Document details

The Politics of Media Development: The Importance of Engaging Government and Civil Society

Washington, DC: Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) (2015), 16 pp.

Signature commbox: 10-Cooperation-E 2015

"In the field of media development, the public sector is often viewed as a monolithic barrier to the development of independent and sustainable media. Although governments do frequently pervert and capture media sectors in countries around the globe, the enabling conditions under which media can achieve and maintain independence are nevertheless reliant on institutions of government. Therefore the media development community must rethink its approaches to public sector engagement in more holistic efforts to improve the environment for media systems in emerging and fragile democracies." (Introduction)
Time to Rethink Media Development, 2
The Political Nature of Media Systems, 3
The Political Enabling Environment, 5
Understanding Political Context for Media Development, 7
Building Political Support for Independent Media: A New Approach, a Long-Term View, 9
Building Political Support for Independent Media: Where to Start? 10
Conclusion, 15