Creative Associates International’s Post

The Role of Media in Peace and Development: Lessons from Case Studies The Role of Media: Media plays a crucial role in shaping public perception, fostering transparency, and promoting accountability. By providing a platform for diverse voices and stories, media can highlight issues that need attention and drive social change. Here are some key roles media plays: 1. Raising Awareness: Media brings attention to critical issues, such as human rights abuses, environmental concerns, and social injustices. 2. Promoting Dialogue:By facilitating discussions and debates, media helps bridge gaps between different communities and perspectives. 3. Ensuring Accountability:Investigative journalism can uncover corruption and hold powerful entities accountable. 4. Educating the Public: Media provides information that helps people make informed decisions about their lives and communities. Case Studies: 1. South Sudan Peacebuilding: Context: South Sudan has faced ongoing conflict since its independence in 2011. Media's Role: Local and international media have played a significant role in documenting the conflict and peace efforts. Reports and documentaries have raised global awareness and pressured international bodies to intervene. Impact: Media coverage has helped secure humanitarian aid and support for peace initiatives, highlighting the resilience and efforts of local communities. 2. Niger Delta Peace Network: Context: The Niger Delta region in Nigeria has experienced prolonged conflict due to resource control issues. Media's Role:The Partners for Peace (P4P) Network uses media to share success stories of peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Impact: By showcasing positive examples, media has inspired other communities to adopt similar approaches, fostering a culture of peace and collaboration. What Journalists and Media Learn: 1. Ethical Reporting: Journalists learn the importance of reporting accurately and ethically, ensuring that their work does not harm vulnerable communities. 2. Storytelling Skills: Effective storytelling is crucial for engaging audiences and conveying complex issues in an understandable way. 3. Investigative Techniques: Journalists develop skills in investigative research, fact-checking, and data analysis to uncover the truth. 4.Adaptability: With the media landscape constantly evolving, journalists must adapt to new technologies and platforms to stay relevant. 5. Empathy and Compassion: Reporting with empathy helps journalists connect with their subjects and audiences, fostering a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. By learning and applying these skills, journalists and media professionals can significantly contribute to peace and development efforts worldwide. #media #peacejournalism

Silenced pens - the battle for expression in Africa. ✍️ In February 2024, International Press Institute (IPI) documented that press freedom in Senegal, Nigeria, and Kenya was under serious threat. Beyond a set of numbers, this is a collection of stories about people who have shown immense courage in the face of danger. Free press is crucial for informed societies. Knowledge is not only power but also our right. 💡 Access to information is a fundamental right, and we must work together to protect journalistic freedom. By understanding these dynamics, we can enrich the global conversation and strengthen our commitment to safeguarding the foundations of our democratic institutions. Media monitoring is our secret superpower in the fight for press freedom! By keeping a close eye on the media landscape, we uncover the hidden battles journalists face, spotlighting censorship and championing the unsung heroes of free speech. 🔍 It's our way of ensuring that truth finds its way to you, sparking global conversations that fortify our democratic foundations. Let's stand together for an informed world! 🤝 #PressFreedom #InformedSociety #GlobalDialogue #MediaMonitoring Read more about the challenges 👉 https://lnkd.in/dz8xT__j

According to the statement, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and Global Rights: Advocates for Sustainable Justice, in collaboration with the INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE(IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), will hold a hybrid convening in Lagos under the theme: “The Imperative of Media Freedom for Democratic Governance”, to underscore the vital role that the media play in promoting transparency, accountability, good governance, and democracy. A separate event will be hosted in Abuja by Global Rights in collaboration with MRA and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR). The event will be a Webinar titled “Freedom of the Press in Peril – Raising the Bar for Press Freedom in Nigeria”, which is aimed at sparking a conversation on how to safeguard press freedoms in Africa and how the operational environment for the press can be improved in Nigeria and across the continent. https://lnkd.in/drQREPbh #worldpressfreedomday #pressfreedom #WorldPressFreedomDay2024 #mediacareerdevelopmentnetwork

The Shadow Report on the Albanian Media Landscape is a report developed by SCiDEV and Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa highlighting critical challenges and providing key recommendations as part of our engagement with the European Commission’s consultations for the Rule of Law Report for Albania. Key Recommendations: •Combat Media Concentration: Authorities should enact and enforce legislation to reduce media concentration, ensuring a diverse and pluralistic media market. •Guarantee Media Independence: Safeguard the independence of all media outlets by preventing political and financial interference in editorial policies. Ensure transparency in media ownership to prevent capture by political and economic interests. •Protect Journalists: Establish an effective monitoring system for attacks against journalists, with specific measures to protect women journalists. Amend the criminal code to enhance protection for journalists and provide law enforcement with the necessary training and resources to address media freedom violations. •Uphold Public Interest and Freedom of Information: Align the definition of public interest with European standards, rigorously enforce the law on Freedom of Information, and ensure media accreditation regulations do not hinder journalists' access to information. 📄 This report is available in both English and Albanian: https://bit.ly/3ykNp4E This report is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response and #ATLIB project, implemented by OBCT in cooperation with SCiDEV and #NUNS, and co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. #MediaFreedom #RuleOfLaw #JournalismSafety #SCiDEV #OBCT #NUNS

Social cohesion instead of division: In the DR Congo, together with our partners we have trained 350 journalists to become peace journalists. They rely on positive messages and a variety of perspectives. This way, they contribute to resolving conflicts and strengthening peaceful coexistence. Read how we are helping to shape a future in which media contribute to understanding and not to the break-up of a society. 🌍📻 #ViolencePrevention #PeaceJournalism #Media https://lnkd.in/dVbqa8J3

The Trump Administration will need to consider how much importance to put on countering malign influence on independent media in African democracies, including #Botswana, #CapeVerde, #Ghana, #Lesotho, #Mauritius, #Namibia, and #SouthAfrica. This includes how much importance to place on efforts to eliminate ownership stakes and mitigate covert influence in independent #media by #China, #Russia, and #Iran. If the #Trump administration makes strengthening the independent media in #Africa democracies a regional priority, then it could have a profound impact on the future of democracy across the region. (cc: Susie Wiles, Howard W. Lutnick, Linda McMahon) https://lnkd.in/g9449xC6

The civil war in Sudan is rarely given attention in the media, one year after it started. This ‘silent war’ has had long-term and devastating consequences. ARTICLE 19's findings show that the violations of the right to freedom of expression have further increased over the past year - from attacks against the media and journalists, internet shutdowns or manipulation of information. One of the things that has escaped scrutiny so far is the responsibility of online platforms. In this conflict, major social media published no information about steps taken in response to the conflict on their platforms (as compared to some of those related to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Israel and Palestine - albeit those have been strongly criticized). So we urge the platforms to take their responsibility seriously. This includes disclosing the resources they allocated to their content moderation efforts to account for the increased online and offline risks during conflicts, the level of engagement with humanitarian organisations and local civil society groups on the ground (taking into consideration the safety risks of the latter), and whether there are any rapid response systems to enable human rights groups to escalate urgent matters to the platforms and take swift action when user safety is at risk. We also remind internet service providers and telecommunication companies operating in Sudan, including MTN, Zain Group, Sudatel Telecom Group, Ltd, or Canar, of their human rights responsibilities. These include takinge all possible measures to prevent a shutdown that they have been asked to implement from proceeding and prevent or mitigate to the extent possible adverse human rights impacts. They should also publicly disclose details about any shutdown orders they receive. #Sudan #war #platforms #socialmedia #telcos #responsibilities #humanrights #freedomofexpression #connectivity https://lnkd.in/eYsrj5Af

Journalists Safety in Decline 🚨 Media is under pressure in #Kenya. ⬇ The 2010 Kenyan Constitution is recognized as one of Africa‘s most progressive in terms of press freedom. BUT 👉 concerns persist about restrictive media laws 👉 journalists often face threats, physical assaults, and harassment 👉 from 2022 to 2023, Kenya slid from position 69 to 116 in the Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders) FNF East Africa Office released a policy paper on the situation of Press Freedom in Kenya. The author Prof. George Nyabuga, recommends among others, the Media to: 👉 establish a legal defense network to support journalists facing threats 👉 engage with International Organisations and foreign governments to increase support for Press Freedom the government to: 👉 disband the Government Advertising Agency to decrease government influence over media 👉 hold officials accountable for undermining Press Freedom #HumanRights #Journalism #Africa #FreedomofthePress

𝗭𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. This year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI), commemorated annually on 2 November, offers Zimbabwe the opportunity to reflect on how best it can improve its international press freedom rankings. The commemorations are being held under the theme: Safety of Journalists in Crises and Emergencies. Zimbabwe moved 10 places from 126 in 2023 to 116 in 2024 in Reporters Without Borders’s World Press Freedom Index rankings. This came on the backdrop of reductions in media freedom violations last year, culminating in an improved media operating environment during Zimbabwe’s 2023 election season. In 2023, MISA Zimbabwe recorded 16 incidents of media freedom violations compared to 24 in 2022. This marked a 33.3 percent decrease in media violations in 2023. Encouragingly, as the year ends, MISA Zimbabwe has recorded seven (7) incidents of media freedom violations to date, compared to the 14 recorded by this time last year. According to UNESCO, impunity for lethal and non-lethal attacks against journalists perpetuates a cycle of violence, which is a key indicator in ensuring public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/ddhkba5U #IDEI #IDEI2024