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1. Cuba's Parallel Worlds: Digital Media Crosses the Divide

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
08-2016
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
The Cuban government’s heavy-handed censorship practices are well documented, and evident in the virtual absence of independent print and broadcast journalism. Yet recently, many Cubans have shown themselves remarkably well informed about the outside world, in ways that cannot be explained by their traditional media offerings. This newfound benefit is the result of a parallel world of digital media, supported by ingenious Cuban workarounds. In “Cuba’s Parallel Worlds: Digital Media Crosses the Divide,” Anne Nelson analyzes the findings of two years of research, including extensive field work and on-the-ground surveys across the island. Nelson explores how the Cuban population has overcome restrictive information policies and limited infrastructure to access news and information. Indeed, the spread of technology on the island may be creating a new opening for long-stalled media development efforts. We are pleased to share this fascinating research in hope that it will not only inform the development of a more open and vibrant media ecosystem in Cuba, but also offer lessons for other countries struggling with similar conditions.
Topic:
Media, Propaganda, Repression, The Press, and Freedom of Press
Political Geography:
Cuba, Caribbean, and North America

2. CCTV's International Expansion Expansion: China's Grand Strategy for Media

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
China Central Television has come a long ways since its founding as a domestic party propaganda outlet in 1958. The domestic service has been supplemented by an international service, boasting three major global offices in Beijing, Washington, and Nairobi, and more than 70 additional international bureaus. The quality of CCTV’s journalism depends on both the region in which it’s produced, and the subject matter’s sensitivity in Beijing. On one hand, CCTV produces sophisticated long-form reports on complex international issues such as climate change; at the same time, its reporting on the Chinese Communist Party echoes the party line. CCTV’s biggest impact may be in regions where China is directing its international investments. The Nairobi operations complement extensive investments in African infrastructure, many of them in communications; China is also pursuing critical investment in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Media, Journalism, and Propaganda
Political Geography:
China, Asia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia

3. The Medium versus the Message: U.S. Government Funding for Media in an Age of Disruption

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
Digital media are disrupting every aspect of modern society, rebooting traditional practices and jumpstarting new disciplines ranging from telemedicine to robotic assembly lines. Along the way, they are rattling hierarchies, making blunders, and fomenting miracles.
Topic:
Development, Government, Science and Technology, and Mass Media
Political Geography:
United States

4. Funding Free Expression: Perceptions and Reality in a Changing Landscape

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
06-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
In early 2011, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) launched a research project to explore shifts in funding patterns for international freedom of expression activity. Twenty-one major donors responded to a survey, which was supplemented by eight in-depth interviews with donors and additional research on trends in Europe and the United States.
Topic:
Civil Society, Human Rights, International Affairs, Mass Media, and Foreign Aid

5. Continental Shift: New Trends in Private U.S. Funding for Media Development

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
The field of private sector funding of independent media abroad has continued to undergo a massive upheaval over the past two years. Two major factors have driven the change. The first is economic: The 2008 recession sharply reduced the portfolios of most traditional foundations and media philanthropies, many of them by 20-30 percent. They were still recovering when the aftershock of 2011 struck. These institutions, many of them based on the East Coast, had formerly led the way in funding international media development activities, with an emphasis on journalism training and support for freedom of expression. Now they are in a period of retrenchment, struggling to maintain existing commitments and with few resources to pursue new initiatives.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Communications, Mass Media, Foreign Aid, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
United States

6. Experimentation and Evolution in Private U.S. Funding of Media Development

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
10-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
U.S. foundations have long funded programs in both “media development” and “media for development,” but recent political and economic trends have shifted the balance between the two fields. No one disputes the value of media development, which promotes independent news media. Nor do they doubt the importance of media for development, which emphasizes the communication of critical information to vulnerable populations, whether or not the information or the media involved meet the definition of “news.” But as U.S. journalism has entered a period of crisis, along with its philanthropies, these institutions, which have historically funded media development, have retrenched. With the U.S. advertising-based business model in peril, new avenues and approaches are being explored, with a greater emphasis on addressing the domestic model before trying to apply it abroad.
Topic:
Mass Media and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:
United States

7. Experimentation and Evolution in Private U.S. Funding of Media Development

Author:
Anne Nelson
Publication Date:
10-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
U.S. foundations have long funded programs in both “media development” and “media for development,” but recent political and economic trends have shifted the balance between the two fields.
Topic:
Mass Media and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:
United States