Media freedom, self-regulation: the Ghanaian experience

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Until 1992, journalists and editors in Ghana, and the independent media in general, have suffered a lot at the hands of undemocratic regimes, which cracked down on critical reporting and imposed strict restrictions limiting media freedom. As a new, liberal constitution was being written in 1992, media activists came out guns blazing, demanding that media suffering end and reporting become free. [view twitterfall] 10 Mar 2011 10:06

Applications invited for UN journalism fellowships

[Carole Kimutai] The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists is now accepting applications from professional journalists from developing countries for its 2011 Fellowship Program. The application deadline is 6 April 2011. 10 Mar 2011 08:19

African media and the self-regulation dilemma

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As the independent media in Africa is engaged in a fierce battle against repressive and not-so-democratic governments keen to sweep their corrupt wrongdoings under the carpet, the issue of self-regulation has become almost like a daily bread in many parts of the continent. [view twitterfall] 10 Mar 2011 08:07

Right of access to information hampered by govts - media conference

[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The right of access to information is being hampered in many parts of the world, especially in Africa, by government officials wary of journalists' desire to 'embarrass' them, and the state's 'insincere' reason of hiding behind the issue of national security. This emerged today, Wednesday, 9 March 2011, at the Regulations and Rights media conference at Wits University in Johannesburg. [view twitterfall] 9 Mar 2011 13:17

Egypt: Revolution busts Mubarak's media monopoly

[Simon Allison] An essential part of former dictator Hosni Mubarak's strategy was controlling the media. However, over the last decade, access to television stations such as Al-Jazeera and to a lesser extent Al Arabiya, not to mention increasing Internet in Egypt, has meant losing his grip on the media. Now there's a chance for free and independent media to take root. 14 Feb 2011 09:56

ME conference opens with call to protect journalists

DUBAI, UAE: The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) opened its annual Middle East Conference this week by calling on authorities to protect journalists covering the ongoing demonstrations in the region and to allow the press to fulfil its role in providing free and credible news. 10 Feb 2011 11:15

IWMF condemns attack on journalists

WASHINGTON DC, US: The International Women's Media Foundation strongly condemns the violence against international media covering the historic events unfolding in Egypt. 8 Feb 2011 09:50

Dubai Lynx Festival 2011 dates, new venue

DUBAI, UAE: The Dubai International Advertising Festival in 2011 will take place over two and a half days, 27- 29 March and the Dubai Lynx Awards, honouring North Africa and the Middle East's best work in advertising and creative communications, will be held on 30 March. Both events will take place for the first time at the Arabian coast resort, the Madinat Jumeirah, in Dubai. 12 Nov 2010 06:53

Global study: Leading broadcasters present balanced view of international violence

LONDON, UK: Media Tenor and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) recently announced the results of Peace & the Media, the first study into the accuracy of international TV news programmes with regards to violence, conflict and peace issues. The study reveals that while a majority of broadcasters present an accurate view of violence levels*, key UK and US broadcasters devote more than 50% of their time to topics of violence. 10 Nov 2010 07:18

CNN enlists top journalism students for iReport initiative

ATLANTA, US: CNN has announced the launch of a new initiative for journalism students, called CNN iReport University, linked to iReport, the network's user-generated news community. 16 Sep 2010 10:35

Egyptian court says no to websites' ban

An attempt by an Egyptian judge to ban 51 websites to which he takes exception suffered a setback recently when a court ruled against him. 3 Jan 2008 09:46

African nations agree to $1 billion Indian satellite project

A critical mass of countries are signing on to a plan for India to invest $1 billion in the Pan-African e-Network satellite project, a joint initiative with the Africa Union aimed at developing the region's information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. 30 Nov 2007 12:04

Four young Kenyans become mobile reporters

“This is a great opportunity to promote responsive journalism and democracy in Kenya,” says Munene Kilongi. He is standing in a street in Nairobi while he is sending his report on the elections in Kenya from his mobile phone. 22 Nov 2007 06:56