Document details

USAID's Media Assistance: Policy and Programmatic Lessons

Washington, DC: USAID, Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination (2004), xiv, 20 pp.

Contains acronyms pp. vii-viii, bibliogr. pp. 17-20

Series: PPC Evaluation Working Paper, 16

"1. USAID media assistance was effective in promoting and strengthening independent media [...] 2. Comprehensive training programs had multiplier effects on upgrading the professional skills of journalists and instilling the norms of free press. But they suffered from implementation problems [...] 3. The economic sustainability of the independent media outlets remained a major problem [...] 4. Progress promoting legal and regulatory reforms was slow and halting [...] 5. Donor coordination of media assistance was limited except in crisis situations [...] 6. USAID has not focused on community radio stations, which can promote both democracy and development in poor countries [...] 7. Built-in safeguards to ensure the independence and integrity of media programs from political manipulation and interference worked well [...] 8. Independent media building has served U.S. national interests." (Executive summary)