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Communication, Media, and Development Policy
Analysis, Ideas and Debates on Development Policy Issues from Communication and Media Perspectives
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media in development
whatever social/national good development organisations pursue to achieve, media can play a prominent role in that achievement. however, capacities and performances are varied across the mainstream media. for influential and bigger media the roles sometimes can be distinctly very prescriptive, regardless of its being of universal good or not, if any such. debates over roles and responsibilities of both media and development organisations rather fuel unnecessary tensions between these two development actors, given their roles are understood to that context. hence rather a set of norms and standards for the both supporting the 'development'- being common for the both based on certain common understanding under a certain context despite having a very varied concept to agree to, need developing and practising for any work in development.
Media for development
Annonymous, the problem is that there is no agreement about how you get "free of the shackles of poverty and economic oppression", and that is why media for development is so different to media development. Media for development involves an outsider's view of what development means and has a message which is usually driven by the donor's view. Developing media should mean encouraging good journalism which stimulates debate and dialogue in civil society about what is the best development path for the country. Whilst there are shared objectives between the two, media for development is very different and should be clearly differentiated. Media development should be a much more 'hands-off' intervention (if that is not an oxymoron!), with less of an agenda on the table.
Development organisations should ask themselves why they are involved in encouraging a freer and more plural media? With so many media organisations (e.g. Free Media Movement) supporting media development with no overt connection to 'development' in the sense we are discussing here, and with no 'vision' of what development means, what do development organisations bring to the table? Perhaps there is always an agenda from the development community, whether they like to admit it or not! Perhaps 'development' should stay out of media development and stick to media for development?
Media Responsibility
I don't think the media has kept things in focus while acquiring huge influence in the world. Treating the news as 'entertainment' and putting forth whatever editors deem worthy of the public's attention is rarely what we should hear or see. And too often the media falls in with politic individuals when it should not be endorsing anyone. But, it seems to be self governing and no one is holding it accountable. Like the business world, the media needs to be regulated.
Regards
Janet
Media and Development
For the poor developing countries the debate about media development and media for development sounds pedantic and obscurantist.The reality is whether the media be instrumentalist or intrinsic matters least so long they are able to communicate the message about the ways of getting free of the shackles of poverty and economic oppression.