With a discussion on ‘Managing Knowledge in Media Development’, the commbox online library was officially launched on Thursday, June 18th, 2026.
The event had as speakers the scholar Meli Ncube, from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, specialised in information integrity, disinformation, journalism ethics, and Ivana Bjelic Vucinic, director of the International Media Advisory and Policy Centre at the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) in Brussels.
“Generating knowledge is only part of the process, the challenge is to reach larger audiences”, stressed Mr Ncube. “We need to think strategically how research findings travel beyond academia, different knowledges require different types of communication.”
Over 30 000 publications included in the commbox are an “admirable effort”, highlighted Mrs. Vucinic adding that it complements what GFMD has been doing over the years. “We are very pleased that this iniative is being launched”.
“Shared knowledge, shared information, and coordination is not only a good practice, but also a necessity for the survival of our sector”, argued Mrs. Vucinic.
Around 50 participants representing media practitioners, civil society organisations, scholars, and donor agencies were present at the launch.
The presentations can be downloaded here.
Powered by human intelligence
Commbox is both an online and physical library aimed at facilitating knowledge on media and communication in Africa, Asia & Pacific, Latin America & the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Central, Eastern & Southeast Europe.
It specialises in open access publications originating from or concerning the Global South and puts special emphasis on practical guides and training materials and evaluation reports.
“About 17,000 publications are freely available. Ten filter options allow a differentiated selection of materials. In addition, filters for ‘Key Guides’ and ‘Deep Insights’ help the users to identify starting points in different subject areas”, explained Christoph Dietz, vice-director of CAMECO. “These selections are powered by human intelligence”, he emphasised.
The most frequently used sections of Commbox are those related to digital transformation, conflict and peace, religion and communication, artificial intelligence (AI), the evaluation and impact assessment toolbox, disinformation, Dealing with Violent Pasts, community radio, and climate and environmental reporting.
The database draws on the library that CAMECO has compiled from all over the world since it was founded in 1969. The collection ranges from the beginnings of international media assistance to the present day.
Expanding to future collaborations
Yet, most materials are in English (more than 20,000 publications). The ambition is to create further collaborations and to expand the volume of publications in French, Portuguese, Spanish and other languages.
In order to make the commbox truly international, explained Mr Dietz, “it should be a common work shared by different organisations with special collections and toolboxes”.
Current partnerships have already been established with the Centre for Development Communication (C4DC) at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at Leipzig University (Germany) with the Special Collection on Public Spheres in Afghanistan, and with the Agiamondo Civil Peace programme on Dealing with the Past in the African Great Lakes region.
The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) at the University of Sheffield (UK) has also become a commbox partner for the Special Collection on Safety of Journalists. CAMECO is in further conversations with partners in Ecuador and in Argentina for developing a Special Collection on Latin American Communication Thought.
“We have many ideas what we could do in the future ranging from information integrity and AI ethics, digital wellbeing and resilience, research methods, climate communication, crisis sensitive journalism and pastoral communication. Literature collection is not enough, knowledge management needs common reflection”, posited Mr Dietz.
Linking to real life projects and studies
According to CAMECO’s executive director, Michael Unland, the Commbox combines technology with “human touch”. The platform uses modern technologies, but it is shaped by people who have worked for decades in journalism support, community media, and media assistance.
“There remains, more than ever, a need for reliable information and for meaningful exchange. COMMBOX is based on many years of collecting, organising, classifying, reviewing, and sharing knowledge on communication and media”, claimed Mr Unland.
It is not simply a database nor a “warehouse of PDFs, it is a curated knowledge space”, he added. “Behind every thematic classification and summary, stands a human decision and human judgement of somebody of our community”, he explained. This library is linked to real life projects and studies. “Its users will ultimately help to transform information into action, enabling people to learn together”, concluded Mr Unland.
If you have any proposal for collaboration or for special collections, you are welcome to reach out to Christoph.Dietz@cameco.org