New book edited by Prof. Price, Susan Abbott, and Annenberg's Libby Morgan

Measures of Press Freedom and Media Contributions to Development: Evaluating the Evaluators is the new book edited by Monroe E. Price, Susan Abbott, with Libby Morgan (Peter Lang press, 2011). 

Prof. Price is Director of the Center for Global Communication Studies (CGCS) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. Ms. Abbott is Deputy Director of Program Development at Internews Network, an international media development organization. Ms. Morgan is Associate Director of CGCS.

According to the book description from the publisher: “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.”

The book is an outgrowth of an analysis of press freedom conducted by CGCS and partners in recent years.