"As such, support for media is an important prong of U.S. democracy and governance assistance. USAID’s objective of the increased development of a politically active civil society provides a strategic rationale for mediarelated activities. In addition, a desired result of an enhanced free flow of information broadly states the Agency's target for media activities. [...] The strategic approach presented in this paper offers guidance to USAID missions, rather than any blueprint, for making choices about which media activities might be most appropriate in a given context. In addition to suggesting a goal to guide USAID media programs, the approach provides examples of successful media assistance activities and discusses factors influencing their success." (Introduction, page 1-2)