COMMENT BLOG
A remark, a critique, an opinion…
World Wide Web or webs of intrigue?
In its 2019 report, the Internet Society asks whether the Internet economy is consolidating and, if it is, what the implications might be.
Support for local media
Subscribers to The Guardian in the UK recently received a message of appreciation from the Editor-in-Chief, Katherine Viner. She announced that after a three-year “turnaround” strategy the newspaper had hit its goal of breaking even – making a small profit that has been ploughed back into supporting their journalism.
Seeing and hearing people who matter
It is more and more evident that communication and information issues are intrinsically connected to questions of sustainable development and human dignity.
Digital vulnerability and global justice
Readers of Comment may have seen Clifford G. Christians’ article in the 1/2019 issue of WACC’s journal Media Development on “New digital technology and global communication ethics”.
Guaranteeing Internet freedom in a world of conflict
Protestors advocating for net neutrality rally outside the headquarters of the Comcast Corporation in Philadelphia, Jan. 2018. Photo: Michael Candelori/Shutterstock Everyone knows that in times of war: seize communications. Now it is happening in times of peace. In...
Stand up for press freedom worldwide!
It’s a more clandestine and dangerous world when journalists can be threatened with violence, detention, and death for doing their job. The 2019 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) points to a serious decline in media freedoms as...
Freedom of the press in an age of anxiety
Amal Clooney attends side event Press behind bars during 73rd UNGA session at United Nations Headquarters.Photo: Lev Radin/Shutterstock The UK Foreign Secretary has appointed international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to act as a special envoy on media freedom....
Instalike vs. Instahate
Photo: Gian Cescon/unsplash.com In the “good old days” of traditional media, there were gatekeepers whose task was to apply professional and ethical standards to content. In addition, government and public entities established print and broadcast regulations that were...
Why are Indigenous and minority languages important in today’s…
Photo: Cultural Survival The United Nations has declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages in order to raise awareness about the importance of linguistic diversity in relation to sustainable development, culture, knowledge, and collective memory....
Can migrants make themselves heard in the age of…
Migrants charging their mobile phones at Keleti railway station in Budapest in 2015. Photo: Herbert P Oczeret/EPA Rates of forced migration are the highest they have been in decades. In 2016, approximately 40 million people became internally displaced persons (IDPs)...
Media reform in the UK
Trustworthy news and opinion is the Holy Grail of journalism today. An independent report reviewing challenges facing high quality journalism in the UK has been published. The Cairncross Review: a sustainable future for journalism (12 February 2019) recommends a new...
What next for the web?
The 30th birthday of the World Wide Web saw its founder publish an open letter reflecting on how the web has changed our world. He identifies what must be done to build a better web that serves all of humanity. “The web has become a public square, a library, a...
PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance