Evidence increasingly points in the direction of growing threats to the safety of journalists in Nigeria. This is highlighted by the claim by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the trade union and professional umbrella body of thousands of practicing journalists in Nigeria, that 13 journalists were killed in the course of assignments in the year 2012, representing the highest so far since the country’s independence in 1960. This is beside other forms of attacks, threats and intimidation. However, despite this apparent evidence, an outstanding problem is that of the absence of an...
IPDC project priority: Promoting Freedom of Expression and Media Pluralism
Iraq ranks as the fourth most corrupt state in the world. Officials routinely steal resources, thereby robbing Iraqis of opportunities to improve the lives of their families and communities. Investigative journalism exposes corruption, enhances transparency and makes officials accountable to the people, all of which leads to the improved performance of government institutions. However, the majority of Baghdad’s media organisations lack the capacity to professionally investigate the actions of government. This project will therefore train 40 local (female) journalists from regional media...
Since the developing island nation of Palau gained independence, media development has been slow. It has just four radio stations, two newspapers and one state-owned television station. Access is restricted to those in the main population area and, for television, to those who can pay. Furthermore, television programming is subject to government restrictions, with stringent rules governing election coverage.
This project will install and train personnel to operate Palau’s first free-to-air television station. With 90% of the population living within the proposed broadcast...
The media have the potential to play a major role in raising awareness about environmental problems and in particular in educating the public about climate change. Doing so can help change attitudes and behaviour, such as the irresponsible dumping of toxic waste, which can help mitigate the effects of climate change.
In order for journalists to be able to fulfil this role, they must be familiar with the problems and able to present them in an understandable and interesting way. This is not the case in francophone Africa, where environmental issues are generally not valued (...
The Maroons, a group residing in Jamaica’s Accompong State, face development challenges concerning education and the dissemination of cultural heritage. The establishment of a community media outlet could address these challenges, although this has not been possible due to a lack of adequate financial and human capital. This project therefore seeks to launch a sustainable community radio station in Accompong that will allow residents to formally capture and share their cultural heritage.
Media repression is rising in some countries in the Pacific, as journalists seeks ways to work together to promote quality journalism and democratic media development. This project will work with journalists and media workers in three countries in the region in order to advance reform and produce examples of best practice to positively influence the rest of the region. Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have been chosen because of the existing or emerging strength of their national media associations and/or their potential for maximum project impact.
The...
Myanmar was once described as the site of “one of Asia’s—if not the world’s—longest ethnic-based conflict since the country’s independence in 1948”. There are 135 distinct ethnic groups throughout the country, and recent studies have cited media as a “driver of conflict” due to inaccurate reporting, misinformation, bias and preference for conflict stories.
News media could play a key role in informing and educating different ethnic groups about their commonalities and differences, leading to greater understanding and tolerance. Dialogue between media practitioners, bloggers...
The aim of this project is to promote the gender approach in order to contribute to the creation of an environment that is conducive to freedom of expression among women and radio broadcasters for more widespread popularisation of the culture of equality. One hundred and five external presenters and producers from 70 RIF-member radios stations will be trained in the concepts of gender, climate change and food security. After the training sessions, 70 programmes on climate change and food security will be produced, with the concept of gender as the overarching theme. The programmes will be...
Gender equality is one of the greatest challenges facing journalists in Thailand. According to the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media (2011), women are underrepresented in most management and newsgathering positions in the Asia Pacific, with women holding just 13% of senior management positions. Women’s salaries are generally lower and qualified women face a glass ceiling due to factors such as institutionalized prejudices.
This project will apply the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM) to Thai PBS in order to encourage Thai PBS - and...
The aim of this project is to allow the female citizens of Ouakam to acquire critical capacity in matters relating to the media, with the aim of strengthening their civic engagement, notably by strengthening their capacity to produce citizen information. At the end of the course, the young women of Ouakam will have acquired expertise and strong skills in issues relating to media literacy and information. They will be able to better evaluate the role of the EMI in strengthening participatory democracy and socio-economic development. This project aims to allow the female citizens of Ouakam...
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