DANIDA’S Media Strategy - Media & Development

”In order to truly succeed in leading a human being to a certain place, you will first and foremost have to find him where he is and start from there. This is the secret of the whole art of helping. It is a delusion for any person who cannot do this, to think that he can help another person”Søren Kirkegaard ”Fragments of a plain message”, 1859

Media and development

Relief organisations do not extend enough support to media in the developing countries

By Thomas Tufte and Finn Rasmussen

”It is surprising how few relief organisations deal with media development. Especially taking into consideration, the great importance that is generally assigned to the media – also by relief organisations. On this basis, I think that Danida has often distinguished itself by going into media support and seen opportunities that others have missed”

These are the words of Danish Morten Giersing, who has worked with media and development in the UN system for the past 15 years. For many years, Giersing was head of UNESCO's communications office in Paris. Since 1991, he has worked in UN's children's fund (UNICEF). First as communications adviser in Asia, later on as chief information officer of the entire organisation, and today he is head of UNICEF in Vietnam. On the one hand, Giersing praises Danida for having many innovative and fruitful projects, but on the other hand, he raises a number of objections: -What could be criticised is continuity and volume, possibly due to lack of bureaucratic anchoring place in the Ministry. Given the phenomenal importance of the media for democracy, education, and quality of life in general, it is astounding what small amounts of money the entire relief industry has granted this area (less than half per thousand of the Danish development aid for the past ten years, ed.).

Put in another way: Danida extends comparatively too few means on supporting advance of the media in developing countries, and the support offered is too short-dated. Part of the explanation, as Giersing also [page 4] points out, could be that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs does not have an office with this field as its particular work and priority area. In contrast to, for example, the Swedish state relief organisation, SIDA, which has an individual media office, the Danida media projects have been spread out to several offices.

Large and long-term projects are funded and launched by several different authorities in the Ministry: Demokratifonden (the Democracy Fund), the NGO appropriations, and the so-called multi diverse appropriation, project appropriations through country offices, embassies etc. In addition to this, embassies are often involved in small-scale media activities, such as seminars, trips, and production of information material.

The response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the embassies' decentral appropriation competence is an indispensable tool. Especially, when it comes to support of free press, this competence has many benefits in the form of knowledge of local conditions, flexibility and speed in the procedures.

Two pillars

When discussing media and development, it is important to distinguish between two subjects, ”pillars”, that both come under this area and at times lead to confusion.

Media and development is about support of media development in the partner countries, at the same time, it concerns the use of communication and media in development projects, also described as ”development communication”.

For many years, Danida has supported media development in partner countries. Since 1994, the organisation has had a formulated policy on this exact area.

However, Danida has only very limited and dispersed experience with the use of development communication. In this edition of ”Udvikling”, (Development), a number of positive international experiences in this field are rendered visible, but focus will also be put on the development of media for the benefit of free press.

Free press

”Free press” comprises support of the media sector in developing countries. Despite the name, ”Free press” covers more than just printed media. The largest single group of projects is radio projects.

Another important area is education and training of journalists and editors, while the third essential effort is put into support of the establishment of independent press and media centres in developing countries.

The three components together account for more than 80 per cent of the total aid for free press since 1990, a total of DKK 340 million.

Hans-Henrik Holm, principal at Danmarks Journalisthøjskole (the Danish School of Journalism), explains the central aspects as follows: -The central part of the concept of free press is rooted in two things: editorial independence and journalistic professionalization. Media in the Third World have many different types of ownership. Governments typically control the electronic media, together with many of the largest newspapers. New expanding media, such as local radio stations and certain types of local television are often controlled by a particular organisation. In some countries, religious organisations have tight control of local media.

For several years, The Danish School of Journalism has been a central, Danish player in the implementation of Danida's press strategy in developing countries.

-One of the main objectives is to ensure free media conditions within the framework of these forms of ownership control. Therefore, free press means help to secure systems of editorial independence, by means of securing media from encroachment and outside censorship of contents, says Hans-Henrik Holm.

Criticism

With regards to the media support mainly for training of journalists in Africa, there are critics who find the aid to be too narrow, as a copy of Danish journalistic way of thinking. Ullamaija Kivikuru, a Finnish media researcher and expert on Africa, has thus characterised the Nordic- including the Danish -journalist aid as conventional.

-Journalism is a relatively simple thing, so I would not be that nervous of a bit of export of the system. Good journalism is good workmanship, and given the ”experiments” that [page 5] has been carried out in many places, I do not mind a little ”conventionalism”. Some of the most important development work UNESCO has done in Africa, has also been the very practical work, Morten Giersing responds to the criticism.

-Journalistic professionalization is part of the process of securing freer media conditions, but this also includes basic learning of journalistic skills, Hans-Henrik Holm adds.

-If journalists and editors learn the elementary rules of treatment of sources, of verification of information, of ethics, of narrative techniques, of reception orientation of messages, of learning the journalistic basic rules of integrity and responsibility, they are better prepared in the fight for free press, says Hans-Henrik Holm. Morten Giersing, however, would like an enlargement: -The concatenation with human rights is often seen in a very limited perspective, as something only linked to news. It is often the entertainment genre that can really move people. In this area the political control is usually limited and the opportunities for making experiments are good. Danida will continue to give high priority to training of journalists, since ”critical journalism” is a key element of free press.

According to Jan Trøjborg, Minister of Development, support of media development is an area that will grow in the future: -There is no doubt that free press and development of the media will be an important part of our revision of Strategy 2000”.

Public participation

The ultimate goal for development communication is to create public participation and viable projects.

Development communication is about two things: one immediate goal is to ”spread the word”. This implies communicating useful information about methods of cultivation, family planning, or irrigation to the relevant target groups, using means of communication such as radio, theatre, television, posters, or other media.

But it is also about strengthening the public participation in the projects. Through media communication people are committed and enabled to choose and make demands.

Birthe Holm Sørensen, Danida health adviser, formulates it this way: -If the target groups are to participate, they will obviously have to know what they are participating in. And they should be able to understand it in order to form an opinion on the subject. This presupposes that you present them with a certain knowledge. However, it is also necessary that you communicate in a way that makes them feel strengthened to the extend that they will start making demands. So, in reality, it is very much about empowerment.

-This way development communication becomes a way to strengthen the democratisation process, while the target group is informed of its rights, without it being perceived as such by the recipient countries.

-It is easy to obtain acceptance from the government to make a communication strategy for the health sector. In actual fact, what is a communication strategy? It means that the population is given the tools to demand what they want from the system. However, this is a highly political process, but a non-threatening political process.

Birthe Holm Sørensen has had positive experiences with development communication used in Danish health projects in India, but the experiences appear rather isolated in Danida. No systematic collection of experiences exists. The transferring of experiences primarily takes place when individuals bring their experiences from working with programmes from one country to the next.

Within Danida, attention has been given to the fact that development communication is an essential area when it comes to involving the groups that Danida aims to reach. [Page 6]

After the introduction of sector schemes in connection with the existing Strategy 2000 from 1994 and with the upcoming revision, both an opportunity and a challenge arise to make development communication a part of the new strategies. Thereby, ensuring that the aid reflects the target groups needs and desires in a better way, thus, enlarging the possibility of increased soundness.

Jan Trøjborg, Minister of Development, points out that the demands for quality and focus in the work with development assistance, could easily give rise to long-term commitments to the individual countries and programmes.

-It is about whether it works or not. Is it bad or good quality? It could mean that we should stay longer, or maybe just be better at what we do. However, it is possible that you should look at it in a long-term perspective. The most crucial thing is that we become better at focussing, in order for us to have influence on what we do and to measure it afterwards.

Morten Giersing is a dedicated spokesman for the use of development communication, but he also warns of the danger of making use solely of news related genres in these connections.

-We all know that news and related genres make up a small part of the media supply. Other genres and areas are just as important when it comes to promoting democratic values. By way of example, when you consider discrimination of girls, it is rather evident that drama and entertainment genres play an important role. Today, development communication is a lot of things: cartoons, soap operas, and other drama genres can have important influence on the everyday dialog about which values and strategies that relevant for a society.

Projects such as the South African soap opera ”Soul City” (see article p. 32, ed.) and UNICEF's own ”Meena” and ”Sara” cartoon series for South Asia and Africa respectively have had a major impact in recent years.

Strategy 2000

Jan Trøjborg repeatedly stresses the importance of free press in the development of democracy and mentions this as important to include in the revision of Strategy 2000.

-I sense that it is specifically the international tendency of the conditions for aid that plays an important role when it comes to progress for human rights and democracy. Without a free press, democracy is not possible.

-The creation of an improved co-ordination of donors is a matter that I will definitely take into consideration when revising Strategy 2000. Create progress for democracy and free press by getting together in the forum of donors and deciding that now we want to negotiate with the government in the given country. We can create more pressure by agreeing on focussing on some main principles, which the government in question must live up to.

The Minister's statements comply with some of the recent years' criticism levelled against Danida's ”free press” policy: the wish for increased donor co-ordination and demands made to governments.

In connection with the rapidly growing support for work for human rights and development of democracy, free press will become a central element of the future policies developed in this area.

The political aid discussions indicate thereby a direction that might put Giersing's preliminary doubts to shame. The changes being that relief organisations will take a more active stand in terms of volume and continuity, to the enormous influence the media have in most societies all over the world.

Giersing's statements can be seen as a request to the Ministry to consider a broader approach to the media area, taking into account the changed media reality and the new technological possibilities, IT. A field in which Danida has already initiated a number of projects.

Even though, the new technology will primarily be to the benefit of the educated population of the developing countries, Jan Trøjborg does not think that this aspect should prevent the relief organisations from including it.

-You cannot bury your head in the sand. It is necessary to keep up with progress and to maintain a long-term perspective of the poverty orientation in order to ensure a dynamic development.

-Fortunately, we are in a process, which has the duration of a year, to discuss revision of Strategy 2000. The government will provide memorandums etc. However, we will have time for a thorough discussion open to everyone who wishes to be involved, the Minister of Development concludes. This opens a debate of the role of the media in the development aid.

The strategy Danida adopted in 1994 is based on five areas:

To promote respect for human rights. Most developing countries have joined the UN world declaration of human rights, from which it appears that freedom of speech and of information are internationally recognised as fundamental, individual human rights.

To promote a political forum of debate to the benefit of the processes of democratisation. For example, political parties and other interest groups should be free to present their viewpoints in the media.

To promote good conduct of government, where free press is an important tool for the citizen for the purpose of exercising a democratic function of criticism and control of government, parliament, and courts of law.

To promote the improvement of the civil society, which means that all citizens have reasonable information and educational levels. Only then can public participation in the decision-making processes be ensured. A matter that Danida characterises as the cornerstone of a solid, democratic development.

To be aware of the cultural importance of the media. By supporting a newspaper or a radio, which respectively prints and broadcasts programs in local languages, the media can contribute to strengthening and developing the particular identity or character of a country or a region.

Finn Rasmussen is a cultural sociologist specialising in media and development relations. Today, he is Communications Manager at Internationalt Rehabiliteringsråd for Torturofre, (the International Rehabilitation Counsel for Victims of Torture).

Thomas Tufte is a cultural sociologist, PhD, in media science with special focus on media relations in developing countries. He has been a Research Senior Lecturer at Institut for Film og Medievidenskab, (the Department of Film and Media Science) at Copenhagen University and is currently an Associate Professor in the Institute of Public Health.

Above document provided as background for The Drum Beat #57

DANIDA, the Danish International Development Agency, supports communication for development. There is currently a policy revision taking place. These articles and activities indicate pathways for future activities relatingto communication for development. Not all activities are supported by DANIDA.

Inge Estvad (journalist, est@image.dk), Finn Rasmussen (Communication Adviser, IBIS Ecuador, frasmussen@andinanet.net) and Thomas Tufte, Ph.D. (Professor, Roskilde University ttufte@ruc.dk) gathered the material that provides comprehensive insight into the policies and programmes selected.