Author:  BBC Media Action's Director of Policy and Learning James Deane, originally posted on May 5 2017 - Given the troubling global backdrop, World Press Freedom Day arguably needed a name change in 2017. Marked annually by a gathering organised by UNESCO, this year's 'celebration' in Jakarta may not have been particularly joyous, but it was certainly more important than ever.

Reflecting on the conversations and debates held in Indonesia, I’ve arrived at three reasons to be worried and three grounds for optimism. I’ll start off gloomy and end on a more upbeat note.

Author: Kiran Bhandari, Dipak Bhattarai and James Deane, October 10 2016 - Nepal’s media has played a pivotal role in the country’s democratic transition but how successful has it been at fighting corruption and boosting accountability?

Nepal has one of the most remarkable and extraordinary media landscapes in the world. In addition to a crowded and energetic mainstream media market, it has more community radio stations per head than any other country globally. Nepali media also has a remarkable legacy in contributing to the dramatic democratic transition of the last decade or so.

Author: James Deane, September 14 2016 - James Deane argues that the concept of media systems capable of: engaging everyone in society, acting independently and enabling dialogue across divides appears increasingly – rather than decreasingly – relevant in the 21st century. 

Author: BBC Media Action's Director of Policy and Learning James Deane, July 6 2016 - James Deane’s personal reflection on the role of media in divided societies in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

I’ve spent many years writing about, researching and supporting media in countries of crisis. I’ve especially focused on divided societies. I’ve argued that the character of the media, the information available to people and the capacity of people to communicate across divides in their countries does much to determine how societies either fragment or unite.

Author: BBC Media Action's Director of Policy and Learning James Deane, July 6 2016 - James Deane welcomes you to a new resource on why and how media and communication matters in international development:

To someone with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

It is the criticism levelled at many areas of international development.

To an economist, sort out economic policy and prosperity will follow. To a civil society activist, sort out access to rights and justice, then fairness will follow. To a governance specialist, sort out the effectiveness of government institutions, and good governance will follow.

Author: BBC Media Action's Director of Policy and Learning James Deane, November 3 2015 - Most commentaries on 21st-century media focus on the impact of new technologies, social media and, above all, the increasing global ubiquity of mobile telephony Such commentaries highlight how in many, if not most, societies, the majority of people are under the age of 30 and are reinventing how humanity communicates with itself.

Author: James Deane, September 28 2015 - Ahead of this week's UN [United Nations] summit in New York [United States], BBC Media Action’s Director of Policy and Learning argues for a stronger focus on the provision of information as well as resources.

"This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity." So begins the outcome document which forms the basis of the agreement for a new set of "global goals" which are expected to be signed by 215 world leaders this week. It is a statement that encapsulates both their ambition and weakness.

Author: James Deane, BBC Media Action Director, Policy and Learning, May 20 2015 - I was prompted to write this post by Brian Levy, the rightly respected governance guru of the World Bank, now Senior Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Author: James Deane, May 8 2014       This year's World Press Freedom Day celebrations will focus on whether issues of media freedom can realistically be integrated into the post-2015 framework that will replace the current Millennium Development Goals.  Unesco [the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] hosts a conference on the issue on May 4th and 5th in Paris.

Author BBC Media Action's James Deane, December 5 2012:       Part of an organisation I helped set up is no longer going to exist.

The Panos Institute London has announced that it no longer has the resources to continue. It’s been struggling for some time; project income appears to have dried up; its executive director has left. Panos’ trustees have decided, understandably, that, after almost exactly 26 years, it needs to fold.