@mediapolicy

"Consultation Paper on Issues relating to Media Ownership in India: Written comments on the..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:23:07 +0000

“Consultation Paper on Issues relating to Media Ownership in India: Written comments on the consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by 8th March 2013 and countercomments, if any, by 15th March 2013.”

- Consultation Paper : Telecom Regulatory Authority of India - have your say by 8th March 2013

"If you ask Kenyan journalists what is taking place at the editorial level, they will unanimously..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:50:29 +0000

“If you ask Kenyan journalists what is taking place at the editorial level, they will unanimously respond: “Media ownership.” An editor from Eldoret, Rift Valley highlights the difficult position that editorial staff are in: “I am an editor of an enterprise where the owner at times intercepts my reporters in a bid to alter our editorial perspectives. He actually changes content to suit his desires and those of his political friends. I have threatened to resign if he continues.”
[…]
The report finds that while media ownership is sometimes obvious, media owners often use their spouse, parents or trusted friends to register their media outlets, making it difficult to obtain clear data on media ownership. For instance, the researcher notes that the connection of presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta with MediaMax (owner of Kameme FM, Milele FM, The People and K24 among others) is factually true but legally untrue because the name of Uhuru Kenyatta does not appear in any legal document.”

- New Report: Factually True, Legally Untrue - Political Media Ownership in Kenya | Internews

"Set to live blue grass music from Down Hill Strugglers, her all-female models presented her latest..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:28:08 +0000

“

Set to live blue grass music from Down Hill Strugglers, her all-female models presented her latest Fall 2013 creations.

One model presented a profusion of colour which included a lilac-fold coal coat worn over a leaf green shibon knit shirt and a black/grey/cream crystal pleated tartan skirt with a grey leather belt. Other conspicuous features of this creation included a blood orange slip and circle dress with a zero waste mobius accessory.

A blonde model sported a linden wool/mohair tie jacket/coat with leaf green shibori knit dirndl tie collar shirt with a purple/black mini-check pant.

The collection of techy 21st century fabrics and vintage pindots in wool, pinchecks in cotton and pinstripes in nylon was locally produced and presented at just across the street from her showroom to ensure “sustainability, small carbon footprints and zero waste”.

In an interview with Bernama, Yeohlee said the underlying theme for her latest creations was freedom of expression. “I have emphasised comfort and ease in my latest creations. My clothes are uninhibited by the notion of time or seasons, they can be used in any season anywhere in the world,” she said.

”

- Malaysian fashion designer Yeohlee Teng finds inspiration for her Fall 2013 collection in Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech. Perhaps an under-utilised medium for media policy advocates?

AN ANALYSIS OF THE COUNCIL OF PAKISTAN NEWSPAPERS EDITORS

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:33:01 +0000

AN ANALYSIS OF THE COUNCIL OF PAKISTAN NEWSPAPERS EDITORS

searchengineland: When it comes to getting general news and...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:30:34 +0000

searchengineland:

When it comes to getting general news and information, consumers worldwide put as much trust in search engines as they do in traditional media — and more in both than they do in social media.

Also interesting in the Edelman Trust Barometer 2012 (where the data above come from), media was the only institution to secure an increase in trust overall.

"One of the most consistent observations made by economists of government regulation has been the..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:12:40 +0000

“

One of the most consistent observations made by economists of government regulation has been the seemingly inevitable phenomenon of “regulatory capture” (Dal Bó, 2006; Kahn, 1971; Laffont & Tirole, 1991; Levine & Forrence, 1990; Mitnick,1980; Stigler, 1971; Wu, 2010). According to Horwitz (1989), this occurs when a regulatory agency “systematically favors the private interests of regulated parties and systematically ignores the public interest” (emphasis in original, p. 29). The public interest thus becomes “perverted” as a regulator matures through several phases. “As the agency hits old age, it becomes a bureaucratic morass which, because of precedent, serves to protect its industry” (Horwitz, 1989, p. 30). Fraser (2000) used the same analogy of life stages to explain regulatory capture:

In their infancy, regulators show youthful activism. By middle age, they have succumbed to subtle co-option by industry interests. In their final stages of bureaucratic senility, they degenerate into passive interests of the corporate interest under their purview. (p. D11)

By that description, he added, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) provided an excellent example of regulatory capture.

”

- Marc Edge, in the latest Canadian Journal of Communication.

"In this system, the EU’s role – defending the European values of media freedom and pluralism – is..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:56:35 +0000

“

In this system, the EU’s role – defending the European values of media freedom and pluralism – is further justified by the need to protect its own representative democracy. After all, free and democratic European parliamentary elections could be called into question if some of the member states in which they are held lack media freedom and pluralism.

The fact that the group’s recommendations do not align with much of the media’s reporting on them suggests either that the group’s report overstates its intentions, or that the reading of some media outlets has been skewed. Reports that the group’s recommendations would empower the EU to protect media freedom, not to regulate the media – and even criticism that the recommendations leave too much to national authorities – support the latter interpretation. They also raise questions about why some in the media read so much EU control into the report; maybe the fact that it was an EU report meant more than its content.

”

- Who Should Control Europe’s Media? by Miguel P. Maduro

"In the Liberty you provided answers to those who hate free speech. Your main explanation was..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:45:32 +0000

“In the Liberty you provided answers to those who hate free speech. Your main explanation was bracingly utilitarian, as befitted the son of James Mill. We value free speech, you wrote, because human beings are fallible and forgetful. Our ideas must be tested by argument: wrong opinion must be exposed and truth forced to defend itself, lest it “be held as a dead dogma, not a living truth.” (Your consequentialist followers said a flourishing marketplace of ideas was a precondition of participatory democracy and even of an innovative economy.)”

- Free Speech in the Era of Its Technological Amplification | MIT Technology Review

Jason Pontin writes a letter to John Stuart Mill on the current challenges of free speech in the context of Google, Facebook and Twitter.

"Iran’s pre-election atmosphere is tense due to declining economic conditions, acute inflation,..."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:42:03 +0000

“Iran’s pre-election atmosphere is tense due to declining economic conditions, acute inflation, in-fighting among various factions within the government, the effect of sanctions on goods and services, and continued international scrutiny due to Iran’s nuclear program. The memories of the 2009 elections are etched in the public’s consciousness, thereby, adding pressure during this election season and, making the media’s actions a significant site of contention. On the one hand, the resurgence of a few independent media outlets could signal the loosening of some restrictions, but at the same time, it is just as likely to be a regime gimmick to lure the public into participating in the election. The latter can be seen as a risky strategy because of the potential for these more vociferously critical outlets to stir up political unrest among those opposed to the regime, and the recent arrests are likely part of this anxiety. Consequently, some Parliament officials, such as MP Ahmadreza Dastgheyb, have seized upon this as an opportunity to introduce further provisions into the current Press Law in the run-up to the election, strengthening the regime’s ability to supervise media activities, such as publishing potentially provocative content that “might cause harm to the country.” Similarly, the De”

- Presidential Elections and media policy: Iran’s bipolar approach | Iran Media Program

"This article provides an empirically grounded assessment of China’s increasing role in the African..."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:23:40 +0000

“This article provides an empirically grounded assessment of China’s increasing role in the African mediasphere. It examines the strategic importance of Chinese media assistance to Ghana along three dimensions: the potential appeal of the Chinese approach to information regulation for countries struggling to balance development and risks to political stability; the direct intervention of Chinese companies in the media and telecommunication sectors through the provision of loans, equipment and technical expertise; and the stepping up of China’s public diplomacy strategy through the expansion of international broadcasters and the increase of exchange and training programs targeting African citizens.”

- Partner, prototype or persuader? China’s renewed media engagement with Ghana, by Iginio Gagliardone, Nicole Stremlau, Daniel Nkrumah

"Jagland’s visit shows just how critical role the Council of Europe system is playing in Turkey in..."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:05:04 +0000

“Jagland’s visit shows just how critical role the Council of Europe system is playing in Turkey in terms of democracy and freedom of expression, a system of which the ECHR is also a very significant part. No matter how much vagueness lies ahead amid the constant turbulence of Turkey’s relations with the European Union, institutional cooperation with the Council of Europe continues to progress on a steady basis on its own track without being affected by these zigzags on the EU front.We need to accept that the Council of Europe is the most important Western institution today in terms of the capacity to affect and steer goals related to democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Turkey. Consequently, the strengthening of Turkey’s engagement with the Council of Europe has vital significance in terms of these targets.”

- SEDAT ERGİN - Council of Europe has overtaken the EU

"Numerous journalists have fallen foul of the law over the last year. Adil Soz has recorded 19..."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:46:43 +0000

“Numerous journalists have fallen foul of the law over the last year. Adil Soz has recorded 19 assaults on journalists and 17 criminal cases including 11 libel suits, one allegation of inciting social unrest and one of encouraging ethnic hate. Aside from criminal prosecutions, over 100 journalists faced civil libel suits. Adil Soz also counted 180 cases where access to websites, online forums and blogs was denied.
The media sector as a whole is becoming more biddable as a result of heavy state funding – almost 90 per cent of media outlets are recipients of public money to varying extents. That makes it easy to demand that they toe the line, killing competition, encouraging self-censorship and resulting in a situation where it is hard to tell commercial and state-run media content apart.”

- Kazak Media Freedom in Reverse Gear - Institute for War and Peace Reporting - P220

Adam Thierer's list of key internet policy books for 2013 (and previous years)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:38:09 +0000

Adam Thierer's list of key internet policy books for 2013 (and previous years)

"On 5 December 2012, political analyst Ding Chan Awuol, who wrote under the pen name Isaiah Abraham,..."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:28:21 +0000

“On 5 December 2012, political analyst Ding Chan Awuol, who wrote under the pen name Isaiah Abraham, was dragged out of his house by “uniformed men”, according to one eyewitness, and shot in the face. Relatives believe Abraham was murdered for his outspoken political commentary, and said he had received death threats from anonymous callers urging him to stop writing.
One employer, the Sudan Tribune newspaper, says Abraham was called into national security offices weeks before his death to answer for a piece calling for President Salva Kiir’s resignation after a contentious deal with Sudan on oil and borders. Government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin said authorities were “70 percent sure it was an assassination”, as public outrage grew and civil society called for the perpetrators to be punished and security ministers to step down.
“The investigation [into Abraham’s murder] is going on. Probably some suspects have been arrested,” said Minister of the Interior Alison Monani Magaya.”

- SOUTH SUDAN: News journalists show concern under restricted freedom of speech | WNN – Women News Network

"For decades Kuwait, with its rowdy elected parliament and noisy press, has enjoyed relative freedom...."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:59:26 +0000

“For decades Kuwait, with its rowdy elected parliament and noisy press, has enjoyed relative freedom. Faced in recent months by unprecedented mass demonstrations demanding broader democracy, the sleekly rich city-state’s riot police have gained a nasty reputation for brutality.”

- Thus spake The Economist a few weeks ago, just prior to a session organised by the UK Embassy in Kuwait to “focus on finding the right balance between ensuring freedom of expression and security in the context of the rising popularity of social media.” It was vigorously tweeted at #q8_expression, and a couple of accounts of the meeting have appeared online.

"“These are dark days for freedom of expression in Iraq’s Kurdistan region,” said Sarah Leah Whitson,..."

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:39:18 +0000

“

“These are dark days for freedom of expression in Iraq’s Kurdistan region,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.“Instead of ensuring the justice system investigates high-level corruption, the Kurdistan Regional Government is ignoring its own laws to protect free speech and assembly, and using “laws” that are not in force to silence dissent.”

During 2012, KRG security forces are reported to have arrested and detained at least 50 journalists, critics, and opposition political activists arbitrarily, and prosecuted at least seven of them on criminal charges concerning insulting or defaming public figures, according to information obtained by Human Rights Watch during six visits to the Kurdistan Region, the most recent in November and December. One former customs official, Akram Abdulkarim, has been in jail for more than a year without trial on national security charges after he accused leading members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, one of the two parties in the coalition that rules the Kurdistan Region, of siphoning off customs revenues.

”

- Iraqi Kurdistan: Free Speech Under Attack | Human Rights Watch

"[From Executive Summary] NGOs Trust in NGOs remains high, with an overall 88 percent of countries..."

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:20:30 +0000

“

[From Executive Summary]

NGOs
Trust in NGOs remains high, with an overall 88 percent of countries surveyed over 50 percent (the highest is Mexico, an emerging market, at 83 percent; the lowest is Japan, a developed market, at 37 percent). The most notable change over time is in China, where only ﬁve years ago trust in NGOs was 48 percent; today it is 81 percent. Three of the top ﬁve countries with the highest trust in NGOs, like China, are emerging markets.

Media
Trust in media, at 57 percent globally, continues to improve with a ﬁve-point increase from 2012. Sixty-two percent of countries surveyed have a trust score of 50 percent or above, compared to 50 percent of countries surveyed in 2008. Trust is signiﬁcantly higher in emerging countries than in developed countries (ﬁgure 3). Large gaps in trust also exist in how the general population view types of media, with emerging markets placing more trust in social by 32points, traditional by 14 points, online search engines by 24 points, hybrid by 24 points and owned by 22 points. Trust in media breaks down along generational lines, as well. Among all ages in the general population, trust in traditional media and online search engines is highest. But trust in the other three categories of media drops among older generations particularly (age 45+) to an average of 34.5 percent for hybrid, 34 percent for owned and 33 percent for social. Among the youngest generation (ages 18-29), trust is highest in online search engines (61 percent) and lowest in owned media (44 percent).

”

- The Edelman Trust Barometer is out for 2013, and makes, as ever, interesting reading for those in civil society and the media.

"While China Daily does not entirely avoid critical engagement with state policy, it tends to report..."

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:03:45 +0000

“While China Daily does not entirely avoid critical engagement with state policy, it tends to report on the topic within very narrow bounds. Don’t hold your breath for much in the way of speaking truth to power. China ranked sixth from bottom in the Freedom of Information index 2011-2012, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Iran, Syria and Turkmenistan. In October, China’s state agencies closed and interrupted sites from the New York Times and the BBC after the New York Times’s report on the family wealth of Premier Wen Jiabao. The Ethiopian government is reported to have taken $1.5bn in Chinese loans for training and technology to help its own efforts to block websites, according to the the New York Times.
China Daily’s backers might retort that the current China-Africa narrative, beset by hyperbole and inaccuracy, hardly shows journalism at its best. And they would be right. Talk of ‘floods’ of Chinese migrant labourers, for instance, might apply to Algeria, but not Ethiopia, where nationals are well represented in the payroll of Chinese firms. China’s government has done business both with sanctioned states like Sudan, as well as stable and democratic ones like Mauritius and Ghana . Talk of China’s involvement in ‘100 dams’ in Africa, meanwhile, have little evidence to back them up, said%”

- China Daily in Africa: changing the tune | beyondbrics

The FT reports in December 2012 on China Daily’s new weekly Africa edition.

"How the media should cover media policy related stories is always a difficult issue. Newspapers, of..."

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:35:13 +0000

“How the media should cover media policy related stories is always a difficult issue. Newspapers, of course, have their own interests to consider as well as those of their readers. Is it acceptable that they should use their influence to protect their own interests, or should they always give a balanced view of the issues?
The coverage of the Savile scandal and McAlpine by the BBC had serious flaws. But the BBC did eventually show that it was capable of setting its own journalistic watchdogs to work on itself, putting public interest journalism before any narrowly defined corporate interest.
Now it is the turn of the Press. Over the coming days, we will see the extent to which newspapers can bracket off their own interests and give a balanced view of the Leveson Report, including the criticisms he is likely to make of the press.
For media researchers it is an interesting laboratory in which to study the press. Will they report Leveson in a balanced way, or will they will use their power to turn public opinion against the report or its author? Will they skate over what is likely to be excoriating critique of newspapers, and try to rubbish the recommendations? Or will they give some space to criticism?
After all, one of the key issues Leveson himself has been pondering is whether, because of their ability to shape public opinion, the press, or elements”

- Why Monitor the Press? | LSE Media Policy Project

Australian academic Kate Crawford, in her chapter in the Sound...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:21:57 +0000

Australian academic Kate Crawford, in her chapter in the Sound Studies Reader, argues for a listening metaphor in relation to online information and media.