As the illiteracy rate in the rural areas is still high, radio is the most commonly used medium of the rural people in Cambodia to receive information, with almost every family in the provinces owning a radio set. Although provincial radio stations do exist in more than 10 provinces in Cambodia, most of their programming content is relayed from the Radio Nationale Kampuchea (RNK) in Phnom Penh. Therefore, the majority of programmes do not serve the specific requirements of the community people since the information needs of provincial people are different, not least in geographical terms....
IPDC Project scope: National
2012 is an election year in post-conflict Sierra Leone. Given the deep scars of the past, peace is fragile and the electoral period could see a relapse into violence if, inter alia, the people feel disenfranchised in any way. Access to credible and objective information is crucial. The country’s fledgling democracy still lacks the maturity to handle political tolerance there is therefore the need for a sustained media campaign. The media landscape is generally free as there is no blatant government interference, however a number of the media outlets, particularly the print media, are...
Local Palestinian journalists have struggled to respond to threats to their personal safety and journalistic integrity. The Palestinian media sphere, which has long since been dominated by partisan control and self-censorship, has become further politically polarized and driven by factions, rather than citizens’ concerns. According to Ma'an’s 2011 survey, 39% of Palestinians felt that local media negatively impacts the Palestinian internal division. At the same time, Palestinian journalists committed to independent, non-partisan coverage feel under siege from all sides, as investigative...
The development of the radio sector in Lao PDR is slow, especially in the northern, mountainous part of the country where radio signal cannot reach many communities. Like the rest of the country’s media sector, Lao National Radio lacks the equipment for developing radio networks. Its capacity needs to be enhanced if it is to compete with international broadcasters and growing new media.
Nearly 44 percent of the country’s total population (6.3 million) is regarded as a member of various minority ethnic groups. Xiengkho District, one of the 47 poorest districts of Laos, has...
The Djiboutian media landscape comprises both print and electronic media outlets, but no daily newspapers are published in the country. The Djibouti Radio and Television Broadcasting Service (RTD) is the only state-run radio outlet, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. The RTD operates 2 FM stations and 2 AM stations. Djibouti has no formal structures which provide training in the fields of communication and journalism. In July and August 2011, a UNESCO mission conducted an on-site survey to assess needs in the area of journalism training. The...
In the demanding regional context of the Middle East, popular movements against authoritative regimes have been empowered by media. Within the specific context of Palestine, an urgent need exists for an independent voice represented by a professional media outlet, however at present, Palestinians are faced with the difficult choice of watching partisan local news on TV which is either government affiliated or linked to the Hamas Movement. In both cases, viewers are often faced by advertising slogans, biased viewpoints and attitudes, and party politics. Wattan TV, on the other hand, has...
The private sector print media industry in Myanmar is best characterized by its diversity, with about 400 licensed publications circulating. Of these, perhaps 100 fit into the category of news publications. There is no one single dominant player, with perhaps five to 10 large companies and many smaller operators. The private sector’s reach is however limited mostly to urban areas, particularly Yangon and Mandalay. With the government making encouraging moves towards reform, there is an acute need in Myanmar for well trained journalists to report on, and create awareness about, the...
The role played by mass media and press agencies in promoting democracy and the development of any given country is indisputable. As a developing nation, engaged in bringing tangible social and economic change, Ethiopia needs well-qualified journalists and communicators. The country has long been in need of such professionals since until very recently none of its higher institutions offered a Journalism and Communications programme of study.
The Department of Journalism and Communication at Mekelle University is one of ten departments under the College of Social Sciences and...
In Tunisia, both the print press and broadcasting were tightly controlled by public authorities. The mainstream press toed the party line and authorities regularly blocked access to alternate news sources. In the wake of the January 2011 popular revolt, many journalists have been able to enjoy new-found freedoms. The new government will now be faced with the difficult task of ensuring a smooth democratic transition, involving: 1) Creating a favourable environment for the media to fulfil their democratic potential will be essential in this process. 2) Putting in place new media laws. These...
In the last 20 years, Vietnam’s media landscape has expanded rapidly in terms of platforms, publications, journalists and audience figures. Though this represents an encouraging trend in terms of public access to information, the development has tended to be concentrated in the urban areas, with those living in remote, mountainous and ethnic minority communities being deprived of such improvement. Given this backdrop, since 2011, the Vietnamese Government has started to implement a “National Target Programme expanding information to remote, mountainous, border and islands areas” aimed at...
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