Ten Years of Media Support to the Balkans: An Assessment

"For the first time in history, media support became a significant and even central strategy for the international community to address a range of political and social issues."

This 48-page report explores the effects of a 10-year period (1995-2005) of intense engagement in media support provided within Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Commissioned by the Media Task Force of the Stability Pact for South East Europe (with financing by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IfA), and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the report was organised by Press Now (located in the Netherlands). It was developed from interview data, with reference to existing evaluations and other literature. The research process was designed to gauge the impact of past support and to provide recommendations (lessons learned) for future support to media.

In short, "...[m]ost of the texts reviewed concluded that the impact of assistance to the media in the region has been substantial, as demonstrated by increased respect for human rights, the existence of independent media, the free flow of information, improved professional standards, and many other indexes."

The evaluations reviewed pointed to several main lessons or recommendations for successful approaches to media assistance:

• Donor coordination
• Good local partners
• Flexibility in project planning and design, which presupposes that priorities and methods are not uniform
• Protection of the credibility of indigenous independent media by respecting editorial independence and ensuring that funding not be awarded on the basis of ideology
• Creating a culture of professional journalism...developing capacity, not dependency
• Long-term donor commitment
• Good long-term media strategy.

According to the author, the main goals and objectives of media support in this region fall in 2 broad and interrelated categories:

1. Support aimed to strengthen independent media to overcome state domination and allow citizens to develop and support alternatives to authoritarian regimes, including the following strategies: to protect the freedom of expression and media freedoms; to reinforce peace agreements and overcome ethnic divisions; to protect and empower minorities; and to promote democracy and European integration.
2. Support for media-specific objectives aimed to develop a free, diverse, and professional media landscape, including the following criteria: objective news reporting; editorial neutrality and independence; accuracy and responsibility; and respect for diverse societies.

An excerpt from the Executive Summary follows:

"...The results of direct media support can be seen in political changes that were able to occur when control of information and opinion by ruling parties was broken. As a result of media assistance, alternative political voices were heard and political competitiveness was achieved. Direct support to independent media was a key factor in helping the citizens of several Balkan countries rid themselves of authoritarian regimes. Independent media and journalists were given the means to remain engaged, and contributed to political and cultural diversity. But public broadcasting reforms are incomplete because of a lack of local political leverage to accompany donor assistance. Media projects aimed at broad socio-political goals have mitigated conflicts but have not achieved the most ambitious objectives, especially when imposed from outside.

While direct media support has achieved important political and media-specific goals, it has also incurred social costs. A residue of cynicism surrounds the reputation of media assistance, largely because of overtly political support and resentment about choices. Exaggerated expectations have arisen and been disappointed....Finally, alternative political media supported by donors have found that emerging media markets will not sustain them.

Support for legislative and regulatory reform aimed at providing a legal foundation for independent media and freedom of expression. The process was efficient and effective because Balkan governments and parliaments viewed it as a necessary step toward European integration, and because it involved little direct expenditure. In addition, in some cases civil society had a role in drafting and promoting legislation. But, although important problems such as hate speech have largely disappeared, new media legislation has not been sufficiently well implemented due mainly to a lack of political will...

The greatest share of media support was devoted to training and education....[A] substantial core of media personnel in the region has had exposure to training and education funded by the international community. Nevertheless, this training and education are not generally reflected in media quality because of market demand and the policies of owners and editors.

Support for media institutions has brought mixed results. Media centers have been effective as training institutions and resource centers, but have often proven expensive and dependent on donors. Journalists' unions have received substantial attention, but have not gained enough support to effectively enforce standards and protect journalists' rights. Self-regulatory institutions have had little impact. Some media NGOs [non-governmental organisations] have contributed to legislative reform and civil society media monitoring."

Highlights from the Conclusions section of the report include the following recommendations:

• Frame political objectives of media support in terms of efforts to realise human rights in accordance with international standards, so as to emphasise the nonpartisan character of media;
• Emphasise the "public service" function of media, giving citizens reliable and practical information regardless of regime;
• Focus donors on direct support to avoid sustaining a large number of media outlets;
• Take into account the development of the wider media market and include strategies of market regulation and measures to strengthen the position of journalists vis-à-vis editors and owners;
• Connect donors to media assistance professionals who are close to local societies;
• Provide core support whenever possible, allowing recipients to make editorial and content choices;
• Build donor coordination schemes need to be into media support at early stages;
• Do not limit assistance to the most clearly 'like-minded' journalists and publications;
• Support alternative political media with preparation for market competition;
• Annunciate exit strategies at the beginning of major donor engagements to emphasise limited objectives and to disabuse recipient communities of the expectation that the international community is responsible for, or capable of, transformations of political values that can only authentically emerge from sources within societies themselves;
• Design training based on an independent needs assessment;
• Place a seasoned outside professional with journalists and the editor/owner;
• Ensure that training is practical, rather than theoretical; and
• Place a focus on business management, alongside professional and technical standards, for editors and owners.