"The project [...] was implemented in Kenya by the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) from September 2008 to January 2011 [...] The project’s overarching goal is to promote women’s human rights by raising awareness in six communities in Kenya and strengthening social action using commun
...
ity radio listening groups consisting of women, young people and media practitioners to enable them to identify human rights violations and gender inequality, voice their concerns and insist on stronger protection for human rights and hold the government accountable." (Introduction)
more
"The Media Council of Kenya (MCK), the statutory body established under the Media Act 2007 that regulates media and advances professionalism of the media in Kenya, monitored a set of ten vernacular radio stations in September/October 2011 in order to assess their current performance. The study looke
...
d at the adherence of the stations to the “Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya” and the quality and diversity of their coverage. The monitoring was carried out during the confirmation of charges hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. A specific objective of the study was to analyze the ICC coverage in terms of accuracy, balance, fairness and conflict sensitivity. Key Findings: The radio stations scored highly on balance and fairness: 97% of the news reports showed no evidence of slanted reporting and 96% covered at least two viewpoints; only a few cases of hate speech were encountered. 99,5% of all radio items contained no hate speech; women were clearly underrepresented in the radio programmes. Women were central news subjects in less than 10% of the news items. Only a quarter of the presenters were female; the radio stations covered the ICC confirmation of charges hearings mainly in their news bulletins. Only a few talk-shows took up the topic. Several editors and managers described this editorial line as an attempt to avoid ethnic tension and incitement; the ICC coverage was predominantly perpetrator-centred. Only a few stories included the side of the victims of post-election violence. Most of the coverage focused on the immediate court procedures, only a few items provided in-depth background information about the cases." (Executive summary)
more
"The chapter focuses on three East African countries: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Radio broadcasting in these countries is typically divided into two categories: public and private. Although proponents of community radio are pushing for the sector to be recognised as an independent entity, community
...
radio in the region is still viewed as local or private radio. The performance of community radio in the region is analysed with reference to the challenges facing the sector." (Introduction)
more
"Considerable attention has been focused on the opportunities presented by new information and communication technologies for development (“ICT4D”) and for government (“ICT4GOV”). The purpose of this report is to analyze their impact on human rights (“ICT4HR”). As Philip Alston, the form
...
er Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, explained in a report to the General Assembly: “New technologies offer a great many potential solutions to some of [the] problems [in human rights fact-inding], and offer signiicant improvements in existing factinding methodologies.” He notes, however, that there has been “[l]ittle sustained work . . . by the human rights community as a whole to apply existing technologies or to study their potential uses and problems.” This report aims to remedy that gap. Using case studies largely from three countries, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Dominican Republic, the report considers both the opportunities and risks presented by new technologies for human rights. The report concludes there are beneits that can be realized through the deployment of new technologies in human rights projects. New technologies offer the potential to reduce the cost of collecting information about human rights issues and to increase participation in human rights advocacy efforts. Each of these possible beneits, however, gives rise to new risks and challenges. Although new technologies can reduce the cost of information gathering, it can be dificult to ensure the accuracy of the information generated, and the associated volume can make it challenging and expensive to identify relevant data. There is also no guarantee that increased participation or information will be translated into action or concrete outcomes for the community." (Executive summary)
more
"Freedom of expression in Kenya has witnessed several phases of development, ranging from the autocratic to a proactive new media regime. This transformation has been enabled by governance reforms, including repeals and amendment of laws, as well as the promulgation of a new Constitution in 2010. Wi
...
th respect to media, these reforms are reflected in the diversity of the Kenya media, which includes FM stations covering almost all the 42 ethnic dialects spoken in Kenya, mobile telephones, and the internet. These channels have expanded space for freedom of expression and engagement in public affairs, although many citizens still do not contribute to public issues and debates via these channels. New media, in particular the internet and interactive media, has been a focus of research and debate. However, the findings from this study reveal that the old media, in particular radio, remain the dominant channel for accessing news and expanding space for freedom of expression. This is largely due to the widespread availability and low cost of radio infrastructure compared to other communication channels. Newspapers, which also fall under old media, are minimally used, but are still more accessible than the internet Access to interactive media is now relatively widespread (56 per cent are regular listeners), but actual use and interaction via this channel still seems to be a preserve of a selected few, with only 3 per cent calling in or joining discussions. A unique unexplained aspect is the marginal differences across rural/urban, gender and age groups." (Conclusion)
more
"The book is particularly commendable for providing a one-stop for relevant sections of media laws and for providing essential legal tips including explanations of various legal terms. Its treatment of ethical issues in media practice is a plus. The book strikes a commendable balance of Law and Ethi
...
cs in its structure, devoting four chapters to each of these two areas." (Foreword, page 2)
more
"Peace journalism finds its place in newspapers and magazines, on radio and television, in film and documentaries, in digital media and mainstream cultural events such as public exhibitions and debates. There are also transnational online communities like Avaaz.org, which is dedicated to organizing
...
“citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.” At the heart of the matter lies power. Excluding, invisibilizing, and marginalizing people facilitate all kinds of travesty and injustice. Including, making visible, and placing people at the centre of decision-making uphold their human rights. Thus, peace journalism falls squarely within the realm of the right to communicate – strengthening the ability of people and communities to make known their economic, political, social, and cultural aspirations and urging them to live in peace with one another." (Editorial, page 2)
more
"The report presents key findings of the research in six countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Findings were that most people believe public libraries have the potential to contribute to community development in important areas such as health, employment and agriculture.
...
However, libraries are small and under-resourced, and most people associate them with traditional book lending and reference services, rather than innovation and technology." (https://www.eifl.net)
more
"The handbook includes case studies gathered through interviews with newspapers in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa, including the Observer and Daily Monitor in Uganda, the Standard and the Daily Nation in Kenya, and Grocott’s Mail, the Mail and Guardian, the Sunday Times and the Sowetan in South Af
...
rica, as well as News24.com – South Africa’s biggest online news provider [...] In addition to the accounts of successful mobile services, the handbook includes analysis and expert advice covering the key questions media houses should ask themselves when going into mobile. The handbook also provides detailed how-to guides for potential mobile services African media houses could offer." (www.wan-ifra.org, August 9, 2011)
more
"In the year of the Arab uprisings Global Information Society Watch 2011 investigates how governments and internet and mobile phone companies are trying to restrict freedom online – and how citizens are responding to this using the very same technologies. Everyone is familiar with the stories of E
...
gypt and Tunisia. GISWatch authors tell these and other lesser-known stories from more than 60 countries. Stories about: Prison conditions in Argentina - prisoners are using the internet to protest living conditions and demand respect for their rights; Torture in Indonesia - the torture of two West Papuan farmers was recorded on a mobile phone and leaked to the internet, the video spread to well-known human rights sites sparking public outrage and a formal investigation by the authorities; The tsunami in Japan - citizens used social media to share actionable information during the devastating tsunami, and in the aftermath online discussions contradicted misleading reports coming from state authorities. GISWatch also includes thematic reports and an introduction from Frank La Rue, Un special rapporteur." (Back cover)
more
"There is abundant evidence of underrepresentation of women as subjects of coverage, but until now there were no reliable, comprehensive data on which to make a clear determination about where women currently fit into the news-making operation or in the decision-making or ownership structure of thei
...
r companiesThe IWMF Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media seeks to fill this gap by presenting for the first time sound data on gender positions in news organizations around the world ..The findings presented in this report, conducted over a two-year period, offer the most complete picture to date of women’s status globally in news media ownership, publishing, governance, reporting, editing, photojournalism, broadcast production and other media jobs. More than 150 researchers interviewed executives at more than 500 companies in 59 nations using a 12-page questionnaire." (Introduction)
more
"Radio has been called ‘Africa’s medium’. Its wide accessibility is a result of a number of factors, including the liberalisation policies of the ‘third wave’ of democracy and its ability to transcend the barriers of cost, geographical boundaries, the colonial linguistic heritage and low l
...
iteracy levels. This sets it apart from other media platforms in facilitating political debate, shaping identities and assisting listeners as they negotiate the challenges of everyday life on the continent. Radio in Africa breaks new ground by bringing together essays on the multiple roles of radio in the lives of listeners in Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone Africa. Some essays turn to the history of radio and its part in the culture and politics of countries such as Angola and South Africa. Others – such as the essay on Mali, gender and religion – show how radio throws up new tensions yet endorses social innovation and the making of new publics. A number of essays look to radio’s current role in creating listening communities that radically shift the nature of the public sphere. Essays on the genre of the talk show in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa point to radio’s role in creating a robust public sphere. Radio’s central role in the emergence of informed publics in fragile national spaces is covered in essays on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. The book also highlights radio’s links to the new media, its role in resistance to oppressive regimes such as Zimbabwe, and points in several cases – for example in the essay on Uganda – to the importance of African languages in building modern communities that embrace both local and global knowledge." (Publisher description)
more
"In Kibera, the biggest slum area in Nairobi and in whole East Africa, the urban slum community radio station Pamoja FM only works for the citizens living within Kibera. We aimed to find out how the youth in Kibera perceive the efficacy of the radio station as a viable source of news and information
...
. We wanted to establish how important this radio station is to them as a tool of empowerment and knowledge to the youth. Through semi-structured interviews with the youth in Kibera we carried out a qualitative research study during ten weeks, from October until December in 2011. We walked the field in Kibera to gather as much data as possible, and our findings were very interesting. Key theories used in this study included the participatory communication model, the media dependency model and the uses and gratifications model. The findings indicated that Pamoja FM has a great influence in the community as it is considered the most important source for news and information for the youth in this slum, and provides a platform that meets their needs as active participating audiences to the content supplied by the radio station. The radio is accredited to have changed the citizens´ way of thinking about tribalism since the post-election violence in 2007; the young women have assertively declared their space by playing a more proactive role in the community and audiences are empowered with home-grown problem solving skills that have bettered their lives and in pursuit for peace." (Abstract)
more