a new generation of digital citizens about online risks. Irfani recalls her journey to becoming a data scientist in Jakarta, where digital skills are in high demand. Sokneang, a co-founder and CEO of a fair trade startup in Cambodia, describes how digital platforms have been used in the agri-food sector during the pandemic. Gulshan, a Google Research Scientist, performs clinical trials in India to apply AI-based technologies in healthcare. Finally, Teh, a Malaysian citizen, volunteers in a vaccination center thanks to a digital platform that facilitates his civic engagement. Section 3 describes how digital technologies can drive the near future - the “new normal,” including the future of work as impacted by automation, and the need to transition to a low carbon economy. Section 4 discusses lessons and guidelines for a policy response." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"Unter dem Eindruck der Corona-Pandemie haben sich Medien nicht allein auf die Problemanalyse und Kritik an politischen und gesellschaftlichen Verhältnissen konzentriert, sondern den Blick auch nach vorn gerichtet, um zu fragen, wie politische, gesundheitliche, kulturelle und wirtschaftliche Risike
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n abgewogen werden können, damit es mit dem gesellschaftlichen (Zusammen-)Leben weitergehen kann. Was dieser erweiterte Blick für den Journalismus bedeutet, wird anhand der zehn ausgewählten Beispiele für konstruktive Ansätze in der Berichterstattung zu ‚Corona‘ nachvollziehbar: Für unsere Gesellschaft geht es vor allem um eine sinnvolle Balance zwischen Lösungen, Engagement und Innovation. Der Journalismus übernimmt eine systemisch wichtige Schnittstellenfunktion, indem er genau über diese weltweiten Lösungen, Engagements und Innovationen berichtet – mit kritischer Distanz und respektvoll. Es mag ein wenig hart klingen, aber: Eine digitale Blütezeit des Journalismus, die sich sowohl in Wertschätzung als auch in Umsätzen auszahlt, ist noch in weiter Ferne, solange sich journalistische Praxis nicht aus sich selbst heraus finanziell tragen lässt. Nachrichtenangebote, insbesondere in Zeiten von ‚Corona‘, scheinen der Öffentlichkeit nicht gut zu dienen, wenn sie Dinge vereinfachen, verkürzen oder extrapolieren. Stattdessen sollten Journalist:innen den Mut und die Sensibilität aufbringen, sorgsamer zu differenzieren, Kontexte zu liefern und die Welt zu vermitteln, wie sie ist: komplex. Dass dies nicht auf Kosten der Verständlichkeit gehen darf, ist zweifelsfrei eine journalistische Herausforderung, aber eine, die Ehrgeiz wecken sollte. Konstruktive und lösungsorientierte Ansätze, wie sie derzeit Anwendung finden, werden daher irgendwann als Blaupause für die Medien der Zukunft dienen können." (Fazit und Asublick, Seite 71)
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"In this paper, we share selected insights from our work across seven countries facing complex and often protracted preexisting humanitarian crises before the pandemic. Over the past nine months, with Internews’ Rooted in Trust project, we have worked to understand the role of rumors and misinform
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ation in the pandemic and to support humanitarian and media communicators to listen, engage and respond to community information needs. Many of the insights we offer here are derived from our research to map the Information Ecosystems in seven geographies, drawing from extensive qualitative and quantitative data (more than 2,400 survey respondents, 230 qualitative interviews and 130 focus groups). We hope these will contribute to move the community of information, public health, humanitarian aid and government practitioners towards a more sophisticated understanding of what drives and solidifies trust and away from the all too frequent dismissive judgements that played a central role in the breakdown of trust." (Introduction, page 2)
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"Reflexionar sobre la radio en tiempos de coronavirus resulta sano y necesario para el medio de comunicación. ¿Cómo no registrar su comportamiento en un momento tan único para la humanidad? Ante la necesaria reflexión, se presentan 20 aprendizajes o desafíos para el más oral de los medios de
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comunicación y, en tal sentido, se propone un diálogo nacional con formadoras y formadores del área, de 16 ciudades de Colombia, para ampliar cada aprendizaje y describir, en una página, el sentir de los autores sobre los movimientos del dial en tempos de pandemia. Tras la generosidad de cada formador, el documento escrito toma fuerza y entonces la mirada se amplía. El texto pasa a formato radio y en la voz de cada escritor se convierte en una serie radial de 20 capítulos de 5 minutos de duración, en los que se abordan temas como: El sonido; La programación radiofónica; La radio hablada; Reaprender en el dial; Radio y ciencia; Los estudiantes, nuevos educadores; Un poco de todo; Radio y virtualidad; Radio y redes sociales; La radio aprende; Radio en positivo; Financiación radial; La radio triunfa; Las audiencias; Humanizarnos para humanizar; Periodismo de soluciones; Periodismo explicativo; ¿Migración de soporte?; Ley de medios, y No apagues la radio." (Introducción)
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"La comparación con los años previos pone en evidencia el brutal desplome de la producción durante 2020 a raíz de los confinamientos y otras restricciones debidos a la pandemia de COVID-19. Tomada como un todo, la exhibición nacional de estreno cayó respecto de 2019 en un 41%, pero en algunos
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casos se llegó al 80% y 90% de caída. En términos absolutos, la mayor caída se reportó en Brasil, cuyo 68% de caída se tradujo en 891 horas menos de ficción. La única excepción fue Uruguay, que tuvo un aumento explosivo, pero desde una base de comparación muy baja. Lo anómalo del año 2020 no debe ocultar algo probablemente más estructural. Nuevamente, tomado el ámbito Obitel como un todo, la caída de un 41% este último año se agrega a la caída acumulada de un 22% que ya arrastraban los dos años anteriores a la pandemia. Este retroceso en la producción de ficción para televisión abierta no debe ser leído únicamente como una caída en la capacidad productiva. El volumen de material de estreno en VoD, mostrado más adelante, sugiere que al menos una parte del fenómeno es un desplazamiento desde una ventana de exhibición hacia otra." (Página 41)
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"This Situation Report on the “Impact of COVID-19 on Media Freedom, Media Business Viability, and the Safety of Journalists in Southeast Asia” offers an insight into the key impacts of the pandemic on the media across nine countries. The report proposes recommendations for enabling sustainable a
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nd effective media standards to improve media freedom and the safety of journalists. It also explores potential solutions, and innovations for media business viability in the region. The publication comes at a time when news organisations have been forced to accelerate their move to providing more extensive digital services due to various lockdown restrictions, with some not having the resources to make this transition successfully. These additional financial pressures caused by COVID-19 are happening against a backdrop of broader threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists. Another challenge facing media freedom in the region is the introduction of laws purporting to combat the spread of disinformation and misinformation. While such laws have been introduced under the guise of protecting the public, they are more often used as tools to limit the ability of journalists to hold power to account. As countries geared up to fight COVID-19, a crackdown on independent journalism and critical reporting ensued. Many news outlets and media workers, notably journalists, have faced unprecedented risks to their physical and mental well-being, amid unrelenting, and intensified crackdowns on media freedom. Creating a safe and enabling environment for media and journalists to be able to work independently is a prerequisite for democracies to flourish. The issues pertaining to the safety of journalists and media sustainability during a time of crisis such as COVID-19, require attention from all stakeholders, including both state and non-state actors." (Summary, page 115)
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"This report has documented the surveillance measures and practices in Kenya and Uganda during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The key trends include poor oversight over COVID-19 data collection, the lack of independent data protection authorities, the use of telecommunications data to ‘t
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rack and trace’ individuals, the surveillance of public spaces using CCTV and biometric technologies, the possession of broad search powers by medical and public health officers, and a lack of transparency and accountability by state and nonstate actors. Also, the coronavirus apps deployed in both countries presented new challenges including their limited impact and effectiveness, non-compliance of the apps with privacy standards, their inadequate privacy policies, and a lack of transparency in partnerships. While international human rights law and the constitutions in both countries guarantee the protection of the rights to privacy, data protection, and freedom of expression and information, these were not complied with during the pandemic period. The result is an overall expansion of the surveillance environment in Kenya and Uganda, leading to interference with, and infringements and violations of these rights, a situation which is worrying if left unchanged." (Conclusion, page 20)
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"Since its adoption on 1 July 2020, the Protection of Personal Information Act has bolstered freedom of expression and the right to privacy. This legislation aims to protect citizens’ personal information and balance the right to privacy with other rights, such as access to information. In Februar
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y 2021, the Constitutional Court upheld the 2019 High Court decision that declared certain sections of the Regulation of Interception of Communication and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act unconstitutional as they violate the right to privacy. The Act had allowed for surveillance and the interception of communication. These positive developments were hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected freedom of expression and the operating environment of the media and journalists. As in other countries, journalism was considered an essential service in South Africa, which meant that with permission, journalists could continue reporting and were exempt from restrictions that kept most of the population in lockdown. Despite this, journalists found it difficult to access information, making first-hand news-gathering difficult. The Disaster Management Act of 2002 was also applied to manage the lockdowns. Under this Act, essential workers (including journalists) were required to have permits to travel to cover stories. In addition, the government’s attempts to prevent the spread of misinformation related to COVID-19 affected the free flow of information, as information became centralised within the Covid Command Centre. This had a chilling effect on freedom of expression and media freedom in South Africa. Journalists also faced further challenges regarding access to personal protective equipment and training on reporting safely during a pandemic. COVID-19 also affected the sustainability and viability of the media. Both the structure of newsrooms and business models were disrupted. The pandemic accelerated the pre-existing and long-term structural decline in print media, resulting in a devastating impact on the already fragile operations, with significant decreases in both circulation and advertising [...]" (Summary, page 5)
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