In Britain over 20 years ago a large group of local postmasters were prosecuted for fraud. Many were convicted, some jailed, most lost jobs and incomes. Why? Because the Horizon computer system, used to manage their financial accounts was thought incapable of error. Only later,...
Substack is the latest digital communication platform to set off a freedom of expression debate after the co-founder Hamish McKenzie stated that the platform would not demonetize those posting extremist content on the newsletter platform — namely Nazi and white supremacists. The comments sparked both condemnation...
There is no escaping the bitter irony of celebrating a child born in Bethlehem – north-east of the Gaza Strip – and the sickening deaths of more than 6,600 children in Gaza alone since 7 October 2023. Thousands more are missing under the rubble. The UN...
A recent webinar co-organized by WACC and the World Council of Churches on the churches’ role in misinformation and disinformation highlighted the dilemmas all of us face to effectively challenge lies online, whether deliberately created or inadvertently shared. Fact-checking has become one of the essential fronts...
On December 10, 2023 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) will be 75 years old. As a benchmark of democracy, we rightly celebrate observance of its Article 19 on freedom of opinion and expression and the right to seek, receive, and impart information. [caption id="attachment_58697"...
[caption id="attachment_58724" align="alignleft" width="190"] MD 2023/4[/caption] Media Development 2023-4 Migrant Rights Are Human Rights Communication with, from, and by migrants and refugees is fundamental to their wellbeing and to strengthening their sense of self-worth and dignity. How can media and communication become vehicles to help migrants exercise their...
Media coverage of migration and migrants has been subjected to intense scrutiny by human rights activists, who see that news reporting has ranged from fair and balanced to biased and prejudiced, inciting a gamut of responses locally and nationally. Blatantly negative reporting has increased anxiety and...
In 2020, there were about 281 million international migrants in the world, according to a recent report.1 That figure equates to 3.6% of the global population. Displaced persons accounted for 89.4 million (including refugees, asylum seekers, displaced Venezuelans, and internally displaced people). Some countries host greater...
The world the media paint becomes the face of the societies we live in. The under-representation, or outright exclusion, of certain communities from the media, makes them invisible. And when people are invisible, their rights can much more easily be violated. Migrant and refugees, like...
The Global Compact for Migration is the first-ever UN global agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. The global compact is non-legally binding. It is grounded in values of state sovereignty, responsibility-sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights, and recognizes that a...