"The main problem of journalism in Madagascar is not the much-discussed “politicization”, i.e. the political bias in some media in favour of one side or another. As long as such opinions are transparent, such bias need not be to the detriment of the media sector; indeed, other countries bear tes
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timony to this. The main dilemma, instead, is the poor quality of the information presented, and the lack of background and analysis. Not only is there room for a greater diversity of viewpoints, but journalists seem either incapable, unable or uninterested when it comes to searching for new information, cross-checking available facts, and going into in-depth analysis. When criticism is voiced, it remains superficial and ultimately polemic." (Conclusions, page 59)
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"In January 2009, a small group of senior governance researchers, political scientists, anthropologists, participatory development and media researchers met, together with donor and media practitioner organisations. Their aim was to take a reality check of the state of development research relevant
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to the role of media in ‘fragile states’, and to map out the basis of a more robust research agenda. This is the report of this one day meeting." (Page 2)
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"After nine years of military rule, Pakistan today finds itself in the second year of a challenging transition to democracy. Unlike previously unsuccessful transitions to democracy, this transition is characterised by the presence of a newly liberalised mass media. This can prove to be to be a cruci
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al – and positive – factor, but only if the media can assume a role as a watchdog of democracy. Even though Pakistan’s media is vibrant this is a difficult task, because the media is faced with a number of challenges. By highlighting these challenges, this report seeks to focus on how the Pakistani media is affected by, and functions under, the conflict currently unfolding. Furthermore, the report outlines a series of recommendations that can support Pakistan’s media in facing future challenges." (Executive summary)
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"This report explores issues of media policy during post-election violence. We examine the case of Kenya, where 1,133 people were killed after the 2007 elections, to distill lessons for Somaliland’s upcoming elections. There are indications the elections in Somaliland will be highly contentious an
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d that the media will have an important role in either exacerbating or alleviating political violence. Indeed this has already been the case. The much-anticipated presidential election has been postponed for over a year and escalating tensions between the government, opposition parties and the population suggest real potential for election-related violence." (Introduction)
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"Donor policies place great emphasis on the importance of state-building in post-Conflict states, and many donors also recognize the relevance civil society and a professional media sector have for successful transformation processes, says this report. However, operationally and conceptually these a
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reas are treated as separate sectors. Current post-Conflict assistance, this study argues, fails to pay sufficient attention to the links between state institutions, civil society and the media. In the first part, it reviews the current state-building debate and introduces the public sphere framework. For practitioners, the study provides a public sphere assessment toolkit and a toolbox for interventions. The second part provides the reader with a public sphere analysis of Timor Leste, Liberia and Burundi, and recommendations on how to address the specific challenges observed in these countries." (CAMECO Update 5-2008)
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"Lo que le vamos quitando a la guerra" documenta cómo en Colombia la guerra no lo es todo. Más que “divulgar” que la paz es mejor que la guerra, que “hacer actos de fe” sobre que los buenos somos más, que “vamos ganando la guerra” y demás obviedades políticas, mediáticas y académi
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cas… este texto documenta que la ciudadanía es experiencia. Y la comunicación es una experiencia de producir paz desde y en sí misma. Sólo que esta experiencia debe ser producida desde las estéticas y relatos que habitan la gente, no desde los códigos de la máquina mediática y la máquina del desarrollo. “Lo que le vamos quitando a la guerra” es más que medios, aquí hay experiencias de ciudadanía desde la comunicación de la gente. Más que teorías, aquí encontrará crónicas y testimonios de una nación que se teje con otros. Más que evaluar, presenta una metodología que produciendo memoria conoce; una investigación que produce conocimiento pero respondiendo las preguntas formuladas por los mismos actores de la comunicación local." (Presentación, página 3)
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"This study analyses statistical correlations between press freedom and human development, human security, stability, poverty reduction, and good governance, using indicator systems from Freedom House and Reporters without Borders, UNDP's Human Development Index, the Human Poverty Index, the World B
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ank's Governance Indicators and others. According to the abstract "all the findings confirm the importance of press freedom for development. A free press always has a positive influence, whether it be on poverty and its different aspects, on governance or on violence and conflict issues. It serves as an intermediary between individuals and government, informing the latter of people's needs and acting as a buffer against crises and situations of extreme deprivation; it holds governments accountable and makes their actions more transparent; and, along with other indicators of good governance, it creates a business-enabling environment, a climate conducive to more effective public affairs management, and so forth. The results thus suggest that a freer press can contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and, most importantly, to the attainment of an acceptable and viable level of development. By promoting freedom of the press, states and international organisations provide themselves with a powerful development tool. A free press constitutes an instrument of development as such, in the same way as education or investment." (CAMECO Update 1-2009)
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"The media’s impact on the escalation of conflict is more widely recognized than the media’s impact on peacebuilding. Yet it is not uncommon to hear experts pronounce that the media’s impact on peacebuilding must be significant given its powerful impact on conflict. However, this simple relati
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onship must not be taken for granted and should be critically examined in order to most effectively use the media for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. There are ways the media can assist peacebuilding. The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Conflict’s Awareness Raising Toolkit (this document can be downloaded from www.gppac.net and www.peoplebuildingpeace.org) details, amongst other things, how to use the media. Knowing why and when to use the media for conflict prevention and peacebuilding is the focus of this issue paper." (Introduction, page 7)
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