COMMENT BLOG
A remark, a critique, an opinion…
Media puppetry in Poland
Here is an example of why media independence is vital to people everywhere. In Poland, the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) alleges the media are controlled by Germany and says foreign control should be stopped. The real aim is to bring the media into...
It takes a village to keep children safe both online and offline
Children now represent one third of all Internet users. This number is expected to increase once developing countries – where most of the world’s children live –become digitized. This is both exciting and worrisome. Exciting because it has been established that...
Measures to tackle disinformation and propaganda in Europe
Recently, the European parliament voted in favour of stronger EU measures aimed at countering “highly dangerous” Russian disinformation and at upgrading the EU’s anti-propaganda unit. The “European Parliament resolution on foreign electoral interference and...
Media reform is alive and kicking!
In September 2019, in a victory for the principles underlying media democracy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rebuked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by overturning the agency’s latest attempts to eliminate long-standing limits on...
‘It takes a village to keep children safe both online and offline’
Children now represent one third of all Internet users. This number is expected to increase once developing countries – where most of the world’s children live –become digitized. This is both exciting and worrisome. Exciting because it has been established that...
Protest in the digital realm
Digital technology is a growing force in today’s world. Since advocacy groups during the Vietnam War became incensed by televised images of suffering and torture, information and communication technology has changed the way we interact with the world around us. But it...
Media independence: A fundamental question
It’s surprising that the issue of “fake news” took so long to raise its head. Deliberate misinformation and bias have been around for as long as journalism itself – more than 400 years by some accounts. The yellow press (a term coined in the 1890s to describe the...
How the 5G wireless dividend can help connect those left behind
Private, public, and civil society actors should work together to encourage more sustainable financing of universal access efforts Access to communication and information tools and platforms, including digital platforms, is essential to enable us all to exercise our...
Political accountability in the age of Twitter
On 19 September, Veteran BBC journalist John Humphreys hosted his last “Today” radio programme after 32 years. Known for his aggressive interviewing on a morning news programme that for decades has often set the tone and issues for the day’s news in Britain, he used...
When fact-checking isn’t about ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
The rise of “fake news” charges and deliberate disinformation have led to an important counter effort: fact-checking. News agencies, civil society organisations, and concerned individuals have taken on the fight for “truth” – assessing political claims and struggling...
Children’s communication rights need better protection
Google should have known better! An Associated Press piece in The Guardian newspaper (“YouTube fined $170m for collecting children's personal data”, 4 September 2019) notes a serious violation of children’s right to privacy: “Google’s video site YouTube has been fined...
Climate change literacy and community media
Not everyone is familiar with climate change. A new survey released by Afrobarometer paints a bleak picture of how agriculture conditions are worsening due to higher temperatures, delayed rainfall, and crop failure. Crucially, among some people, it also identifies...
PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance