The Center of International Media Action has just produced a new guide to planning and evaluation for media activists. While it is only in English and primarily for US-based groups, it may be of interest to others as well.The focus of this practical guide is how to build participation, power and long-range strategy through the ways we design and assess our work. It features recommendations, tips, checklists and case studies about doing planning and evaluation, including a brief case study of how we did planning for the OURMedia IV conference (p. 6) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2005.

Interface: a journal for and about social movements / Issue one: "movement knowledge"

The first issue of Interface, a multilingual, open access and global e-journal produced by social movement practitioners and engaged movement researchers, is now available at www.interfacejournal.net. The special theme of this issue is "movement knowledge": what movements know, how they produce knowledge, what they do with it and how it can make a difference.

Articles in this issue include:
Laurence Cox, Cristina Flesher Fominaya, Editorial: movement knowledge

Some blog posts from info-activism campaigners (posted by Frederick Noronha, India)

Info activism, a crucial part of human rights advocacy -- Kristin Joy Antin
http://www.informationactivism.org/node/39

People's video is still the effective tool -- Jola Diones Mamangun (The Philippines)
http://www.informationactivism.org/node/38

There's so much of information ... -- Jessica Dheere, Beirut
http://www.informationactivism.org/node/37

Wikileaks is the absolute most important project on the globe -- Jacob Appelbaum
http://www.informationactivism.org/node/36

O Fórum Social Mundial (FSM) (World Social Forum) é um espaço aberto de encontro – plural, diversificado, não-governamental e não-partidário –, que estimula de forma descentralizada o debate, a reflexão, a formulação de propostas, a troca de experiências e a articulação entre organizações e movimentos engajados em ações concretas, do nível local ao internacional, pela construção de um outro mundo, mais solidário, democrático e justo.

En Venezuela, el uso del SW libre estimula la independencia tecnológica

escribe Morelis Gonzalo (mgonzalo@cantv.net)

Carl Mitcham de la Universidad de Colorado señala que el SW libre representa la emergencia de un nuevo paradigma ético y social en convivencia con otras formas de “libertad” . En función de ello, Venezuela a partir del año 2004 con el decreto 3390 (http://www.softwarelibre.gob.ve/) inicia un esfuerzo sostenido por aplicar en la Administración Pública Nacional (APN) el SW libre, así como estimular su uso en los ciudadanos/as.

Forgotten Crisis: Conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken the lives of 5.4 million people since 1998 and continue to leave as many as 45,000 dead every month, according to a 2008 mortality survey released by the International Rescue Committee

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mario Murillo writes from Colombia

We are well into the new year, and already 2009 is a year of violence directed against indigenous communities in Colombia. Here are some recent developments.

escribe Gustavo Gomez

AMARC celebró la sentencia adoptada el 2 de diciembre de 2008 por la Sala de Contencioso Administrativo del Tribunal Supremo, que aceptó un recurso jurídico presentado por la Unión de Radios Libres y Comunitarias de Madrid (URCM) y anula algunas de las modificaciones realizadas por la Comunidad de Madrid a la normativa que regula la concesión de emisoras de radio en frecuencia modulada (FM).

Written by Anna Larsen for the Alternative Information Center (AIC)

Since Israel commenced military attacks against the Gaza Strip on 27 December 2008, international civil society has mobilised against these war crimes. Groups with differing political, religious and ethnic backgrounds have been gathering in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Gaza and in protest of Israel’s attacks.

In her recent essay Community Media: Scholarship, Policy Advocacy, and Power Tools Kaye Koyer writes about how the last decade has produced substantive scholarship that well-places alternative and community media on the media studies landscape as well as in the media policy environment.