Monday, June 19, 2006

2006 AISI Media Award/Prix des Media 2006

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Announcement/Annonce: 2006 AISI Media Award/Prix des Media 2006


2005 AISI Media Awards
Deadline for Applications: 15 August 2006

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and its partners are pleased to announce the 2006 AISI Media Awards.

The AISI Media Awards were introduced in 2003 to encourage more informed coverage of the information society and ICT for development issues in Africa as part of ECA’s Information Society Outreach and Communication Programme. The Awards are aimed at individual journalists and media institutions based in Africa that are “promoting journalism which contributes to a better understanding of the information society in Africa. Although the media in Africa are beginning to report on ICT issues, there is still a wide gap in their knowledge and comprehension of the subject in relation to development trends within their national context. The aims are to:

· Create greater awareness on the role of ICTs in the development process within the framework of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI);
· Support African media to specialize and master ICTs and development issues thereby sharpening their skills and knowledge base;
· Enhance access to information on this subject area by various African stakeholders, thereby raising greater awareness; and
· Stimulate national debates on key issues and emerging trends.



The AISI Media Awards is intended to be an annual event to honour media institutions and professionals. The winners of the 2005 Awards were announced in September 2005 at the Highway Africa Conference held in Grahmstown, South Africa. Details of the 2003, 2004, and 2005 AISI Media Awards can be found at: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm


AISI Media Awards 2006

The deadline for the 2006 AISI Media Awards programme is 15th August 2006


Please send the completed form and the entries by e-mail as soon as possible, and the original evidences by mail (post).

Contact : Afework Temtime [mailto:ATemtime@uneca.org]
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ANNONCE


Prix AISI des Médias 2006
Date de clôture de dépôt des soumissions des dossiers de candidatures : 15 Août 2006


La Commission économique pour l’Afrique (CEA) et ses Partenaires ont le plaisir de vous annoncer le lancement des Prix AISI des Médias 2006.

Les Prix AISI des Médias ont été introduits en 2003 pour encourager les meilleurs reportages sur la société de l’information et les technologies de l’information et de la communication pour le développement, partie prenante du programme d’information et de communication de la CEA. Le Prix AISI des médias s’adresse aux journalistes et médias basés en Afrique qui s’efforcent de «promouvoir un journalisme qui contribue à une meilleure compréhension des enjeux de la société de l’information en Afrique ». Bien qu’ils commencent à entreprendre des reportages sur les TIC, les médias africains ont encore une connaissance et une compréhension très limitées du sujet en rapport avec les tendances de développement dans les contextes nationaux.

Les objectifs spécifiques de ces prix sont les suivants :

· Sensibiliser davantage le public sur le rôle que les TIC jouent dans le développement, dans le cadre de l’Initiative de la Société de l’Information en Afrique;
· Soutenir les médias africains afin de leur permettre de maîtriser les TIC ainsi que les problématiques liées au développement et, fortes de cette spécialisation, parfaire leurs compétences et connaissances;
· Donner à de multiples acteurs africains, l’accès à l’information sur ce sujet pour mieux le faire connaître ;
· Encourager un débat national sur les sujets et tendances d’actualité ;



Le Prix AISI des médias sera attribué chaque année, pour faire honneur aux médias et aux journalistes. Les lauréats des Prix AISI des Média 2005 ont reçu leurs différents prix en septembre 2005 lors de la Conférence de Highway Africa à Grahmstwon en Afrique du Sud. Les informations sur les Prix AISI des Média 2003, 2004 et 2005 sont disponibles sur le site : http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm

Ceux qui doivent participer, envoyer par courrier électronique le formulaire rempli et envoyer les articles, coupures de presse par la poste. Ci-joint l'annonce complete et le formulaire...

Contact : Afework Temtime [mailto:ATemtime@uneca.org]

Friday, June 09, 2006

California Appeals Court Rules Bloggers Are Journalists

In a decision that could set the tone for journalism in the digital age, a California appeals court ruled Friday that bloggers, like traditional reporters, have the right to keep their sources confidential.

A panel of three judges said in a 69-page decision that a group of bloggers did not have to divulge their sources to Cupertino's Apple Computer Inc., contending that the same laws that protect traditional journalists, the First Amendment and California's Shield Law, also apply to bloggers.

Siding with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a high-tech legal group that had filed the appeal, the judges said that Apple could not force the bloggers to reveal the identity of the person -- presumably an Apple employee -- who had leaked details about a digital-music-related project code-named "Asteroid" to a number of bloggers. The details of the product release were published on several Web logs, Internet sites commonly referred to as blogs, including Jason O'Grady's PowerPage, which reports on Apple news.

"This was a huge win for the First Amendment and for journalists who publish online," said Lauren Gelman, associate director for Stanford's Center for Internet and Society, who filed a brief supporting the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "The court recognized that in the modern era, one way journalists publish information is through the Internet."

The decision by the state Court of Appeal in San Jose, which reverses a ruling by the Santa Clara County Superior Court, speaks to changes in the way news is gathered and published. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can now be a reporter. It also means that information, not limited by region or resources, can reach far and wide via the Web.

In their ruling, the judges said the online news sites should be treated as newspapers, television and radio broadcasts are. O'Grady and the other bloggers, they contended, were acting as traditional reporters and editors do: developing sources, collecting information and publishing it, albeit on the Web.

"The shield law is intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is what the petitioners did here," the judges said in the ruling.

Apple had initially argued that the bloggers shouldn't be considered journalists. The maker of the popular iPod digital music player, along with other Bay Area high-tech companies such as Intel Corp. and Genentech, also were concerned that the Internet had made it easy for the bloggers to make their trade secrets public, potentially giving their competitors an edge and harming their business.

But Kurt Opsahl, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the companies can still protect their businesses but cannot use reporters as their first resort to expose a leak.

"The court upheld strong protections for the free flow of information to the press and from the press to the public," Opsahl said.

In addition, the judges ruled that, in the digital age, bloggers' e-mails should also be protected, just like a telephone call or written document. Apple had not sued the bloggers directly but had tried to subpoena their Internet service provider, which had access to the e-mails sent between the confidential source and the bloggers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, representing the bloggers, intervened.

In the end, the judges made little distinction between online journalists and traditional journalists.

"Does Walter Cronkite stop being a journalist if he blogs for the Huffington Post (an online news site)?" Opsahl said. "What makes a journalist a journalist is not the format. If you're engaged in journalism, you're a journalist. You have to look beyond the medium selected."

George Riley, an outside attorney representing Apple, declined to comment. Apple did not return calls for comment. It was not clear whether the company would appeal.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/27/MNGTGJ3K7S1.DTL

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Call for Scholarships for Highway Africa 2006

This year's 10th Highway Africa Conference is taking place from 11 to 15
September 2006 at Rhodes University which is situated in Grahamstown, South Africa. There are still a limited number of scholarships available. Pls also note the deadline. You may also access this application and other information pertaining to this year's conference at www.highwayafrica.ru.ac.za.

Please also note the applications for New Meda Awards, at this site.
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School of Journalism and Media Studies Highway Africa
2746 603 7139
www.highwayafrica.ru.ac.za
http://hana.ru.ac.za