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African Media Development Initiative: South Africa. Research Findings and Conclusions

Claire Milne, Anne Taylor

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 116 pp.

"Overall, South Africa has a relatively vibrant and developing media environment. The 15 interviewees were involved in 37 media development initiatives between them. These development initiatives comprise the following: 12 training initiatives; nine advocacy initiatives; five research initiatives; t ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Ghana. Research Findings and Conclusions

Samuel Kafewo

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 66 pp.

"The media sector in Ghana has witnessed some dramatic, positive changes over the past few years, made possible by the promulgation of the 1992 democratic Constitution and the election in 2000 of President Kufuor’s government. All interviewees agreed that democratisation and the repeal of the Crim ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Uganda. Research Findings and Conclusions

John Wotsuna Khamalwa

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 70 pp.

"Changes have been gradual but the watershed was 1992/4 when the airwaves were liberalised, leading to the mushrooming of media institutions especially in the broadcasting area. In the past five years, the media in Uganda has become more vibrant, more liberated and there has been more freedom of exp ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Kenya. Research Findings and Conclusions

Lucy W. Maina

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 75 pp.

"The liberalisation of airwaves and emerging democratic ideals have been important variables influencing increment in FM stations, new media products, a free press and freedom of expression. Occasional problems between the government and media players arise. The recognition by government of the incr ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Ethiopia. Research Findings and Conclusions

Gebremedhin Simon Gebretsadik

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 82 pp.

"The following changes have taken place over the past five years: media laws have been enacted; a legal framework is in place with the Press Law and Broadcast Law, and the creation of a favourable environment for media development; the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority has been established to issue lice ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Zambia. Research Findings and Conclusions

Fackson Banda

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 77 pp.

"The past five years have seen a mushrooming of media development organisations and media outlets. The period has also seen greater and better-coordinated civic activism in support of media development. There has generally been a diversity of media content, reflecting the plurality of media outlets. ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Cameroon. Research Findings and Conclusions

Charles Esambe Alobwede

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 71 pp.

"The media sector has changed in recent years, mostly for the better, through the following media development processes: the 1990 Decree on the liberalisation of the broadcast sector to allow private entrants; significant increase in private radio and television, although licensing is still problema ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Democratic Republic of Congo. Research Findings and Conclusions

Dominique Mweze

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 84 pp.

"On the whole, interviewees report both a positive quantitative and qualitative change in terms of the number and content of media messages. Liberalisation and more stable political climate has facilitated the opening up of the telecommunications sector, and has led to a diversification of the media ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Botswana. Research Findings and Conclusions

Sechele T. Sechele

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 74 pp.

"There have been significant changes in the Botswanan media in the past five years. Some of the changes noted include the recent proliferation of newspapers and the partial freeing of the airwaves by the Botswanan government, which has led to the setting up of two new commercial radio stations. Ther ... more

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African Media Development Initiative: Senegal. Research Findings and Conclusions

Ibrahima Seck

London: BBC World Service Trust (2006), 77 pp.

"The changes are mostly of a quantitative nature: proliferation of newspaper publications, an increase in the number of frequencies attributed to radio stations (commercial and community stations). Greater superficiality in the editorial lines of most newspaper publications has also been noted. The ... more

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Media Development in Iraq: An Overview of International Support 2003-2005

Copenhagen: International Media Support (IMS) (2005), 15 pp.

"This is a brief overview of international assistance to media development in Iraq from the time of the invasion in 2003 to the formation of the Iraqi government and first weeks of the constitutional process in April-May 2005. This paper does not claim to give an exhaustive picture. It is meant as a ... more

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Foreign Aid to the Media in Ukraine and its Impact on the Democratization Process in the Country

Yevgeniya Anatolievna Mussuri

Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia, Master Thesis (2005), 72 pp.

"This study examines the impact of the international media assistance on the democratization of the press in Ukraine. Ukrainian government has been notorious for years for the suppression of the press and for censoring the content of the nation's media. Vital issues of the country, such as corruptio ... more

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Mediating Transition in Afghanistan, 2001-2004

Lisa Anne Hartenberger

Austin: University of Texas at Austin, Doctoral Thesis (2005), x, 294 pp.

"This dissertation examines international aid in support of Afghan media from fall 2001 to fall 2004 as a case study to interrogate the notion of “media transition” and its underlying assumptions. It examines how development organizations such as the United Nations, bilateral aid agencies such a ... more

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International Conference on Media Support Strategies for Zimbabwe: Johannesburg, November 28-30, 2005. Background Document

International Media Support (IMS); Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NIZA); Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA); Open Society Institute (2005), 71 pp.

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Kosovo Media Assessment: Final Report

ARD Inc.

Washington, DC: USAID (2004), v, 31 pp.

"USAID’s assistance to the media sector, implemented through the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), directly contributed to the creation and continued functioning of two Kosovo-wide independent television stations, the terrestrial transmission network, and the news agency KosovaLiv ... more

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Supporting the Media in Liberia: A Review of the Media Landscape for the Post-Conflict Transition Period

Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa (2004), 76 pp. + annexes

"This report outlines the findings and conclusions derived from the assessment mission undertaken by the ‘Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa’ to Liberia in December 2003. This mission brought together the expertise of a number of the national, regional and international ... more

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Media Assistance Post the Taliban Regime and the Implications for Transforming the Afghan Social System

Noah W. Miller

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Master Thesis (2003), iii, 45 pp.

"In the case of media assistance in Afghanistan, financial and organizational resources originate almost exclusively from Western donors and INGOs, which largely bypass the Afghan Government. Organizations within the funding chain thus hold a functional form of power arising from the deployment of a ... llocative resources and it enables them to attempt an instigation of social change in Afghanistan. According to the notion of power associated with Talcott Parson, a functional form of power requires coordination and collaboration in order to achieve collective goals within a political process. However, conflicts may arise in Afghanistan if collective goals diverge among the various foreign and domestic participants involved in altering the media space. This could occur if the various participants do not envision the outcome of media assistance objectives as a zero-sum game. Additionally, Giddens asserts that Parson underestimates the contestation of the norms necessary to pursue collective goals in the first place. Even though the Afghan Government and international donors purportedly agree on the installation of a democracy with a free and independent media, they still need to overcome resistance from existing power holders or entrenched structural properties impeding such a development. In the context of Afghanistan, it is very conceivable that media assistance could prompt intentional or even unintentional consequences caused by social actors discontent with the normative values and goals promulgated by media assistance. Such unintentional conditions may render the desired outcomes of media assistance providers impossible and undermine the desired social transformation. It is erroneous, though, to apply a positivist view that judges the success or failure of media assistance according to the outcome of the flux between structure and interaction alluded to in chapter four. In fact, such a view would be contrary to the propositions of structuration theory that imply a lack of definable boundaries in which structure and interaction intermingles. Equally wrong is to evaluate the media assistance effort by funding amounts contributed by donors, even though financial resources are a pre-requisite for rebuilding the media infrastructure. Instead, media assistance can be conceived as a form of empowerment that imbues a target society with a collective consciousness concerning its ability to alter structural properties, which represent forms of power and domination according to Giddens. The success of media assistance therefore is to produce a collective awareness that individuals can influence the structural properties of a social system, regardless of the direction of change emanating from the mediation of structure and action. The process of change requires not only the acquisition of functional power through allocative resources, but also the acquisition of transformative power by means of controlling authoritative resources, which are involved in the coordination of a social system. Afghans need to control the actors or institutions that selectively filter information in order to reflexively “regulate the overall conditions of system reproduction either to keep things as they are or to change them” (Giddens, 1984, page 27). Yet, it remains unresolved to what extent media assistance has provided Afghans with transformative power and whether or not it allows them to influence the underlying forces that mediate the structural properties in society." (Conclusions, page 39-40) more

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Assessment of USAID Media Assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1996-2002

Daniel De Luce

Washington, DC: USAID (2003), 29 pp.

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Media in South Eastern Europe: Legislation, Professionalism and Associations

Yasha Lange et al.

Amsterdam: Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Media Task Force (2003), 56 pp.

"This document contains reports written by Media Working groups in nine countries in November 2003. The reports describe the media landscape and provide information on media legislation, journalistic professionalism, media associations and donor activities. The sections on the media landscape provid ... e a quick picture of the media in South Eastern Europe today: a high number of media outlets but far fewer sustainable and genuinely independent ones, virtually no direct governmental control but remaining influence in several key areas and a generally difficult transformation process of former state broadcasters. The information on media legislation reveals both progress and remaining difficulties. Defamation laws are strict, usually not in line with European standards and regularly abused, leading to many pending court cases and high fines. Access to Information laws are adopted in five countries, but implementation is problematic. Broadcast legislation is frequently debated and revised, regulatory bodies are insufficiently independent and public broadcasters require additional safeguarding against political influence. Professionalism is a concern. By no means only due to a lack of training, of which there has been a lot in the past years, but particularly due to structural problems. Journalists often work without proper contracts, affecting their position. They are generally low-paid and skilled people leave the profession. Young and cheap employees, sometimes preferred by owners, do not feel in a position to oppose influence on editorial policy. Lack of resources impact on quality, as there is little or no money for investigative reporting or domestic production of quality television programs. And in several cases, links between media owners and political parties affect the editorial independence. Media associations and watchdog organizations have proven tremendously important in defending press freedom and promoting quality. Several countries have seen the growth of professional and respected institutions, while in others the associations are divided, small and have limited credibility among journalists. Effective unions are generally lacking, training institutions have improved with outside support and press freedom organizations have increased strength and influence but are seeking sustainability. Finally, brief information is provided on donor assistance – much more is available in the Overview on support to the media in SEE, also prepared by the Media Task Force. Overall, outside assistance has made a great and positive difference in improving the diversity, quality and sustainability of the media. Suggestions for future support include the further strengthening of associations, in-house training rather than seminars, work on drafting and implementing media legislation (e.g. revising defamation clauses) and support to investigative journalism and domestic television production." (Overview, page 2) more

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Mission Report: The Media Situation in Angola. Obstacles and Possibilities

Lorraine Mkabela, Per Oesterlund, Anacleta Pereira

AMARC World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters; International Media Support (IMS); Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) (2003), 17 pp.