Seven challenges to media development
Media scholar Christoph Spurk shares his knowledge about the major challenges currently facing media development organizations working in developing countries.
1. Authoritarian rule
In many developing countries,
democracy is formally established but political elites and authoritarian
rulers control power beyond the influence of the majority of people.
So, instead of more democracy there is less; instead of more
participation, there is more exclusion; and instead of the rule of law,
there is insecurity, impunity and lack of accountability.
Media
development organizations are not welcomed in these countries because
they will always question authoritarian rule. This is one reason why
they are facing many challenges, especially in reaching the consent of
governments who see clearly that independent media will not only inform
the public but will also question their position.
At the same
time, the work of media development organizations becomes more
important, as under these authoritarian regimes hardly any other
societal actors have the capacity to inform citizens and enhance public
understanding and participation in politics.
2. Media rights under pressure
An immediate consequence of greater authoritarian rule is the
obstruction of freedom of expression and the freedom to access
information. Media regulations become tougher and journalists who are
not in line with mainstream elites become more and more endangered and
face possible censorship and intimidation – and even arbitrary arrest
and torture.
In these situations, the protection of reporters,
editors and journalists becomes an important task for media support
organizations and the close monitoring of the development of media
freedom becomes more relevant. A lot of work has been done, and new
creative initiatives have started, but so far it has not been reflected
upon systematically.
3. Good media need sound financing
The economic sustainability of media outlets continues to be a major
challenge. This is especially valid for smaller, local media outlets,
such as local or community radio stations, which are often supported by
media development funds. Many media development organizations are
managed by journalists, most of whom aren’t fond of media economics,
profit and business. But financial sustainability is a precondition for
media outlets’ independence from the undue influence of others, be they
governments, big corporations or senior politicians.
Developing
countries have growing media markets (although some are only growing
slightly). As people escape poverty, they will both consume media and
buy consumer products. So, establishing economically viable media that
provides quality journalism in combination with a strong advertising
business seems feasible.
4. Audience research needs to go beyond REACH and SCOPE
Audience research has the potential to meet advertisers’ interests when
it provides sound data. But this should not be limited to reach, scope
and basic media users’ characteristics such as age, gender and
education. Rather, audience research should be more advanced and also
include media users’ assessments of specific media programs and of the
quality of reporting.
This broader understanding of audience
research is not only a means for media managers to boost their
advertising business; it can also be useful for editors and journalists
to learn about their readers, listeners and viewers.
5. Stopping the decline in reporting quality
Currently, there is no comprehensive study on the quality of journalism
in developing countries although bits and pieces of research here and
there confirm there is still much room for improvement. Unfortunately,
efforts in training and capacity building do not automatically lead to
better quality. And given the current political situation and the
disrespect for democratic inclusion often displayed by many governments,
those who want to practice better journalism need to be supported.
What is the way forward?
(a) A closer and systematic look at the current status of reporting quality and what needs to be done practically.
(b) Media research, especially content analysis, can help discover
shortcomings in reporting and to inform training courses to make them
needs-oriented based on research findings.
6. Rigor in evaluation methodology
Monitoring and evaluation still lack internal support within media
development organizations. The good news is that some organizations are
conducting more serious evaluations of media work and the acceptance of
evaluation has considerably improved. We are still facing methodological
problems, however. Clearly, more scientific rigor is needed if we want
to know more about project achievements.
7. Implementation
It is largely agreed that sound analysis of the media and its
environment in a country is needed BEFORE planning a project and long
BEFORE the project starts. So then why is it not done more often? And
even if sound analysis is done before project start, why is it often not
reflected in the project design and its activities?
The same
implementation gap can be seen in evaluation. Consultants are still
being confronted with the usual tenders, asking them, for example, to
evaluate a media program which took place in 10 different countries in
12 days. That again contradicts standards. It is important to identify
the reasons for this implementation gap and to learn from other fields
in development cooperation.
Christoph Spurk
is a lecturer and media researcher at the Institute of Applied Media
Studies at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. He mainly conducts
research on the quality of journalism and communication in Africa and on
mass media’s influence on the democratization process. He is working in
advancing the methods of evaluation, measuring results in communication
efforts and mass media programs, and supporting media development
organizations in monitoring and evaluation. He has worked, among others,
with DW Akademie, Swiss Development Cooperation, Fondation Hirondelle,
UNESCO and many African universities. Recently, he started to combine
content analysis with audience research in efforts to measure media
effects, for example with regard to peace processes.