The post-Cold War era has witnessed the emergence of new democracies in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. This has produced a re-energized civil society that is anxious and eager to play its part in the emerging democracies. Among the potentially important players in the new democratization process are the media and civil society that specialize in issues of democracy and civic engagement. These entities seek to find a way of placing citizens at the center of the democratic process in order to create an engaged citizenry that participates in public deliberations and actions that impact public policy. Along this line, our researcher, Sam Chege Mwangi, conducted an exploratory survey to find out how media in other countries have attempted to engage citizens in their work. Overall, he found that there was a great interest in civic engagement issues but that there are fewer resources available for those interested in networking and sharing what they are learning with similar-minded researchers, scholars, media personnel and interested civil society members around the world. The International Media and Democracy Project is designed to meet this need.

Ebere Onwudiwe
Executive Director, CIS

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