Role of Media in Democracy 1
I.
INTRODUCTION
A leading Palestinian journalist is jailed in theWest Bank for broadcasting sessions of thePalestinian Legislative Council. Restrictivemedia laws in many post-communist countriescurtail media freedoms guaranteed by thesecountries' constitutions, or by internationalconventions that these countries have signed. InCentral America, a select group of powerfulfamilies control the media and threatendemocratic gains realized through the peaceprocesses of the 1990s. Government control of print and broadcast media in many Africancountries leave little scope for dissenting opinionsand, therefore, public debate.Such are the obstacles to media freedom. TheU.S. Agency for International Development(USAID) and its partners have attempted toaddress these obstacles and to develop mediasectors around the globe that would contribute todemocracy. As such, support for media is animportant prong of U.S. democracy andgovernance assistance. USAID’s objective of theincreased development of a politically active civilsociety provides a strategic rationale for media-related activities. In addition, a desired result of an enhanced free flow of information broadlystates the Agency's target for media activities.While there is a significant range of activitieswhich could fall under the heading “mediasupport,” a distinction is made in this paperbetween those activities which might indirectlycontribute to media development (such as civiceducation or communication campaigns in thehealth and education sectors), and those whichare directly targeted to strengthen the media as aninstitution, specifically media sector support. Asthis strategic approach lays out, this media sectorsupport extends beyond training and includesreforming media laws, removing barriers toaccess, strengthening constituencies for reform,and capitalizing the media.Historically, there have been few, if any, toolsavailable to USAID country missions and theirpartners to help them think strategically about therelationship between media and society, and themost effective ways to strengthen the media'scontribution to democracy. Given this, somemissions have been hesitant to engage in mediasector support, even though they recognize theimportant role it plays in democratic transitionand consolidation. Other missions, daunted bythe difficulty of reporting results in this field,have decided not to undertake media activities orto focus exclusively on training. Contextualfactors such as the lack of a legal enablingenvironment and political will within thegovernment, business, or civil society to supportmedia freedom all constrain missions' efforts inmedia sector support.The majority of these media activities has beencarried out in the Europe and New IndependentStates region (ENI), with another significantamount taking place in the Latin America and theCaribbean region (LAC). Total USAID supportfor media development ranges from equipmentprovision and journalist training to media lawand policy development.In addition there exist various USAIDmechanisms to support media sector developmentfrom the regional bureaus, field missions, and theOffice of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in theBureau of Humanitarian Response. For example,OTI programs have focused on the following:
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Supporting objective news and informationprograms, so that people can make informeddecisions and counter state-controlled media
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Cultivating alternative media, so thatmultiple voices and opinions will be heard
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Mobilizing popular participation in thetransition process
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Multiplying the impact of transition activitiesby disseminating information on successfullocal peace and participatory effortsWithin the Center for Democracy andGovernance, technical assistance and field
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