The purpose of the Media for Democracy Assessment Tool (MAT) is to assist United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in producing media assessments to inform strategy on media and democracy programming, help inform potential media development programming goals, and help provide an informed understanding of where USAID investment is most feasible and needed and will have the best chances for impact.

This primer presents an overview of disinformation culture to give readers a sense of key concepts, terminology, select case studies, and programmatic design options. Disinformation is by no means new. Although social media platforms have emerged as the most efficient spreaders of false information, disinformation is also spread through analog media such as radio, television, and newspapers.

The report has a detailed look at the best methods for measuring impact of investigative reporting. From complex software to relatively simple charting, the authors discuss the various ways devised in recent years to better gauge how journalists are making a difference, and makes recommendations about what appears most practical and effective for investigative newsrooms.

For Never Again Rwanda, 2013 was an important watershed as it is the year it expanded most of its projects regionally and internationally. Reaching this milestone provided a timely opportunity for reflection on, and critique of, much of our work.

As before, this edition of Empowering Independent Media draws on lessons from around the world, but its primary focus, given the mandate of the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), is on U.S. efforts. This new report examines seven central areas of media development—funding, digital media, sustainability, media law, safety, education, and monitoring and evaluation.

Although lessons are drawn from media development globally, this report’s focus, given the mandate of the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), is on U.S. efforts. It examines eight areas deemed essential to the success of independent media assistance: funding, professional development, higher education, the legal-enabling environment, sustainability, media literacy, new media, and monitoring and evaluation.