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Role of media in the development process. Africa Media Leaders Forum, Yaounde, 18 November, 2010, Guy Berger. MDG challenges for 2015. Reducing extreme poverty and hunger , Achieving universal primary education for all, Promoting gender equality & empowering women ,
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Role of media in the development process. Africa Media Leaders Forum, Yaounde, 18 November, 2010, Guy Berger
MDG challenges for 2015 • Reducing extreme poverty and hunger, • Achieving universal primary education for all, • Promoting gender equality & empowering women, • Reducing child mortality, • Improving maternal health, • Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, • Ensuring environmental sustainability, • Developing a global partnership for development
Some progress… • On track to achieve the accessible drinking- water target of 60%. • Attendance rate in primary schools was 76% in 2008, compared with 58% in 1999. • Rate of childmortality has decreased. • BUT: we are still off-target for education & gender MDGs • Least progress in maternal mortality rates
And a fundamental problem… • Since the 1990s the proportion of people living in hunger has fallen from 34% to 30% — butabsolute numbers have risen. • There is minimal progress towards halving the proportion not getting enough food. • Hardly any country is set to halve the level of child stunting seen in the early 1990s. • 2 stories: some progress; not nearly enough.
How to respond to the challenge? • “Development” today • So what does media do? • Developing the media • Return of communications • Summing up
1. Development today • Statefailures & top-down“development journalism” • Modernisationfailures (Structural Adjustment) • i.e. development sans democracy doesn’t work • 1990s: Windhoek 1991 milestone: Rise of private press – correctly prioritising a democratic role • And emphasis on participative development: like ICT4D and “development communication” • So: since 1990s, no real development role seen for mass media (excepting community media)
2. So what does media do? • Yes, for development, community media is NB. • But time to re-examine role of private media • Yes, your role is to make money… • Media business per se creates jobs; adverts and info helps to make markets work • BUT you also make a democracy contribution which per se is also good for development… • So you have an invaluable indirect impact on development…
Indirect help from democratic role • Pluralistic media improves development policy … and its implementation • Ethical journalism helps accountability, reduces corruption & environmental damage • Adds to Info Environment - essential for daily living, health, education, values etc. (Windhoek+20 Access to Info – 28 Sept 2011) • Your democratic role helps ensure that growth translates into development.
3. Developing the media • BUT to do more, we need more media. • The biggest obstacle is political control • Media freedom means media-business freedom (& vice versa) • Then: we need capital & capacity. • But it also makes business sense to do direct impact on development: proactive coverage • Eg. the Daily Sun – include news-you-can-use.
Doing journalism on development http://reportingDNA.org
4. Return of communications • Note: mobile is growing faster than anyone! • Social network comms is the future mass com • Disintermediation of media monopolies, but… • Mass media can now play in the ICT4D, “devt comms” and community participation space. • That’s a real business opportunity – and good for democracy and development!
Grocott’s Mail mobi site: • Nîche is realtime content
There is traditional news • It plays the old indirect role of contributing to development via democracy • But there’s also UGC comms…
And, the site can also reinvent the old role of increasing transactions by realtime “specials” • Eg. before bananas go rotten, get them shifted; create instant markets.
Let’s imagine… • Not just the stories about the politicians • Not just the individual personal/social news • Why not add info AND comms around: • Exams: tip of the day (incl from youth!) • Daily safe-sex tip (incl from practitioners!) • Who’s hit by flu? Help us map the spread. • Who’s polluting? Report them, talk about it. • Who’s offering jobs, who wants jobs?
5. In summary • Development & democracy – two sides, one coin. Do both, consciously. • Need more media, to mint more MDG coins. • To get growth, we need to get the context right, plus capital, plus capacity. • And to exploit new social media and ICT to really engage with development issues • = Build organic business links to development
Take away • Development is good for media business • Your role in development: • Indirectly, by being an info business, and by contributing to democracy • Directly, by contributing to development with pro-active content … & also now by comms • And, be the change you want to see Eg. Grow gender equity, do partnerships, go green … and get interactive!