Urban Unrest

15 April 2006 | Technology | Ernesto Aguilar

New website to monitor community media worldwide.

http://www.obsmedia.amarc.org

Community radio plays a crucial role in enabling public participation, strengthening cultural and linguistic diversity, and promoting gender. In addition, it supports freedom of expression throughout the world, giving voice to the poor and marginalized, and helping to build a more equitable information society.

However, community radio stations struggle with the lack of government recognition and legal frameworks. In Latin America, for instance, community broadcasters have a precarious status and continuously face threats of closure. Longer-term stability requires legislative and regulatory reform to recognize their status and role. In other areas of the world such as Asia and the Middle East, community broadcasting is yet to emerge because it is prevented from becoming established. Only a small but growing number of countries have public policy, legislative and regulatory commitments to community broadcasting.

ObsMedia is an initiative of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC). The main purpose of this site is to help monitor alerts on freedom of expression affecting media worldwide, and to inform on regulations advances and setbacks in the recognition of community media. By providing updated information on the status of community radio and fostering information sharing, ObsMedia supports the development of community broadcasting as well as the action towards their recognition.

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