[Kictanet] FW: Panos-GKP journalism awards 2005

[Brian Longwe]

Begin forwarded message:
>
>
> FYI...
>
> PANOS-GKP JOURNALISM AWARDS 2005
>
>
>
> Where is the money for bridging the digital divide?
>
>
> Panos and GKP are pleased to invite submissions for the 2005  
> “Reporting on the Information Society” awards. The topic for this  
> year is “Where is the money for bridging the digital divide?”
>
>
> Four awards of $1,000 each will be made for the best journalism on  
> this topic produced by journalists in developing and transition  
> countries. The winners will also be invited to participate in the  
> World Summit on the Information Society, in Tunis, in November 2005.
>
>
> These awards, which were launched by Panos and GKP in 2003, aim to  
> encourage and bring to international recognition thoughtful and  
> incisive reporting that goes beyond merely describing information  
> projects or new investment initiatives, but also analyses their  
> social and political impacts and policy implications.
>
>
> We welcome submissions from print, radio, TV and web journalists.  
> Previous winners are not eligible to apply.
>
>
> To submit a piece of work for consideration, send a clipping, audio  
> or video tape, transcript or web reference by email to:  
> PanosGKPawards at panos.org.uk or by post to:
>
> Murali Shanmugavelan, Panos London, 9 White Lion Street, London N1  
> 9PD, United Kingdom.
>
>
> The work submitted must have been published/broadcast after 1  
> January 2005. To see previous award winning stories, please go to:
>
> http://www.panos.org.uk/global/projectdetails.asp? 
> ProjectID=1045&ID=1002
>
>
>
> Deadline for submissions: 15 September 2005
>
>
>
> This year’s theme: Where is the money for bridging the digital divide?
>
>
>
> New information and communication technologies (ICT) are  
> transforming most aspects of modern life – including business,  
> customer and financial services, politics, entertainment and social  
> interaction. Terms like “the knowledge economy” and “the  
> information society” have become commonplace. But, as with other  
> resources, access to ICT is unevenly distributed between rich and  
> poor, north and south, giving rise to the concept of a ’digital  
> divide’.
>
>
> Some development analysts see the digital divide as a cause of  
> poverty and underdevelopment: they believe that as the global  
> economy becomes more and more dependent on ICT, those countries and  
> people who are not able to use the technologies will be  
> increasingly excluded.
>
>
> Other experts think the digital divide is just a symptom of  
> poverty, similar to lack of education or poor housing, and that as  
> people and countries get richer their access to ICT will naturally  
> increase. As the Economist argued (12 March 2005), “Fewer people in  
> poor countries than in rich own computers... [and have] access to  
> the internet simply because they are too poor…or have more pressing  
> concerns, such as food, health care and security”. Others point out  
> that the digital divide is now part of an overall development  
> divide and therefore opportunities for increasing communication  
> channels should be seen as a core activity of development.
>
>
> Another significant debate is over what – if anything – should be  
> done by development agencies and governments to close the divide.  
> During the preparations for the first part of the World Summit on  
> the Information Society (Geneva, 2003) a proposal to set up a  
> special international fund to support ICT development projects, the  
> Digital Solidarity Fund, was hotly disputed. No agreement was  
> reached, and the issue is likely to cause controversy again in the  
> second stage of the Summit.
>
>
> Opponents of the proposed Digital Solidarity Fund (who include many  
> northern governments) believe that sufficient funds are already  
> available, and that private sector investment is often more  
> successful than development project funding in providing ICT that  
> meets people’s real needs. In any case, they believe that lack of  
> money to spend on ICT is not the main issue for developing countries.
>
>
> Supporters of the Fund argue that private investment is not  
> bridging the gap. They point out that the telecommunications  
> revolution in Africa has mostly favoured urban areas and left  
> villagers behind. Bridging the digital divide will be expensive,  
> and poor countries need additional funds.
>
>
> Despite the lack of international agreement, a number of African  
> countries joined together after the Geneva Summit to set up the  
> Fund and look for innovative ways of raising money for it. One  
> suggestion is to levy a 1 per cent tax on global sales of ICT  
> software and hardware.
>
>
> The key question is: Are poor nations genuinely in need of setting  
> up a new Fund to bridge their bridge the digital divide affecting  
> their citizens?
>
>
> This question should be widely debated by governments, private and  
> public communication service providers, development organisations  
> and the general public, ahead of the November WSIS meeting.
>
>
> Some questions journalists might consider investigating include the  
> following, and there are many more:
>
>
> ·   What are the innovative ways through which poor people manage  
> to join in the information revolution? (e.g. sharing a mobile phone)
>
> ·   How have externally-driven (government, donor agencies) ICT  
> projects increased opportunities for poor people to access  
> information? (e.g. farmers accessing crop prices from a public kiosk)
>
> ·   Have externally-driven projects lasted after the initial  
> funding support came to an end, or have they proved unsustainable  
> and died?
>
> ·   What development outcomes has your country so far achieved by  
> bringing new ICTs to the people? (e.g. distribution of land titles  
> to the poor without corrupt intermediaries)
>
> ·   In your country are there examples of private investment  
> providing ICT access that poor people really find useful? Did the  
> government do anything to help these private sector initiatives get  
> established?
>
> ·   Does your country need more money to bridge the divide? Are  
> existing resources properly managed? What do people, policy  
> experts, and politicians in your area think as to who should pay  
> for bridging the digital divide?
>
> Panos London is currently producing a more detailed briefing paper  
> on this issue as part of its Information and Communications  
> Technologies (ICTs) toolkit for journalists. If you would like to  
> receive a copy please email C4D at panos.org.uk
>
>
>
> About us
>
>
> Panos London (www.panos.org.uk) is an NGO which exists to stimulate  
> debate on global development issues, including media and  
> communication issues. Panos works with journalists in developing  
> countries to produce news, features and analysis about the most  
> critical global issues of today. Panos London is part of a network  
> of Panos Institutes in eleven countries.
>
>
> The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) (www.globalknowledge.org) is  
> a worldwide network of organisations committed to harnessing the  
> potentials of information and communication technologies (ICT) for  
> sustainable development.  GKP is the world's first multistakeholder  
> ICT for Development (ICT4D) partnership at the global level, with  
> members comprising governments, donor agencies, private sector  
> companies, civil society, networks and international institutions.
>
>
> Submission criteria and instructions
>
>
> §  Only journalists who are citizens of, or living in, developing  
> or transition countries may apply.
>
> §  The work submitted can be a piece of print, radio, TV or online  
> journalism.
>
> §  A journalist can submit as many pieces as s/he likes.
>
> §  Types of print/web article that will be considered include news  
> reports, features, analysis, interviews, opinion/think pieces, and  
> editorials. Broadcast pieces can also include debates and phone-in  
> programmes.
>
> §  There is no maximum or minimum length.
>
> §  Submitted works should be stories or features relating to the  
> question of whether additional development project funding is  
> important in bridging the digital divide and enabling development.  
> The story can focus on any technology-assisted communication  
> medium, but it must extend beyond merely reporting an event to  
> analysing its significance in the light of the wider development  
> issues and the concept of the information society.
>
> §  We are interested in stories that take account of gender aspects  
> of this debate.
>
> §  The work must have been published or broadcast between 1 January  
> and 15 September 2005 (or publication/broadcast must be confirmed  
> to take place before 30 September 2005) and you must provide  
> evidence of this – a newspaper clipping, web reference or  
> broadcasting schedule (or details of broadcast – station, time,  
> date, name of programme).
>
> §  Video material should be submitted in PAL format. Audio material  
> can be submitted on cassette, or as MP3 files.
>
> §  Print and online submissions can be in English, French, Spanish  
> or Portuguese. Radio and audiovisual submissions in languages other  
> than English must be accompanied by a full transcript in English.
>
>
> Please give the following information with your submission:
>
>
> Name
>
> Sex
>
> Employment (eg “Business reporter with the Zambia Daily News”)
>
> Postal address
>
> Email address
>
> Telephone number
>
>
> Your covering letter (in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese)  
> should give some information about the medium in which your  
> submission was published e.g. national or local newspaper, national  
> or community radio.
>
>
> If your submission was originally in a non-European language,  
> please state what language it is in, and give some information  
> about the status and users of this language (eg “It is the language  
> of the xx people, who live in xxxx. This language is not the main  
> language of the state, but there is one newspaper and two radio  
> stations that use it.”).
>
>
> Please indicate briefly some other stories about communication  
> issues that you would like to research and report on, for which you  
> might use the award if you received it.
>
>
> Reports that were commissioned by Panos are not eligible for this  
> award.
>
>
> Panos will acknowledge email entry/ies from each contestant. If you  
> do not receive a response within 48 hours, please send your entry/ 
> ies again.
>
>
> Selection criteria
>
>
> We will seek to make one award to a journalist from Africa, one to  
> a journalist from Asia and one from another region; we will seek to  
> award at least one woman journalist.
>
>
> We are looking for journalism that builds understanding of the  
> importance of communication for development, and that stimulates  
> awareness of the impact of national and global communication  
> policies on development.
>
>
>
>
>  ActionAid's vision is a world without poverty in which every  
> person can
>          exercise their right to a life of dignity. Registered  
> Charity No. 274467
> www.actionaid.org
>
>
>
> **DISCLAIMER**
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> intended
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> addressed.
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>
>

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