"Democracies are at a critical juncture, under growing internal and external pressures. This publication sheds light on the important public governance challenges countries face today in preserving and strengthening their democracies, including fig
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hting mis- and disinformation; improving government openness, citizen participation and inclusiveness; and embracing global responsibilities and building resilience to foreign influence. It also looks at two cross-cutting themes that will be crucial for robust, effective democracies: transforming public governance for digital democracy and gearing up government to deliver on climate and other environmental challenges. These areas lay out the foundations of the new OECD Reinforcing Democracy Initiative, which has also involved the development of action plans to support governments in responding to these challenges." (Publisher description)
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"This document offers a summary of a broad-based process underway in the wider media development community to develop principles for effective support to the media sector, and its relevance for th
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e work of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). The document includes background information on IPDC’s engagement in this process. Continued IPDC participation is proposed." (Page 1)
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"This Media Landscape Guide provides a snapshot of the media in Burkina Faso, including the audiences, the producers, the preferences of different groups in the community, the communications culture, and the languages associated with the media. It
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gives an insight into the role of media in development work, crisis preparedness, recent disasters, and the (at time of writing) ongoing COVID-19 response. The guide also gives an overview of each media sector including, digital and social media, radio, television, print and other traditional forms of mass communication. It should be noted that with the constantly changing nature of the media landscape, this is not a comprehensive overview of all media outlets and platforms but rather a snapshot summary of those most relevant at the time of writing." (Introduction)
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"In 2020-2021, UNESCO recorded a total of 117 killings of journalists worldwide, a high number in absolute terms, but a 25% drop from the previo
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us two-year period, when UNESCO recorded a total of 156 killings. This biennium recorded the lowest death toll compared to any other reporting period since the first Director-General's report in 2008. The year 2021 shows the lowest annual death toll in 14 years with 55 deaths, representing a further decrease in killings compared to the previous record low of 57 killings in 2019. However, it is important to highlight that, although outside of the reporting period, as of 30 September 2022, according to the “UNESCO Observatory of killed journalists”, a total of 66 journalists have been killed in 2022." (Executive summary)
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"This document concludes that 1. Digital broadcasting migration is generally a process in which broadcasting services offered on traditional analogue technology are replaced with digital networks. It is the transition or switch from analogue broadc
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asting to digital broadcasting; 2. Most Southern African countries have made good progress and are in the final stages of digital migration. However, some countries are struggling due to financial constraints and a lack of urgency to comply with ITU and SADC guidelines; 3. Digital broadcasting has improved signals and technical picture quality. It affords audio descriptions for the visually impaired. This group was previously uncatered for as analogue could only provide sign language services for the deaf and hard of hearing; 4. Subsidizing STBs is also a clear indication of the political will of some governments in the region to ensure that citizens enjoy the full benefits of digital migration and its inherent spin-offs, which include access to information." (Page 1)
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"This document looks into the human rights violations committed against two specific groups who play important roles for the enjoyment of the right to peaceful assembly. The first group – public assembly monitors – performs a watchdog function
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by recording how rigorously the authorities observe their human rights obligations in the context of public assemblies. The other group – media workers – ensures that society is informed about public assemblies and concerns that have brought people to the streets, and reports on how the protests have been handled by the authorities. The report documents a pattern of unlawful obstruction of journalists’ and monitors’ work during street protests, and severe reprisals against them including arbitrary arrests, use of unlawful force, detention and heavy fines." (Back cover)
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"Radio remains overwhelmingly the most common source for news in Africa. On average across 34 surveyed countries, two-thirds (68%) of respondents tune in at least a few times a week. Digital media
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use for news is growing quickly. Between 2014/2015 and 2019/2021, the share of Africans who get news from social media or the Internet at least a few times a week almost doubled, from 24% to 43% across 31 countries included in both survey rounds. Urban residents, better-educated citizens, men, and youth are most likely to use digital media in Africa. While use has increased among other groups as well, demographic gaps in digital media use have remained roughly the same since 2014/2015, and even increased with regard to urban/rural residence and education. Africans express broad support for the media's ro in fostering government accountability, and majorities support media freedoms in every country except Mozambique, Tunisia, Cameroon, Morocco, and Tanzania. But most Africans support their government's right to place limits on the dissemination of hate speech, false information, and messages that are insulting to their president. A majority (57%) of Africans see social media as having mostly positive effects on society, while just one-fourth (24%) see its impact as mostly negative. However, while Africans value social media's ability to inform and empower citizens, they also see distinct threats in its ability to spread false information and hate speech." (Key findings)
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"The Digital citizenship education handbook is intended for teachers and parents, education decision makers and platform providers alike. It describes in depth the multiple dimensions that make up each of 10 digital citizenship domains, and includes a
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fact sheet on each domain providing ideas, good practice and further references to support educators in building the competences that will stand children in good stead when they are confronted with the challenges of tomorrow’s digital world. The Digital citizenship education handbook is consistent with the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture and compatible for use with the Internet literacy handbook." (Back cover)
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"This document is part of the UNESCO Open Science Toolkit, designed to support implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. It has been produced in partnership with the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), a diverse
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community of organizations engaged in open scholarship. The aim is to provide practical assistance to the open access publishing community to better understand the Recommendation by highlighting the areas that apply to open access publishers who wish to support its implementation." (Page 1)
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"The gradual trend toward the decriminalization of defamation is slowing down, with 160 states still not having decriminalized defamation. The use of criminal defamation offences to restrict online expression has increased worldwide. Several States have harshened or reintroduced provisions on libel,
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defamation and insult by stating new laws intending to address cybersecurity, 'fake news' and hate speech. Expanded use of civil defamation often leads to disproportionate damages that have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and journalists' work. There has been a rise in abusive practices such as 'forum shopping' and SLAPPs by powerful actors that want to silence critical voices and undermine scrutiny. There have been emerging challenges linked to online communications, including increased vulnerability of journalists, artists, human rights defenders and bloggers. Jurisprudence of international courts has reaffirmed that the speech about public officials is specially protected and must receive a proportional treatment under civil law." (Key trends)
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"The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 76/227. In it, the Secretary-General describes the challenges posed by disinformation and the responses to it, sets out the relevant international legal framework and discusses measures that States and technology enterprises re
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ported to have taken to counter disinformation. The Secretary-General notes that countering the different manifestations of disinformation requires addressing underlying societal tensions, fostering respect for human rights, online and offline, and supporting a plural civic space and media landscape." (Summary)
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"This joint submission was prepared for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Indonesia in November 2022. In it, Amnesty International and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) evaluate the implementation of recommendations made to Indonesia in its previous UPR, including in relation to hum
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an rights issues in Papua, attacks and intimidations towards human rights defenders, and discrimination against religious minorities. It also assesses the national human rights framework with regard to, especially, civic space. This submission highlights problematic laws that may threaten the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, such as treason and blasphemy offences in the Criminal Code, and the Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) Law which criminalises hate speech and defamation. This submission also discusses the lack of a comprehensive framework for the protection of human rights defenders and environmental activists. With regard to the human rights situation on the ground, Amnesty International and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) raise concern about the state of shrinking civic space in Indonesia, indicated by, but not limited to, the increasing attacks - both physical and digital - faced by human rights defenders and journalists, as well as criminalisation of peaceful protests and political expressions using problematic laws." (Summary)
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"Muslims in the Movies provides a series of essays that explore the portrayal and reception of Muslims in Euro-American film, transnational productions, and global national cinemas. The volume brings together
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a group of internationally recognized experts to introduce Muslims in the films of Europe, North America, Australia, Iran, Egypt, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The interdisciplinary collection explores issues of identity, cultural production, and representation through the depiction of Muslims on screen and how audiences respond to these images. Together, the essays operate as an introduction to the subject of Muslims and film for new readers while also serving as new works of critical analysis for scholars of cinema." (Publisher description)
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"A Comprehensive Guide to Science Communication includes practical tips and examples of how to best convey science in an engaging way, dos and don’ts when communicating research to the general public, insightful interviews with people involved in
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public engagement and science communication campaigns, and much more." (Introduction)
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"After a recent contested election, the Central African Republic finds itself in a precarious situation. Violence around the election combined with the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 and destr
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uctive flooding have caused the humanitarian emergency to reach its worst state in five years. Meanwhile, the CAR government has been accused of engaging in Russian-backed disinformation campaigns targeting domestic civil society, French diplomats and the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA), threatening key relationships. Even as the long-simmering issue of hate speech continues to draw fault lines through the country, efforts to combat these campaigns have focused primarily on challenging fake news rather than addressing the underlying fear and prejudice that spoilers use to stoke conflict." (Introduction)
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"The size of China’s State-owned media’s operations in Africa has grown significantly since the early 2000s. Previous research on the impact of increased Sino-African mediated engagements has been inconclusive. Some researchers hold that public opinion toward China in African nations has been im
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proving because of the increased media presence. Others argue that the impact is rather limited, particularly when it comes to affecting how African media cover China-related stories. This article contributes to this debate by exploring the extent to which news media in 30 African countries relied on Chinese news sources to cover China and the COVID-19 outbreak during the first-half of 2020. By computationally analyzing a corpus of 500,000 written news stories, this paper shows that, compared to other major global players (e.g. Reuters, AFP), content distributed by Chinese media (e.g. Xinhua, China Daily) is much less likely to be used by African news organizations, both in English and French speaking countries. The analysis also reveals a gap in the prevailing themes in Chinese and African media’s coverage of the pandemic. The implications of these findings for the sub-field of Sino-African media relations, and the study of global news flows are discussed." (Abstract)
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"The Digital Enquirer Kit is an e-learning course that guides learners through lessons on how to prevent the spread of misinformation, available on the free platform atingi.org. The course covers topics including media literacy, verification, and how to navigate the internet safely. The first four m
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odules have been authored by Tactical Tech: Module 1: Identifying and Responding to Misinformation; Module 2: Verifying Online Information; Module 3: Collaborating on and Documenting Your Digital Enquiry; Module 4: Examining and Sharing Your Findings. Access the course on digitalenquirer.org or track your progress and earn a certificate on atingi.org. The content contains simple explanations and real-world examples, illustrating secure research and information-gathering methods. The modules feature engaging and creative formats such as tutorials, quizzes, and interactive games. The contents are data-light and available in offline mode via the free atingi Android app. The Digital Enquirer Kit is available in English (including West African, East African, South African, and Southeast Asian dialects), Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Hausa, Hindi, Sinhala, and Swahili, among other languages." (https://tacticaltech.org/projects/Digital-Enquirer-Kit)
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"In Game Production Studies, an international group of established and emerging researchers takes a closer look at the everyday realities of video game production, ranging from commercial industries to independent creators and cultural intermediari
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es. Across sixteen chapters, the authors deal with issues related to labour, game development, monetization and publishing, as well as local specificities. As the first edited collection dedicated solely to video game production, this volume provides a timely resource for anyone interested in how games are made and at what costs." (Publisher description)
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"While much has been said about individual disinformation campaigns in specific countries, this book offers a panoramic view of how these campaigns are conducted, who they target, and how they are spread. By bringing together research on specific c
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ountries and international data mined from questionnaires and online studies, the understanding of the term 'fake news' is greatly expanded and the issues we face are brought to light. The book includes contributions by experts such as Jean-Baptiste Vilmer (Macron Leaks), and includes case studies from Asia, such as Singapore and Myanmar, written in an accessible manner for the general interested reader, practitioners and policymakers in the field." (Publisher description)
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"[...] this Research Report has selected four country case studies: Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. Obviously, other cases would have been interesting, particularly the United States. But the United States is already at the centre of other works, including by Hybrid CoE. Being divers
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e in terms of power, geopolitical situation, and systems of government, the four selected countries offer a good sample of what liberal democracies, different in colour, shape and size, can propose to counter disinformation. Finally, this Research Report will attempt to draw some general lessons from these four cases, on what an effective state response to disinformation should involve." (Page 9)
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