"International media development and media support is often structured and planned without taking into account the current and future position of media as economic subjects and their long term sustainability and development opportunities. Sida’s policy to engage and involve private sector actors i
...
n international development efforts and WAN-IFRA’s unique position as a media trade organisation with a human rights mandate, has resulted in a partnership between Sida and WAN-IFRA to work together in advancing media development and press freedom worldwide [...] This event is the beginning of an initiative to establish a systematic and holistic approach to assistance to financially viable independent media in developing markets." (Foreword)
more
"News and current affairs journalism that purports to be for the public good, and in the public interest, can survive, grow and flourish but not through market forces and new technology alone. To survive, news media will have to adjust and adapt to changes in technology and a harsher commercial envi
...
ronment. New ways of ensuring the space for, and independence of, news and current affairs journalism that purports to be for the public good, need to be found to preserve and protect the public interest and encourage a healthy democracy. This is not the same as preserving and protecting news organisations, or even the news, as we know it. In a world of communicative abundance there is, more than ever, a sense that there are many things that news journalism ought to be doing – monitoring, holding to account, and facilitating and maintaining deliberation – but is not doing in a fully satisfactory way, and we neglect this at our peril. To ignore it is to accept that the market can be relied upon to deliver the conditions for deliberative democracy to flourish. However, when markets fail or come under threat, ethical practice is swept aside in pursuit of financial stability. Civil society associations have a key role to play in this extended news environment. They can act as wardens of, and contributors to, news media at local, regional and national levels; they can facilitate deliberation and expand the diversity of views on news platforms, and develop news platforms of their own. They could also provide crucial funding for news organisations or consortia deemed to be operating on a not-for-profit basis. Establishing a more collaborative relationship between news organisations and civil society associations should be encouraged in order to: enable participation; increase effective engagement; expand the public sphere; and enhance democracy. This report recommends a number of ways that civil society associations, media industries and policy-makers can act to achieve these goals. The authors also recommend that the Charity Commission should recognise journalism in the public interest as a charitable endeavour available for charitable status." (Conclusion, page 36)
more
"The global economic downturn has affected countless businesses across the region, forcing them to slash costs, lay off employees, and reduce output. Media businesses are no exception. However, when media businesses are hit, it is not just their turnover that suffers: their primary function, the del
...
ivery of news to citizens, feels the impact too. To explore the impact of the crisis on independent media and accountability journalism, the Media Program carried out a study in 18 post-socialist countries heavily hit by the crisis: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The study looks at media performance in 2009 compared with the previous three years, explores the cost-saving measures taken by significant news carriers, and the effects of these measures on output, breadth and depth of coverage, scope of investigative reporting, and opportunities for open public debate." (OSI website)
more
"La première partie de l’étude vise à décrire autant le fonctionnement des médias congolais que le comportement de leurs publics, essentiellement à Kinshasa et dans les grandes villes de province. La seconde partie tâche de dresser un bilan des principales contraintes auxquelles sont confro
...
ntés les journalistes congolais dans leur travail quotidien et de souligner les défis à relever afin que les médias congolais puissent contribuer efficacement à la consolidation de l’Etat de droit, de la paix et de la citoyenneté. En effet, la pluralité des médias n’est pas forcément synonyme de qualité de l’information du citoyen et, si les expériences positives et volontaristes ne manquent pas, un besoin de professionnalisation des acteurs du secteur des médias se fait encore sentir. A travers ce bilan succinct, mais franc et honnête, le présent document ambitionne d’être utile à la fois aux acteurs du secteur médiatique congolais, aux chercheurs qui souhaitent mieux connaître ce paysage dynamique et pluriel, et aux partenaires soucieux d’appuyer ces vecteurs d’information dont le rôle est capital pour l’avenir démocratique du Congo." (Dos de couverture)
more
"Exporting Press Freedom examines the history and practice of media assistance, and argues that the dilemma of media independence and sustainability is best understood as an economic problem rather than one of poor editorial standards or lack of will. It includes profiles of news and public affairs
...
media in developing and democratizing countries, and also of two non-governmental organizations that have pioneered the use of low-interest loans in media assistance. These profiles exemplify strategic and entrepreneurial approaches to developing and supporting public service media. Such approaches may be of use not only in the developing world, but in the consolidated Western democracies as well, where concern has grown about poor journalistic performance and its consequences for democratic governance." (Publisher description)
more
"Discussions on how to support sustainability of independent media generally focus on the political conditions, the legal framework and – especially in German development cooperation – on the quality of journalistic coverage. Nevertheless, economic factors are of equal importance, not only for p
...
ure survival but also with respect to editorial independence and the resources available to enhance or guarantee the quality of media outlets. The German Forum Medien und Entwicklung (Media and Development) highlighted in its annual international Symposium, “Money Matters – How independent media manage to survive”, two dimensions marking economic sustainability: factors constituting a restricting or enabling media environment; factors supporting the business management of media in their endeavour to become self-sustainable." (Executive summary, page 5)
more
"I have been privileged to compile this anthology of essays, stories and testimonies of Africa’s top media executives who, through their actions and visionary leadership, are re-shaping and strengthening Africa’s fledgling media companies and institutions. Their touching real-life stories are an
...
inspiration to all who work and desire to see Africa succeed and to have its voice heard above the din of the new digital age. A financially robust African media that is also independent and pluralistic will serve to give meaning to and strengthen the continent’s nascent democracy and contribute to the lifting of its people out of grinding under-development, poverty and related ills. These media leaders, in sharing their stories with the rest of Africa and the world, show that the real test of what works and does not work in managing and leading a successful media firm too often lies in the field and at times does not necessarily follow orthodoxy." (Editor's note)
more
"Eine Nachricht ist auch eine Ware – und eine schnell verderbliche dazu. Wichtigster Produzent dieser Ware sind Nachrichtenagenturen, die den Globus mit tausenden von Korrespondenten, freien Mitarbeitern und Informanten überzogen haben. Keine Tageszeitung kommt ohne Agenturen aus, keine überregi
...
onale Nachrichtensendung kann ohne deren Meldungen und Berichte hergestellt werden. Die großen Nachrichtenagenturen sind Weltmeister der Kommunikation – doch über sie selbst liest man wenig. Erst recht ist wenig bekannt über ihre Geschäftsmodelle, die sich voneinander stark unterscheiden. Am weitesten verbreitet sind Agenturen, die dem Staat gehören oder von ihm bezuschusst werden. Privatwirtschaftlich organisierte Nachrichtenagenturen sind weltweit die Ausnahme. Nachrichtenagenturen sind in den letzten Jahren finanziell stark unter Druck geraten. Verantwortlich dafür sind die Entwertung der Ware Nachricht durch ihre freie Verfügbarkeit im Internet, die Heterogenität der Kundenwünsche sowie die teilweise dramatischen Anzeigen- und Auflagenverlusten der Zeitungen. Welchen Wert die Ware Nachricht künftig noch haben wird, wie wahr Nachrichten aus einer Billigproduktion sein können und ob es den Europäern gelingt, den aus den USA beherrschten Nachrichtenmärkten etwas entgegenzuSetzen, das zeichnet Michael Segbers in seinem Sachbuch kompetent und erfahren nach." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more
"Los datos indican que el mercado de los medios ha alcanzado gran dinamismo en los últimos años. A la fecha de cierre del Directorio se registran 1.180 medios de comunicación (sin contar los digitales), de los cuales 44,3% fue creado a partir de la década de los ’90. Es así como 264 correspon
...
den a prensa escrita, incluyendo diarios, periódicos y revistas; 750 a radios; y 166 a canales de televisión. También se contabilizan 356 medios digitales, aunque esta información es de carácter exploratoria, tratándose de un fenómeno emergente. Estos últimos se subdividieron, de acuerdo a una tipología preliminar, en: versión digital de un medio, medio on line y e-medio. Uno de los hallazgos del informe es que existen tres ejes problemáticos, transversales a todo el sistema: financiamiento de los medios de comunicación regionales, propiedad de los medios de comunicación y relación de los medios de comunicación con la ciudadanía." (Resumen)
more