IT was natural that the death of a second Cabinet minister in a month should attract headline attention in the media, but ZBC’s coverage of the death of Defence Minister Moven Mahachi in yet another car accident, was excessive and repetitive. On average, 50% of the items in all its news bulletins (radio and TV) on Sunday (27/5) focused on Mahachi and included many repetitions of the same condolence messages without giving much detail of the accident or Mahachi’s record.

World Press Trends is the primary and most authoritative source of data on the newspaper industry world-wide. The 2001 edition has been extended to include trends and statistics in 64 countries. The 237-page report presents a broad overview of the industry as well as detailed analyses of individual markets.

Chad's six unsuccessful presidential candidates were all picked up for questioning by police on Monday and then released an hour later. The six men were meeting just hours after it was announced that Chad's incumbent President Idriss Deby had won an outright majority in the first round of voting, making a second round unnecessary. The six opposition candidates had issued a joint statement last Thursday alleging fraud in the 20 May poll, but foreign observers said the vote appeared to be fair.

semaine du 25.05.01 au 03.06.01.

Masvingo’s Mayoral elections again exposed the state media’s bias in favour of the ruling party. In previous weeks these media had given ample platform to the ruling party to campaign. In the week even after the defeat of the ruling party, the state-media solicited opinions from an array of Zanu PF sources. On the day the results were announced ZBCTV gave little airtime to the victor. On the other hand, The Daily News’ had a subjective interpretation of the results, both in its headline and in the text.

A look at new policies around information, Internet access and multimedia in Cote D'Ivoire. New infrastructure and policy developments have gone ahead despite a telco monopoly and political upheaval. However, there are still several obstacles to becoming a connected computer user.

Wayne Marshall, UNIX programmer and African resident, shares concern over what he names "the new zeal of the high-tech missionary" - delivering internet access. Access delivery does not mean that projects are planned well. They need to be carried out with insight into issues like sustainability and relevance.

Title: PATT -Technology Education Conference.
Date: October 2001
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Closing Date for Submission of Papers: 11 June 2001-05-28
Cost of Conference: Conference fees (incl. teas, lunch and functions)
Authors presenting a paper: $ 200/R 1200 (reduced: R 600)
Delegates $ 210/R 1300 (reduced: R 650)
Contact Details: Prof. Nico Beute Tel +27 21 460-3657
Dean: Engineering Faculty Fax +27 21 460-3701
Cape Technikon Email: [email protected]
PO Box 652, Cape Town, 8000 RSA

Political parties are not fair game for the press, senior advocate George Bizos told the Johannesburg High Court yesterday. Van Niekerk and Mda lodged the application in response to a statement made by senior ANC leader Jeff Radebe to the Human Rights Commission during its hearings on media racism last year. Radebe told the commission that Van Niekerk had authored a critical opinion piece on Thabo Mbeki, who was deputy president at the time, and published it under Mda's name.

Former SA minister of post and telecommunications Jay Naidoo yesterday called on the private sector to overcome the “paralysis of analysis” on the digital divide and start on concrete projects to overcome it, and profit in the process.

Despite recent political upheavals, the internet in Cote D'Ivoire continues to grow steadily. Although the semi-privatised state telco operates a monopoly, its regulatory regime has been sufficiently liberal to encourage new operators. As a regional hub for the computer industry it should have considerable future potential. Kokou Adediha looks at what's happening.

APC has launched the Africa Hafkin Prize to reward outstanding African initiatives that successfully use information and communications technology (ICT) for development. APC will accept nominations for the Hafkin Prize until 31 May 2001 through the Hafkin Prize Web site.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has invested in new technology to bring its ever-popular First Course in Fundraising to the Internet. The online version, which will debut on June 4, is meant to complement the live version of the course, which is hosted by AFP chapters throughout North America.

NPower's Tech Surveyor is a free tool that makes it easy to gather detailed info about your organization's computers, servers, networks, printers and other peripherals, and key software. It can also profile the technology skills of your organization's staff.

A "Journalist' Guide to the ICC" has been produced as part of the the International Criminal Court Technical Assistance Program. It is being distributed to journalists who attend the program's regional workshops, but in an effort to distribute it more widely, it is now available online. Please feel free to draw journalists' attention to this guide, which we feel is a concise summary that can help media in their coverage of ICC issues. If you would like a printable MS Word copy of the Guide, please e-mail Mike Crawley.

This report is submitted as a consultation to the Digital Opportunities Task Force (DOT Force), a Digital Divide initiative of the Group of Eight (G-8). The report’s substance is drawn from comments solicited and received from the public at large. Those comments address four questions: what are the best approaches to address the digital divide? what are the current barriers to greater Internet access? what organizations are currently working on the Digital Divide?
how should groups narrow the Digital Divide?

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Ten years after the United Nation's landmark declaration promoting an "independent and pluralistic" African press, the 2001 Windhoek Charter demands action to protect broadcasting in the public interest.

Five MediaChannel affiliates discuss their initiatives, the advantages of new technology and the challenges of struggling democracies.