COMMENT BLOG
A remark, a critique, an opinion…
Information access under threat
A recently released UNESCO report confirms comprehensively what many of us have sensed: the rise of social media and digital communication platforms have created an existential challenge to independent media and journalism. “Journalism is a public good: World trends...
News media and disinformation in an unpredictable world
The 50th anniversary celebrations of NGO CSW/NY, which organizes the civil society side of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) commence this month. The civil society forum is the central stage for global advocacy to promote women’s empowerment, human...
Media “platforming” and the oxygen of publicity
In 1985, following the hijacking of a Trans World Airlines flight by a Shi’ite Muslim group, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher accused the news media of providing the terrorists with the “oxygen of publicity”. Thatcher misconstrued the role of public interest media,...
Tackling Digital Colonialism
Civil Society in the South needs to be empowered to prevent a new “Scramble for Africa” as tech giants seek to access and monetize data in countries with weak data protection regimes The expression “data is the new oil” has become commonplace over the past ten years....
‘Journalist’ or ‘Activist’?
In a recent training session for current and would be journalists, a repeated question came up – can a journalist be an activist? Or – asked with even more urgency in the context of injustice – how can a journalist not be an activist? There is a long-standing dialogue...
New threat to human rights in Putin’s Russia
Russia’s supreme court has ordered the closure of Memorial International, the country’s oldest human rights group. Memorial has joined a growing list of investigative news outlets, journalists, and rights organisations classed as being an agent of foreign powers. Many...
Chile at a Crossroads
Optimism brought about by drafting of new constitution dampened by polarizing presidential election Chile, a country known for being among the most prosperous and politically stable countries in Latin America over the past 30 years, is at a crossroads. And like at...
Are we our worst enemies in an increasingly authoritarian world?
In its 2021 report on the Global State of Democracy, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) stated that “the number of countries moving in an authoritarian direction exceeds the number of countries moving in a democratic direction” –...
Raising the bar in climate change communication #COP26
Thanks to the just-concluded UN climate summit COP26 (Glasgow, 31 Oct-12 November), conditions were just right to see climate change communication at its best, or worst. Over the two-week period, news media worldwide were presented with opportunities to grow or muddy...
A wake up call to the spectre of “anti-woke” news
There is widespread dismay at the spectre of former US President Donald Trump setting up his own social media app provocatively named TRUTH. A press release dated 20 October 2021 announced a merger between Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World...
A global call to defend independent journalism
The last time a working journalist won the Nobel Peace Prize, Europe – and eventually nations around the globe - were on the brink of World War II. German editor Carl von Ossietzky won the prize in 1936, “for his burning love for freedom of thought and expression and...
Language diversity and the Internet
Global internet freedom has declined for the 11th consecutive year, according to the latest report from Freedom House. “Freedom on the Internet 2021” focuses on surveillance, censorship, privacy legislation, and encryption. The report notes that “unequal access to the...
PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance