Minister of
International Development Hilde F. Johnson
Norwegian support to free media - what do
we want to achieve?
Fredrikstad, 29
September 2005
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A few years
ago, the World Bank published Voices
of the Poor – a study of
60 000 people in 60 countries. They were asked what they most wished for.
You might expect the answer to be money – but no. What they most wanted was a voice – a voice to convey their thoughts
and concerns to the people in power. They wanted to express themselves, they
wanted to draw attention to the inequalities that surrounded them, they wanted
to elect their own representatives and gain access to the decision-making
process.
The press is
one of the best ways for fulfilling this wish.
Because the
press can be a voice for the poor, an ally in the fight against inequality and
injustice.
The press can
be a powerful force in the fight against poverty, injustice, invisibility.
In fact, a free
press may be the most powerful force in a society.
This is why it is so important to support a free press in the
developing world – not only in its struggle to exist, but also in its endeavours
to excel.
The
press in developing countries
We know that the media can be many things to many people.
In Zimbabwe, donkey-drawn carts bring newspapers and radio tapes to
people in rural areas.
In Bangladesh, villagers set up a television in the town hall, had a
group of young people learn how to use a digital camera, and sent them out to
interview people in the community. Now, every day at eight o’clock in the
evening, everybody crowds around the television to see the result – the local
“evening news” put together by the young journalists.
In Sri Lanka, people in a small town flock to the internet café to read
up on news and the latest developments in the markets for their agricultural
products.
In Kenya, a large media conglomerate – Nation – brings quality journalism not only to
Kenyans, but also to Ugandans and Tanzanians.
Good news – but not enough. There is still much that remains to be done.
Because:
- There are still more telephone lines in Manhattan than in all of Africa
put together
- Most of the world’s poor still cannot afford to buy newspapers
- Internet access remains a science fiction fantasy for a large majority
of the population
- Many media organisations in the developing world are weak – they have
few resources, old equipment, and operate in an environment of censorship and
corruption.
- Over the past couple of years, a record number of journalists and
photographers imprisoned, tortured and killed.
It is vital that the world community comes together
to remedy this situation. This is why support to free and independent media is
an integral part of Norway’s development policy.
Norway’s support to the media
Assistance to the media has been part of Norway’s development
programmes since the 1980s. Support to the press became particularly important
after the end of the cold war and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Since
then, Norwegian media aid has developed from support for relatively modest
projects to multi-faceted programmes focusing on education, technical
assistance and networking. We have now entered a new phase in our support to
the media, where ad-hoc solutions and individually driven projects have been
replaced by long-term strategies and commitments. We have established
guidelines for our support to free media, which emphasises critical journalism.
For the past couple of years, our annual support to the free media has been
about NOK 70 million.
The media
and democracy
The reason that we support the media is clear: it is crucial for
creating democratic societies and strengthening human rights. Free and
independent media can play a unique role in promoting good governance in
developing countries. This is a key priority in our fight against poverty and
our efforts to reach the MDGs. However, establishing and nurturing a fledgling
independent press in the developing world requires assistance from the
international community.
We need to support free media and strengthen their ability to be the
watchdog of society that they are meant to be.
This is why the Norwegian government has intensified its support to the
media as a fundamental element in our international development efforts. We
want to support the media in the developing world on several levels: within each
country, within the regions, and within international press organisations. We
know that government support to the media can be an effective way of ensuring a
diverse and robust media environment – not least because we have used it with
success in our own country.
Quality problems
After the breakdown of one-party states and military dictatorships
during the last decade, there has been a general liberalisation of the media in
a number countries. As multiparty systems emerged, new and independent media
outlets were born. There has been a considerable increase in quantity – but not
always in quality.
Many of the new media outlets – mostly newspapers and private radio
stations – are struggling financially. And the quality of the editorial product
often varies, for two main reasons: 1) the journalists have little formal
education, and 2) the financial situation cannot sustain long-term,
investigative journalism. These newspapers and radio stations operate on a
shoestring budget, struggling from day to day just to survive.
Without proper training and a minimum of resources, journalists can
easily sink into shoddy reporting and sensationalism. One example is the
frequent stories about corruption, which may attract a lot of attention and
boost sales in the short run, but lack the solid research needed to really get
to the bottom of the story.
This is not to say that lackadaisical research is exclusive to the
developing world – we certainly see it in some Norwegian media as well. But unless
a story is thoroughly researched and correctly presented, its impact will be
minimal – or negative. The end result will be loss of credibility for the
journalist and the media concerned in the short run – and total irrelevance in
the long run.
Other problems
But all will not be solved just by providing better training for
journalists and setting higher standards. Other factors are equally important
for the development of a free and independent press.
- Legal
framework
Over the past 10 years there has been a welcome liberalisation of laws
regulating the press in many developing countries. The legal and regulatory
framework for the press has been strengthened to promote freedom of expression.
But the effects of new and more liberal laws in one area have been neutralised
by new legislation in another: security and anti-terrorism. Terrorism concerns
have triggered a tightening of security laws in many countries, and this has
led to restrictions on the media. This
often unintentional, but unacceptable, side-effect must be addressed.
- Self-censorship
Self-censorship among journalists and editors is another frequent
phenomenon. Journalists often have to make difficult decisions. Do you write a
critical story and risk losing your job? Should a newspaper print a story that
will antagonise its advertisers, its main source of income? In many countries
in the developing world, journalists must make decisions without the backing of
a trade union or a media council. They do not have the opportunity to organise
such support.
Maintaining your integrity is never easy, but when it is linked to your
own or your organisation’s survival, it becomes almost impossible.
- Corruption
Although the press can be a key weapon in the fight against corruption,
journalists are also attractive targets for corruption themselves. The
temptations are great, especially if you work long hours for minimal wages.
Corruption impedes development wherever it appears, but rarely are the
consequences graver than when corruption engulfs the part of society that has
the power to expose it – the press.
Examples
In Tanzania, 60 to 80 per cent of journalists had no formal training
until recently (NORAD Assessment 2002, SIDA 1996). This created a
quality and credibility problem for the Tanzanian media. Here is an example:
In Tanzania, the mediocrity of the media triggered a reaction and gave
rise to a new way of thinking. Media owners, journalists’ organisations and
several donors, among them Norway, agreed that mid-career training was
essential to improve the quality of Tanzanian journalism. Norway has financed
and will continue to finance such training, and the results have been very
encouraging.
In Ethiopia, Norway is supporting a programme for educating
journalists. The programme is being run jointly with a Norwegian partner, the Gimlekollen
School of Journalism and Communication. The purpose of the programme is to
establish a School of Journalism and a Centre for Journalism and Communication
at Addis Ababa University.
Sudan
Let me also say a few words about a country particularly close to my
heart: Sudan. The peace process has been brought to a successful end, and the
country is embarking on what may be the best-prepared process for building
peace in a country long that has long been at war with itself. Free and
independent media can and must play an important role in creating a
transparent, stable and democratic country. In fact, it may be key in
safeguarding the peace. Several of you will contribute. Norway has supported
media organisations throughout the peace process, and will continue to do so in
the years to come.
Good governance
To be successful in the fight against poverty, we have to focus our
efforts on building democracy and ensuring good governance. UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has designated good governance as the most important
single factor in eradicating poverty. If we want to reach the Millennium
Development Goals, which are reflected in the Norwegian Government’s Action Plan for Combating Poverty in the
South, and in our white paper “Fighting
Poverty Together”, it is essential to strengthen good governance in every
possible way.
Good governance means improving public policies and public
administration, and strengthening checks and balances. In our development
policies, we have chosen to concentrate on state control bodies such as the
office of the auditor general, political institutions such as the national
assembly, and non-state actors such as political parties and civil society
organisations.
In addition we focus on the independent media, because no other part of
society has greater potential for influencing governance.
The knowledge that the media is keeping a close eye on the workings of
the government is the best check against the misuse of power – both in the
developing and in the developed world. We cannot do without it.
In the words of Thomas Jefferson:
"Our
liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without
being lost."
Transparency – human rights
A free and independent media is essential for transparency in
government as well as in business, and plays a critical role in holding the
people in power accountable. The press is also crucial for documenting
human rights abuses and preventing the systematic or random abuse of power.
In Zambia, the role of the press on the issue of sexual violence
against young girls illustrates what the media can – and should – do. The
women’s movement has been working in tandem with the media to bring sexual
violence out of the private sphere and into the arena of public debate. This
has put rapists in prison, and has given many people the courage to speak up.
Another recent example is in Kenya, where the press has played a key
role in exposing corruption problems in the present government.
The government, to its credit, has given the press considerably more
freedom than its predecessors did – and media has done what the media should
do, which is to hold the government to its promises.
Transparency – corruption
The media has a crucial role to play in making politicians and
decision-makers accountable to the people. Transparent decision-making
processes is the way – the only way – to achieving broader participation
and a more democratic society.
Reports show that higher levels of perceived media freedom and independence
are associated with lower levels of perceived corruption.
Examples from Peru and other developing countries show that even in a
country where there is regulation and informal control of the press, the media
can expose corruption and increase the pressure for better governance.
What kind of assistance?
Before assistance is given to the media, we should ask key questions
like:
- Will the
assistance improve media freedom and effectiveness?
- Will it help improve the quality of governance?
Media assistance covers many different fields. It includes support for
educating and training professional journalists and editors. It includes
training in business management, marketing and efforts to ensure financial
independence. It includes training in media ethics and accountability.
Other areas that need support are: building democratic and legal
frameworks for the press, developing trade associations and legal defence
systems, and security training to improve reporting from conflict areas.
We will give priority to strengthening the critical role of the media
and journalists and their professional ethics by establishing scholarships,
supporting measures to improve journalists’ security and providing training in
investigative journalism. Our studies show that this particular focus is
missing from most media development projects. Too often, outside support concentrates
on issues of particular importance to the donor, not on developing the capacity
of the press as such. Donors use the media as a tool to address and educate the
public, but we may have an even more important role to play in developing the
tool itself.
Norway’s goal is to support critical and responsible journalism and
give a voice to people who have few opportunities to fight for their rights. In
this way we hope to support forces that can bring about democratic reforms and
promote good governance in developing countries.
Our overarching goal is to combat world poverty. Supporting the media
is part of this effort.
It is part of our responsibility as a government, just as it is part of
your responsibility as representatives of the media, to keep the world’s
attention focused on the needs and rights of the poor.
The role of journalism cannot be overestimated. Journalism is, in the
words of Philip Graham, former publisher of the Washington Post, “the first
rough draft of history.”
We cannot allow this rough draft of history to be written without the
participation of the millions living in poverty. This is why my government
supports free media in developing countries – and this is why I am so pleased
to see so many of you here today. I wish you every success at this seminar, and
encourage each and every one of you to participate in this great effort: to bring
a voice to the many, many who are not yet heard today.
Thank you.
