One of the foundational commitments of CommGAP is the belief that a national democratic public sphere is an essential and self-perpetuating part of the architecture of good governance. At the very heart of a democratic public sphere is a media system that is independent of government control and is both free and plural. It must be possible for a thousand flowers to bloom; it must be possible for a boisterous cacophony of voices to be heard. We believe that such a media system will be the grand forum for public debate and discussion on issues of common concern. We believe that such a media system will be a grand corrective of political misdeeds.
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To me the training pointed out and the comments reinforced the perspective that the role communication plays in the reforms is equal to or greater than the policy work, yet the funding and support for governments in the area of communication or to make sure that the reforms get implemented is virtually nonexistent. Posted under:
I was surfing the web, looking for some material on “leadership”, when I came across this music video-clip which I found striking and wanted to share with you. And not because it is my favorite type of music… Posted under:
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For those of us who grew up in developing countries, political discourse about poverty is an everyday thing. Political campaigns in the Philippines, for example, place poverty upfront and center. Candidates for local posts, such as barangay (village) councilor, all the way up to the highest office in the archipelago invariably campaign on poverty issues. For instance, memorable slogans from relatively recent elections include "para sa mahirap" ("for the poor") and "pagkain sa bawat mesa" ("food on every table"). Not at all surprising in developing country contexts where poverty and inequality are so ubiquitous.
CommGap held a 3-day training program for senior government official undertaking reform programs on the role communication and participation can play in their reforms. Thirty government officials from 15 countries in Africa and Asia participated. The value of a group like this is that they offer real world experiences in having undertaken reforms that have been successful or have failed and can offer lessons on what needs to be done to make reforms happen.
Public opinion is a critical force in politics, including all aspects of governance. To provoke hostile or negative public opinion is to invite a gigantic hammer or a wrecking ball. And I am saying that not because I want to be dramatic but to capture some of the scale of what is happening in the current global financial crisis. For, financial markets are also affected by the power of public opinion. In fact, what market analysts and pundits often describe as public sentiment or market confidence is really the working of public opinion. The point is that whether the market trades in electoral votes or financial securities public opinion is a critical force. It is always better to have public opinion on your side.
I recently attended an 
The media landscape is changing faster than many donors can process. New technologies are forcing change upon business models, regulatory structures, and basic patterns of information access and distribution. Yet how much have efforts to assist independent media really changed as a result? I recently tackled these questions in a short study for 
Almost any newspaper is filled with stories about conflict from around the world. Even in the deepest province the reader will find a report on atrocities in Darfur or suicide bombs in Iraq. Images of war have become frequent guests on TV screens in households around the world. For someone not keenly interested in Foreign Policy the stories and images might get blurred: Somalia - Darfur; Iraq - Lebanon – it all looks like the same madness; violence on a scale almost unimaginable and seemingly never ending. The political leaders of some countries have made it very clear who are the “good” guys and who are the “bad” - who is “with us” and who “against”. 
In late January, I attended the 
UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication
Tom Jacobson, Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Communications and Theater, Temple University. 
Caroline Jaine, 
Taeku Lee, Associate Professor of Political Science and Visiting Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. 
