When I began blogging for Governance Village in July 2008, I was barely a month back in Canada following the better part of a year in Uganda working as a media trainer.

I came home with a head full of thoughts about the media's role in development, governance and conversely the merits of different approaches to strengthening media in emerging countries. Beginning with a first post about the power of radio, this site quickly became a forum for those thoughts, and a sounding board to discuss and...

Without a doubt, 2009 was a dangerous year to be a journalist in many parts of the world.

In fact worldwide, more journalists were killed in 2009 than any previous year on record, according to a report by the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ).

In all, 68 journalists were known to have been killed in the line of duty during 2009. The record tally came about in large part because 31 journalists were killed in fighting in the Philippines last monh.(the number grew since the initial report of 12...

The freeing of freelancers Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan has led to much discussion about the well-worn path taken by aspiring journalists who took personal risks to make a name for themselves.

There has been much finger-wagging towards the pair for putting themselves in danger with very little protection and little experience in how to handle risk (some of that finger-wagging was mentioned in a recent Radio Silence post that looked at a New York Times article and a column by a veteran...

Freedom of expression was a hot topic during US President Barack Obama's recent visit to China.

Now, in the wake of that visit, it appears as though an editor at a top Chinese newspaper has been demoted for how his publication handled an interview with the US president while he was in China.

From Reuters:

The top editor of a Chinese newspaper that interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama has been demoted, sources said, in a move they described as fallout from Communist Party censors' anger over its...

Several organizations have joined together to launch a book drive for journalists in Liberia.

The call for books covers a wide variety of materials-- from style guides to examples of great writing and books about African life and politics.

Journalists have a difficult time keeping up with contemporary ideas and styles when they cannot access or afford the latest, and highest-quality, texts, according to the announcement. Go to this site to find out how to donate.

From the announcement:

A major...

From time to time, I've touched on some of the online resources available for media training in a rather modest effort to collect some of them under one roof. The impact, albeit largely "potential impact" so far, has been fully explored yet. Cell phones and computers have revolutionized how journalism is practiced arund the world.

But in different corners of the globe, where journalism is rebuilding or struggling under the weight of censorship and few resources, the number of online training...

The safe release of Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan from captivity in Somalia has served as fodder for rather vigorous debate about exactly who should be called a journalist, whether they were foolish to think they could report safely in Somalia, among other side issues.

Here is a sampling of the Canada-side debate:

Andrew Cohen takes a rather harsh view of Amanda Lindhout. Frankly, this is over the top, as it ignores the fact that many fine journalists made their name by freelancing in rsky...

With the great news last week that freelance journalists Amanda LIndhout and Nigel Brennan had been freed from captivity in Somalia has come discussions about the safety of freelance journalists, the effect of the greater use of freelance journalists by mainstream media and the tendency of novice journalists to head off to dangerous parts of the world to make a name for themselves.

That's not to say that Lindhout and Brennan necessarily fall into that last character (though a recent article by...

Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died violently in 2003 while imprisoned in a Tehran jail. Six years later, her son, Stephan Hashemi, and his mother's estate is suing the Iranian government for $17 million in Quebec courts.

An initial article is here.

A report on how the Iranian government defends itself in the case is here. (They claim immunity from charge in Canadian courts. Hashemi's lawyers are challenging the constitutionality of the Act that grants immunity to Iran).

From...

It's election season in Latin America, and the outcome of these votes may illustrate the beginning or end of any trends in the region.

For one, Uruguay's vote this weekend is expected to illustrate a broad shift away from far-left politics. The trend is in part due to the performance of leading Latin American countries through the global recession, according to a Financial Times report. (The map in that article is worth checking out, showing the placement of Latin American countries on the...