Ms Hilde F. Johnson, Minister of International Development
PRIO’s International Conference on Media Support
Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica, Oslo
3 November 2003

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Norwegian support to the media, democracy and poverty reduction

A few year ago, the World Bank published "Consultations with the Poor" – a study of 60 000 people in 60 countries. You might expect that the first thing these people would mention was their lack of money – but no. The first thing they mentioned was their lack of a voice – their inability as poor people to be represented, to be able to convey their thoughts and concerns to the people in authority. They wanted to express themselves, they wanted to train the spotlight on the inequalities that surrounded them, they wanted to elect their own representatives and gain access to the decision-making process.

A free press is vital if we are to reach this goal.

A free press can be a voice for the poor, an ally in the fight against inequality and injustice.

A free press is a powerful force – a unique weapon in the fight against poverty.

This is why we must support a free press in the developing world – not only in its fight to exist, but also in its struggle to excel.

Norway’s support to the media

Assistance to the media has been part of Norway’s development programmes since the 1980s. Support to the press took on particular significance after the end of the cold war and the dissolution of the former Soviet Union. Since then, Norwegian media aid has developed from relatively modest projects to multi-faceted programmes focusing on education, technical assistance and networking. The bulk of our media support has gone to Norway’s seven main partner countries.

During my first term as Minister of International Development in 1997-2000, I saw a definite need to strengthen our efforts in connection with media support in the developing world. At that time, we initiated dialogues with potential partners in order to gain greater insight into how this could best be done. One of the things I felt was missing was solid research on the effects of our media support, and we initiated two important studies on the topic.

These evaluations of Norway’s media support over the past two decades have uncovered a need for stronger co-ordination and a more coherent strategy. Research has clearly indicated that we could achieve more by strengthening the planning and preparation process. I believe it is important to act on these recommendations, and this is one reason why we are all here today. We must not only increase our level of support, but also improve our strategies and thereby increase the impact of our media programmes.

The press is crucial for creating democratic societies and strengthening human rights. Free and independent media can play a unique role in promoting good governance in developing countries. However, establishing and nurturing a fledgling independent press in the developing world requires assistance from the international community.

We need to support free media and strengthen their ability to be the watchdog of society they are meant to be.

This is why the Norwegian government wishes to increase and intensify its support to the media as a fundamental element of our international development efforts.

Quality problems

After the breakdown of one-party states and military dictatorships during the last decade, there was a general liberalisation of the media in many countries. As multiparty systems emerged, new and independent media outlets were born. There has been a definite increase in quantity – but not always in quality.

Many of the new media outlets – mostly newspapers and private radio stations – are struggling financially. And the quality of the editorial product often varies, for two main reasons: 1) the journalists have little formal education in journalism, and 2) the financial situation cannot sustain long-term, investigative journalism. These newspapers and radio stations operate on a shoestring budget, and have to struggle from day to day just to survive.

Without proper training and a minimum of resources, journalists can easily descend into shoddy reporting and sensationalism. An obvious example is the frequent stories about corruption, which may attract a lot of attention and boost sales in the short run – but which lack the solid research needed to really get to the bottom of the story. This is not to say that lackadaisical research is unique to the developing world – we certainly see it in some Norwegian media as well. But if a story is not thoroughly researched and correctly presented, its impact will be minimal – or negative. The end result will be loss of credibility for the journalist and the media concerned in the short run – and total irrelevancy in the long run.

Other problems

But all is not solved by providing better training for journalists and setting higher standards. Other factors may have an equally devastating effect on the sustainability of a free and independent press.

1. Legal framework

Over the past 10 years we have seen a welcome liberalisation of laws regulating the press in many developing countries. The legal and regulatory framework for the press has been strengthened to promote freedom of expression. But the effects of new and more liberal laws in one area have been neutralised by new legislation in another: security and anti-terrorism. Terrorism concerns have triggered a tightening of security laws in many countries, and these laws often limit and influence the working conditions of the media. This often unintentional, but highly unacceptable, side effect must be addressed.

2. Self-censorship

Self-censorship among journalists is another frequent phenomenon. Journalists often have difficult decisions to make. Do you print a critical story and risk losing your job? What about printing a story that will antagonise your advertisers, your main source of income? In many countries in the developing world, journalists must make decisions without the backing of a trade union or a media council – the right to organise such support is just not there. Maintaining your integrity is never easy, but when it is linked to your own or your organisation’s survival, it becomes almost impossible.

3. Corruption

Although the press is supposed to be a key weapon in the fight against corruption, journalists are also attractive targets of corruption themselves. The temptations are great, especially if you work long hours for minimal wages.

A Norwegian foreign ministry official recently overheard a telephone call to a journalist in one of Norway’s main partner countries. The journalist was working on a story that could be troublesome to the person he was talking with. The conversation revealed that if the journalist "forgot" about the story in question, he would be rewarded by being given access to important sources for another story.

A recent review by the American Institute for Public Relations documented that the press in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and China have serious corruption problems. We were, however, relieved to learn that Norwegian journalists are among the least corrupt in the world – although there are seven countries that have an even cleaner press record than ours.

Corruption impedes development wherever it appears, but rarely are the consequences graver than when corruption engulfs the part of society that has the power to expose it – the press.

Why - examples

So what must be done to improve the situation for journalists in the developing world and the people they speak for? Let us look at some concrete examples.

In Tanzania, 60 to 80 per cent of journalists hired had no formal training until recently (NORAD Assessment 2002, SIDA 1996). They were literally selected from off the streets. This created a quality, and credibility, problem for the Tanzanian media. Here is an example:

A few years ago, President Mkapa opened a new goldmine. As part of the ceremony, he held up a 20-kilo gold bar for all to see, presumably as a symbol of the riches expected from the mine. However, parts of the press wrote that the president kept the gold bar and used this as an example of how the country’s politicians took advantage of their position. In hindsight, it seems clear that they were wrong – the president had merely used the gold as a prop, and had not put it in his own pocket, as he was accused of doing.

A few unfounded accusations like that, and the credibility of the press goes out the window. A press without high journalistic standards and the resources to observe them will never become the watchdog it is supposed to be. A press without credibility can never operate as a watchdog in relation to the people in power.

In Tanzania, the mediocrity of the media triggered a reaction and gave rise to a new way of thinking. Media owners, journalists’ organisations and several donors, among them Norway, agreed that mid-career training was essential to improve the quality of Tanzanian journalism. Norway has financed and will continue to finance such training, and the results have been very encouraging.

Concrete projects

Let me tell you about a few other projects Norway is going to fund – projects we believe will contribute to long-term changes in the developing world.

In Ethiopia, Norway is supporting a programme for educating journalists. The programme is being run jointly with a Norwegian partner, Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication. The purpose of the programme is to establish a School of Journalism and a Centre for Journalism and Communication (capacity building in information and communication technology) at Addis Ababa University. The programme is expected to start before the end of the year or early next year.

In Zambia, Norway is supporting the Media Trust Fund , which is a successful co-operation between state-owned media and independent media. When it was first established, in 1998, the Media Trust Fund focused mainly on technical assistance. However, now the Fund has broadened its approach and is developing new ways to improve the quality of journalism in Zambia. We will continue to support the Media Trust Fund, and believe it can be an important force in Zambia’s media world.

Good governance

To be successful in the fight against poverty, we have to focus our efforts on building democracy and ensuring good governance. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has designated good governance as the most important single factor in eradicating poverty. If we want to reach the Millennium Development Goals, which are reflected in the Norwegian Government’s Action Plan for Combating Poverty in the South, it is essential to strengthen good governance in every possible way.

Good governance means improving public policies and public administration, and strengthening checks and balances. In our development policies, we have chosen to concentrate on state control bodies such as the office of the auditor general, political institutions such as the national assembly, and non-state actors such as political parties and civil society organisations. In addition we focus on the independent media, because no other part of society has greater potential for influencing governance. The knowledge that the press keeps a close eye on the workings of the government is the best check on the misuse of power – both in the developing and in the developed world. In the words of Thomas Jefferson:

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."

Transparency – human rights

A free and independent media is essential for transparency in government as well as in business, and plays a critical role in holding the people in power accountable. The press is also crucial for documenting human rights abuses and preventing the systematic or random abuse of power.

For example, the role played by the media in Zambia recently as regards the issue of sexual violence against young girls illustrates what the media can – and should – do. The women’s movement has been working in tandem with the media to bring sexual violence out of the private sphere and into the arena of public debate. This has had results. In June this year, a child rapist was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, and last month a man who had abused and killed his little sister was imprisoned. These cases were followed very closely by the media, and gave people the courage to speak up. In October a traditional leader was arrested. He will now be investigated and may be punished. Such things were unheard of in Zambia until recently, and they were set in motion by exposure in the press.

It is also interesting to note that at first the issue of sexual violence against young girls was only reported in the independent media. Now, however, it is covered extensively by all parts of the Zambian press, and the government has been forced to tackle cases that would probably have been swept under the carpet not long ago.

Let me give you another example – this time from the developed world, from my own country. The newspaper Dagens Næringsliv recently uncovered questionable conduct in Statoil’s business dealings with Iran. The newspaper reports indicated the possibility of bribery and triggered a police investigation resulting, so far, in the resignation of the chairman of the board and top executives. The corruption allegations have also sparked a heated debate within Norway on the topic of business ethics.

A watchdog press is crucial – both in Norway and in the developing world.

Transparency - corruption

The media play a crucial role in holding politicians and decision-makers accountable to the people. Transparent decision-making processes enable civil society to influence decisions and ensure broader participation and a more democratic society.

The World Development Report 2002 shows that higher levels of perceived media freedom or independence are associated with lower levels of perceived corruption.

An interesting example from Peru shows that even in a country with regulation and informal control of the press, the media can expose corruption and increase the pressure for better governance. In September 2000 a local television station broadcast a video showing the national security chief bribing an opposition member of Congress to vote for the incumbent government. The story spread quickly to other publications, and was compounded by reports that the security chief was smuggling arms to Colombian guerrillas. The revelations led to his dismissal and later to the president’s resignation.

What kind of assistance?

Any assistance to the media should be preceded by key questions like:

• Will the assistance improve media freedom and effectiveness?
• Will it help improve the quality of governance?

Media assistance covers many different fields. It includes support for training and educating journalists and editors. It includes training in business management, marketing and efforts to ensure financial independence. It includes training in professional media ethics, accountability and professionalism. Advice on building democratic and legal frameworks for the press, assistance in developing trade associations and legal defence systems, security training to improve reporting from conflict areas – all of these are ways of supporting the media.

Norway’s support -– launching a new mechanism

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD) have allocated about NOK 51 million to media support this year. Now we are launching a new initiative, a new mechanism to support free media in general and their watchdog function in particular. The new mechanism will guide existing projects as well as new ones. Strengthening the watchdog function will be the overarching goal of our media support. We will re-focus our existing media support and add to it as well.

The new support mechanism will start operating on 1 January next year.

For the 2004 budget, an additional NOK 5 million has been earmarked for support to free and independent media in Norway’s seven main partner countries: Nepal, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique.

This first step may be small financially, but is of great significance as regards institutional impact. It is the first step towards a full readjustment of our media support, and will be followed by increased programme support in the years to come.

The new mechanism for supporting free media will be co-ordinated by a special unit in NORAD. NORAD’s partners in the academic and media world should ensure the integrity of the programme.

We will give priority to strengthening the critical role of the media and of journalists and their professional ethics by establishing scholarships, supporting measures to improve journalists’ security and providing training in investigative journalism. Our studies show that this particular focus is missing from most media development projects. Too often, outside support goes to the promotion of issues of particular importance to the donor, not to the development of press capacity as such. Donors use the media as a tool to address and educate the public, but we may have an even more important role to play in developing the tool itself.

The new support mechanism will support critical and responsible journalism and give a voice to people who have few opportunities to fight for their rights. Support will be available to individuals and organisations that can be agents for change in their societies. In this way we hope to support forces that can bring about democratic reforms and promote good governance in developing countries.

Our overarching goal is to combat world poverty. Supporting the media is part of this effort. I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to attend this conference and commend you on your commitment to promoting a free press in every corner of the world.

The role of journalism cannot be overestimated. Journalism is, in the words of Philip Graham, former publisher of the Washington Post, "the first rough draft of history".

We cannot allow this rough draft of history to be written without hearing the voice of the millions living in poverty. This is why we are here. This is why we must get to work. We have no time to lose.

Thank you.