The Drum Beat 96 - Review of Tempo, About Time, Base Line (4/16 - 5/28)

This Drum Beat pulls together compelling stories from The C. I. Home Page - Apr 16 2001 - May 28 2001. The Home Page contains regularly updated briefing notes on important stories, trends, and events that effect the context in which we all work. We try to find relevant information, usually from sources that you won’t see in the mainstream media, and we provide links you can use to follow-up for more information in the areas that interest and effect you most. If you haven’t done so please check it out and let us know what you think or send us stories and information from your own work and experience.



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COMMUNICATION NEWS in Tempo



1. Ecuadorian Communications Specialists Unite to Give Civil Society a National Voice (Apr 16 2001)

APCNews reports that several alternative multimedia organizations with strong professional capacities have joined together to create Altermedios, an association they hope will build and support democratization of communications nationally. By providing such an opening for groups traditionally absent from public media coverage, the association hopes to impact on public opinion in Ecuador’s pluralist society, the development community and social movements nationally and internationally.



2. How Thailand Took on the Transnational Tobacco Titans (Apr 23 2001)

IDRC Reports profiles a book by Hatai Chitanondh called ‘Defeat in Trade, Victory in Health’, on Thailand’s experience with tobacco controls. Called ‘a source of information and encouragement to all who fight Big Tobacco, especially in developing countries’, it details the 20-month battle that led to the re-energizing of anti-tobacco forces and gave Thailand the right to impose some of the strictest tobacco controls in the world. For more info contact IDRC at: mag@idrc.ca



3. Transforming the Digital Divide into Online Opportunities (May 7 2001)

Joanna Schouten writes in iConnect about PEOPLink a non-profit organisation that trains and equips grassroots artisans to use digital cameras and the Internet to market their crafts while showcasing their cultural richness. PEOPLink has a network of 55 Trading Partners in 21 countries. They have recently developed a tool called CatGen (Catalog Generator), a digital platform designed for use by SMEs which can be downloaded free at CatGen website



4. A Tower of Babel on the Internet? The World Bank’s Development Gateway (May 10 2001)

The Bretton Woods Project has prepared a briefing on the World Bank’s Development Gateway Internet portal to be launched July 1. It argues that the Gateway will appear neutral and comprehensive but will privilege powerful, not marginalized voices and will prevent proper coverage of important crosscutting topics such as gender and climate change. People wishing to offer comments and ideas can do so at: gdg@brettonwoodsproject.org



5. Zimbabwe Web Site to Help Restore Democracy/Rule of Law (May 17 2001)

Balancing Act Issue 58 reports that Zimbabwe Democracy Trust has launched a new website. Called ZWNews.com it is an amalgamation of websites that have come together to assist the Trust’s efforts to restore democracy and rule of law to Zimbabwe. It will provide news coverage on major issues, regular exclusives by Zimbabwean journalists and a daily free e-mail newsletter. For further information contact ironhorse@zwnews.com



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New COMMENTARY in Drum Role



AIDS & Poverty in Africa

Was AIDS in Africa hijacked by an extreme behavioralist explanation? Were ideas of racial difference used to ask questions about Africans instead of AIDS? How would the fight against AIDS look different if we asked ‘How is AIDS different in Africa’ instead? Have we ignored the impacts of poverty & malnutrition on the spread of the disease? How can we do better in the next 10 years than we have in the past? What will happen in Latin America and Asia if we don’t? Eileen Stillwaggon looks at these questions in Drum Role.


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DEVELOPMENT NEWS in About Time



6. Singapore Government to Pass Bill Curbing Foreign Media (Apr 19 2001)

The Times of India reports that Singapore is expected to pass a bill in parliament that will punish foreign broadcasters if the government deems they are ‘engaging in domestic politics’ through their reporting. Singapore Cable Vision, the country’s only cable operator has told foreign broadcasters such as CNN, BBC, and Bloomberg that ‘they will have to be very circumspect where reporting is concerned.’



7. Can the Drug Companies Win in Brazil? (Apr 26 2001)

Charlotte Denny and James Meek of The Guardian report that the forthcoming battle with Brazil over generic drugs will raise uncomfortable questions about cost recovery arguments for worldwide patent protection. Attention is beginning to focus on the lack of transparency about research spending, high profit levels, dependency on publicly funded breakthroughs, and high spending on marketing and drugs for lifestyle problems in the developed world.



8. Mexican Indigenous Rights Bill Recognises Women’s Rights (May 7 2001)

IGC WomensNet News reports that a bill sent to the lower house of Congress after Senate approval will bring Mexico’s constitution into line with international conventions on indigenous rights. The law, a product of intense congressional debate and lobbying by the Zapatista National Liberation Army, pays special attention to the double discrimination suffered by indigenous women on both the gender and ethnic fronts.



9. Angel Warns Women of Sex Slave Trade (May 17 2001)

Valeria Korchagina of the Moscow Times writes that women’s rights organizations have announced a public-awareness campaign to combat trafficking in women. Angel, a nationwide coalition of women’s rights groups will use the slogan ‘don’t get hooked by promises, get the facts’ to encourage women to be learn more before considering work abroad. Each year 50,000 women from the former Soviet Union are tricked into servitude and prostitution.



10. War in DRC has Killed at Least 2.5 Million (May 24 2001)

Radio Netherlands reports that a recent study has found that some 2.5 million people have been killed in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, since the outbreak of fighting in August 1998. The International Rescue Committee says the situation this year is worse than last year with a high mortality rate especially amongst children. The death-toll would be even higher if victims in the country’s western parts had been included in the study.



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Coming Soon - DB CLASSIFIEDS - twice monthly.



Consultants, Books & Training Events on the 1st Wednesday

Vacancies on the 3rd Wednesday



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BASE LINE



11. Use of Internet by Print and Online Journalists (Apr 16 2001)



Source: Media Study 2000

• 98% use online editorial material.
• 50% have done so for more than 2 years.
• Most spend more than 1 hour per day on the Internet.
• The Internet is most often used for background research and checking corporate contact information.
• Most use search engines to find information.
• Biggest attraction is its 24-hour accessibility and international coverage.
• Biggest drawback is finding quality information and the ephemeral nature of web content.

12. Mexico’s Indigenous People



Source: IGC Women’s Net

• Around 30% of Mexico’s 10 million indigenous people - and 48% of indigenous women - are illiterate, compared to a national average of 10%.
• 51.6% of housing in indigenous communities lacks electricity while the national average is 12.9%.
• 68.3% of indigenous households have no potable water, 90.4% lack sewerage services and 76.4% have dirt floors, compared to national averages of 20.9%, 21.4% and 20.9%, respectively.

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This issue compiled by Chris Morry cmorry@comminit.com

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.



Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com


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