"State-run broadcasting organisations in the South are usually ill-prepared for their public-service role in new democracies. They are often poorly funded compared to their new, commercial rivals and often still bound by the same ‘rules of the game’ that governed them prior to the democratic era
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. Broadcasters typically remain accountable to government and not to their listeners, and promote the interests and agendas of the political elite. This paper focuses on the experiences of DFID support to a radio programme in northern Nigeria [Hannu Daya] that sought to improve communication and debate between the government and the electorate. It argues that there are legitimate circumstances for development partners to engage with state-controlled media outlets, not least in rural areas where commercial broadcasters lack the financial incentive to establish stations and provide programming that has relevance to the poor. The authors critically examine the lessons learned from DFID’s support and identify measures that could assist similar initiatives in the future." (Abstract)
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"Since 1985, the Lebanese Hezbollah has developed a centralized communications apparatus which was a major instrument in building its leadership in the Shiite community. My contribution intends to explore the main media of this party as both cognitive and political resources for mobilization and as
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spaces for the involvement of its activists, sympathizers and cadres. In doing so, it revisits the social history of this political formation and examines its modes of organization and related tensions." (Abstract)
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"This book examines how the media in different parts of Africa plays an important role in the continent's political and social processes of change. The perspective of the book is comparative. It contains overviews of the role of communication, as well as case studies, of the situation in individual
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countries and societies: Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The book analyzes the printed press and broadcasting, as well as the function of new digital media, such as the Internet and cell phone technology. The chapters discuss both the more political and democratic implications of the media, as well as issues around communication for development." (Publisher description)
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"Obwohl der Mediensektor liberalisiert wurde, besitzen die staatlich kontrollierten Rundfunkanstalten – das wichtigste Informationsmedium für die Bevölkerungsmehrheit – in den meisten Ländern noch ein flächendeckendes Monopol; nur in den Städten und einigen kleinen ländlichen Regionen gibt
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es private Konkurrenz. Die Printmedien, darunter vor allem die privaten, die von entscheidender Bedeutung in den Demokratisierungsprozessen waren, haben zwar immer noch lediglich kleine Auflagen, verfügen aber über eine große Reichweite, die ihnen politischen Einfluss sichert. Die Deregulierung des Medienmarktes hat zwar Medienvielfalt, aber noch wenig Meinungsvielfalt und -freiheit bewirkt: Die Meinungsvielfalt ist durch oligopolistische Tendenzen im privaten Sektor, die Meinungsfreiheit noch immer von staatlicher Repression bedroht. In diesem Kontext hat sich ein eigener, teils käuflicher journalistischer Stil entwickelt, der zum einen von hohem parteilichem Engagement verbunden mit Verlautbarungsjournalismus, zum anderen von Kommerzialisierung und Boulevardisierung gekennzeichnet ist." (Seite 1)
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"The outcome of this study is a prototype for a European Media Pluralism Monitor – a riskbased, holistic, user-friendly and evolving monitoring tool that includes indicators of a legal, economic and socio-demographic nature. In order to account for the multi-faceted character of media pluralism, t
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hese indicators relate to various risk domains, including media ownership and/or control, media types and genres, political pluralism, cultural pluralism and geographic pluralism. Furthermore, they cover the various stages of the media value chain: supply, distribution and use. The Monitor offers a diagnostic, not a prescriptive tool on the basis of established risk management strategies. Its purpose is to facilitate the collection of empirical data on various risks for media pluralism given the particular economic, sociodemographic and legal situation in each Member State." (Page viii)
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"Democracy Redefined: Leading authoritarian regimes are working to reshape the public understanding of democracy. A redefined and heavily distorted version of the concept is communicated to domestic audiences through state-dominated media. Especially on television, these regimes put forth a dual mes
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sage that stresses their own achievements while belittling the core institutions of genuine democracy, which is often kept at arm’s length with the appellation “Western.” [...] Internet Under Threat: The leading authoritarians—particularly in China, Iran, and Russia—are using advanced and well-funded techniques to subvert legitimate online discourse. In addition to controlling access through physical, economic, and technological means, these regimes have enlisted loyal commentators and provocateurs like the “Fifty Cent Party” in China and the “Brigades” in Russia to overwhelm or disrupt undesirable discussions [...] Authoritarian Foreign Aid: These regimes are using soft-power methods to advance their interests internationally, particularly through billions of dollars in no-stringsattached development aid. Chinese leaders enunciate a doctrine of win-win foreign relationships, encouraging Latin American, African, Asian, and Arab states to form mutually benefi cial arrangements with China based on the principle of noninterference. As part of this strategy, the win-win philosophy is implicitly contrasted with that of the West, which Beijing portrays as pushing a self-serving and alien “democracy agenda” onto developing nations." (Main findings, page 3-4)
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"In den vergangenen Jahren hat Ghana einen großen Sprung gemacht, was die Achtung der Pressefreiheit und der Menschenrechte betrifft. Aber eine grundlegende qualitative Verbesserung der Medienlandschaft würde beinhalten, dass sich die Journalisten ihrer verantwortungsvollen Rolle in einer Demokrat
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ie bewusst sind und sich nicht nur an den Vorgaben der beiden großen Parteien orientieren." (Einleitung)
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"There are, surprisingly enough, reasons to be cheerful about our media in Europe. Some of them are to be found in the pages of this publication, which reveals that the struggle for diversity and respect for equality is not lost. Far from it, the examples of innovation, originality and commitment sh
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own in some of the initiatives outlined here are inspirational and a tribute to the fact that within media and civil society there have been changes that are beginning to make a difference to the way media report and reflect the increasingly diverse European landscape." (Foreword)
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