This collection is the first of its kind on the topic of media development. It brings together luminary thinkers in the field—both researchers and practitioners—to reflect on how advocacy groups, researchers, the international community and others can work to ensure that media can continue to serve as a force of democracy and development. But that mission faces considerable challenges. Media development paradigms are still too frequently associated with Western prejudices, or out of touch with the digital age. As we move past Western blueprints and into an uncertain digital future, what does media development mean? If we are to act meaningfully to shape the future of our increasingly mediated societies, we must answer this question.

Nicholas Benequista is Research Manager at the Center for International Media Assistance, a think-tank housed at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Susan Abbott is an independent consultant who specializes in working with non-profit organizations, universities, and donors in the areas of media development, civil society assistance, and digital rights. In addition to her consulting practice, Abbott is a doctoral researcher at the University of Westminster, and a fellow with the Center for Media, Data, and Society at Central European University.

Paul Rothman is Project Manager at the Center for International Media Assistance, a think-tank housed at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC. He holds an MA from the Elliott School of International Studies at the George Washington University.

Winston Mano is a Reader and Course Leader for the MA in Media and Development at the University of Westminster and a member of the top rated Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI). He is also the Principal Editor of the Journal of African Media Studies and a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Johannesburg.