News Roundup Archive

Thursday, November 7, 2013

USIP's Media, Conflict & Peacebuilding Roundup

 

United States Institute of Peace

 

 

Center of Innovation: Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding

Weekly News Roundup, October 31 - November 6, 2013

Media and Journalism

Internet and Social Media

What's New from PeaceMedia

**Click here to subscribe to USIP's Science, Technology and Peacebuilding News Roundup.**


Media and Journalism

Iranian Newspaper Runs Fake Radio Farda Terrorist Interview
An Iranian daily has published an interview with an extremist group accused of carrying out a recent terrorist attack, claiming that the interview was conducted by RFE/RL's Radio Farda. The daily "Vatan-e Emruz" published the interview in its November 3 issue under the headline "America Supports The Saravan Crime." Radio Farda has categorically denied conducting the interview.
See the full article (RFE/RL, 11/6/13)
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Iran Minister Calls for Access to Social Networks
Iran's Culture Minister, Ali Jannati, has said that social networks should be made accessible to ordinary Iranians. Mr Jannati was quoted by the Iran state news agency as singling Facebook out for special mention, saying it should be available for everyone. Such sites were blocked in 2009, when millions protested against the result of a disputed presidential election.
See the full article (BBC, 11/5/13)
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Iran's Closure of Reformist Newspaper Raises Concerns About Press Freedom
The shutdown of a reformist daily last week has led some Iranian journalists to question how committed the administration of new president Hassan Rouhani is to greater freedom for a long-fettered press. This past Monday, Alaeddin Zohourian, chairman of the state media supervision council, announced that the Bahar newspaper “has been suspended and its dossier has been referred to the judiciary for an inquest.”
See the full article (Guardian 11/4/13)
Click to read "New Iran Diplomacy Heightens Pressure from Opponents" an Olive Branch Post by Viola Gienger.
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Is Peace Journalism Worth Considering?
Australian journalist and scholar Jake Lynch and his colleague Annabel McGoldrick are known for their practical approach to ‘peace journalism’, looking at improving the way broadcasters report on issues, particularly conflict. They have recently conducted an experiment, including South Africa, in which a television news item was re-recorded, with the same presenters telling the story in a different way, and with different sources.
See the full article (Media Online, Wadim Schreiner, 11/1/13)
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Intimidating Pakistan’s Press
The Shura-e-Mujahedeen, a group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, recently reissued a year-old fatwa describing Pakistani journalists and media outlets as “enemies of the mujahedeen.” The decree threatened several radio stations and included photographs of the popular political talk show hosts Hamid Mir and Hasan Nisar, accusing them of promoting secular and Western values and spreading anti-Muslim propaganda.
See the full article (New York Times, Huma Yusuf, 10/31/13) *NYT subscription may be required to read full story
Click to read "ASAP – Not a Moment Too Soon for Afghanistan" an Olive Branch Post by Scott Smith.
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After Reforms Ethnic Media Emerge in Burma, but Challenges Remain
Since Burma’s government lifted long-standing media restrictions early this year, several independent news publications have been set up that intend to serve populations in ethnic regions. These pioneering publishers say, however, that they face many challenges.
See the full article (Irrawaddy, San Yamin Aung, 10/31/13)
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Internet and Social Media

Joseph Kony - The Adventure Show
Journalist, author of the book The World's Most Dangerous Places and rugged man's man Robert Pelton, has taken it upon himself to find Kony – with your (financial) support. Pelton is raising money on a crowd-sourcing platform for Dangerous, a "multi-media real world participatory platform" that seeks to not only deliver excitement to audiences – but also to deliver solutions.
See the full article (Guardian, Corinna Jentzsch, 11/6/13)
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Mobile Survey Platform GeoPoll Raises $6.6M Series A To Reach People In Developing Countries
Smartphones have become so commonplace in developed countries that it can be hard to imagine life without them. But the worldwide Internet penetration rate is just 39%, according to the International Telecommunication Union, and in Africa, only 16% of people are online. Mobile-cellular penetration rates are 89% in developing countries, however, with many people relying on their phones for online access. As more organizations use Internet surveys to conduct research into subjects ranging from product preferences to human rights, GeoPoll‘s platform seeks to help them to reach people on feature phones or even more basic devices.
See the full article (TechCrunch, Catherine Shu 11/6/13)
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Uncensored Instagrams From North Korea Buck Brutal Trend of Secrecy
When Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder first went to North Korea in 2000, he was plunged into the dark—he had to leave his phone at customs, and his hotel windows were covered with black plastic. In January it allowed foreigners to carry phones; in February it activated a 3G network for visitors. As the AP’s chief photographer for Asia, Guttenfelder now sends out images from the Pyongyang bureau and posts daily to Instagram. In a country without the Internet, a reporter with social media is king, so we asked Guttenfelder for his report from inside.
See the full article (Wired, David Guttenfelder, 11/4/13)
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Vietnam's Insane Ban on Sharing News Online
To say Vietnam has a troubled relationship with the Internet would be an understatement. Despite government efforts to repress it, social media, especially Facebook, is immensely popular in Vietnam, with an estimated 70 percent penetration of the total Internet-using population.
See the full article (Slate, Ariel Bogle, 11/1/13)
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What's New from PeaceMedia

"Friendship Games to bring Haitian and Dominican youth together" - UNICEF
UNICEF's Thomas Nybo reports on a 'friendship games' sporting event organized in 2011 to bridge the divide between Haitian and Dominican youth.
See the full video
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USIP's Science, Technology & Peacebuilding Roundup

 

United States Institute of Peace

 

Center of Innovation: Science, Technology and Peacebuilding

Weekly News Roundup, October 31 - November 6, 2013

Table of Contents

**Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup,
which includes a special section on Internet and social media.**


Mobile Survey Platform GeoPoll Raises $6.6M Series A To Reach People In Developing Countries
Smartphones have become so commonplace in developed countries that it can be hard to imagine life without them. But the worldwide Internet penetration rate is just 39%, according to the International Telecommunication Union, and in Africa, only 16% of people are online. Mobile-cellular penetration rates are 89% in developing countries, however, with many people relying on their phones for online access. As more organizations use Internet surveys to conduct research into subjects ranging from product preferences to human rights, GeoPoll‘s platform seeks to help them to reach people on feature phones or even more basic devices.
See the full article (TechCrunch, Catherine Shu 11/6/13)
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Peaceful Protest is Much More Effective than Violence for Toppling Dictators
Political scientist Erica Chenoweth used to believe, as many do, that violence is the most reliable way to get rid of a dictator. History is filled, after all, with coups, rebellions and civil wars. "I collected data on all major nonviolent and violent campaigns for the overthrow of a government or a territorial liberation since 1900," she says -- hundreds of cases. "The data blew me away." "Nonviolent campaigns are becoming increasingly successful."
See the full article (Washington Post, Max Fisher, 11/5/13)
Click to read about USIP’s upcoming event “Comparative National Dialogue Approaches” on November 6, 2013 at 9:30.
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Drone Strike Aftermath: Militant 'Kennedys' Pose Bigger Threat than Pakistani Taliban
Hours after the death of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, the militant group's counterparts across the border condemned the "cowardly U.S. drone attack." "If America believes that by martyring mujahedeen they will somehow create a void and reach their selfish aims then they are greatly mistaken," the Afghan Taliban said in a statement.
See the full article (NBC News, Wajahat S. Khan, 11/5/13)
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The Dark Side of Psychology in Abuse and Interrogation
This week the Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) and the Open Society Foundations (OSF) have published the most comprehensive study on the role of psychologists in the War on Terror. At 269 pages, the full report is as detailed as it is grim, concluding that American psychologists collaborated extensively with the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the CIA to develop a range of interrogation methods used in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo Bay.
See the full article (Guardian, Chris Chambers, 11/5/13)
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Nigeria: Insecurity - Modern Technology to the Rescue
Every day in Nigeria, the news seems to get from bad to worse, as the security situation deteriorates further and further. It is ridiculous to know that our government negotiates with terrorists using mobile phones, but up till today, our security agencies have not used simple tracking devices to locate them. The world of technology has developed over time, but we have refused to move along with technology. Multiple technologies exit that can be used to improve security, but our security agencies may not even be aware of them. How can they tackle terror in this age?
See the full article (AllAfrica, Sani Nadabo, 11/3/13)
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Pakistani Taliban Chief Killed in Drone Strike
The head of the Pakistani Taliban was killed by a U.S. drone strike on Friday, security and Taliban sources said, in a blow to the fragmented movement fighting against the nuclear-armed South Asian nation. Hakimullah Mehsud was one of the most wanted and feared men in Pakistan with a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head, leading an insurgency from a mountain hideout in North Waziristan, the Taliban's stronghold on the Afghan frontier.
See the full article (Reuters, Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Jibran Ahmed, 11/1/13)
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DARPA Plans to Arm Drones With Missile-Blasting Lasers
The Pentagon this week edged closer to mounting missile-destroying lasers on unmanned and manned aircraft, awarding $26 million to defense contractors to develop the technology. Under the name Project Endurance, DARPA, the Department of Defense’s research agency, awarded Northrop Grumman $14.6 million and Lockheed Martin $11.4 million in contracts for the effort, according to Military & Aerospace Electronics. Called “Project Endurance,” the research will “develop technology for pod-mounted lasers to protect a variety of airborne platforms from emerging and legacy electro-optical IR guided surface-to-air missiles,” according to DARPA’s 2014 budget request.
See the full article (Wired, Allen McDuffee, 11/1/13)
[Return to top]

Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup,
which includes a special section on Internet and social media.

Did we miss anything?

 

 


Share this: FacebookTwitterDeliciousDiggMySpaceStumbleUponGoogleMicrosoftYahoo! BookmarksLinkedIn| Forward this to a Friend