DOCSLIB.ORG

Digital Journalism: Making News, Breaking News

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Digital Journalism: Making News, Breaking News MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA: GLOBAL FINDINGS DIGITAL JOURNALISM: MAKING NEWS, BREAKING NEWS Mapping Digital Media is a project of the Open Society Program on Independent Journalism and the Open Society Information Program Th e project assesses the global opportunities and risks that are created for media by the switch- over from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting; the growth of new media platforms as sources of news; and the convergence of traditional broadcasting with telecommunications. Th ese changes redefi ne the ways that media can operate sustainably while staying true to values of pluralism and diversity, transparency and accountability, editorial independence, freedom of expression and information, public service, and high professional standards. Th e project, which examines the changes in-depth, builds bridges between researchers and policymakers, activists, academics and standard-setters. It also builds policy capacity in countries where this is less developed, encouraging stakeholders to participate in and infl uence change. At the same time, this research creates a knowledge base, laying foundations for advocacy work, building capacity and enhancing debate. Covering 56 countries, the project examines how these changes aff ect the core democratic service that any media system should provide—news about political, economic and social aff airs. Th e MDM Country Reports are produced by local researchers and partner organizations in each country. Cumulatively, these reports provide a unique resource on the democratic role of digital media. In addition to the country reports, research papers on a range of topics related to digital media have been published as the MDM Reference Series. Th ese publications are all available at http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/mapping-digital-media. EDITORIAL COMMISSION Yuen-Ying Chan, Christian S. Nissen, Dusˇan Reljic´, Russell Southwood, Damian Tambini The Editorial Commission is an advisory body. Its members are not responsible for the information or assessments contained in the Mapping Digital Media texts OPEN SOCIETY PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM TEAM Marius Dragomir, senior manager/publications editor; Mark Thompson, policy projects offi cer; Meijinder Kaur, program coordinator; Sameer Padania, program offi cer; Stewart Chisholm, associate director; Gordana Jankovic´, former director OPEN SOCIETY INFORMATION PROGRAM TEAM Vera Franz, senior program manager; Darius Cuplinskas, director Mapping Digital Media Global Findings A REPORT BY THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS WRITTEN BY Fernando Bermejo Ying Chan Iulian Comanescu Carlos Cortés Aboubakr Jamaï Tanja Kersˇevan Smokvina Marko Milosavljevic´ Christian S. Nissen Rita Rudusˇa Justin Schlosberg Russell Southwood Jelena Surcˇulija Milojevic´ Damian Tambini Martijn de Waal Graham Watts EDITED BY Marius Dragomir and Mark Thompson (Open Society Program on Independent Journalism) July 2014 © 2014 Open Society Foundations Th is publication is available as a pdf on the Open Society Foundations website under a Creative Commons license that allows copying and distributing the publication, only in its entirety, as long as it is attributed to the Open Society Foundations and used for noncommercial educational or public policy purposes. Photographs may not be used separately from the publication. ISBN: 978-1-910243-03-9 Published by OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS 224 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019 United States For more information contact: MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA OPEN SOCIETY PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM Millbank Tower, 21–24 Millbank London, SW1P 4QP United Kingdom Website http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/mapping-digital-media Layout by Judit Kovács, Createch Ltd., Hungary Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 9 Marius Dragomir and Mark Th ompson MAJOR TRENDS BY THEMES AND REGIONS ....................................................... 21 Themes ..................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER ONE Public Interest and Commercial Media: Digital Trends ............................ 41 Carlos Cortés CHAPTER TWO Public Media and Digitization: Seven Th eses ........................................... 75 Damian Tambini CHAPTER THREE Journalism and Digital Times: Between Wider Reach and Sloppy Reporting... 107 Ying Chan CHAPTER FOUR News Choice and Off er in the Digital Transition ..................................... 129 Jelena Surčulija Milojević CHAPTER FIVE Telecoms and News .................................................................................. 145 Iulian Comanescu CHAPTER SIX Access to Spectrum: Winners and Losers .................................................. 159 Marko Milosavljević and Tanja Kerševan Smokvina OSF PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM 2014 5 CHAPTER SEVEN Distributing the Digital Dividend ............................................................ 175 Christian S. Nissen CHAPTER EIGHT Business and Ownership of the Media in Digital Times ........................... 191 Martijn de Waal Regions ..................................................................................................... 211 CHAPTER NINE Digital Media in the European Union ...................................................... 213 Justin Schlosberg CHAPTER TEN Digital Media in the EU Enlargement Countries ..................................... 239 Justin Schlosberg CHAPTER ELEVEN Digital Media in the Former Soviet Union ............................................... 253 Rita Ruduša CHAPTER TWELVE Digital Media in Latin America ................................................................ 265 Fernando Bermejo CHAPTER THIRTEEN Digital Media in South-East Asia ............................................................. 277 Graham Watts CHAPTER FOURTEEN Digital Media in Asia: India and Pakistan................................................. 293 Graham Watts CHAPTER FIFTEEN Digital Media in the Arab World.............................................................. 301 Aboubakr Jamaï CHAPTER SIXTEEN Digital Media in Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa .............................. 313 Russell Southwood 6 MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA GLOBAL FINDINGS Project Information ......................................................................... 327 Published reports ..................................................................................... 329 Translated reports ..................................................................................... 336 Reference series ........................................................................................ 337 Regional editors ....................................................................................... 337 Methodology ........................................................................................... 338 REPORT STRUCTURE ......................................................................................... 341 Context .................................................................................................... 341 1. Media Consumption: Th e Digital Factor ........................................... 341 2. Digital Media and Public or State-Administered Broadcasters ............ 344 3. Digital Media and Society .................................................................. 335 4. Digital Media and Journalism ............................................................ 347 5. Digital Media and Technology ........................................................... 349 6. Digital Business ................................................................................. 352 7. Policies, Laws and Regulators ............................................................. 354 8. Conclusions ....................................................................................... 358 9. Recommendations ............................................................................. 359 OSF PROGRAM ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM 2014 7 Introduction Mapping the World’s Digital Media Marius Dragomir and Mark Thompson The Project Over the course of the past decade, digital television and internet have brought about radical changes for media businesses, journalists, and citizens at large. Platforms distributing journalistic content have proliferated, technological advances have driven media companies to revamp their operations in the sometimes desperate attempt to remain lucrative and relevant, while journalists operate in an ever faster-paced industry, and citizens have access to a cornucopia of sources of news and information. By the end of 2013, over 55 percent of households worldwide had a television set receiving digital signal, some 25 percentage points more than in 2008. In the developed world that fi gure stood at more than 81 percent. By the end of 2014, the world is forecast to number almost three billion internet users, two thirds of them in the developing world. With mobile phone saturation standing at nearly 100 percent of the global population, consumption on mobile platforms has surged dramatically as well. Mobile broadband subscriptions are predicted to reach 2.3 billion by the end of 2014.1 But is this ever-more-connected world a better place for independent journalism? Th is is one of the questions that the Mapping Digital Media (MDM) project sought to answer. Th e Program on Independent Journalism (PIJ), formerly the Media Program, and the Information Program at the Open Society Foundations launched
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Contribution of Public Service Media in Promoting Social Cohesion
    COUNCIL CONSEIL OF EUROPE DE L’EUROPE Contribution of public service media in promoting social cohesion and integrating all communities and generations Implementation of Committee of Ministers Recommendation Rec (97) 21 on media and the promotion of a culture of tolerance Group of Specialists on Public Service Media in the Information Society (MC-S-PSM) H/Inf (2009) 5 Contribution of public service media in promoting social cohesion and integrating all communities and generations Implementation of Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation Rec (97) 21 on media and the promotion of a culture of tolerance Report prepared by the Group of Specialists on Public Service Media in the Information Society (MC-S-PSM), November 2008 Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs Council of Europe Strasbourg, June 2009 Édition française : La contribution des médias de service public à la promotion de la cohésion sociale et a l’intégration de toutes les communautés et générations Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs Council of Europe F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex http://www.coe.int/ © Council of Europe 2009 Printed at the Council of Europe Contents Executive summary . .5 Introduction . .5 Key developments . .6 Workforce . 6 Requirements . .11 Content and services . 13 Conclusions, recommendations and proposals for further action . 18 Conclusions . .18 Recommendations and proposals for further action . .20 Appendix A. Recommendation No. R (97) 21 . 22 Recommendation No. R (97) 21 on Appendix to Recommendation No. R the media and the promotion of a (97) 21 . .22 culture of tolerance . .22 Appendix B. Questionnaire on public service media and the promotion of a culture of tolerance .
    [Show full text]
  • Czech Republic Represents 21,3 %
    Questionnaire - Revision of the Communication from the Commission on the application of State aid rules to public service broadcasting 1. GENERAL 1.1. A number of significant legal developments have taken place in the public broadcasting area since 2001, namely the adoption of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the adoption of the Decision and Framework on compensation payments as well as Commission decision-making practice. Do you think that the Broadcasting Communication should be up-dated in light of these developments? Alternatively, do you consider that these developments do not justify the adoption of a new text? There is no need for revision or change of the Communication at the moment. The Communication on the application of State aid rules to public service broadcasting (OJ 2001/C 320/4) lays down flexible principles which have made it possible to resolve a number of cases by taking due account of the specificity of the public service broadcasting sector. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive (OJ 2007/C 332/27) takes into account the emergence of new media and recalls the importance of the coexistence of public and private providers of audiovisual media services and the firm need for the public service broadcasting remit to continue to benefit from technological progress (Recital 9). Public service broadcasters consider that there is no particular pressing need to revise the current Communication. Any updating which may take place needs to ensure stability for public service broadcasters while maintaining the flexibility of the current system, a system which makes it possible to offer legal solutions to organizations of various sizes and operating on various markets which have a remit to offer public service output responding to the needs and choices of their respective societies.
    [Show full text]
  • 2013 Pitching Profiles for TV Producers Media Contacts
    2013 Pitching Profiles for TV Producers Media Contacts A Cision Executive Briefing Report | January 2013 Cision Briefing Book: TV Producers Regional Cable Network | Time Warner Inc., NY 1 News, Mr. Matt Besterman, News, Executive Producer Shipping Address: 75 9Th Ave Frnt 6 DMA: New York, NY (1) New York, NY 10011-7033 MSA: New York--Northern NJ--Long Island, NY--NJ--PA MSA (1) United States of America Mailing Address: 75 9Th Ave Frnt 6 Phone: +1 (212) 691-3364 (p) New York, NY 10011-7033 Fax: +1 (212) 379-3577 (d) United States of America Email: [email protected] (p) Contact Preference: E-Mail Home Page: http://www.ny1.com Profile: Besterman serves as Executive Producer for NY 1 News. He is a good contact for PR professionals pitching the program. When asked if there is any type of story idea in particular he’s interested in receiving, Besterman replies, “We don’t really know what we might be interested in until we hear about it. But it has to relate to New Yorkers.” Besterman is interested in receiving company news and profiles, event listings, personality profiles and interviews, public appearance information, rumors and insider news, and trend stories. On deadlines, Besterman says that each program is formulated the day of its broadcast, but he prefers to books guests several days in advance. Besterman prefers to be contacted and pitched by email only. Besterman has been an executive producer at New York 1 News since November 2000. He previously worked as a producer at WRGB-TV in Albany, NY since March 1998.
    [Show full text]
  • Al-Qaeda and Islamist Militant Influences on Tribal Dynamics
    FINAL REPORT AFOSR FA9550-12-1-0096 Al-Qaeda and Islamist Militant Influences on Tribal Dynamics Principle Investigator and Point of Contact David Jacobson, Founding Directopr Professor of Sociology Global Initiative on Civil Society and Conflict University of South Florida Tampa, FL (813) 391-7519 [email protected] December 14, 2015 Period of performance: September 14, 2012 – September 14, 2015 Program Officer Benjamin A Knott, PhD Air Force Office of Scientific Research Program Officer - Trust and Influence 875 N. Randolph St. Arlington, VA 22203 Phone: 703-696-1142 Email: [email protected] The report is 41 pages in length (excluding cover page); please note the Appendix is numbered independently. The report that follows gives an overview of the project, listing of technical advances, outreach and media, sample of findings, pedagogy, publications and a detailed appendix of compiled and collected data sources; and of algorithms related to the Tribalism Index and the HDTI, which were developed by the P.I. for the project (and of important significance for future work. Introduction: Tribal areas, from Afghanistan through to the Sahel are core areas of Islamist militancy. Tribes have played a central role in either supporting or opposing militant entities in their midst. Evidence suggests militant Islamist groups have actively sought out tribal regions for their bases of activity. Prior quantitative research, by the P.I. and by others, has shown that tribalism is an important incubator of Islamist militancy, and the intersection of tribes and Islamist groups is a major factor in the export of religiously motivated violence. (This is a significant factor even into third generation of immigrant communities in Western countries.) Yet this is not a linear relationship, and not all tribes or ethnic groups collaborate with Islamist militants--or the nature of collaboration can be different, from ideological to pragmatic.
    [Show full text]
  • FCC-06-11A1.Pdf
    Federal Communications Commission FCC 06-11 Before the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition ) MB Docket No. 05-255 in the Market for the Delivery of Video ) Programming ) TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT Adopted: February 10, 2006 Released: March 3, 2006 Comment Date: April 3, 2006 Reply Comment Date: April 18, 2006 By the Commission: Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, and Tate issuing separate statements. TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Paragraph # I. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................. 1 A. Scope of this Report......................................................................................................................... 2 B. Summary.......................................................................................................................................... 4 1. The Current State of Competition: 2005 ................................................................................... 4 2. General Findings ....................................................................................................................... 6 3. Specific Findings....................................................................................................................... 8 II. COMPETITORS IN THE MARKET FOR THE DELIVERY OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING ......... 27 A. Cable Television Service ..............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Report on Information and Communication for Development
    Policy and Research Programme on Role of Media and Communication in Development Final Project Report April 2010 – March 2012 Grant Reference Number: AG4601 MIS Code: 732-620-029 Contact: James Deane, Head of Policy [email protected] BBC Media Action Bush House, PO Box 76, Strand, London WC2B 4PH Telephone +44 (0) 207 557 2462, Fax +44 (0)207 379 1622, E-mail: [email protected] www.bbcworldservicetrust.org 2 BBC Media Action Policy and Research Programme on the Role of Media and Communication in Democratic Development INTRODUCTION This is the final report of the Policy and Research Programme on the Role of Media and Communication Development. It provides a narrative overview of progress and impact between April 2010 and March 2012 of the DFID funded Policy and Research Programme on the Role of Media in Development, building on an earlier report submitted for activities carried out between April 2010 and March 2011. In 2006 the Department for International Development (DFID) allocated £2.5 million over five years for the establishment of a 'Policy and Research Programme on the Role of Media and Communication in Development' to be managed by BBC Media Action (formerly the BBC World Service Trust). The Programme ran from July 2006 through to March 2012, including a no-cost extension. A small additional contribution to the Programme from the Swedish International Development Agency was received over the period (approximately £300,000 over the period 2009- 2012). In November 2011, DFID reached agreement with the BBC World Service Trust (since January 2012, renamed as BBC Media Action) for a new Global Grant amounting to £90 million over five years.
    [Show full text]
  • SET THEM FREE Why We Shouldn’T Regulate Over the Top (OTT) Apps by Brian Williamson FIVE REASONS to Join the IIC
    OCTOBER 2016 | VOLUME 44 | ISSUE 3 FREEDOM VS SECURITY Monroe Price discusses how freedom of expression is competing with national security AUDIOVISUAL CHALLENGES How media regulation is developing in a world moving from broadcasting, by Joan Barata THE CONSTANT GARDENER Jean-Jacques Sahel on shaping regulation to meet the challenges of convergence TV IN A MOBILE WORLD THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL TELECOMS AND MEDIA POLICY, REGULATORY AFFAIRS AND COMPLIANCE JOURNAL Can broadcasters use mobile networks? SET THEM FREE Why we shouldn’t regulate over the top (OTT) apps By Brian Williamson FIVE REASONS To join the IIC The IIC enables the balanced open discussion that shapes the public policy agenda for the converged TMT sector. The Chatham House Rule gives participants the freedom of ‘off the “The llC is a platform record’ expression and debate. that brings together FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel at the IRF, 1 Washington, 2015 regulators and stakeholders from all over the world to Senior policy makers and regulators share their enable the challenges and success stories. inter-exchange of ideas A panel with Juan Manuel Wilches, CRC, 2 Colombia, TMF Miami, 2016 and experiences that allows us to push forward new policies Members build collegiate and projects.” relationships with international regulators. Jose M. Marín-Quemada, Time for networking, Annual Conference, President CNMC, Spain 3 Washington, 2015 Members attend local chapter meetings for free wherever Choose from four different they are in the world. membership types: 4 IIC Australia event on 5G spectrum. 2016 IIC Partnership Industry Membership Regulator Membership This collaborative supportive network helps facilitate the Associate Membership creation of good policy.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Media and the Unyielding Flow of Cable News in the Age of Trump
    Social Media and the Unyielding Flow of Cable News in the Age of Trump Deborah L. Jaramillo, Boston University An early observation about television’s daily architecture warrants a reevaluation as new technologies and shifting viewing patterns call into question its relevance. For all the justified criticism, adaptation, and elaboration of Williams’ earliest description of flow, a return to the general concept helps us decode what is happening on cable news in the Trump era. The new routine on cable news generally revels in the sort of disruption instigated by political turmoil, scandal, a renewed investment in investigative reporting, and the decision of cable news producers to include and fixate on Trump’s Twitter feed. Information flow, Twitter flow, and programming flow live together now, sometimes uncomfortably. The key to flow on MSNBC, in particular, is the way that this new living arrangement moves not toward denouement and relaxation at the end of the programming day as broadcast flow does. The blow of each revelation snowballs so that flow is not just a sequence of possibly connected stories from dawn through midnight. I argue that the crux of flow on MSNBC is actually about memory and magnitude—not the resolution of but the accumulation of politically charged information, ​ ​ crises, and catastrophes across the day and, as we are seeing, across all days. Cable news has created a space where continuity, repetition, anticipation, and disruption commingle; the resulting atmosphere is ripe for continuous, live political catastrophe. Cable news relies on the relentless flow of time to frame its usefulness for viewers.
    [Show full text]
  • From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Media Gregory Ferrell Lowe & Jo Bardoel (Eds.)
    From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Media Gregory Ferrell Lowe & Jo Bardoel (eds.) RIPE @ 2007 NORDICOM From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Media From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Media Gregory Ferrell Lowe & Jo Bardoel (eds.) NORDICOM From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Media RIPE@2007 Gregory Ferrell Lowe & Jo Bardoel (eds.) © Editorial matters and selections, the editors; articles, individual con- tributors; Nordicom ISBN 978-91-89471-53-5 Published by: Nordicom Göteborg University Box 713 SE 405 30 GÖTEBORG Sweden Cover by: Roger Palmqvist Cover photo by: Arja Lento Printed by: Livréna AB, Kungälv, Sweden, 2007 Environmental certification according to ISO 14001 Contents Preface 7 Jo Bardoel and Gregory Ferrell Lowe From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Media. The Core Challenge 9 PSM platforms: POLICY & strategY Karol Jakubowicz Public Service Broadcasting in the 21st Century. What Chance for a New Beginning? 29 Hallvard Moe Commercial Services, Enclosure and Legitimacy. Comparing Contexts and Strategies for PSM Funding and Development 51 Andra Leurdijk Public Service Media Dilemmas and Regulation in a Converging Media Landscape 71 Steven Barnett Can the Public Service Broadcaster Survive? Renewal and Compromise in the New BBC Charter 87 Richard van der Wurff Focus on Audiences. Public Service Media in the Market Place 105 Teemu Palokangas The Public Service Entertainment Mission. From Historic Periphery to Contemporary Core 119 PSM PROGRAMMES: strategY & tacticS Yngvar Kjus Ideals and Complications in Audience Participation for PSM. Open Up or Hold Back? 135 Brian McNair Current Affairs in British Public Service Broadcasting. Challenges and Opportunities 151 Irene Costera Meijer ‘Checking, Snacking and Bodysnatching’.
    [Show full text]
  • HAIL: an Algorithm for the Hardware Accelerated Identification of Languages, Master's Thesis, May 2006
    Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship All Computer Science and Engineering Research Computer Science and Engineering Report Number: WUCSE-2006-36 2006-01-01 HAIL: An Algorithm for the Hardware Accelerated Identification of Languages, Master's Thesis, May 2006 Charles M. Kastner This thesis examines in detail the Hardware-Accelerated Identification of Languages (HAIL) project. The goal of HAIL is to provide an accurate means to identify the language and encoding used in streaming content, such as documents passed over a high-speed network. HAIL has been implemented on the Field-programmable Port eXtender (FPX), an open hardware platform developed at Washington University in St. Louis. HAIL can accurately identify the primary languages and encodings used in text at rates much higher than what can be achieved by software algorithms running on microprocessors. Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cse_research Part of the Computer Engineering Commons, and the Computer Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Kastner, Charles M., " HAIL: An Algorithm for the Hardware Accelerated Identification of Languages, Master's Thesis, May 2006" Report Number: WUCSE-2006-36 (2006). All Computer Science and Engineering Research. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cse_research/187 Department of Computer Science & Engineering - Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 - St. Louis, MO - 63130 - ph: (314) 935-6160. Department of Computer Science & Engineering 2006-36 HAIL: An Algorithm for the Hardware Accelerated Identification of Languages, Master's Thesis, May 2006 Authors: Charles M. Kastner Corresponding Author: [email protected] Web Page: http://www.arl.wustl.edu/projects/fpx/reconfig.htm Abstract: This thesis examines in detail the Hardware-Accelerated Identification of Languages (HAIL) project.
    [Show full text]
  • Citizen Journalism Guidelines on ELECTORAL REPORTING in ZIMBABWE
    Citizen Journalism Guidelines ON ELECTORAL REPORTING IN ZIMBABWE March 2018 Published in Denmark by IMS in March 2018 International Media Support (IMS) is a non-profit organisation that works to support local media in countries affected by armed conflict, human insecurity and political transition. Across four continents IMS helps to strengthen professional journalism and ensure that media can operate in challenging circumstances Mediasupport.org Facebook.com/InternationalMediaSupport Twitter.com/forfreemedia Authors and Editors Dr. Admire Mare, Henrik Keith, Simbiso Marimbe & Rashweat Mukundu Cover Photo: A citizen journalist covering the voting process at a by-election in rural Gutu, Zimbabwe TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 2 CHAPTER 1: Introduction and Background 3 CHAPTER 2: What is Citizen Journalism? 4 CHAPTER 3: Citizen Journalism in Practice 21 CHAPTER 4: Ethics 35 CHAPTER 5: Special Concerns 38 CHAPTER 6: Moderation of Social Media Groups 44 CHAPTER 7: Safety Concerns 49 REFERENCES 53 CITIZEN JOURNALISM GUIDELINES ON ELECTORAL REPORTING IN ZIMBABWE 1 ................ PREFACE The International Media Support (IMS) commissioned the development of this guide to support the training of citizen journalists on covering electoral matters in Zimbabwe. IMS and the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) are implementing the programme, “Support to Media on Governance and Electoral Matters in Zimbabwe” between October 2017 and March 2019 with support from the European Union (EU) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program aims at enhancing the capacities of media [broadly defined] to report on electoral cycle and governance matters in a more articulate, comprehensive and inclusive manner; as well as to increase citizen access to media and information platforms throughout the electoral cycle and after.
    [Show full text]
  • Critical Approaches to Citizen Journalism
    Research Article Journal of Volume 11:1, 2021 Mass Communication & Journalism ISSN: 2165-7912 Open Access Critical Approaches to Citizen Journalism Aljawjara Almutarie* King Saudi University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Abstract Citizen journalism (CJ) on social media platforms has been seen as a means whereby the ordinary citizen can obtain and disseminate information and exchange views with a certain degree of freedom. This is especially the case in countries like Saudi Arabia, where the traditional media is highly regulated and, to some extent, acts as a mouthpiece for the government. However, criticisms have been directed to CJ, with some authors arguing that it may not be the democratizing force that some claim it to be. This paper explores these criticisms with reference to CJ in the Arab context, in particular in relation to the phenomenon known as the Arab Spring; and in the light of a study of Saudi citizen journalism on Twitter, specifically on hashtags that addressed serious economic issues of concern to citizens in the KSA, such as the controversial tax on unused land. The paper concludes by suggesting that CJ is a complex phenomenon which needs to be considered in the specific context in which it appears so that the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that influence it are fully understood and a proper assessment be made of the impact that it has. Keywords: Citizen Journalism • Social media • Populism in citizen journalism Introduction social media. Furthermore, most citizen journalists do not adhere to the standards of quality upheld by traditional news outlets, probably because Social Media as an Alternative Platform for News, they have little understanding of the concept of what constitutes worthy news [3].
    [Show full text]