Measures of Press Freedom and Media Contributions to Development

Press freedom indices such as those administered by Freedom House, IREX, and Reporters Without Borders have emerged as crucial tools, not only for the general public, but also for donors, implementers, and academics in their attempts to understand the relationships among media assistance, democratization, and other forms of development. Bringing together a variety of viewpoints and perspectives on evaluating media assistance, Measures of Press Freedom and Media Contributions to Development offers a critical reflection on the theories and tools of measurements that are used by the academic, donor, and civil society communities. A variety of theoretical and geographic perspectives are drawn upon, offering a timely debate from both academics and practitioners.

Monroe E. Price is Director of the Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania; Professor of Law and Director of the Howard M. Squadron Program in Law, Media, and Society at the Cardozo School of Law, where he served as Dean from 1982 to 1991; and Director of the Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research, London.
Susan Abbott is Deputy Director of Program Development at Internews Network, an international media development organization, and is responsible for working with Internews programs worldwide on monitoring and evaluation, and research and learning. Abbott was previously Associate Director of the Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to this she was a program officer in the Media Development Division at the International Research and Exchanges Board in Washington, DC.
Libby Morgan is Associate Director of the Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. In this position she works on the Center’s publication initiatives and supports the development, planning, and administration of CGCS’s policy and training activities.