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IREX in the Press 2006

A list of articles in the United States and international press that mention IREX's work.

2006

Change world by education, not war
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, New York. December 29, 2006.
The Iraq Study Group report issued more than 70 recommendations to improve the situation in Iraq. The report clearly shows the futility of using military means for spreading democracy and recommends the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by 2008.

A Free Press Is an Engine for Economic Growth
Arab News, Saudi Arabia. December 26, 2006.
Arab and international legal and media experts recently outlined international standards to protect the right of journalists to publish the truth and to expose corruption keeping in mind international standards of defamation and libel laws.

Media Sustainability Index (MSI) 2005 Middle East & North Africa (MENA) - Libya
www.libya-watanona.com, Libya. December 11, 2006.
The first Media Sustainability Index for the Middle East and North Africa demonstrates several weaknesses—in particular, freepress protections in the law that are not upheld in practice, and pervasive self-censorship—that are common not only among the countries of the region but also in other parts of the world where media sectors are in transition.

New steps to protect rights of journalists
Kuwait Times, Kuwait. December 10, 2006.
The first seminar of the 'Legal Protection for Media' workshop held from Dec 9 to 12, was opened yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This workshop is organised by the Kuwait Syndicate for Journalists and Correspondents (KSJC) in cooperation with the American Institute for Research Exchange Irex and the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalist (CDFJ). It was attended by local journalists and reporters from newspapers, radio, and the TV.

Middle East Media Sustainability Index Available Online Discussion of Prospects for Media Reform to be held November 28
Arab Press Freedom Watch. November 20, 2006.
The first Middle East and North Africa Media Sustainability Index (MENA MSI) is now available online at www.irex.org/msi. The MENA MSI provides the only comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of media development across the Middle East and North Africa.

UT works for Middle East media reform
University of Tennessee. November 13, 2006.
The University of Tennessee School of Journalism and Electronic Media will be working with journalism scholars at three Middle Eastern universities in an effort to improve the quality of the media in their countries as well as to create a partnership of cultural understanding between the academic communities.

Jordan’s journalism to receive a boost from a US university
IJNET. October 22, 2006.
Journalism students in Jordan will have the chance to benefit from a new grant and assistance aimed at improving journalism education in Jordan.

Media Matters: Perspectives on Advancing Governance & Development from
the Global Forum for Media Development (PDF Download)
Global Forum for Media Development. October 18, 2006.
IREX Media Development Director Mark Whitehouse contributes chapter on the Media Sustainability Index (MSI), "Indexing Initiatives and Standards of Good Practice in Monitoring and Evaluation."

UT aids education in Jordan
University of Tennessee. October 16, 2006.
While conflict ensues in the Middle East, the efforts of University of Tennessee journalism and electronic media professor Sam Swan are helping to revive the area’s educational system, particularly in Jordan. Recently, Swan was awarded a $1.2 million grant to improve journalism education in Jordan.

EMU International Students enroll. Program allows for educational opportunities.
Eastern Michigan University. September 1, 2006.
As students begin to prepare for the upcoming school year, Eastern Michigan welcomes two visiting students participating in a program with the International Research and Exchange Board.

Америка - для Молдо вы
Nezavisimaiya Moldova (Independent Moldova). August 15, 2006.
Этой публикацией мы начинаем знакомить читателей с различными зарубежными организациями, оказывающими содействие нашей стране в реализации новаторских программ по развитию национальной экономики, поддержке социальных преобразований и институтов гражданского общества. Их деятельность трудно переоценить и в контексте продвижения интеграционных процессов в рамках реализации Плана действий РМ - Европейский союз. Одной из таких ведущих некоммерческих организаций, успешно работающих в нашей республике, является Международный совет по научным исследованиям и обменам (IREX). Обозреватель "Независимой Молдовы" Дмитрий СИДОРОВ встретился с директором филиала IREX в Молдове Юрием ДАТИЕМ.

Consider the Case
University of Georgia. July 27, 2006.
The Georgia Supreme Court only accepts about eight percent of the cases in which a party seeks review of a Georgia Court of Appeals decision. That number may sound low until you compare it to the little more than one percent of the cases that are accepted to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. What determines which cases will be selected, and how does this compare to the Supreme Courts of other countries?

That’s just what Anna Nagaeva, chief counsel to the Supreme Arbitrazh (Commercial) Court of the Russian Federation, came to the University of Georgia to find out. Nagaeva and UGA School of Law Associate Professor J. Randy Beck embarked on a two-month comparative analysis of the three courts’ case selection processes.

First radio project implemented in Ganja
Trend, Azerbaijan. July 14, 2006
The first radio project is being implemented in Ganja area,Trend’s regional correspondent reports quoting Jahangir Jafarov, coordinator, Ganja Independent Journalism Center. Jafarov said this project, implemented with USAID and IREX support, is scheduled for a year.

New USAID programme to support media sector development
Jordan Times, Aman. June 19, 2006.
AMMAN (JT) — Jordan is to benefit from a new three-year, $5 million programme to strengthen its media sector, it was announced on Sunday.

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Anne Aarnes and JIC Director Basel Tarawneh made the announcement yesterday at a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding establishing a joint advisory committee co-chaired by USAID and the JIC.

Matbuot Markaziy Osiyoda juda sekin rivojlanmoqda
Voice of America, Washington, DC. June 1, 2006.
Markaziy Osiyoda matbuot erkinligi o’zgacha ma’no kasb etadi. Mintaqada so’z erkinligi, axborot olish huquqi va xalqaro jurnalistika talablariga rioya qilgan holda ishlash u yoqda tursin, axborot vositasi sifatida faoliyat ko’rsata olishning o’zi katta muvaffaqqiyatdir.

Resistance to privatisation in Serbia
B92, Belgrade. June 1, 2006
BELGRADE -- Goran Cetinić said that there is a great resistance in Serbia against media privatisation.Cetinić is the American non-governmental organisation IREX’s economic advisor.

Seminar on Improvement of Election Procedure was held for election organizing officers and authority members
APA (Azeri-Press Information Agency). May 2, 2006.
Seminar on Improvement of Election Procedure was held for election organizing officers and authority members conducted by Council of Europe and IREX in International Press Center (IPC) (APA).

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT EXPRESSES DESIRE FOR "CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE" WITH NGOS
EurasiaNet. April 27, 2006.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in Washington on a three-day visit, expressed a desire to forge a better working relationship with non-governmental organizations to encourage civil society development in Azerbaijan.

Azeri Presidents meets with reps of US NGOs in Washington
Trend, Azerbaijan. April 27, 2006.
On 26 April Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Washington with the representatives of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with offices in Baku. Attending the gathering were representatives of the Soros Foundation, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, IREX and the National Democracy Institute, Trend reports.

MEETING WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
AzerTag. April 26, 2006.
On April 26, the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev has met in his residence representatives of the nongovernmental organizations of the USA functioning in Azerbaijan. At the meeting, attending were representatives of the Soros Foundation, organizations Human Rights Watch, Freedom house, IREX, and National Institute of Democracy.

Russia: new NGOs law comes into force
Vitia Europe, Italy. April 26, 2006.
In April the administrative regulations concerning the new Russian NGO legislation have been published. All over Russia NGOs have to be prepared to become familiar with the new law and to adopt their statutes and registration files accordingly.

'A CENTRAL-ASIAN LEVEL OF PRESS FREEDOM': The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls the current conditions for journalists in Belarus "frightening."
Radio Free Europe. April 18, 2006.
CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator ALEX LUPIS, who had just returned from a trip to Belarus, told an RFE/RL briefing on 15 February that he found conditions that make it almost impossible for journalists to report independently on the campaign leading to the country's 19 March presidential election.

'Worst Fears' of NGOs Realized
The Moscow Times, Moscow. April 17, 2006.
Human rights, social services and aid to those hurt by the Nazis and Soviets would be further compromised by a proposal on enforcing a controversial law on nongovernmental organizations, NGO representatives said.

US funding cuts to affect Iraqi media development
International Journalists' Network (IJNET) , Washington, DC. April, 17, 2006.
The US government is spending less on programs aimed at building democracy in Iraq, including those aimed at strengthening news media. The shift comes despite the Bush Administration's hopes for Iraq as a democratic example for the region.

Democracy In Iraq Not A Priority in U.S. Budget
Washinton Post, Washington, DC. April 5, 2006.
While President Bush vows to transform Iraq into a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, his administration has been scaling back funding for the main organizations trying to carry out his vision by building democratic institutions such as political parties and civil society groups.

US-funded grant aims to support Arab TV journalism
Daily Star, Lebanon. Wednesday, March 29, 2006.
WASHINGTON: Television journalists and producers from independent Arab television news stations will be able to obtain financial support for their research and productions this year, according to a press release issued last week by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX).

7 regional TV stations in Azerbaijan start daily broadcasts to attract advertisers in the beginning of April
CASCFEN, Azerbaijan. March 27, 2006.
7 regional TV stations in Azerbaijan will start daily 3 hour broadcasts of entertainment programs to attract advertisers in the beginning of April. Technical features of the stations, allow them to broadcast, considering that they all equipped with 1Kb transmitters brought to the country last June-July, American NGO, IREX, told Trend.

Middle East Women Discuss Importance of Empowerment
Skills learned during U.S. internships will help others, they say
Washington File, US State Department. March 24, 2006.
A Saudi woman founds a club to help empower young women in Saudi Arabia. A Palestinian woman advises women entrepreneurs in Palestine. A third woman, from Morocco, cites recent legal reforms in her country that have helped women gain a greater voice in economic and democratic development.

The women were in the United States to participate in the Business Internship Program for Young Middle Eastern Women program, which combines graduate-level academic training with internships at prestigious companies in the United States.

Bela Tsipuria To Participate In Chat Session
Prime-News, Tbilisi. March 16, 2006.
Bela Tsipuria, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, will participate in a chat-session, which will be held in the of International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) on Thursday.

'Media Innovations' at an end
The Messenger, Georgia. February 23, 2006.
After three-and-a-half years of work developing Georgian print and broadcast media and their supporting institutions, the IREX Media Innovations Program (MIPG) is winding down its operations.

Media Sustainability Index (MSI) 2005
Press coverage of the MSI 2005.

From Impressionism to cyber art
Modern art is translated into Georgian for the first time
The Messenger, Georgia. January 30, 2006.
Not long ago the first Georgian textbook about the art of XX Century finally saw daylight at the Book House at Gamsakhurdia Avenue. The book, sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy, gives an overview of versatile artists and art movements - from Impressionism to cyber art…

Overview of Media Legislation in South Eastern Europe
ANEM, Belgrade. January 23, 2006.
The most recently compiled report on Media Legislation in SEE, carried out by the Legal Department of the Association and supported by the IREX Media Development Division, Regional Projects. This overview, covering the reporting period between November 2003 and October 2005, refers to the state of media legislation in South Eastern Europe, namely Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, and is made on the basis of Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Media Task Force’s summary reports which are prepared under the auspices of the Media Task Force by the Media Plan Institute in Sarajevo.

Radio B92's ratings grows steadily
b92 - Belgrade. January 5, 2006.
Radio B92 is the only radio broadcaster in Serbia with a steady ratings growth. Results of the most recent radio audience survey, commissioned by IREX, which supports media development, conducted by the Belgrade-based Strategic Marketing & Research agency, SMMRI, shows Radio B92 is by far the most-listened-to radio station in Belgrade. It also ranks second on the territory of Serbia closely following state-run Radio Belgrade.

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