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How the Media Can Aid Development

23 February 2006

Dr Mark Collins
"Investment in the capacity of the free press, broadcasters and other media should be a high priority because they are best placed to communicate economic, social and environmental information and develop an educated public."
Media in the developing world that address the development needs of people should in turn benefit from the increase in aid money in a strategic and integrated way, said Commonwealth Foundation Director Dr Mark Collins. He told broadcast journalists at the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Conference held in New Delhi, India, on 17 February 2006 that greater investment is particularly needed to develop the public media in Africa.

"Investment in the capacity of the free press, broadcasters and other media should be a high priority because they are best placed to communicate economic, social and environmental information and develop an educated public," stated Dr Collins. "In this way, an informed consensus can be built around the difficult choices that are inevitable on the road to economic stability. A stronger media is also needed in order to deliver freedom of expression and freedom of information about the way citizens are being governed."

Dr Collins said civil society wants media to go beyond reporting on political dogma and entertainment, and to educate and inform the whole nation. He also emphasised that the media should be free from government interference and commercial pressure. He stressed the media should help create a knowledgeable, entrepreneurial and confident society able to address and achieve development goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"The media has a critical role to play in Africa's development, both in education and providing key information for the processes of democracy and development. The MDGs provide an excellent framework for action, but progress is slow. There is an important job to be done by the media in raising awareness about the goals and action for their achievement."

Dr Collins stated that the necessary policy frameworks and international agreements on media regulation and the responsibilities of governments and media alike were in place and it was time to build media capacity in a strategic way.

"G8 governments and their development agencies are beginning to see that media is more than an 'add-on' to development programmes. They should co-operate to create and finance the African Media Development Facility that has been proposed and is much needed. The opportunity is there to provide the resources, training and infrastructure that will take Africa's media into the front-line of development across the continent, and provide a model for other needy parts of the Commonwealth."

The full text of the speech is available at http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/.

 


CNIS - Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 273, 22 February 2006

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