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Scaling
a changing curve: Traditional media development and the new media
Center
for International Media Assistance (CIMA)
March 03, 2003
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Summary
The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) at the National
Endowment for Democracy (NED) commissioned this study to examine
the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in independent
media development and shed light on the state of current practice
with respect to media development and new technologies. The 20-page
document analyses the use of new media, including blogs, social
networking sites, cell phone messaging, and other relatively new
technology applications in communication for development. It contextualises
new media in the rapidly changing global information industry, and
offers recommendations on how independent media-development programmes
can take advantage of, and keep abreast of, these new global trends.
From
the executive summary:
"...[T]he field of independent media development has been slow
to fully realize the potential of new information and communication
technology (ICT). Although new technologies have fundamentally altered
the traditional media landscape, many media-development donors,
practitioners, and scholars have only recently begun to consider
ICT seriously and systematically in their traditional models of
media development. Many who do utilize ICT tend to do so in the
background, rather than making new technologies the major feature
of programming."
The document
gives an overview of traditional media development as a "fixture
in many donors' democracy and governance programs in recent
years..." In scope, these programmes train journalists; provide
capacity building for the business management side of media; and
train to ensure that community radio stations can find a revenue
stream. They focus on supporting the enabling environment for an
independent media sector, focusing on laws, regulations, judicial
and legislative processes, enforcement capabilities, ownership structures,
and other institutions that enable the media to perform its function.
They supporting the development of professional organisations as
self-regulating mechanisms. Also, they work to increase media literacy
in civil society. The document presents how ICT is currently being
used in media development, which includes improving processes within
the operational functioning of media outlets and the profession
of journalism; distance-learning platforms and training in new techniques
for journalists; and supporting the establishment of an online journalistic
presence, frequently with features that enable more interactivity
with audiences.
The document
turns to the role of new technologies which are transforming the
way people gather and process information. This includes citizen
journalism which brings with it the transparency of citizen monitoring
and surveillance, accompanied by privacy concerns, and the blurring
of the line between straight news reporting and advocacy. Blogging
has created a new brand of news that may be opinion-based, investigative,
and mobilising, particularly when combined with social networking.
New censorship accompanies new technologies in the forms of tracking
of online and cell phone user patterns and the blocking of information
or shaping information consumption patterns. Convergence between
telecommunications, cable, satellite, cell phones, and traditional
broadcasting means that the media industry is no longer confined
to television, radio, and print publications, and is facing some
regulatory convergence, as well as bourgeoning opportunities. Online
media competition is forcing new business models for traditional
media. Earlier predictions about the future of television posited
decentralisation, diversification, and customisation, trends now
heightened in the age of internet and cell phone-based communication.
When traditional
media development meets these new technologies, it may simply try
to "digitise" its traditional project categories. However,
innovative projects may focus on figuring out new ways of getting
information to people, such as through podcasts or live streaming,
or others may use the cell phone short message system (SM) to deliver
news and information to people. In this area, the field of media
development is rapidly converging with the "ICT for development"
field, which unlike media development, situates itself more in the
traditional poverty-reduction realm of development, as opposed to
democracy and governance." This leads to questions such as:
"Should media-development programmes concern themselves with
issues such as promoting access to computers, cell phones, and the
Internet?" Convergence of these technologies with traditional
media is resulting in "pushing towards... an enabling environment
that encompasses telecommunication reform in addition to more traditional
media legal issues."
Donors respond
to ICT possibilities in different degrees. Foundations, as stated
by the author, tend to have more leeway for funding innovations,
such as the Knight Foundation's "one-stop site for citizen-journalists
aimed at helping citizens and journalists understand how to launch
and responsibly operate community news and information sites,"
or the Media Development Loan Fund's specialised centre to devise
new-media solutions for independent media in developing countries.
The document suggests that entrepreneurial start-ups can occur organically
in ICT and that "[o]ne solution donors might want to consider
is to ensure that large projects include a small-grants facility,
precisely for this purpose." Linked to funding is monitoring
and evaluation, for which the document recommends: "if donors
do want to think seriously about encouraging more creative use of
ICTs in media-development projects, then a wholesale look at reforming
the monitoring and evaluation process may be warranted."
The concluding
section includes forward-looking recommendations for donors, practitioners,
and scholars who are considering the role of ICT in media development.
As stated here, "the field of independent media development
is fundamentally concerned with increasing voice and accountability
- that is, increasing citizens' awareness of issues, fostering
debate and discussion, and holding powerful institutions and entities
to account." Recommendations include:
- "Understand
convergence and its implications - In some cases, this shift may
be merely evolutionary, while in others it may take on more of
a "revolutionary" feel - blending the field of media
development more thoroughly with others such as poverty reduction
and economic growth.
- Focus on
a broader definition of the 'enabling environment' - ...[this]
might mean more conversations and partnerships with those in the
'ICT-for-development' field about regulatory and infrastructural
issues.
- Be ambitious
but realistic about expectations - ...donors and practitioners
should make sure they have a grounded understanding of the realities
of access (i.e., Internet penetration, cell phone usage, computer/technology
literacy, cost structures, and local patterns of usage).
- Support
organic initiatives rather than creating top-down projects - Successful
ICT projects tend to harness the creativity and entrepreneurship
of grassroots individuals and communities, who use donor funding
to augment their own vision.
- Think creatively
about ways ICT can be folded into existing activities - ...traditional
media-development activities may benefit from a more thoughtful
approach to incorporating ICT.
- Adjust monitoring
and evaluation techniques to allow room for innovation - ...the
traditional bilateral-donor model of measuring success by widget-like
outputs does not encourage flexible thinking and innovation.
- Consider
media literacy issues - ...as new forms of media blur the bright
line between 'journalist/expert' and 'audience,' those on both
sides will have to acquire a more sophisticated understanding
of the information landscape."
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