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In the Service of the Public: Functions and Transformation of Media in Developing Countries
Inspiring Practice

Jan Lublinski, Petra Berner, Merjam Wakili (eds.)

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2014), 300 pp.

"This study constitutes the attempt to draw some initial conclusions from the work conducted by DW Akademie and other media development organizations in the past. It aims at a better understanding of which public service functions former state broadcasters can provide at all and which approaches of ... media development actors have proved to be successful. Reforming of state mouthpieces into public service media can indeed be achieved. This is one of the most important findings of this study. DW Akademie researchers here present examples of media outlets that fulfill their public service remit of creating a public sphere and supporting integration to a substantial degree. Even among the success stories, not all the media outlets studied here have adopted a public service ethos to its full extent. Their work, however, improved considerably. In assisting reform, media development actors were thus able to enhance the public’s freedom of expression as well as its access to information – two basic human rights we see as important prerequisites for peace and democracy. On the other hand, this study shows how difficult and complex transformation is. State media are often highly politicized. Successful transformation, therefore, requires support of a lot of different actors: the political elite, civil society, the management of the broadcaster, its staff, and last but certainly not least, the public as a whole. It is vital that media development actors identify windows of opportunity and profit from them in order to propel change forward. At the same time, this study demonstrates that media development organizations have to think beyond their traditional fields of expertise: capacity development and newsroom consultancy. A much broader approach is needed if substantial and sustainable development is to be achieved. DW Akademie is currently implementing a new, more complex strategy for successful media development cooperation that takes this into account. Political and legal frameworks have become a strategic area of activity. Other equally important areas comprise qualifications, professionalism, and economic sustainability of the media sector, participation in society, and digital change. With regard to public broadcasting, political and legal frameworks are especially important in order to ensure editorial independence of former state broadcasters. Furthermore, media development actors have to engage more in organizational development. Therefore, at the end of this study, we dedicate a whole chapter to this question. This study of selected media outlets from twelve countries does not attempt to provide a final answer to the question of successful public service transformation. It aims at giving an overview of what has been achieved in practical work in this field in the course of the past years. More research is needed to understand which steps of reform are needed for a genuine transformation that is sustainable in the long term. The media are undergoing crucial developments. Digital change, convergence, and social media have increased pluralism of opinion substantially in many parts of the world. At the same time, the media face new challenges with respect to their economic sustainability. The notion of public service media that offer a model for providing journalistic quality without financial dependence deserves further thought." (Preface) more

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Media Sustainability Index 2012: Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Africa

Leon Morse (ed.)

Washington, DC: IREX (2013), xix, 455 pp.

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Access to Information in Africa: Examining Progress Since the APAI Declaration

Windhoek: African Platform on Access to Information (APAI);Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2013), 91 pp.

"Out of the twelve countries surveyed, only four have specific access to information laws. These countries are: Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe. However, a significant indication of the shifting tide on the continent is that six of the countries surveyed have some form of specific access to ... more

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The Global Information Technology Report 2013: Growth and Jobs in a Hyperconnected World

Beñat Bilbao-Osorio, Soumitra Dutta, Bruno Lanvin (eds.)

Geneva: World Economic Forum;INSEAD (2013), 413 pp.

"Through the methodological framework of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), the report measures the extent to which 144 economies, from both the developed and developing worlds, take advantage of ICTs and other new technologies to increase their growth and well-being. The NRI identifies the most r ... more

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Media Law Handbook for Southern Africa, Vol. 2

Justine Limpitlaw

Johannesburg: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2013), pp. 397-707

"A practical guide for journalists practising in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. The handbook not only contains a comprehensive overview of applicable media laws for each country reviewed, it also contains suggestions on possible law reforms to improve ... more

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Government Secrecy in an Information Age: 2013 Report on Open & Secretive Public Institutions in Southern Africa

Windhoek: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA);Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2013), 130 pp.

"This study carried out between May and June 2013, seeks to establish levels of transparency in public institution in Southern Africa. The study in currently in its fourth year, and findings highlight the difficulties faced by Southern African when trying to seek, access and receive information from ... more

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So This is Democracy? State of Media Freedom in Southern Africa 2011

Windhoek: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) (2012), 214 pp.

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The Global Information Technology Report 2012: Living in a Hyperconnected World

Soumitra Dutta, Beñat Bilbao-Osorio (eds.)

Geneva: World Economic Forum;INSEAD (2012), 413 pp.

"The Report is composed of four thematic parts. Part 1 describes the conceptual framework and relates the findings of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2012. In addition, Part 1 features selected expert contributions on the general theme of hyperconnectivity. Part 2 includes two case studies showi ... more

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Promoting National Unity: The Role of Radio Broadcasting in the Process of Decolonisation in Namibia and Zambia

Robert Heinze

Universität Konstanz, Doctoral Thesis (2012), iv, 313 pp.

"This thesis operates from the observation that "Decolonising the Mind", i.e. a cultural decolonisation process, was needed after the independence of African countries to support and flesh out political decolonisation. Culture, as shown, played a major role in the mobilisation of support for nationa ... list movements, but after independence nationalist culture was just one among many. In both cases presented here, the most pressing issue after political independence was how to deal with the different identities that had previously existed and were onyl partially cushioned by political and cultural nationalism. Now that the political kingdom had been attained, the different language, cultural and political groups started to ask questions about their place in this kingdom. Although many politicians shared the idea that "once you have a national identity, the question of culture becomes something which flows automatically", it soon turned out to be misguided. Media and education were seen to be the major tools in "decolonising the mind". However, a close analysis of the electronic media in the two cases presented here shows that the policies for promoting national unity in programmes were largely ineffective. Instead, radio programmes, both before and after independence, provided a space to negotiate issues of national identity. This space was sometimes more, sometimes less restricted, but listeners used it as much as they could. Colonial media had, for all their focus on political control and censorship, accompanied and mediated social change. As described, this happened specifically in cultural programmes, where broadcasters were much freer in their work. However, Northern Rhodesian media were supposed to work as a catalyst to further the process of modernisation, and to help its listeners come to terms with the transition from being 'traditional' to becoming 'modern' Africans. In the Apartheid broadcasting system, culture was used consciously to construct a specific 'ethnic' identity, emphasising cultural traditions of the different language groups. But while the intentions were different, both broadcasting institutions were at the centre of negotiating ideas of tradition and modernity. Both were also established because there was a need to legitimate the respective political system. Be it the Central African Federation or a 'democratic' "South West Africa/ Namibia", the political models promoted by the authorities could not just be imposed on the people. The radios were established to give reality to these constructs, to make listeners identify with a social, political and cultural space that had been defined by colonial authorities. As shown, colonial ideologies not only surfaced in obvious propaganda programmes but also significantly determined the technical and managerial setup of the stations. While radio infrastructure was formed and reformed to structure that space – by linking three territories with different political and social power structures or, following Apartheid ideology, by assigning each language group their own space according to the homeland system – culturally as well as geographically. As shown, infrastructure mirrored the proposed political models, not just in its technical aspects (i.e., the stations' footprints, transmitting posts and frequencies), but also in management structure. As the Federal Broadcasting Services were subdivided in European and African Services, respectively catering for the whole White or Black population of all three territories, the South West African Broadcasting Corporation separated first Black and White, then subdivided the three Departments in the several language Services, each broadcasting to the designated "homeland". This infrastructure not only formed the whole process of programme production and reception but was also part of it as it imparted ideological considerations. The first order of business for independent countries was therfore to restructure the radio according to the needs of the new nations." (Conclusion, page 274-275) more

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Participation Pays: The Sustainability of Community Broadcasting in Perspective

David Lush, Gabriel Urgoiti

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES);fesmedia Africa (2012), 36 pp.

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Atlas de l'Afrique

Danielle Ben Yahmed (ed.)

Paris: Éditions du Jaguar, 4. éd. (2011), 255 pp.

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Medien-Macht und Religionen: Herausforderung für eine interkulturelle Bildung

Manfred L. Pirner, Johannes Lähnemann, Werner Haußmann (eds.)

Berlin: EB-Verlag (2011), 362 pp.

"Medien und Religionen: ein brisantes Thema, das bisher nur unzureichend bearbeitet ist. Dabei ist spätestens seit dem 11. September 2001, seit den heftigen Auseinandersetzungen um die Mohammed-Karikaturen und dem Streit um das provokante Buch von Thilo Sarrazin deutlich, wie sehr Bilder und Videos ... more

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So This is Democracy? State of Media Freedom in Southern Africa 2010

Windhoek: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) (2011), 218 pp.

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The Sustainability of Community Broadcasting in Namibia: An Assessment and Plan of Action

David Lush, Gabriel Urgoiti

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2011), 83 pp.

"The study found that, in their struggle to generate the income for day-to-day running costs, stations become detached from their communities, and end up competing - usually unsuccessfully - with better-resourced commercial broadcasters.The solution, the study suggests, is to invest in strengthening ... more

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Media Sustainability Index 2010: Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Africa

Leon Morse (ed.)

Washington, DC: IREX (2011), xix, 411 pp.

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Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media

Carolyn M. Byerly

Washington, DC: International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) (2011), 393 pp.

"There is abundant evidence of underrepresentation of women as subjects of coverage, but until now there were no reliable, comprehensive data on which to make a clear determination about where women currently fit into the news-making operation or in the decision-making or ownership structure of thei ... more

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African Media Barometer: Namibia 2011

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2011), 68 pp.

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WorldCat (7)

Media System and News Selection in Namibia

Andreas Rothe

Berlin; Münster: Lit (2010), 219 pp.

"This publication was created to serve two purposes: Firstly, it aims to provide a thorough review of the status quo of the Namibian media system. Secondly, it is the first study to apply the theory of the European-focused news value research tradition to Namibian media. Aside from literature and on ... more

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Namibia

Sarah Taylor

Jeanette Minnie; Hendrik Bussiek (eds.)

Johannesburg: Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA);Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP) (2010), viii, 141 pp.

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L'Église Catholique en Afrique;The Catholic Church in Africa;A Igreja Católica em África

Paris: Oeuvres Pontificales Missionaires (OPM);Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), 24th ed. (2010), 775 pp.

In the Service of the Public: Functions and Transformation of Media in Developing Countries Inspiring Practice

In the Service of the Public: Functions and Transformation of Media in Developing Countries
Inspiring Practice