STREAM

2. Strengthening Africa’s Media STREAM 1: African Framework for the Development of a Sustainable and Pluralistic Media STREAM 2: Report of the Findings of the Strengthening African Media Consultative Process STREAM

3. Context – Changes in the media and communications landscape: • Globalisation of democratisation in 3rd world • Liberalisation • Privatisation and commercialisation of state media • Communitarian agenda • Re-regulation of media

4. Contemporary efforts at Media Development in Africa • Windhoek Declaration: May 3rd, 1991 • CfA – Commission for Africa (media as an avenue for potential growth and development of Africa) • GFMD – Global Forum for Media Development (donor structures) • AMDI – African Media Development Initiative (Research 2000 – 2005)

5. STREAM 1 African Framework for the Development of a Sustainable and Pluralistic Media Document formed by media lecturers, students, international foundations, World Bank, UN agencies, African Development Bank and even the Peace and Security Department of the AU. 40 African countries represented Online dialogue and consultations

6. Main aims of the STREAM process • Agree on a shared understanding of state of media in Africa • Agree on concrete recommendations that will see more coherent and inclusive set of media development interventions in Africa

7. Major challenges facing African media • Media freedom • Constitutions include freedom of expression • But media regulation policies from colonial times still exist • Governments have attacked media property – Zimbabwe* • North African countries continue stiff control over information and media distribution (e.g. web content control) • In repressive regimes media is compromised. Bad relationship with government. • Policy • Issues surrounding defamation and legal protection of investigative journalists • No laws covering new technological environment

8. Major challenges facing African media... • Capacity and standards • Can’t promote good governance if media practitioners do not adhere to professional codes of conduct • Low ethical standards • Lack of computers and internet to access information and deliver high-quality stories at low cost • Sustainability • Small media in many regions are dependent on donor support – unsustainable • Lack of access to capital, poor financial practice • Lack of quality and diversity of content • No high quality local content • Advertisers pressure content choices • Imbalance of programming (entertainment, religious, civic education, public issues) East Africa*

9. Proposed actions to help develop a sustainable and pluralistic media • Freedom of expression and information • Promote adoption of: • ‘Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa’ • International freedom of information principles and standards • National laws related to access to information, whistle blowing, protection of sources etc. • Support efforts to repeal criminal defamation and ‘insult laws’ • Ensure protection of journalists • Educate lawyers and judiciary on international standards related to freedom of expression and information

10. Proposed actions to help develop a sustainable and pluralistic media… • Policy and regulation • Identify poor national laws and promote laws that enable rather than stifle the growth of strong, pluralistic and sustainable media. • Promote laws that diminish negative impacts of media concentration and promote fair competition and ensure diversity • Promote good corporate governance among African media enterprises • Advocate licensing of community broadcasters in Africa • Promote transforming state broadcasters into public-service media operating independently from state influence

11. Proposed actions to help develop a sustainable and pluralistic media… • Capacity-building • Audit existing media training institutions in Africa – identify problems, develop proposals • Develop minimum standards for media training – continent wide competency tests to increase academic recognition • Promote in house training policies – continuous skills development • Strengthen links between media and media training industry • Promote media exchange programmes and media networks • Establish regional centres of excellence to overcome national media capacity-building shortfalls • Pool training expertise, resources and mentoring – widen media access to cutting-edge training

12. Proposed actions to help develop a sustainable and pluralistic media… • Sustainability • Audit all funds available to African media, ensure that proposals for funding will ensure sustainable media • Advocate for public funding to create community, local and small media • Research community media sector (help with strategy to ensure effective and sustainable sector) • Study the economic conditions (taxes on imports) and then advocate for lowering/ waivering taxes • Advocate removal of unfair competition from state media • Advocate for recognition of media as a development sector in its own right and attract investor funds

13. Proposed actions to help develop a sustainable and pluralistic media… • Professionalism and Ethics • Develop way to monitor adherence to professional media ethics • Publicise norms and standards widely – help ensure they are respected • Encourage professional networks, forums to strengthen media practices in Africa • African Media Award to reward outstanding media practice, entrepreneurship, innovation and public-interest journalism • Promote fair and equitable working conditions for women in African media

14. Proposed actions to help develop a sustainable and pluralistic media… • Content • Ensure respect of cultural and linguistic diversity and promote this • Facilitate with audience surveys for relevant content • Increase awareness of media responsibility to address development challenges (health, governance, conflict resolution, peace building and globalisation) • Ensure production and dissemination of content reflects diversity of interests, opinions and voices of all social actors (incl. marginalised) • Promote use of ICTs to digitize and share content across continent

15. STREAM 2 (very similar to STREAM 1) Meeting of African Journalists in regions to ascertain the priorities for strengthening media institutions in Africa. • African consensus • Local understanding of context • Evolving agenda of media development http://www.uneca.org/africanmedia (UNECA and CfA)

16. Regions • Southern Africa • Francophone West and Central Africa • Anglophone West Africa • Eastern Africa • Northern Africa

17. Synthesis of findings • Each region submitted: • analysis of media practice, ownership, training and support • proposals coverings policy and legislation, infrastructure, content production, sustainability, plurality and diversity.

18. Key issue: Media Development Not clear what development entails Q: Development of …..? A: 1) Independent media 2) State, public and private media 3) Communications

19. ‘Media Development’ according to the Windhoek Declaration • Identify economic barriers to establishment of news media (in order to remove these things) • Train journalists and managers • Remove legal barriers to formation of journalists’ trade unions & associations • Develop a register of available funds for media and how to access it

20. Another issue – Regulation Some countries’ media freedom has increased (SA, Namibia, Zambia & Malawi) Other countries are concerned about media regulations (especially in North Africa – Tunisia, Egypt, Uganda)

21. Enhance media regulation • Supportive political environment (tolerance & media policy reform) • Supportive legal environment (freedom of information) • Enabling economic environment (media fund and supportive economic policies) • Enhanced associational infrastructure (unions and support for media professionals)

22. Media Production - Education is the key • Increase skills base of journalists and encourage critical thinking • Advocacy at higher educational institutions for a basic level of assessment for journalism qualification • Strengthen existing networks to support and increase exchange among media students and educators

23. Education… • Lobby African governments to increase budget for education (particularly media education) • Use databank of journalism educational institutions to research journalism education in Africa

24. Fund? • Through the discussions it was realised there was a need for a continent-wide media and communication support fund (African-led initiative) • While Southern Africa is ahead in terms of support mechanisms the rest of the continent is still lacking

25. Priority Areas for Intervention • Financing research into setting up a media and communication fund for Africa which will • Provide financial support to media • Help with international lobbying and advocacy to support media in Africa • Mobilise resources for training and education

26. Priority Areas for Intervention… • Supporting media training and education • Strengthening media support institutions • Instrumental in advocacy for policy regulation • Watchdog over the media to ensure media serve public interest • Supporting journalists’ unions and associations • Develop professional identity

27. Final word to ECA and donors ‘Africans know their problems. They know what is possible. This is shared across all the sub-regions, from north Africa right through to southern Africa. They are aware that most of their problems are structural. They are also aware that they can be agents of change. With a little push of assistance, the possibilities for change are numerous, and the findings testify to that.’ ~ F. Banda