AudiencScapes

Despite the government crackdown on Facebook and Twitter, more Chinese citizens than ever are using the internet. Some are using social media to question or criticize the government. Will the pressure from China’s growing population of netizens usher in a new era of transparency or information control?

In the past several years, aid donors and others focused on improving lives in developing countries have been touting social media's ability to empower citizens to foment social change.  Two recent high-profile examples are the “Arab Spring” and popular unrest in China, where social media clearly played roles.  But what about places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where access to social media remains very limited, if not absent altogether? Caldwell Bishop reports from a recent event on the upcoming elections in Congo............

As tens of thousands of Egyptians held a “Day of Revolt” and the Tunisian intifada continued into its fourth week, it is clear that media are playing a key role mobilizing protesters. But what is the role of media in continuing this political momentum? InterMedia Middle East research manager Diana Turecek discusses.....

by David Montez, AudienceScapes Analyst19 May 2010Recently the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) hosted a panel discussion discussing the Center’s recently released report Shifting Sands: The Impact of Satellite TV on Media in the Arab World. The author of the report, Deborah Horan, is a former journalist with the Chicago Tribune and Houston Chronicle. During her tenure Ms. Horan covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region at-large. Shifting Sands provides a solid overview of the history of Arab satellite TV, covering the emergence of al-Jazeera and other satellite channels, while observing the limited influence they have on political reform in the region.