"Internal migration within India increased significantly after economic liberalization in 1991. The effect of liberalization really took effect on the ground in India around the year 2000 when the internal migration from the relatively poorer regions of north and east to the more prosperous regions
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of south and west saw a huge spike in numbers. GlobalOriya.com was an early initiative in community media for the internally displaced population of the eastern province of Orissa (now called Odisha) outside of the province. This was a very successful initiative, which spread to have a dedicated and engaged readership of more than 8000 members in little over three years. However, it died a sudden death in early 2007 when different factors combined to lead to its demise. It is an excellent case study of what can go wrong in an otherwise successful community media initiative. This paper details the journey of the initiative from the perspective of one of its founders and disseminates the learnings from this experience aiming to help other community media organizations become much more robust against such sudden failures." (Abstract)
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"This book examines the role of 24/7 television news channels in Bangladesh. By using a multisited ethnography of television news media, it showcases the sociopolitical undercurrents of media practices and the everydayness of TV news in Bangladesh. It discusses a wide gamut of issues such as news ma
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king, the localized public sphere, audience reaction and viewing culture, the impact of rumours and fake news, sociopolitical conditions, protest mobilization, newsroom politics and perspectives from the ground." (Publisher description)
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"This Digital Citizenship Toolkit (DCT) is an attempt to introduce key concepts related to digital citizenship while taking into account the local socio-economic realities, technology adoption patterns, societal actions and other considerations. For young people, in particular, the demarcation betwe
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en online and offline is completely blurred. Therefore, in this book we do not separate the online from offline. Instead we consider it as part of a continuum, encouraging respectful and responsible behaviour in all spaces and environments. The Toolkit is presented as seven inter-linked modules. Each module starts with a brief overview, and clarification of key terms. It is followed by an exploration of the key topics coming under the module’s theme. One or more case studies are offered to illustrate some of the concepts, and wherever possible we have compiled examples and experiences from Sri Lanka." (About this digital citizenship toolkit)
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"The 10 countries included in this paper all show specific characteristics and contexts but also show similar barriers. Identifying shared characteristics will facilitate the development of shared approaches to deal with shrinking space. Don’t work in silos!
It’s (also) about upholding the law:
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Lobbying parliament and the government to adopt pro-civic space laws can only be part of a solution. Actions to defend civic space must also target the political will and means to uphold the law.
Target state and non-state actors: Campaigns to promote and protect civic space should target both state and non-state actors.
Analyze the international level: The analysis of civic space infringements should go beyond the national level. Changes to civic space are also the result of international developments, like the war on terror following 9/11, the international war on drugs, the globalization of (the fight against) crime and money laundering, the growth of foreign direct investment (e.g. in land). That international level can be operationalized.
Use innovative strategies: Some organizations mention new, innovative ways of reconquering civic space, involving new target groups. There are inspiring examples of CSOs engaging the creative sector and the arts as a way to achieve societal change. Involve art and pop culture. Seek cross-fertilization between CSOs and (new) media.
Collect best practices: To facilitate shared learning an inventory of strategies and practical methods (best practices) used by civic actors to deal with shrinking civic space would be useful. New approaches, tips and strategies should be shared within a global network of likeminded organizations." (Conclusions and observations, page 11)
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"1. Women with disabilities have among the lowest rates of mobile and smartphone ownership. In most countries, ownership gaps are widest between men without disabilities and women with disabilities. Even in countries where the mobile gender gap is small or nonexistent, there is still a disability ga
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p in mobile ownership.
2. Persons with disabilities perceive mobile as less beneficial than non-disabled persons, and, specifically, women with disabilities perceive benefits the least.
3. Women with disabilities report various barriers to mobile ownership. In Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Uganda, relevance, literacy and skills, and safety and security were among the most commonly reported barriers.
4. In most countries, regardless of gender, persons with disabilities are less aware of mobile internet than those without disabilities. While awareness of mobile internet is lower for women than men, it is even lower for persons with disabilities, except in India. Women with disabilities have the lowest level of awareness.
5. Persons with disabilities tend to have lower levels of internet use than non-disabled persons. Women with disabilities are the least likely to use mobile internet, particularly in India where women are least likely to use mobile internet regardless of disability and the most commonly mentioned barrier to mobile internet is the cost of buying a phone and data." (Key findings)
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"You are about to embark on a journey of discovery. Within this toolkit you will find explanations, tips, examples from Sri Lanka and the world — everything you need to upgrade and enhance your own advocacy campaigns. The content has been adapted from a variety of sources, to illustrate best pract
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ices but tailored to the Sri Lankan context. We hope that you will find valuable insight as you go through this resource; we also hope and expect that you will be able to add to this manual by providing your own lessons learned as you work your way through. We would like to thank PACT and Freedom House for their respective publications, which we used when putting this toolkit together. If you would like to consult the originals, please see: “Politically Smart Advocacy: A guide to Effective Civil Society Advocacy for Sustainable Development” (PACT, 2018) and “Advocacy in restricted spaces: A toolkit for civil society organizations,” (Freedom House, 2020)." (Introduction)
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"WhatsApp is a key medium for the spread of news and rumors, often shared as images. We study a large collection of politically-oriented WhatsApp groups in India, focusing on the period leading up to the 2019 Indian national elections. By labeling samples of random and popular images, we find that a
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round 10% of shared images are known misinformation and most fall into three types of images. Machine learning methods can be used to predict whether a viral image is misinformation, but are brittle to shifts in content over time." (Abstract)
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"Private news channel in Pakistan get sponsorships and commercials from state as well as from private companies to run their businesses. Selling ads may lead to sell content shaped in favor of the sponsor. This study has analyzed the influence of commercialization on editorial autonomy of broadcast
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journalists of Pakistan. A survey of senior journalists from top ten news channels was conducted to analyse perception of the professionals about the influence of commercialization on the content of news and current affairs. It is found that economic pressures restrain newsroom staff to make editorial decisions independently." (Abstract)
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"Digital Religion does not simply refer to religion as it is carried out online, but more broadly studies how digital media interrelate with religious practice and belief. This collection explores Digital Hinduism and consequentially studies how Hinduism is expressed in the digital sphere and how Hi
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ndus utilise digital media. Highlighting digital Hinduism and including case studies with foci on India, Asia and the global Hindu diaspora, this book features contributions from an interdisciplinary and international panel of academics. The chapters focus on specific case studies, which in summary exemplify the wide variety and diversity of what constitutes Digital Hinduism today." (Publisher description)
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"The Routledge Companion to Media and Activism is a wide-ranging collection of 42 original and authoritative essays by leading contributors from a variety of academic disciplines. Introducing and exploring central debates about the diverse relationships between both media and protest, and communicat
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ion and social change, the book offers readers a reliable and informed guide to understanding how media and activism influence one another. The expert contributors examine the tactics and strategies of protest movements, and how activists organize themselves and each other; they investigate the dilemmas of media coverage and the creation of alternative media spaces and platforms; and they emphasize the importance of creativity and art in social change. Bringing together case studies and contributors from six continents, the collection is organized around themes that address past, present and future developments from around the world." (Publisher description)
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"How do videos, movies and documentaries dedicated to indigenous communities transform the media landscape of South Asia? Based on extensive original research, this book examines how in South Asia popular music videos, activist political clips, movies and documentaries about, by and for indigenous c
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ommunities take on radically new significances. Media, Indigeneity and Nation in South Asia shows how in the portrayal of indigenous groups by both 'insiders' and 'outsiders' imaginations of indigeneity and nation become increasingly interlinked. Indigenous groups, typically marginal to the nation, are at the same time part of mainstream polities and cultures. Drawing on perspectives from media studies and visual anthropology, this book compares and contrasts the situation in South Asia with indigeneity globally." (Publisher description)
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"This research aims at finding the current state of (open) voice datasets in Indian languages, including information about their volume, quality, mode of collection, and availability. The present research also explores the challenges for the creation and maintenance of open voice datasets in India.
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The report makes practice-oriented recommendations for future sustainable voice data collection based on both extensive desk research and expert interviews."
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"Der »Wegweiser zur Geschichte: Afghanistan« erschien erstmals 2006. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt kämpften die US-Streitkräfte und ihre Verbündeten im Rahmen der Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) bereits mehrere Jahre auch auf afghanischem Boden gegen den internationalen Terroris mus. Die Kräfte der Int
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ernational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) konnten berechtigt hoffen, einen Beitrag zur Stabilität im Lande zu leisten. Die Bundeswehr war an der OEF von Anfang an beteiligt. Ende 2014 wurde der ISAF-Einsatz beendet und den Afghanen die Verantwortung für die Sicherheit ihrer Heimat übertragen. Gleichwohl war klar, dass das Land am Hindukusch auch weiterhin des Beistands der internationalen Gemeinschaft bedurfte. Folgerichtig wirkt die Bundeswehr seit 2015 im Auftrag des Deutschen Bundestages mit Einsatzkontingenten an der Mission Resolute Support (RS) mit. Ein Ende der Unterstützungsleistungen ist derzeit nicht absehbar. Der »Wegweiser zur Geschichte: Afghanistan« bietet auch in seiner vierten, aktualisierten Auflage einen raschen Überblick über Geschichte und Kultur des Landes. Die aktuellen Konfliktlinien und Herausforderungen werden in bewährter Weise aufgezeigt." (Buchrückseite)
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"An increasing number of governments around the world are forcing internet service providers to slow their services during critical sociopolitical junctures—a practice known as throttling—infringing on citizens’ right to information and freedom of expression. Despite its deleterious impact on
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media development and foundational rights, throttling remains an often-neglected topic and risks becoming a pervasive, yet hidden, threat to press freedoms, democracy, and human rights. Throttling refers to the intentional slowing of an internet service by an internet service provider. It stifles the free flow of information during critical moments and prevents journalists from providing vital information to citizens abroad and at home. Due to its difficulty to detect, throttling shields authorities from public scrutiny. Businesses have a duty to be transparent about how and when governments force them to disrupt their services, yet often remain silent on the issue." (Key findings)
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