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Nick Benequista

@benequista.bsky.social
275 followers 218 following 37 posts

Senior director of the Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy. Working to strengthen media development and democracy through research and international cooperation.

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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
+1 to this -> "We need to prioritize a non-duplicative, “elbows down” system that values collaboration among doers, thinkers, and those able to manage complex financial systems." From @jeanscrim.bsky.social
accountabilitylab.org
Reimagining democracy support in times of crisis | Accountability Lab
The recent “When Aid Fades” report by the Global Democracy Coalition serves as a stark reminder that funding cuts to civil society aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent a systematic wea...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Very excited to be hiring a program officer for applied research! They will join the new Impact Lab team at the National Endowment for Democracy. Please share with your networks. workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...
workforcenow.adp.com
Recruitment
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/24/l...
foreignpolicy.com
The Great Dismantling
It’s time to reckon with the end of the old international order—and shape a vision for a new one.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Absolutely worth the time to watch this
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
News outlets are finding creative ways to cope with internet shutdowns in south and Southeast Asia.
akademie.dw.com
New study on internet shutdowns in South and Southeast Asia
Internet shutdowns are an increasingly common tool of government repression. Researchers shed light on repercussions on journalists and media outlets in the region and discuss resistance strategies.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
One of the greats. Shame he wasn't recognized with the Nobel Prize. Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Writer Who Condemned Colonists and Elites, Dies at 87 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/b...
nytimes.com
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Writer Who Condemned Colonists and Elites, Dies at 87
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Tor Kr. Birkeland @torkristianx.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Good stuff indeed! If you're curious about the conclusion, the workshop identified four urgent tasks: 1. Establishing a consortium like Coders without Borders or a similar collaborative to connect AI developers with democracy movements.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Hey @chenoweth.bsky.social, this is good stuff. Thanks. ash.harvard.edu/resources/ho...
ash.harvard.edu
How AI Can Support Democracy Movements: Summary Report of a Research and Practice Workshop – Ash Center
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Our friends at the @foruminfod.bsky.social are looking for submissions exploring the potential of digital taxes as mechanisms for funding journalism. See link below for deets.
informationdemocracy.org
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Sameer Padania @sdp.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
Tip @mediagazer.com: A new fund for journalism launches in Brazil. Why is this important? @sergio.nucleo.jor.br explains that it’s specifically targeted at funding outside the major cities, & beyond the usual recipients. Instead it’s designed to address news deserts: nucleo.jor.br/english/2025...
nucleo.jor.br
Brazil finally gets a fund for local journalism
FAJ will help nourish some news deserts outside the major urban centers and beyond the usual organizations.
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Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
As a dear friend, comrade, mentor, and hero, Bob McChesney has meant the world to me. I am heartbroken by this irreplaceable loss, but Bob's vision for a truly democratic media system lives on. To honor him, we must continue the struggle. Here's a wonderful tribute by @nicholsuprising.bsky.social
thenation.com
Robert McChesney, the Great Champion of Journalism and Democracy, Has Died
The academic and activist inspired generations of people to challenge corporate power and support a media reform movement that lives on.
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Charlie Beckett @charliebeckett.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
This is a data viz masterclass. Enjoy.
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Drew Sullivan - OCCRP @drewoccrp.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
NEW: A cool investigation we did with iStories, Paper Trail Media and Der Standard about how RT is paying English and German influencers to produce pro-Russia content. It looks at how the Kremlin engineers conservative Westerners to move to Russia for its "traditional values." Please share!
occrp.org
Banned Russian Channel RT Secretly Pays Video Bloggers Who Promote Kremlin Narratives
The bloggers rack up millions of views, promote Russia as a haven for conservatives, glorify the war in Ukraine — and never disclose any ties to the Russian government. The money tells a different sto...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Comforting?
nytimes.com
Opinion | We Are Still in the Chaos Part of the Pandemic Cycle
We’re still in the chaos phase.
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Emily Bell @emilybell.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
cjr.org
We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News.
AI search tools are rapidly gaining in popularity, with nearly one in four Americans now saying they have used AI in place of traditional search engines. These tools derive their value from crawling t...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Excellent essay by Nilima Gulrajani at @odi.global, but I don't believe that a global "independent commission" can chart a way towards a new consensus on international cooperation.
project-syndicate.org
Making a Better Case for Foreign Aid | by Nilima Gulrajani - Project Syndicate
Nilima Gulrajani urges policymakers to formulate an alternative vision of how such a system should work in a post-USAID world.
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Mary Hanlon @maryhanlon.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
BASAS Annual Lecture 2025 with @naomihossain.bsky.social looks so good #Bangladesh: www.basas.org.uk/news-events/...
basas.org.uk
BASAS Annual Lecture 2025 - British Association for South Asian Studies
Naomi Hossain, SOAS Bangladesh’s Monsoon Uprising The student-led popular uprising that unseated Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina after 15 years
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CIMA @cima-media.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
📝The sudden loss of US funding will jeopardize media development and freedom. @benequista.bsky.social explains how the sector can weather the storm. innovating.news/guest-essay/... @cnti.bsky.social
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
The media freedom movement has been set back by years, but everyone in the community is steadfastly committed to rebuilding
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
This “Triffin World” theory—that the US is essentially subsidizing global growth through dollar reserves—actually seems persuasive. But the solutions prescribed here don’t seem to consider the national and global political realities. Buckle up, folks.
hudsonbaycapital.com
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
europeanjournalists.org
Suspension of U.S. media aid: EFJ calls for mobilisation of European donors
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), one of the largest official aid agencies in the world, has been instructed to stop projects ...
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Forum on Information and Democracy @foruminfod.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Last week, we published the first research synthesis of our Observatory on Information and Democracy. Covering more than 1600 sources, it provides a unique state of the knowledge on information ecosystems. You can find it here. 🧵 observatory.informationdemocracy.org/reports/
observatory.informationdemocracy.org
Reports - OID
Reports Global synthesis Global assessment report Global Assessment Reports provide a periodical global comprehensive synthesis of state-of-the-art research at the nexus of information and democracy. ...
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CIMA @cima-media.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Register for "Strengthening Media to Safeguard Democracy" to learn more about the Media Viability Manifesto. The event will take place on Jan. 28 in Brussels. @imsforfreemedia.bsky.social @unesconow.bsky.social docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
Registration for Strengthening Media to Safeguard Democracy: The Media Viability Manifesto for Collective Action
On behalf of the Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) initiative, we are pleased to invite you to our English-language evening reception, Strengthening Media to Safeguard Democracy: The Media Viability Man...
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CIMA @cima-media.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
🧵 This week's top #MediaDev & #DigitalMedia news: @cima-media.bsky.social looks back on trends in media development and digital media governance:
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
I know a lot is happening in the world right now, but please spare some of your attention for the growing crackdown on democratic rights in #Ethiopia. --> movedemocracy.salsalabs.org/democracy--a...
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Sue Valentine @suevalentine.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
I’m not convinced of the impact of fact-checking in promoting accuracy to FB users, but it did provide a revenue stream for smaller newsrooms.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
With the passage of the UN Cybercrime Convention looking imminent and inevitable, here are some examples of how cybercrime laws, absent adequate safeguards, are already being weaponized by authoritarians.
ned.org
Big Question: How are Cybercrime Laws Weaponized to Legalize Repression? - NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY
Four leading experts consider the following questions: What concerns do the abuse of cybercrime laws present for the work and safety of democratic actors? What strategies can democratic actors use to ...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
CIMA and the International Forum for Democratic Studies co-hosted an outstanding discussion in DC in September with civil society practitioners, technologists, journalists, and researchers. Here's what that discussion concluded on the path ahead for defending democratic norms in tech governance.
ned.org
Defending Democratic Norms in Global Tech Governance - NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY
In September 2024, the Forum and CIMA held a private, hybrid workshop to better understand the shifting global tech governance landscape and identify response strategies.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Findings here go strongly against public perception. 9 out of 10 young people (15-29) read news online, accoding to this Newsworks study.
newsworks.org.uk
Youth: A Newsworks study
Where online can you find 9 out of 10 young adults? The answer is reading news. Surprised? Then read our report on youth because the advertising community has a challenge. Finding the right content on...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Latin American governments have been working to make government advertising more transparent, but it's not been enough to stop governments from using advertising dollars with political purpose
latamjournalismreview.org
Latin American governments use state advertising to control the press, study finds
Analysis of public advertising shows how governments misuse funds, rewarding loyalists and endangering independent news outlets.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Quite a track record left behind by Ambassador Gitenstein and @verajourova.bsky.social on #pressfreedom and #mediadev in Europe. This blog also highlights their collaboration with CIPE and CIMA on innovative finance. More to come, I hope...
useu.usmission.gov
Two Years of Transatlantic Cooperation on Media Freedom: Achievements and the Way Forward
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Silvia Chocarro @silviachocarro.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
It reminds me to the #SudanMediaForum, a coalition of Sudanese media outlets (including the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate) created last April to collaborate among them and seek international support and solidarity.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
The National Association of Media in Ukraine is formalizing the role it's been playing as a conduit for solidarity between Ukrainian news outlets and foreign media. I don't think I've ever seen a platform of this kind before. #mediadev #Ukraine umafund.org.ua
umafund.org.ua
Home - Ukrainian Media Allies
Ukrainian Media Allies is a platform uniting media professionals from all over the world and supporting the Ukrainian independent media
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Michael Moss @michaelmoss101.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
I'm building a #StarterPack for people and orgs shaping a world where free, safe, sustainable and independent public interest media can thrive. Recommendations welcome. go.bsky.app/9KZLNGr #JournalistProtection #ExpressionRights #MediaDevelopment #MediaPolicy #SustainableMediaBusinesses #Tech&Media
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Timely little explainer on how to define digital public infrastructure
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
I'd just like to say how lovely it is to see you all again. #mediadev #internationaldevelopment #democracy #humanrights #blueskyforthewin
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Many journalists from eastern Africa have found safe haven in Nairobi over the years. If this kind of impunity takes hold in Nairobi, I don't know where they will go in the future. #kenya
allafrica.com
Kenya No Longer a Safe Haven for Political Refugees Amid Rising Abductions
Kenya's reputation as a sanctuary for political refugees is increasingly under scrutiny following the recent abduction of prominent Ugandan opposition figure, Dr. Kizza Besigye, from Nairobi.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
This UN Cybercrime Convention doesn't have the safeguards that journalists and democracy activists wanted. Expect to see this treaty abused. #mediadev #digitalrights cepa.org/article/us-a...
cepa.org
US Approves UN Cybercrime Convention That Legitimizes Censorship
Despite industry, experts, and lawmakers' concerns, the Biden administration supports a UN cybercrime treaty with authoritarian leaders.
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Media@Risk @ascmediarisk.org · 18/11/2024
Our list of collaborators studying media, creating media, and defending media freedom go.bsky.app/UziyjQS
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
“There’s nothing that works like persistence” - Maina Kiai #WM12Assembly
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Here we go! The World Movement for Democracy’s 2024 Global Assembly in Johannesburg! #globalassembly2024
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 29/07/2024
IFJ and IFPIM team up to provide support to independent news media in #Palestine. www.ifj.org/media-centre...
ifj.org
Palestine: IFJ launches new dedicated fund to support public interest media / IFJ
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) will launch a new fund on Thursday, August 1st, providing $1 million in critical financial support to media organisations across Palestine. Created to...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 02/02/2024
This kind of actionable research on media sustainability on understudied markets is exactly what is needed. #mediadev
cima.ned.org
Project Oasis: Sustainability in Practice
In 2014, a group of journalists made the bold move to leave the Slovakian newspaper SME after it was partially acquired by an investment group with links to the government of Slovakia.
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 01/02/2024
A truly wonderful opportunity to do important work. This is one of those "big-break" job opportunities. Please do share with your networks. #mediadev www.ned.org/about/jobs/#...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 03/01/2024
It is a bit frightening to think we can't track on-line trends anymore, but is a more fragmented internet necessarily a bad thing? www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/12/internet-information-trends-virality-tracking/676888/
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 08/12/2023
@freedomhouse.bsky.social has tallied 112 direct and physical attacks carried out transnationally against journalists who had fled their countries. Rwanda is the top offender.
freedomhouse.org
Expanding Freedom and Democracy | Freedom House
Freedom House is founded on the core conviction that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.
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Scott Timcke @scotttimcke.bsky.social · 03/12/2023
This week I had a piece on journalistic AI ethics come out in SA's Daily Maverick. Perhaps of interest @benequista.bsky.social? www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023...
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Nick Benequista @benequista.bsky.social · 23/11/2023
Let’s do this! Hoping Bluesky will be the one, and not just a short-lived rebound relationship. 😄
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