Who wants to pay for the news?
08.12.08The show of support came during a panel discussion on global media players, regional media players, media in transition and future strategies.
The panel had been having a discussion on the future of the media when panel moderator Joyce Barnathan, president of the International Center for Journalists, asked for a show of hands on the question, How many of you would be willing to pay for the news? Almost every hand went up among the audience of about 120 people.
The morning sessions covered a wide swath of subjects in eight simultaneous workshops and four panel discussions in the morning. The topics included: media development trends, community radio in Latin America, loans and investments as a tool for media development, fundraising strategies in conflict situations, monitoring and evaluation, freelancers, media landscapes in conflict situations and media for minorities.
The panel discussions, in addition to the one mentioned, included news and content in mobile technology, citizen journalism, future of the Internet; corporate social responsibility in media development—new models for the public sphere and access and voice in new technology – all before lunch.
In the panel discussion on global players, panel members were asked from the audience what measures should be taken to protect journalists in conflict situations.
Abdul Rahman Alrasheed, managing director of Arabiya/MBC, said, “No story is worth the life of a journalist,” adding, “We try to give all the protection they need.”
Chris Cramer, New Media Development director, Thomson-Reuters, said, “We are living in very difficult times and journalists are dying” in increasing numbers.
Cramer added that some organizations “are passively encouraging journalists to go into” dangerous situations.”
He said, “It is very difficult (for a journalist) to put his hand up and say, ‘I’m a coward and I’m not going there.’”
Another question from the audience asked what safeguards are available to prevent harmful information from so-called citizen journalists. An example was a radio station that broadcast information phoned in by a citizen who had been trapped in a hotel in Mumbai during the recent terrorist attacks. The information revealed a location of hostages.
Tony Naets, special advisor broadcast news, European Broadcasting Union, said, “It doesn’t absolve the editor,” adding, “All safeguards need to be in place.”
Cramer, who has had experience being a hostage, said the “last thing you want to see is coverage involving you.”
Dr. Gerry Power and Anna Godfrey of the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service Trust Fund led the workshop on monitoring and evaluation.
“The ultimate beneficiaries of our work are the audiences, the citizenry, the public,”
Power said in introducing the topic. He added that the goal was to have “a more informed populace.”
“This is very complex stuff we’re trying to deal with,” Power said, adding that monitoring and evaluating “requires a lot of application” and is “in constant flux.”
Power said research is “embedded in all our projects” at the World Service Trust.
The World Service Trust Fund’s Research and Learning Group works in 39 countries. The team conducts its work in 12 languages and delivers its research in 22 languages with a target audience of hard-to-reach populations.
The research gathers audience views, gathers audience feedback on produced output to provide a check on format and content; gains audiences feedback on programs during broadcast period; ascertains reach and exposure to output, which includes determining association between audience exposure to output and changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior and determines input of programs among stakeholders and opinion leaders.
The status of freelance journalists was discussed at the workshop titled: Freelancers – why should we care? The session was moderated by Tina Carr, director of the Rory Peck Trust.
Rachel Mugarura-Mutana, editor-in-chief of Uganda Radio Network, said freelancers report on local issues, some of which “go unreported for years and years” by the major media. But she said the freelancers also face “lots of risks,” are not recognized by the state and experience much state interference in their work.
That sentiment was echoed by others in the room. Maung-Maung Myint of the Burma Media Association said freelancers in his country do not have a union and “sometimes go months without pay. … It is difficult for them to survive.” Myint added that journalists in Burma now are not professionally trained, but learn their skills from one another.
Asked what they would like to see for freelancers, attendees said: make sure freelancers are recognized, provide international exposure for inequalities suffered by freelancers, provide guarantees and securities such as insurance, a code of professional standards and a network for freelance journalist.
Many in attendance suggested freelancers should be protected and supported by an umbrella organization. But Tina Carr balked at the idea.
Carr agreed that “people (should be able to) come together to share their experiences,” but added that an umbrella structure could have the tendency to “start to impose things.”
David Rosso
USA Journalist