mediadev library

Public Service Broadcasting: The Challenges of the Twenty-First Century

Dave Atkinson, Marc Raboy (eds.)

Pierre Juneau (introd.)

Paris: UNESCO (1997), 155 pp.

An Unfinished Story: Gender Patterns in Media Employment

Margaret Gallagher

Paris: UNESCO (1995), 120 pp.

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Impact of Communication Technologies on Women

Silvia Pérez-Vitoria (ed.)

Paris: UNESCO (1994), 48 pp.

TV Transnationalization: Europe and Asia

Preben Sepstrup, Anura Goonasekera (eds.)

Paris: UNESCO (1994), 88 pp.

Alternative Media: Linking Global and Local

Peter Lewis (ed.)

Paris: UNESCO (1993), 130 pp.

New Communication Technologies: A Challenge for Press Freedom

Colin Sparks (ed.)

Paris: UNESCO (1991), 109 pp.

New Communication Technologies: Research Trends

Josiane Jouet, Sylvie Coudray

Paris: UNESCO (1990), 74 pp.

"Videorecorders and cassettes have spread all over the world and are already no longer regarded as products of the new technologies. Cable television is making massive strides and is often enhanced by its interactive functions. Pay television is gradually gaining a foothold, while receivers are the ... subject of advanced research into such features as high-definition television, flat screens and so on. Programme manufacturing techniques are coming increasingly to integrate informatics with, for example, the introduction of electronic montage and synthetic images. The same developments are affecting the written media, right through from the entering of text on the word-processor keyboard to the computer-assisted ‘desk-top’ end-product. In short, the media system has been radically transformed through the emergence of new methods of production, transmission and reception. The penetration of informatics into all sectors of communication is giving rise to considerable technological confusion and the dividmg lines between technical systems are becoming increasingly blurred. On the threshold of the year 2000, technological advances are being made at top speed and the current progress is only the forerunner of even greater upheavals, what with the arrival, in the not so remote future, of fifth-generation computers, artificial intelligence, expert systems and natural language. This rapid overview of the main innovations which have infiltrated the field of communication make it possible to pinpoint what we commonly understand by new technologies. Their novelty lies not so much in the broadening of the scope of the means of communication as in the appearance of a new technical content, through the integration of informatics, inter-active approaches, and soon, which caters for a different way of thinking. The technical principles behind these facilities are themselves instrumental in conferring an original and unprecedented value on them. [...] Indeed, the purpose of this document is to present a synoptic view of the work done by Unesco on this subject. It describes the general background to the research in which that international organization has engaged in a number of the world’s regions and sets out the findings emerging from the studies undertaken. This exercise also traces in broad outline the large number of studies made outside Unesco’s own programme, examines the main trends in the studies being developed at the international level and identifies the strong points and shortcomings of the research with a view to putting forward a number of recommendations for Unesco’s future programmes. Accordingly, the idea is to tackle the main research topics and issues raised by the impact of the new technologies through an interdisciplinary approach." (Introduction, pages 7-8) more

Import/Export: International Flow of Television Fiction

Peter Larsen (comp.)

Paris: UNESCO (1990), 94 pp.

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The Vigilant Press: A Collection of Case Studies

Paris: UNESCO (1989), 116 pp.

Communication Technology and Development

Hamid Mowlana, Laurie J. Wilson

Paris: UNESCO (1988), 50 pp.

"After almost three decades of experiments with donors and donor agencies in development, no comprehensive picture of the relationship between communication and development has appeared. We have no systematic research or justifiable theory on which to base efforts in this direction. We operate under ... a number of assumptions, the ultimate assumption being that those assumptions are correct. On a more concrete and positive note, several trends can be identified in the literature and work on the use of communication in development. In the last 10 to 15 years, five areas have been the focus of activity in the field. 1. First is the study of the impact of modern technology on development. The number of symposia and seminars in this area have been increasing quantitatively and improving qualitatively. For example, in 1983, two major international conferences were sponsored by Unesco (in Rome and in Istanbul) to discuss the role of modern technology in development. 2. A second emphasis has been in the area of strategy and planning. As more and more projects were ineffective or failed to materialize because of infrastructural and managerial inadequacies, it was realized that a careful process of planning and evaluation research must be included in any communication and development project. 3. A third apparent trend is toward viewing communication and development as an integrative process, not only considering all societal, political and economic factors of a given system, but also realizing the close relationship between modern technology and the existing infrastructure of communication, both human and mechanical. 4. The fourth level of growth has been in national communication policies, Stimulated by the controversy of the world information and communication debate, discussions in different international fora, including Unesco and its International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems, have made the question of communication policy a dominant theme of communication and development efforts. 5. The fifth area, less defined and less concrete, is the transfer of technology and its potential for development, especially in the field of communication. Developments in this area have been encouraging in that writings on the transfer of technology have become increasingly related first to the area of communication policy, and second to the growing interest in technological assessment." (Conclusions, page 16) more

Violence and Terror in the Mass Media

George Gerbner

Nancy Signorielli (collab.)

Paris: UNESCO (1988), 45 pp.

The New International Economic Order: Links Between Economics and Communications

Breda Pavlic, Cees J. Hamelink

Paris: UNESCO (1985), 65 pp.

"In tracing and analyzing the relationship between economics and communication with reference to the Third World, the authors define the obstacles caused by inequalities and imbalances standing in the way of a new economic order and describe various perspectives on the problems, along with suggestio ... more

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Foreign News in the Media: International Reporting in 29 Countries

Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi et al.

Paris: UNESCO (1985), 96 pp.

"A comparative study on how the media present other countries, peoples and issues to readers, listeners and viewers. Using quantitative content analysis, teams followed the news in selected countries representing various communication systems in North America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Eastern ... more

International Flow of Television Programmes

Paris: UNESCO (1985), 62 pp.

International Flow of Information: A Global Report and Analysis

Hamid Mowlana

Paris: UNESCO (1985), 75 pp.

"International Flow of Information synthesizes relevant research by different individuals, institutions and organizations, with special emphasis on the areas of mass media, transborder data flow, and satellites and planetary resources. Mowlana also identifies and evaluates critically major approache ... more

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Development of Communication in the Arab States: Needs and Priorities

Yahya Abu Bakr, Saad Labib, Hamdy Kandil

Paris: UNESCO (1985), 60 pp.

"Taking a broad view, this report focuses on the need for communication planning and for recognition by Arab countries that communication must be placed in the larger context of comprehensive development planning. Several sections also consider the importance of developing capacity for production of ... more

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Mass Communications and the Advertising Industry

Graham Murdock, Noreene Janus

Paris: UNESCO (1985), 70 pp.

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The SITE Experience

Paris: UNESCO (1983), 58 pp.

"The initials SITE stand for Satellite Instructional Television Experiment. In this publication, commissioned by Unesco, the accent is on the word experiment. It is a summary and a critical assessment of the majority of the research studies relating to the whole complex operation, not an evaluation ... more

Transnational Communication and Cultural Industries

Thomas Guback, Tapio Varis

Paris: UNESCO (1982), 55 pp.

"An examination of the transnational production and distribution of information and flow of mass media material, with special attention to the role by corporations. Emphasis is on film and television, and to a lesser degree on the print media. There are also case studies of Argentina and Thailand." ... more