Annenberg-Oxford
Media Policy Summer Institute
Annenberg-Oxford
Media Policy Summer Institute
Annenberg-Oxford 2014
Participant Bios.
Nesrine Abdel-Sattar
Doctoral Student, Oxford Internet Institute,
Nesrine Abdel-Sattar is a doctoral student at the Oxford Internet Institute researching innovation in Arabic online newsrooms, where she examines the political and soci-economic actors particular to the Arab world that shape online news innovation.
In addition to her current doctoral thesis, Nesrine conducts research on social media in the Arab world and the wider youth digital experiences. Her work includes ethnographic study on 'Social Media and BBC Arabic' (2012) as part of the Open University's Tuning In Research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She also took part in the Oxford University Student Digital Experience project (2012). Nesrine holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo (2000), and an MA with distinction in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester, UK (2004). She is currently completing a doctorate at Mansfield College, Oxford University with a scholarship from the Citadel Capital Foundation.
Prior to coming to the Oxford Internet Institute, Nesrine has been leading communication-for-development projects for a number of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in her home country - Egypt - and in the UK. She headed communication campaigns for UNICEF, SureStart, CARE International and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Nesrine developed communication strategies and advocacy campaigns for issues ranging from water in the Middle East to Avian Flu in rural Egypt. She was the secretary general of Nahdet El Mahrousa in Egypt (2006-2008). She also lead the Global campaign for 'Egyptians Abroad Right to Vote' in 2011 which resulted in Egyptian expatriates being granted the right to vote from outside.
José Antonio Brambila
Doctoral Student, Department of Journalism, University of Sheffield
José Antonio Brambila is a Mexican doctoral student at the Department of Journalism at The University of Sheffield. His research topics are related to the interaction between media and political systems from a comparative perspective. Most of his research focuses on the role of the media during democratization processes, especially beyond the West.
José Antonio received his BA in Communication from Universidad Panamericana (2009), where he graduated with a dissertation about the news coverage of social movements during authoritarian Mexico. In 2011 he received a MA degree in Political Science from El Colegio de México. During his MA José Antonio attended courses and seminars at Boston University (2010) and Free University of Berlin (2011). Prior to the start of his PhD, José Antonio worked at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where he coordinated a research team to analyse political ads during the Federal election in Mexico, funded by the United Nations Development Programme. From 2012 to 2013, he was lecturer in political science at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico City.
Michael Duku
Media Centre Manager for Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS)
Michael Duku is the Media Centre Manager for Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) and has been heading the AMDISS Secretariat since 2011; overseeing the day to day running of the Press Centre, planning and executing AMDISS program activities according to budget.
He is pursuing BA in Democracy & Development Studies at the Uganda Martyrs University (UMU). He has BA & Diploma Business Admin, Makerere Business Institute, Kampala 2005 and has a total of 10 years of program coordination, administration and management experience working for non-governmental organizations such as Academy for Educational Development (AED), MercyCorps, Malteser International, Concern Worldwide and the UN Children’s Fund.
Michael Duku has a good knowledge on the media landscape in South Sudan over the years that he is involved in the media sector besides having hands-on experience on implementation of program activities and operations support for NGO projects, involving projects aimed at at-risk populations in complex and unsafe areas in South Sudan.
Alexandra Esenler
Media Policy Fellow, Center for Global Communication Studies
Alexandra Esenler is a Media Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Communication Studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. She graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, with a major in History and dual minors in Communication Studies and Marketing. While at McGill, Alex co-directed the campus chapter of OpenMedia.ca, an international organization working to maintain the openness of the internet. She was also a Research Assistant in the Communication Department and an intern at the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS). Her interests include digital citizenship, and internet governance and policy.
Sara Fayyad
PhD Research, Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield
Sara Fayyad is a PhD researcher at the department of journalism studies, at the University of Sheffield. She holds an MA in International Political Communication from the University of Sheffield, as well a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from Yarmouk University in Jordan.
Sara’s doctoral thesis is titled “Constructing Egypt’s civil concerns: Media and political Framing of Identity and Legitimacy during Egypt's constitutional moments”. The study will investigate how the media and the political elite use the underlying discourse of civil society to frame the debate around identity and legitimacy in Egypt during the two times it worked on drafting and voting on constitutions in 2012, and 2013-2014.
Before coming to the UK for higher education, Sara worked as a researcher and radio journalist in Jordan, as well as a public relations officer, and a radio correspondent in Syria, where she covered the country’s Arab Spring. Sara’s future research agenda will include the role of media in facilitating democratic transition in the MENA region, as well as media’s role in the repair and healing process in post-conflict societies, namely Syria.
Caroline Hammarberg
Associate Expert, Section for Freedom of Expression, UNESCO
Caroline Hammarberg is an Associate Expert at the Section for Freedom of Expression at UNESCO. Her main areas of focus is on freedom of expression on the Internet and in the Arab States. She is currently the focal point for a publication on digital safety of journalists and supports UNESCO’s consultations with the multistakeholder community for a comprehensive study on Internet-related issues. Prior to joining UNESCO, Caroline worked for the UN in the Middle East for five years, amongst other things with communications and governance issues.
Ephraim Percy Kenyanito
Intern, Policy Team, Access
Ephraim Percy Kenyanito is an Intern working with the Policy team for Access (www.accessnow.org), where he focuses on the connection between internet policy and human rights and specifically works on Internet Governance Reforms. He is an ICANN Fellow (Singapore) and a Fellow of the African School of Internet Governance (South Africa). He is currently a rising senior studying for a Bachelor of Law (LLB) Degree at University and a course in Global Civics at Global Civics Academy. Ephraim is also an Author and Translator through various online publications such as Global Voices Online , The Daily Journalist and through a personal blog, “The Diary of a Global Citizen”. Previously he was a Reporter and Multimedia Team member at European Journalism Centre’s “ThinkBrigade Project.” Ephraim has also been carrying out various African Regional Integration projects with the East African Community Secretariat. He also has a passion for Democratic Governance Issues and has been involved in research and promotion of Governance Issues through projects facilitated by Transparency International, MercyCorps (International) and Centre for Law and Research International (CLARION) among other diverse-range of social development organizations.
Nahoi Koo
Doctoral Student, USC Annenberg
Nahoi Koo is a doctoral student at USC Annenberg. Nahoi’s interests lie in the practical application of global and political communication to closed societies such as North Korea. She is particularly interested in studying discourse that involves state-to-state and state-to-public communication in the context of globalization and modernity.
She received her B.A. in Communication Studies and Economics from Northwestern University. She also has a minor degree in Chinese Language & Culture. During her undergraduate years, she spent two summers studying abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and Korea University in Seoul, South Korea respectively. She has also completed internships at Edelman PR agency – completing several projects regarding social media during her time there – and South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically regarding Inter-North-and-South-Korean relations. The Korean Peninsula Peace Regime Bureau that Nahoi was assigned to was specifically interested in events occurring within North Korea, particularly the recent death of the late former North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il.
Manish
Research Fellow at the Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University, Delhi
Manish is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University, Delhi, where he works on hate speech and media policy. His areas of interest include freedom of speech, media regulation, gender, human rights and Constitutional law. He is also interested in copyleft and the open source movement and was an active member of the Wikimedia India community. He has previously worked at the National Law University, Delhi on an e-justice project for the Government of Madhya Pradesh, and has adjudicated the Oxford Price Media Law Moot Court Competition in 2013.
Mitra Naeimi
PhD Researcher, Faculty of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain
Mitra Naeimi is currently a PhD researcher at the Faculty of Communication, University of Navarra, Spain. For her PhD research, she is extending her previous research in the fields of media, culture and civic society. She envisions using her M.A. thesis as one of the bases of a doctoral dissertation; but taking it further, she pursues religion as a significant issue as well. Her decision to continue her education in the area of media and religion stems directly from her previous personal and academic pursuits.
After receiving her Mathematics and Physics Diploma, she decided to build her university and working life in the social sciences and humanities. She did her B.A. in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Tehran. Subsequently, she was admitted to the M.A. program of North American Studies (Cultural Studies) at the University of Tehran. The North American Studies program, despite its theoretical strength, has few courses directly related to her major interest; communication. For these reasons, she applied and was accepted to the Master’s Program in Global Studies (Media and Communication Studies) at Lund University in Sweden.
During her M.A. studies at the University of Tehran and Lund University, she undertook substantial research projects on topics of citizenship, media, culture and some other relevant subjects. During her second M.A. program, she became especially interested in the dialectics between political culture and civic culture. To approach this topic, she wrote her second thesis on American civic culture, particularly on anti-war activism in the United States. That dissertation aimed at explaining how the US anti-war activists and citizens responded to the official political statements made by the US state.
Stephen Omiri
Station Manager, Sudan Radio Service (SRS)
Stephen Omiri joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) when he was 9 in 1986, and served until 1994. He worked as a nurse and as a result of his service was given a scholarship to study at secondary school in Kenya. From 2001 to 2003 Omiri was the program co-ordinator for Sudanese Women Empowerment For Peace. He then worked on procurement and logistics for a humanitarian organization.
In 2004 Omiri joined Sudan Radio Service (SRS) as a stringer receiving on –the –job training as a radio journalist before working his way up to producer, senior producer and then station manager. In 2006 Omiri received a degree in Business Administration from Kenya Methodist University and a diploma in Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations from the Institute of Commercial Management in the United Kingdom.
He became a senior producer with SRS and in 2011 was promoted to station manager. During this time he also completed an MBA with Kenya Methodist University. He is now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eye Radio and Eye Media, responsible for a staff of more than forty. He played a vital role in setting up Eye Radio 98.6 FM in Juba.
Omiri sees his role at Eye Media and Eye Radio as being a way of continuing to serve his country by providing audiences with important information. He says without media people in South Sudan will still live in darkness. His ambition is for Eye Media and Eye Radio to be seen as an essential part of the media landscape in South Sudan.
Marat Raimkhanov
Vice Chairman, "Kazakhstan" Television and Radio Corporation
Marat Raimkhanov currently works as the Vice Chairman at the state-owned “Kazakhstan” Television and Radio Corporation. His major task is to devise, develop and deliver a comprehensive strategic plan for the business development, CSR and awareness-raising for the corporation. He is also in charge of the online media development and digital content production. As a part of his voluntary civic activities Marat supervises the Committee for information policies under the Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan which is designed to provide educational and professional support for bloggers and journalists of local mainstream and independent mass media.
Previously he worked at the Centre for Social Partnership of the Sovereign Wealth Fund “Samruk-Kazyna” and at the press service of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. During his career Marat also worked as a CEO of “Zan” Media-Corporation that published leading law journals and newspapers of Kazakhstan. He has lectured at KIMEP University. His primary research interests concern the issue of mass media and democratic development. Marat is particularly interested in studying the practical mechanisms of digital democracy, including the potential of social networks as a diffuser of independent information and source of active citizenship
Marat Raimkhanov was born in Oskemen (Kazakhstan) and educated in KIMEP (Master of Arts in International Journalism) and London School of Economics (Master of Public Administration).
Molly Sauter
PhD Student, McGill University, Montreal
Molly Sauter is a PhD student at McGill University, studying disruptive activism and internet culture under Gabriella Coleman. She holds a masters degree in Comparative Media Studies from MIT. She is a research affiliate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and at the Center for Civic Media at the MIT Media Lab. She resides in Montreal.
Edward Timke
PhD Candidate, Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan
Edward Timke is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. His work centers on global media studies from historical, cultural, and international relations perspectives. Edward's dissertation focuses on the production and circulation of American and French women in popular French and American magazines, respectively, that were used to work through cultural, political, and social changes of the immediate post-WWII period in and between France and the United States.
Before coming to the University of Michigan, Edward served as a program manager of exchanges between universities in the United States, France, and Switzerland at the International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP) in Washington, DC. Edward also taught English to French high school students in Saint-Etienne, France, for one year under a program offered by the French Ministry of Education and the Fulbright Commission. He has served as an intern for the US Foreign Commercial Service at the US Embassy in Budapest, the Center for Democracy in Washington, DC, and the office of State Representative Tom Casperson in Lansing, Michigan. Edward is a recipient of the University of Michigan's Rackham Merit Fellowship and holds a Master's degree in International and Intercultural Communication from the University of Denver as well as a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and French from Michigan State University. More details can be found on his website: www.edwardtimke.com.
Marcus Wagner de Seixas
Lawyer, PhD Student, Law and Social Sciences, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
Marcus Wagner de Seixas is a lawyer and PhD student in Law and Social Sciences at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF - Brazil), with undergraduate degree and Masters in legal sciences, Law’s professor at Institute of Human and Social Sciences at the same university. He is coordinator for the discipline “Institutions of Public and Private Law” - a distance learning course in Public Administration, funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Brazil (MEC) and leader of the research group: “Human Rights, Communication and Media”, responsible for the implementation of an University Television at advanced pole of UFF in Volta Redonda’s city, Rio de Janeiro’s State.
Marcus studies the role of the media in Brazil and its influence in the political, social and legal decisions (especially in environmental issues), following the parliamentary proposals for greater or lesser control of this sector. His research group has been working on the possibility of creating alternatives within the government sector itself especially by University’s Television, as an instrument at least to try to minimize the concentration of the oligopoly of the communication sector and the democratization of information.
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Maria Xynou
Project Researcher, Tactical Technology Collective (TTC), Berlin
Maria Xynou works on privacy-related projects at the Tactical Technology Collective (TTC) in Berlin. Previously, she worked in India with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) as a policy researcher on surveillance. Maria has interned with Privacy International and with the Parliament of Greece, and holds a MSc in Security Studies from the University College London (UCL).
Deniz Yazici
Assistant Research Officer, Organization for Security and Co-operation's Office of the Representative on the Freedom of the Media
Akintunde Akanni
Lecturer, Journalism Department, Lagos State University, Nigeria
Akintunde Akanni is currently a lecturer at Nigeria’s Lagos State University’s Journalism Department. Mr. Akanni’s professional experiences spans journalism and development work across non-governmental and governmental sectors as well as the international arena. A member of the Nigeria Community Radio Coalition as well as the Freedom of Information Coalition, he is a development activist who has been consistently interested in the study and use of media for development.
Fouad Riaz Bajwa
Director of Policy and Research, Digital Rights Advocation Organization, Pakistan
Fouad Riaz Bajwa is well renowned in the Pakistani ICT Industry, Public Policy and Internet Governance communities for his contributions towards developing a Free and Open Source Software movement and ecosystem in Pakistan, protecting and promoting human rights and freedom of expression online, delivering expert technology and information policy analysis and advise, carrying out research and advocacy on technology related issues and, writing and consulting experience in international development. He is serving as the Director of Policy and Research at a digital rights advocacy organization in Pakistan while also leading the Internet Research Project IRP2 dedicated to collecting and analyzing the Internet growth in Pakistan and its effects on the Pakistani society, politics and economy over the past few years. His work has been extensively highlighted by the mainstream Pakistani electronic and print media and is widely consulted on national and international issues regarding ICT, Internet Public Policy and the future of the technology industry. At the global policy advice level, he significantly contributed to UNCTAD's global flagship report "Information Economy Report IER'2012"and has performed extensive research on the ICT and Software Industry in the Arab World for a multilateral organization in the region.
Robyn Caplan
Research Fellow, GovLab; SC&IU Fellow and PhD Student at Rutgers Univeisty, School of Communication and Information Studies
Robyn Caplan is a Research Fellow at the GovLab, and a SC&I Fellow and PhD student at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information Studies. Her research focuses on information and technology policy, open data, human information behavior, and the social and ethical dimensions of legislating data. She earned her MA in Media, Culture, and Communication at Steinhardt’s School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, with a focus on Technology and Society where she worked with on determining jurisdictional issues emerging from remote data storage. She is the co-founder of AppAutopsy.com, an online application which uses data scraping and visualization to unveil the politics and values in digital applications.
Prior to accepting her fellowship at Rutgers, she worked as the Digital Editor for MAKERS.com, a PBS/AOL website on the history of the women’s movement in the United States. She has worked for numerous startups in multiple capacities, as a researcher, writer, and project manager. Robyn received her undergraduate degree from University of Toronto, and is originally from Ontario, Canada. She can be found on Twitter @RobynCaplan
Anna Rosario Azada Elicano
Communications Officer, World Bank in Southeast Asia
Anna Rosario Azada Elicano is the Communications Officer (Online Editor) for the World Bank in Southeast Asia. In this role, she produces, curates, and commissions multimedia content about poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, trade, education, and other development topics in the sub-region. She is also one of the organization’s pioneers in social media engagement and manages multiple community pages across Southeast Asia.
Anne’s research interests cover the ASEAN ICT 2015 masterplan and ICT for development. She is often invited to participate in digital specialist meetings, hackathons, and forums on freedom of expression. Previously, she worked as a communications specialist for the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism and was a marketing officer for ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ biggest media company.
Anne’s writing has been published in The Guardian, BBC Radio Times online, CNN Traveller, CNBC Business Magazine, and more. In 2007, her article "Amplifying Peace Across Borders" won the International Essay Competition for Young People organized by the Goi Foundation of Japan and UNESCO. Anne was active in youth advocacy movements in Southeast Asia from 2004-2007. She has served as an organizer, moderator, and participant in several international youth gatherings on leadership, digital campaigns, political participation, and human rights. Anne graduated with Distinction from the University of Sheffield with a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism.
Kecheng Fang
PhD Student, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Kecheng Fang will start his PhD at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania in August 2014. Previously, he studied at Peking University in China and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include journalism and political communication. As a former Beijing-based political reporter for Southern Weekly (Nanfang Zhoumo) he is interested in exploring the relationship between media and politics in China. Fang is also a long-time and active Internet writer and observer, a “best blogger” nominated by Deutsche Welle.
Anja Gengo
Legal Trainee, Law Office in Sarajevo
Anja Gengo is a legal trainee at a Law Office in Sarajevo, Bosnia and as a legal coordinator for Media Law Legal Clinics for university students. She earned a degree in law from the University of Sarajevo and currently is working on her MA dissertation in International Law at the University of Sarajevo. Her research interests include, but are not limited to, media law, IT law and human rights. During her studies she was actively engaged in debate as a debater and later become certificated as an international coach, trainer and judge for KPP and BP forms of debate. Debate also paved her way into the media when Mrs. Gengo, as part of a European Commission project for debaters from Ex-Yugoslavia countries, edited a monthly newspaper and wrote articles for two and a half years. Additionally, she was a TV researcher and presenter at a public TV debates broadcasted on national TV channel in her home country. Mrs. Gengo participated in several moot court and debate competitions as well as simulations, from which she is particularly proud of the Price Monroe Moot Court in Media Law in Oxford and a Model European Council at Balkan Case Challenge Competition in Vienna, where she won the Best Lobbing Skills Award.
Sherly Haristya
Doctoral Student, Wee Kim School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Sherly Haristya is a doctoral student at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She received her MA in Communication Studies from University of Indonesia in 2011. She is currently developing her dissertation that focus on legitimacy issues in global Internet governance. She is a member of ID-CONFIG (Indonesian Civil Society Organizations Network for Internet Governance). She is also one of the authors of Internet Governance Forum 2013 Narrative Report that describes the preparatory process of the 8th IGF that was held in Bali, Indonesia.
Ran Liu
PhD Student, Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
Ran Liu is a current Ph.D. student in Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor's degree and Master of Philosophy in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has been doing research on the development and environment of Chinese microfinance institutions, poverty alleviation programs, non-governmental organizations and civil society; she is also working on projects related to internet governance, online censorship and rumor diffusion.
Nermina Mujagić
Associate Professor, Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo
Nermina Mujagić holds a PhD in political science and is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo. She is the author of four books: Politička de/re socijalizacija i mediji (Political De/Resocialization and Media), Izvan politike (Beyond Politics), Tihi govor Bosne (The Silent Talk of Bosnia) and Politika kao spektakl: bacanje mreže u susjedov ribnjak ((Politics as spectacle: Throwing a fishnet in the neighbour’s pond). She has published a number of articles in publications such as European Perspectives (Slovenia) and Dijalog, Status, Odjek (Bosnia).
Her scientific interest includes research into theories of political conflicts, political communication, theories of political culture, political ideology of political parties, and media and conflict.
Paul Nwulu
Program Officer, Ford Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria
Paul Nwulu works on media issues in West Africa as the Program Officer at the Ford Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria. His grant-making focuses on the creation of high quality content that increases awareness of key issues in governance and youth sexuality, reproductive health and rights. His work also promotes greater public engagement with the media to accelerate social change.
Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, Paul was an Associate Professor of Communication and Multimedia Design at the American University of Nigeria, Yola. He also held a tenured position as an Associate Professor of Media and Telecommunications at Western Michigan University, a position Assistant Professor of media production and theory at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Massachusetts and a position as instructor at the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Chicago. Paul has conducted extensive research on the impact of media technologies on social behavior and change in developing nations.
Over the years, Paul has also produced development media content in Nigeria and other African countries. Paul holds a doctorate in Mass Communications and Political Science from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Communications from Western Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications and Graphic Arts from College of the Ozarks in Missouri.
Benjamin Pearson
PhD Student, Communication Studies, University of Michigan
Benjamin Pearson is a 3rd year PhD student in Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. He’s interested in the relationship between global cultural policy, national media production, and minority subjectivity in media texts. Currently, his research focuses on aid programs to cultural industries in the Global South run by the EU, UNESCO, and other international organizations.
Before attending the University of Michigan, Benjamin completed an MA in Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College, and an MA in European Integration Studies from Universidad de Deusto and Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. He’s originally from Southern California.
Irene Poetranto
Communications Officer, Citizen Lab, Canada Centre for Global Security Studies, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Irene Poetranto is the communications officer at the Citizen Lab and Canada Centre for Global Security Studies, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. She has substantive expertise and interest in the Southeast Asian region, particularly Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and has worked for, amongst others, the Human Security Report Project at Simon Fraser University, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for Southeast Asia, and the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Southeast Asia Research. She has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and an M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies from the University of Toronto.
Yusuf Salman
Koç University, COSMIC Research Team Member
Yusuf Salman is currently a part of Koç University's research team for the project COSMIC funded from the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme on security research. He obtained his bachelor's degree in economics from Koç University in 2011. Formerly he worked for several organizations, most of which are media companies, as a journalist, PR specialist, advisor and manager, as well as a free-lance translator of academic and legal documents for translation and interpreting agencies. His current work as a research assistant/researcher covers contribution of social media in crisis management and communication, international law, human rights law, and censorship in media. He is interested in media policy, media law and international politics.
Prawit Thainiyom
Doctoral Student, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California
Prawit Thainiyom is currently a second-year doctoral student from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. He was a 2010-2012 Fulbright scholar from Thailand and earned an M.A. in Communication Arts and Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University. Before coming to the US, Thainiyom was a communications executive at Ogilvy Advertising for clients such as Coca Cola, Motorola and Honda. He subsequently shifted his career to international media development for Education Development Center, Inc. and MTV EXIT Foundation, where he managed various media campaigns on issues such as HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, post disaster development, poverty reduction, and information technology in over 12 countries across Asia. These experiences propelled him to explore the roles of mass media, social media, entertainment education, social marketing, social movements, and communication technologies in international development and global health.
Thainiyom is currently working on a few research projects that investigate the efficacy of anti-trafficking campaigns in Southeast Asia and how media development programs could increase civic engagement and public participation among the local population on this social issue. He is also interested to conduct a comparative study among different countries in Southeast Asia that explores the rise of new media and communication technologies as a vehicle for political and social change, and the positive and negative consequences of these developments on freedom of expression, media diversity, democratic discourse, and social order.
Begaim Usenova
Director, PF "Media Policy Institute (MPI)
Begaim Usenova is the Director of the PF “Media Policy Institute” (MPI), an expert on media with 11 years of professional experience in the field.
Begaim Usenova’s professional experience includes the development and management of nationwide media campaigns to raise public awareness in protecting the rights of journalists and mass media, media reform, training in media issues. Begaim Usenova has led the largest news agency “IA AKIpress” in 2007-2009. Befaim was a member of the Initiative working group on the development of a concept of youth policy, the Advisory Board of the “Center of Media Support” (printing), the Supervisory Board of the first public television in KR. She is a member of the Working Group on the development of the draft project of a State Program on transition to digital broadcasting in Kyrgyz Republic (KR).
Edward Wanyonyi
Program Researcher, BBC Media Action
Edward Wanyonyi is a Program Researcher with BBC Media Action and also supports the United Nations International Strategy on Risk Reduction and the UNDP Country office in journalism training camps aimed at increasing editorial coverage of community resilience to disasters and climate change.
With a background in Communications and Public Relations, Edward has been a regular studio commentator with the British Broadcasting Corporation Nairobi Bureau since 2007, tackling diverse topics with a specialty in Media Development, Foreign Policy, Trade Competitiveness and Culture.
Additionally, Edward is an adjunct lecturer at St. Paul’s University in Kenya (Faculty of Business and Communication Studies) where he teaches core units in broadcasting and media law and ethics.
He has also consulted for the Africa Union Commission, UNECA and East Africa Community Secretariat on various journalism and media regulation training projects.
Edward’s research interests include the links between media, state regulation and development, new media discourse, data journalism, media economics and competitiveness in developing countries.
Additionally, Edward authored Eden In Turmoil-A Citizen Perspective To The 2008 Post Election Violence and currently working on The Conspiracy of Silence- An analysis of Media Conduct During The 2013 General Elections in Kenya.
Annie Zaman
Media Consultant and Trainer, Writes for Deusche Welle and Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman served as the first Project Director for PakVotes. PV is a unique and pioneering project that aims at improving the participation of ordinary citizens in Pakistan's electoral process by promoting inclusion, ensuring openness and providing timely and reliable information, using social media tools and technologies. She with her team set-up Pakistan's first virtual newsroom. As a journalist, she has worked with one of Pakistan's leading dailies Daily Times and Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. She was in charge of media program at FES-Pakistan, a German political foundation. Currently, she works as a media consultant and trainer, and writes for the Deusche Welle and Global Voices. She divides her time between London & Bonn. She tweets at @natrani.
Huang Ziyang
Graduate, Faculty of Law, Communication University of China; Licensed for Chinese Legal Professions
Huang Ziyang graduated from Faculty of Law Communication University of China and is licensed for Chinese Legal Professions. Huang is the First Prize Winner at 4th National Legal English Contest with his paper Copy Rights and Neighboring Rights in Football Matches. He also conducted a two-year project on Naming Rights in Chinese Micro-Blog with Minister of Education Research Grant. His main publications include bilingually translation of one chapter about Japanese Media Law of the book, The Protection of Personality Rights against Invasion by Mass Media Law published by China Legal Publishing House and several articles on Media law and regulations. He worked as an intern at Volvo Finance for 8 months, assisting general counsel for law suits especially inquiries from newspapers. Prior to this, he interned at legal affairs at Government of Hunan Province after clerking to Judge Jia and Judge Sun at Trail Court of Chaoyang District, Beijing in summer. Huang will go to United States for a Master of Law degree
Deniz Yazici works as an Assistant Research Officer at the Organization for Security and Co-operation’s Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media. She has been with the Office since 2010.
Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1986, she holds a Master’s degree in Globalisation and Development from the University of Warwick; and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Bradford.
In her current position, Yazici acts as geographical focal point for media freedom issues in South-East Europe; and has a content focus on Freedom of Information, Access to Information, and Internet Freedoms across the 57 participating States of the OSCE.
Yazici organises the annual OSCE South East Europe Media Conference which brings together various stakeholders, creating a platform for dialogue on current challenges to freedom of the media and possible ways forward for the region.
She has authored articles for OSCE publications including on access to information, “Without access to information states risk meeting the fate of Humpty Dumpty” (2013); and on Internet freedoms, “Controlling the uncontrollable?” (2011).