Commission support for democratisation through the media

by Mark Leysen

Amongst the many cooperation activities in which it is involved, the Lomé Convention covers cultural cooperation, which includes information and communication, yet European Development Fund support for the media in ACP countries is negligible. Although considerable and increasing amounts of aid are granted for the cinema in such countries, EU support for TV, radio and the printed media is small.

On the other hand, for some years now, the Commission has provided considerable aid to the printed media and radio in ACP countries under its 'Support for democratisation and respect for human rights' budget, which heralds a new approach to media questions. The EDF does not participate in the vast majority of big communications projects in Africa, namely PANA (Panafrican News Agency), URTNA (African National Television and Radio Union, the African equivalent of the European Broadcasting Union), the Programme Exchange Centre, Afrovision, Cierro, etc. The reluctance of EU and ACP partners to embark on such media projects can be explained both by EDF procedures and by the worldwide political context including the situation in most African countries.

Until recently, the media was a matter for the State in Africa. The 'New World Information and Communications Order', announced in the 1 970s, foresaw the participation of not only African citizens, but also of their governments in the world information highway. However, the democratic credentials of such governments were open to question - they controlled the printed media, radio, television and press agencies and any support for such media amounted to a strengthening of the State monopoly and this is why the EDF did not take part.

Moreover, aid to the independent media was impossible because such entities did not exist in most African countries and the authorities were not prepared to back a request for aid to the press which they regarded as contrary to their country's interests. If support for the media did exist, it was indirect and restricted to backing of means of communication servicing development projects: literacy campaigns, the fight against AIDS, increasing awareness of ecological problems, etc.

It was not until the advent of the democratisation movement and the support that Europe decided to grant to it that a media-aid strategy was to take root. As a kind of 'Fourth Estate', the media monitor executive power and report any abuse of it. In parallel, they play a key role in strengthening civil society by providing information (if not objective information, then at least information from many sources) on current political, social, economic and cultural issues and by providing a medium which offers an opportunity to speak out on matters of importance to society.

The European Commission focuses its media support in five areas in agreement with representatives of African press and specialist European . organisations in this area.

Freedom of expression It provides direct aid to national, regional and international organizations to defend freedom of expression, specifically financing monitoring, surveys and the reporting of any violation of press freedom (censorship, intimidation, arrests and arbitrary trials, etc.), and direct assistance to the media and any journalists who are victims of such attacks on press freedom. This direct aid is channelled to, inter alia, the activities of Reporters sans frontieres (see 'Interview with Mr Robert Menard', in this issue), 'Article XIX' and Index on Censorship, all organisations which operate like an Amnesty International for the press.

Training

The new independent press is often run by journalists who have had no journalistic training and the former State media often require being updated after many years of professional 'distortion' responding to 'his master's voice'. The Commission hence finances programmes offering training in basic journalistic techniques, election coverage; professional codes of ethics, etc. In this area, it is working with a number of European and African organizations, giving priority to long-term actions which are likely to spawn others and to programmes aimed at achieving a higher level of professionalism.

Aid for vocational organizations

Vocational organizations for journalists have a role to play in improving the profession's social standing, in strengthening its cohesion in the face of political division, in defending its interests and in coming to the aid of journalists who have been victims of repression. The Commission finances a vast 'Media for Democracy' programme conducted by the International Federation of Journalists and its affiliated regional and national organisations (see interview with Aidan White, in this issue). The programme aims to strengthen or create national and regional associations of journalists, but is also involved in more general actions to increase the professional standing of the media.

Access to sources of information

A credible and responsible press requires sources of information which the new and financially precarious press cannot allow itself. The Commission supports the creation or updating of documentation centres, North/South and South/South exchanges between publications and radio stations, access to international press agencies or photographic libraries, etc., being shared between several media bodies.

Legislative framework and code of ethics

It is not enough merely to guarantee freedom of expression in the constitution. This principle must be embodied in all legislative and regulatory texts to prevent a journalist being prosecuted arbitrarily for 'defamation' or 'a breach of State security'. Moreover, to appear credible, the profession must observe a code of ethics. The Commission backs the drafting of press codes, codes of ethics and regulations to govern the air waves. It also backs the creation of press and air wave regulatory bodies as well as the provision of training in journalistic ethics.

It is obvious that the 'Democracy and Human Rights' budget cannot alone meet the needs of Africa's multi-faceted media scene. Moreover, although the media are a key element in any democratisation process, they are also much more than that - as a means of information and recreation, they have a role to play in the human development of society; as an instrument to create greater awareness, they can contribute to the strengthening of a civil society which is gradually taking charge; and as an economic sector in the full throes of development, they can make a contribution to the GDP and create jobs. All the more reason for national sponsors and the EDF to take more of an interest.

National television, victim of democracy

More than the other media, television in Africa is controlled by the State and serves, first and fore most, to disse minat e news about the leade r and his govern ment. The state of equip ment depen ds on when it was suppl ied by a friend ly count ry from the North, and as it was almos t certai nly offere d to the count ry's leade rs 'as a perso nal gift', it usual ly consi sts of oversi zed equip ment which the nation al televis ion statio n canno t maint ain correc tly owing to a lack of resou rces. Whils t Europ e is movin g over to digita l Betac am and 1619 forma t, many Africa n TV statio ns are still opera ting with Umat ic and with mach ines that are impos sible to maint ain.

With such deriso ry mean s, nation al TV statio ns have to conte nd with unfair comp etition from the intern ationa l statio ns which, from their satell ites, are inund ating the contin ent with their broad casts . The worldbroad castin g chann els of Europ ean statio ns are receiv ed clearl y (CFI, TV5 Afriqu e, BBC World Telev ision, Deut sche Welle, etc.). The numb er of religio us statio ns (gene rally Islam ic) contin ues to increa se and comm ercial televi sion is develo ping apace - CN N, MTV, Cana l Horizo ns, M-Ne t and others can be picke d up just about every where and can thus cream off the best of a comm ercial mark et which is still virtual ly non-e xisten t and awaiti ng better days .

The URTN A is unabl e to defen d the intere sts of its memb ers, prope rly and its initiat ives (which are, nevert heles s, lauda ble) are stagn ating: the -progr amme rexch ange centre in Nairob i does not excha nge very much at all and Afrovi sion, . the syste m for excha nging news betw een nation al TV statio ns via satell ite, is strugg ling to Get off the aroun d.

Never theles s, Africa n TV statio ns do not lack talent or motiva tion and many of them are capab le of produ dng more qualit y progra mmes . What can be done to help them ? Firstly, a decis ion has to be made regar ding who is to be helpe d. Certa inly not intern ationa l TV statio ns' be they private or public, which have their own strate gy (comm ercial or politic al and produ ce televis ion progra mmes for impor t which make only a very margi nal contri bution to the expre ssion of Africa n talent . It would also be wrong to rely or, privati sation and comm ercial statio ns in order to obtain quali ty televis ion - t his much has been demo nstrat ed by the Europ ean exper ience . As for direct aid to nation al televis ion, this would mere ly reinfo rce the State mono poly over inform ation. Wha t is requir ed is greate r suppo rt for the transi tion of State televi sion into a genui ne public servic e. with the benef it of an indep enden t statut e and also true editor ial indep enden ce. Conse quent ly, as things curre ntly stand, aid for trainin g teievis ion' profes siona ls, suppo rt for qualit y progra mme produ ction and any aid aimed at draftin g a public -servic e televis ion Statu te, are usefu l forms of suppo rt which are neutra l with regard to State -medi a contro l. Any direct aid to nation al

televis ion statio ns in the form of hardw are and equip ment shoul d be

subje ct to their conve rsion into an auton omou s public servic e.

M.L.