The term “digital divide” is about who has, and who hasn’t got access to information and communications technologies such as the internet and mobile phones. And access doesn’t just mean actually having physical access (such as actually owning a phone, for example), access also means knowing how to use these technologies, and being able to afford to use them. There’s been a lot of progress in the developing world in bridging the digital divide, especially as mobile adoption rates have exploded over the past decade. But many challenges remain.

Those challenges, and strategies to meet them, are the topic of a new report by the renowned American think-tank, the Brookings Institution. In the report, Darrell West, founding director of the organization’s Center for Technology Innovation, analyzes why some 4.3 billion people on the planet are still locked out of the digital revolution. onMedia put a few questions to West about what the divide is as wide as it is and what might be done about increasing connectivity in the developing world.

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The newly launched geojournalism.org site offers online tutorials for environmental journalists who want to use more data journalism, mapping and visualizations in their work. A big plus is that the tutorials are written in simple language with step-by-step instructions, making them easy to follow. And with a diverse range of topics, from tips on creating 360 degree photo panoramas to basic steps for creating animation or using a balloon for mapping, it’s worth having an explore for a bit of inspiration.

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The switchover from analog to digital television broadcasting has already happened in various parts of the globe, bringing concrete benefits to viewers. In Africa, the digital switch is set for June. But a swathe of African countries are unprepared for the changeover. And many consumers on the continent are also confused about what the move to digital TV means. This could leave umpteen TV watchers sitting in front of blank screens, cut off from one of their main sources of information

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The field of journalism is changing rapidly as technology advances, audience habits change, the marketplace evolves and the news cycle hits warp speed. Some argue that journalism ethics need to change as well.

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As journalists, we always strive to tell the truth in an accurate manner and realize the words we choose affect the impression we leave on our readers, viewers or listeners. Being as fair and accurate as possible is particularly important when it comes to reporting on sexual abuse.

OnMedia’s Sean Sinico looks at responsible ways to report on rape and other forms of intimate partner violence and sexual abuse.

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There’s a boom in fact-checking sites seeking to combat misinformation and untruths spread by public figures. In 2014, new initiatives popped up as far afield as Uruguay, Turkey and Ukraine.

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Journalists are being imprisoned in Turkey, the Venezuelan media has been brought under government control and in Syria, dozens of journalists have been killed or threatened to silence with torture. The global spread of the internet was originally expected to usher in an age of participation and democracy. Yet, free speech is in a crisis, according to Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. And it’s not just free speech that’s under attack, he points out, but also journalists – the last three years have been the most dangerous for journalists in at least two decades.

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As the appetite for video content online keeps growing, many media organizations are scrambling to put video on their websites. But for those doing video for the first time, it’s not necessary to shoot documentary-level quality to attract viewers. A simple alternative is video blogging, or vlogging. Vlogs are easy to produce and can quickly build up a following. Here’s what vlogging journalists should think about before letting the camera roll.

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Journalists and editors make mistakes no matter how careful they are. It’s standard to publish a printed correction when the error’s in a newspaper article. In the online world though, there’s less consensus on how to handle corrections and clarifications. Some media organizations simply make errors vanish by deleting them and clicking on the ‘update’ button. Others say that this isn’t enough and publishing a correction note is the only ethical option. onMedia’s Kyle James looks at best practices around correcting online errors and mistakes.

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It’s difficult for anyone – let alone busy journalists – to keep up with everything happening in the media world. But don’t worry, onMedia’s got it covered. From changing newsroom practices to new ways of analyzing Twitter and presenting stories online, our guest author Gianna Grün brings you this list of thought-provoking reads.

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