"This groundbreaking new book presents the most important examples of world-changing journalism, spanning one hundred years and every continent. Carefully curated by prominent international journalists working in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, Global Muckraking includes Ke
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n Saro-Wiwa's defense of the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta; Horacio Verbitsky's uncovering of the gruesome disappearance of political detainees in Argentina; Gareth Jones's coverage of the Ukraine famine of 1932-33; missionary newspapers' coverage of Chinese foot binding in the nineteenth century; Dwarkanath Ganguli's expose; of the British "coolie" trade in nineteenth-century Assam, India; and many others." (Publisher description)
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"The question of when and how the media can bring about social and political change is a perennial one. We know more about what does not work than what does. Even so, donors increasingly ask for proof of media impact and they often hope that data will provide the answer. New tools can provide inform
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ation about engagement and consumption patterns. Software that analyzes language can help demonstrate changes in the way subjects are framed and that can serve as a proxy for how societies look at different subjects. But data cannot address the intangibles that can not be quantified and so may not tell us much about the role that media can play over the long term in creating open societies. Donors should not expect simple, short-term answers to what are complex political economy questions." (Executive summary)
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"Journalism training can make an important contribution to the quality of journalism and the ability of journalism to fulfill its basic missions. This study focused on the impact on business and economics reporting, an area where few journalists have adequate training, and where on-the-job training
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is unlikely to suffice. But even in this technical area, journalism training can have general benefits. It can enhance a sense of professionalism, and at least an awareness of professional ethics. It can expose reporters to ideas, concepts, and people that they otherwise would not have access to. Such contacts can be particularly important in ensuring adequate coverage of complex topics. It can help them build contacts more broadly in the journalism community and promote networking which could lead to doing stories together. If properly reinforced by editors and colleagues upon returning to their publication/media outlet it can lead to more sophisticated coverage which touches on subjects they might not have written on before.But such training will have only a piecemeal effect. Most of the problems facing African journalism cannot be addressed by journalism training alone. Journalists may know that they should not receive money from sources, but with limited pay, they may see no alternative. The quality of journalism rests, of course, on the quality of the labor force that they have access to, and that means there needs to be more investment in secondary education. But more than an educated and trained labor force is required: for African media to improve rapidly, more funding—entailing new business models—and a better legal climate are necessary." (Conclusion, page 108-109)
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"During this period of rapid and significant change in journalistic practices, journalism educators are re-examining their own profession and contributing to the invention of new models and practices. This edited volume of studies by respected international scholars describes the diverse issues jour
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nalism educators are grappling with and the changes they are making in purpose and practice. The book is organized into three sections -- education, training and employment - that explore common themes:
" How the assumptions embedded in journalism education are being examined and revised in the light of transformative changes in communication;
" How the definitions of journalism and journalists are broadening in scope and what this means for educators;
" How newsrooms and training programs around the world are being re-examined and made more effective." (Publisher description)
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"The media in much of sub-Saharan Africa is severely constrained by several factors: lack of resources, government pressure, the influence of media ownership and the declining quality of secondary education and professional journalism education. In many countries, newspapers are unable to perform th
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e role of watchdog or effectively educate the public in part because of the difficulties faced by the journalists in their employ. Into the breach has stepped a plethora of foreign organizations which provide journalism training. Some of these are non-governmental organizations with a development agenda that seek to promote education about their causes. Others are the training arms of professional media groups (Thomson Reuters, BBC Trust) or are organizations that work on journalism education (the Berlin-based International Institute for Journalism and the International Center for Journalism in Washington, DC). This study—which includes content analysis and interviews with journalists who have received journalism training—considers these training efforts to see how effective they have been. The paper argues that given the challenges faced by the African media, donor-driven training programs will have only a limited effect on the larger media climate." (Abstract)
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"Over the last two years, the Initiative for Policy Dialogue and Revenue Watch, working with local partners and other sponsors, have organized workshops for journalists in the oil-exporting countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria on the subject of “Covering Resource Wealth.” This book i
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s a result of those workshops, in which journalists expressed a great need for more information to help them understand the petroleum industry and the impact that petroleum development and export may have on their countries [...] [htis book] will provide journalists with practical information in easily understood language about the petroleum industry and the impact of petroleum on a producing country. The report contains tip sheets for reporters on stories to pursue and questions to ask. Sample stories are also included. A resource section recommends further reading. A glossary defines key financial, geological, and legal terms that can improve reporters’ understanding of the literature on petroleum development. We hope that this book will give journalists the background information they need to write in-depth, analytical, critical, and informative pieces on energy and development—a subject affecting millions of readers around the world." (Foreword, page 7-8)
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