Women listening to the radio in Bangladesh
From JHU/CCP
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Communication for Change in a Globalized World
"Those who have the mass media in their hands ... bear responsibility for
the world and for the future of humanity. Just as the splitting of the
atom can immensely enrich humanity in a thousand and one ways and, at
the same time, can also threaten it with destruction, so television can
have both good and evil consequences. Quickly, suggestively, and to an
unprecedented degree, it can disseminate the spirit of understanding,
humanity, human solidarity and spirituality, or it can stupefy whole
nations and continents. And just as our use of atomic energy depends
solely on our sense of responsibility, so the proper use of television
depends on our sense of responsibility as well."
—Vaclav Havel (Sunrise
Magazine, 1995)
The waves of privatization and pressures toward liberalized trade that
have marked the world economic order at the turn of the 21st century
have also shaped the world media order. But the media industry is not
only affected by these trends, it is also a potential instrument to
combat the poverty and inequity that continue to plague so many of the
world's people. Mass media can be the ideological army in support of
globalization, but can also become the grassroots weapons to fight its
impact.
As coalitions and activists around the world demand that sustainable
development become a priority in the world's changing political and
economic systems, many civil-society advocates are urging the use of
mass media to help communities find local solutions to economic,
political and social disempowerment. From town meetings via community
television in rural Newfoundland to cultural rituals documented by
indigenous people in Brazil to radio programs teaching ecological
agriculture in Kenya and anti-pollution in Nepal, MediaChannel
affiliates are helping to create communication for change.
Much attention on media development these days focuses on bridging
what's come to be known as the Digital Divide and on deploying new
information and communication technologies, or ICT. Certainly, it is
critical that all people, especially the poor, are given the full
opportunities of the digital age (see OneWorld's special
report on the Digital Divide), but old-fashioned television and
radio still have a far greater reach and saturation across the world
than computers and the Net. As we continue to push for ways to adopt ICT
for democracy and development, we must continue to support broadcasting
by and for the people.
Below, MediaChannel affiliates explore the threats and opportunities of
broadcasting in a globalized world and describe projects that serve as
models and inspiration.
— Aliza Dichter (
liza@mediachannel.org) and Murad Rayani ( murad@mediachannel.org),
editors.
Ideas and Issues | Case Studies
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Communication For Social Change
As NGOs seek to "create locally based solutions to critical social ills," they too often overlook the powerful role communication can play in their efforts. This 1999 position paper from the U.S.-based Rockefeller Foundation warns that in the current hyper-commercialized media landscape, development groups must redouble their efforts to help "shape communication environments that can work for people, not against them." From DevMedia
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Mass Media Versus The People
The global media, dominated by corporate interests from a handful of powerful countries in the North, serve to sustain and amplify economic inequity and are a force against development, writes Dr. Nawal El Saadawi: "Through control of the mass media you create the conditions for conformity to the global market and limit the possibility of effective resistance to it."
From The Media Channel, October 25 2000
More about:
Egypt,
Africa,
Access,
Advertising/Commerce,
Audience,
Cultural Impacts,
Diversity,
Freedom of Expression,
Politics,
Radio,
Television
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The Power Of Television
The old European dichotomy between commercial and public broadcasting is dissolving, forecast
WETV founder Dr. David Nostbakken in 1998. In this speech to the conference on
"The E.U. Enlargement and the role of NGOs," Nostbakken urged that NGOs form Affiliateships with
broadcasters to produce a critical mass of civil-society programming and push for policies to ensure
pluralistic and democratic media. From OneWorld Austria, October 18 1998
More about:
Europe,
Eastern Europe,
Access,
Audience,
Cultural Impacts,
Diversity,
Public Broadcasting,
Television
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Cultural Globalization Down Under
The liberalization of world trade together with the growing transnational media conglomerates
present an increasing threat to cultural diversity, both locally and globally, reports Gareth Grainger
of the Australian Broadcasting Authority. Regulatory intervention, as well as strong support and
funding for local independent production, is vital to resisting these trends.
From Audio Visual Forum, May 1 2000
More about:
Australia,
Asia and the Pacific,
Oceania,
Audience,
Cultural Impacts,
Diversity,
Policy/Law,
Film,
Music,
Television
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CASE STUDIES
Here are just a few examples of how MediaChannel affiliates are using radio and television for development and social change. News and reports from recent projects around the world, as well as extensive support and strategic resources for development communication work can be found at The Communication Initiative, www.comminit.com
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Senegal's Youth Radio
"Bla-Bla," a political satire, and "Fadiou Thiossane," a program on traditional healing, are two shows broadcast on Oxy-Jeunes, a community radio station run by young people in Dakar, Senegal. Unfortunately, despite tremendous popularity, financial constraints raise doubts over the sustainability of such community-based projects. From The UNESCO Courier, February 1 2000
More about:
Senegal,
Africa,
West Africa,
Access,
Activism,
Audience,
Cultural Impacts,
Diversity,
Radio
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Town Meetings And Interactive TV
With youth behind the camera and call-in TV programs engaging the public, Fred Campbell's grassroots communication projects in rural Newfoundland, Canada, show that locally controlled media can help
communities in the North address their issues, too.
From In Motion Magazine, August 15 2000
More about:
Canada,
United States,
North America,
Activism,
Audience,
Children,
Cultural Impacts,
Diversity,
Television
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Airwaves Of Peace In Cambodia
Cambodian media, like Cambodian politics, remain fractious. Radio's capacity to reach a wide audience, often via loudspeakers in town centers, is being used in this Canadian-sponsored program to help create media for peacemaking.
From Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society, August 30 2000
More about:
Cambodia,
Asia and the Pacific,
East Asia,
Activism,
Audience,
Cultural Impacts,
Radio
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Public Service On Air In Nepal
By 1999 the Nepalese government was slowly relinquishing its monopoly over the country's media.
Radio Sagarmatha, with its air-quality campaign, traditional folk music and daily listener-feedback
segments, set the tone for other FM stations. From World Assoc. for Christian Comm., April 1 1999
More about:
Nepal,
Asia and the Pacific,
South Asia,
Access,
Activism,
Audience,
Cultural Impacts,
Diversity,
Radio
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AS THE MEDIA WATCH THE WORLD, WE WATCH THE
MEDIA.
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