The media environment in Egypt was characterised by severe repression under the former ruling president, Hosni Mubarak. In terms of press freedom for example, Egypt was ranked 130th out of 196 countries globally by Freedom House in their Freedom of the Press 2010 Report. Despite the fall of the regime following the January 25th uprising, a lack of freedom of expression remains in force today. Traditional media as well as citizen journalism have played an important role in setting the stage for change in the country. In the upcoming period, and in the context of the transition towards...

The media industry in Tanzania has grown in terms of strength and reach, with the early 1990s seeing the emergence of several newspapers and radio broadcasting stations. The growth of these independent and pluralistic radio stations and newspapers was characterized by an urgent need to move from top-down, statedriven propaganda to message-driven and participatory forms of dialogue and expression. Despite witnessing these dramatic changes in newspaper, television and radio stations in the country, there are very few programmes aired through radio and TV that focus on educating the society...

Southeast Asia is represented by a diverse range of countries in terms of politics, economy and culture, and a clear divergence in terms of respect and appreciation for fundamental human rights. The aforementioned diversity is also reflected in the media situation of the individual countries of the region, as found by respected international press freedom monitors. The 2010 press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders placed most of the countries in the region at the bottom quarter of the 178 countries assessed, while Freedom House concluded in its Freedom of the Press 2011 survey that...

The purpose of this project is to provide training for journalists in Egypt and Yemen on investigative journalism and computer assisted reporting. This training opportunity for countries in transition towards democracy is vital for capacity building of journalists and editors who suffer to varying degrees from censorship, concentration of media ownership, and a lack of tradition for in-depth reporting. The winds of change blowing across the Arab World at present have exposed structural and professional obstacles blocking the development of professional media. But a window of opportunity...

When Mongolia became a free-market democracy in the 1990s the number of media outlets drastically increased and thus so did the need for qualified journalists and media professionals. In the past ten years the number of media outlets, including newspapers, television, radio and magazines, has doubled, and the number of media employees has increased threefold. Mongolian tertiary training institutions have tried to meet this demand for qualified journalists. Currently there are 18 state and private higher educational institutions which offer journalism courses. However, the media managers...

This project aims to upgrade the skills of 90 local journalists from regional media houses in the provinces of southern Iraq (Basra, Maysan and Thee Qar), in the field of investigative journalism. This will raise the proficiency and professionalism of local reporters in accordance with international modern standards of investigative reporting. The project also aims to create a network of investigative reporters based initially on the participation of the 90 journalists who will receive training.
 
Transparency International reports Iraq to be the fourth most corrupt state in...

Since 1994, radio broadcasting in Malawi has grown in leaps and bounds. There are currently 7 community stations, 5 private broadcasting stations and 6 religious radio stations. The growth has had significant impact on the free flow and diversity of information in the country. This free flow of information has been particularly noticeable on programmes emanating from independent private broadcasters. Like their counterparts in the private print media before them, they have given the public the much needed alternative view on social, economic, political and developmental issues in Malawi....

In the 2011 Assessment of Media Development in Timor-Leste which is based on the UNESCO Media Development Indicators (MDI), media self-regulation is one of the prominent elements lacking in the current Timor-Leste media landscape. A healthy voluntary self-regulatory system within the media landscape is one of the cornerstones of freedom of expression, press freedom, and democratic governance. It is also the best means of guaranteeing high ethical and professional standards in journalism. Currently, there is no outlet to handle media complaints or to provide redress against unprofessional...

For a long time, the Mauritanian audio-visual sector was dominated by the two state-run media outlets - Radio Mauritanie and Télévision de Mauritanie, but with the July 2010 adoption by the National Assembly of a draft bill on the liberalisation of the audio-visual sector, the media landscape has begun to change. However, despite a rather favourable environment, the Mauritanian media is unable to take full advantage of the available opportunities due to a lack of specialist and quality training for media professionals. Mauritania's first journalism school is still in the design phase, and...