"On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, RNTC invited stakeholders in the field of media and development for a two-day conference, held in Hilversum on June 5-6, 2008, on "Media and development: future scenarios for international cooperation" [...] This report is an attempt to give a reflection of
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the vibrant discussions and exchange of knowledge and experience during the two days of the conference. We provide some background information about the methodology used, and we describe the key themes that came up in the different sessions." (Foreword)
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"This study analyses statistical correlations between press freedom and human development, human security, stability, poverty reduction, and good governance, using indicator systems from Freedom House and Reporters without Borders, UNDP's Human Development Index, the Human Poverty Index, the World B
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ank's Governance Indicators and others. According to the abstract "all the findings confirm the importance of press freedom for development. A free press always has a positive influence, whether it be on poverty and its different aspects, on governance or on violence and conflict issues. It serves as an intermediary between individuals and government, informing the latter of people's needs and acting as a buffer against crises and situations of extreme deprivation; it holds governments accountable and makes their actions more transparent; and, along with other indicators of good governance, it creates a business-enabling environment, a climate conducive to more effective public affairs management, and so forth. The results thus suggest that a freer press can contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and, most importantly, to the attainment of an acceptable and viable level of development. By promoting freedom of the press, states and international organisations provide themselves with a powerful development tool. A free press constitutes an instrument of development as such, in the same way as education or investment." (CAMECO Update 1-2009)
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Extracted and summarised texts from selected international declarations and statements on the role of media and communication in democratisation and development, from the The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) to the 10th UN Inter-agency round table on communication for development.
"The potential of media to encourage democratic development cannot be denied. Media give people a voice, acting as a balance and watchdog to potential government misconduct. Without a voice, citizens cannot be heard; with a voice, they cannot be ignored. Media provide a window into the inner working
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s of the government, thereby increasing transparency and reducing corruption. Not only are countries more democratic with free and independent media, but their governments are also more accountable. Media’s impact is not limited to the political realm. A country’s economy benefits by being more open. By having access to economic information, citizens are better informed about what is happening in their communities and in commercial and financial markets, allowing them to make better informed choices. Overall society benefits, too. In addition to current events, media educate the public on issues related to health, the environment, women, children, and minorities. Independent media give voice to those whose voices often are not heard and engage marginalized groups in a more participatory discussion of programs that impact their lives. Democratic, social, political, and economic development goes hand-in-hand with media development. While short-term projects that utilize media for specific goals—health information campaigns for example—have an impact on their intended sector, a more comprehensive media development strategy holds the potential to create the conditions for sustainable democratic and economic development." (Page 20)
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"Any approach to media development must include systems-wide measures including development of an enabling regulatory framework and increased access to information. Future media development processes must be African-owned and African-led, ultimately empowering Africans at all levels of society. With
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in this, media development strategies must fit the specific contexts of diverse African realities; While new technologies offer new and exciting opportunities, we must focus not on a transition from 'old' media to 'new' media, but on maximizing the potential for expanding networked journalism across the media in all its forms; The media is necessarily political, seeking to foster debate around inherently contentious social, economic, cultural and political issues. Donors and NGOs must recognize the clear-cut distinction between using the media to promote specific development policies and building the media as a component of genuine democratic debate." (Executive summary, page 10)
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"Communication is a prerequisite for better, more transparent and accountable governance, and for wealth creation and economic growth. It underpins all the MDGs and is arguably as central a need of human beings as food, shelter, health and security. Governments and development actors need to recogni
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se the central role of information and communication in development - especially the importance of strengthening the capacities of poor and marginalised people to participate in political and development processes. Addressing the challenge of communication is urgent. New ICTs can expand opportunities for poor and marginalised people to participate - but strategic support is needed to ensure that ICTs fulfil their development potential rather than widening the wealth gap between rich and poor. The establishment and maintenance of diverse, dynamic and free media is also vital to successful development. The importance of getting the media 'right' is especially great in young democracies, as media play an important role in forming the nature of society." (Conclusion, page 59)
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The articles in this book have been adapted from contributions to the UNESCO-sponsored conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka marking World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2006.
"Highlights the relevance of radio in poor communities, its broad applicability to a range of sectoral activities such as health, rights, education, livelihoods, and conflict prevention, and identifies the need to deepen the capacity of radio broadcasters at all levels to conduct effective monitorin
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g and evaluation, so as to begin the process of developing a rigorous information and communication for development evidence base which highlights radio's - and other communications mediums - strategic contribution to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals." (Executive summary)
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"Draws together thinking and analysis that covers the breadth and depth of the media development landscape. The opening section, 'Why Media Matters: Global Perspectives' gathers the work of several thought leaders on major trends that cut across both the communications and development policy arenas;
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this is followed by an examination of the current debate that is engaging researchers, development professionals and media assistance experts alike, namely 'How Media Matters: Measuring its Impact'. The third section, 'Challenges in Media Matters: Practitioner Experiences' presents a range of regional and sectoral case studies, and the final section forms a guide to current information sources and studies of the field of media support, in 'Mapping the Sector - Literature, Surveys and Resources'. Media matters has four key aims: 1 To help development policy makers and practitioners understand the relevance of vibrant, independent media systems to their wider goals; 2 To highlight work on the evidence of the relationship between media, communications and the development agenda; 3 To flag key global and regional trends and opportunities in media assistance; 4 To map the media assistance sector, its growing body of literature, and the emerging international research partnerships that will help define its priorities to 2015." (Overview + executive summary)
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