Changing Media, Changing Societies:

Media and the Millennium Development Goals

In the midst of amazing discoveries, inventions and scientific advancements that we have achieved today, it is ironic that more people lack the basic needs of food, water and shelter than any other time in mankind’s history. Half a billion of the world’s adults are illiterate. Of all these, two-thirds are women. In some countries, more food and clean water is wasted on feeding and fattening livestock while people in other parts of the world lack even basic access to one meal and a glass of clean drinking water a day. After so many years of civilization and with so many advances in technology and living standards, yet we have been unable to resolve these inequalities.

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals aim to resolve these inequalities by ending hunger, eradicating extreme poverty, providing universal education and facilitating gender equity, among other goals. One of the key stakeholders in this process is the media. In our globalised world, the media is more than just a watchdog. In every society, the media play important roles including creating awareness, disseminating the relevant messages, providing channels of communication and ensuring transparency in this global effort of the UN to achieve its millennium development goals.

Changing Media, Changing Societies: Media and the Millennium Development Goals explores the media’s role in the UN’s effort. Selected papers from a conference of the same name have been organised and presented in this book under the sections of thematic issues, case studies of the media in various Asian countries and media representations of the various issues.

INTRODUCTION
By Indrajit Banerjee & Sundeep R Muppidi

SECTION ONE
1. It takes two to tango
Dance-floor observations on media and democracy by Andrew Tausig

2. Journalism and the Internet
Challenges and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific Region by Alan Knight

3. Transnational Education
A new development communication message by Felix Librero

SECTION TWO
4. Dynamics of the radio landscape in India
By Ananya Roy

5. Censorship through spin
How democratic governments attempt to control the media, with a focus on Australia by Roger Patching & Mark Pearson

6. Shifting the boundaries
Communication education in Bangladesh by Brian Shoesmith & Shameem Mahmud

7. Bandillo ng palawan
The Philippines’ last frontier of environmental journalism by Christian Placido G Calma, Omar O. Dumdum, Ma. Criselda A. Garcia, Garry Jay S Montemauor, Edgardo H. Pangilinan, Zandro G. Rapadas & Lucilyn B. Saylon

8. Pacific Islands Diasporic Media
Sustaining island identities away from home by Evangelia Papoutsaki & Naomi Strickland

SECTION THREE
9. Reporting HIV and HIV Communication Theories
What journalists and journalism educators in Asia and the Pacific need to know by Trevor Cullen

10. Pinoy Postings
On the online cultural identity performances of young Filipino professionals in Singapore by Jason Vincent A Cabanes

11. Why not? Empowering athletes with disabilities through increasing social athletic identity by Arul Chib, A.L.E. Komathi, Jia Yan Lee & Heng Howe Hoe

12. Development of Journalism ethics
The Role of education and work experience by Mindawati Wijaya, Benjamin H. Detenber, Hao Xiaoming, Mark Cenite & Zenab d/o Saiwalla Yusuf