COMMUNITY MEDIA AND MEDIA POLICY

(Ayub Rioba, June 10, 2009, Lusaka, Zambia)

What is Media / Communication Policy?

A set of principles and guidelines that provides a strategic (philosophical) direction to the operations and behaviour of communication or media sector.

UNESCO (1972: 8) defined communication policy simply as: “sets of principles and norms established to guide the behaviour of communication systems”. Alhassan (2004: 22)[1] defines communication policy as:

…systematic institutionalized principles, norms and behaviour that are designed through legal and regulatory procedures and/or perceived through historical understanding to guide formation, distribution and control of communication in both its human and technological dimensions.

In Tanzania[2] the Information and Broadcasting Policy of 2003 (which is currently under review) recognises three types of media ownership types within the country:

  1. State/Public Media
  2. Commercial/Private Media
  3. Community Media

In this case, the current Policy direction as well as proposes regulatory framework for all the three categories of media within the country. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Tanzania has gone through three distinct phases of policy formulation since independence in 1961. These are as follows:

  1. The first media and communication policy in independent Tanzania was handed down by President Julius Nyerere to the government owned media, The Daily News in 1972, for publication. The policy was published on the front page of the Daily News the following day and became operational since then. The policy generally aimed at guiding the country's media in supporting socialistic policies and the country's effort in building socialism and self-reliance.
  2. The second Information and Media Policy followed in 1993 a year after the country's constitution had been changed to allow for multiparty democracy. It was a time when many privately owned newspapers had been established and seemed to threaten the status quo with their critical, and often, unorthodox reportage and analyses of issues. Although the government had also intended to establish a statutory media council to tame the private media, stakeholders intervened and went ahead to establish the non-statutory, independent and voluntary Media Council we have today.
  3. The third Information and Broadcasting Policy came to the scene through a different approach. Towards the end of 1990s the government welcomed a consultative process that involved all key media stakeholders discuss and recommend a new Information and Broadcasting Policy that was in line with political, economic, social and technological changes of the time. Its main objective therefore was to respond to genuine democratic requirements as well as technological demands of the time.

ISSUES IN POLICY FORMULATION

There are common features or factors that have tended to influence media policy formulation in general. These factors have tended to determine how effective the media sector would play its roles in the democratisation process in the country.

  1. Philosophy: most policies begin with statements about a philosophy that guides the vision and behaviour of a particular society. They outline values that are to be defended or promoted in society while, at the same time, pointing out vices that should be checked. That was the case in 1972 in Tanzania when the first policy was introduced. It started with outlining the kind of Tanzania 'we' wanted to build through Socialism and Self reliance. The 1993 policy also did the same. But this time it mentioned democratic values as the basis of principles that were supposed to guide the media sector. It was also the same with the 2003 Information and Broadcasting Policy.

The philosophy determines the kind of controls that are needed to enable a sector to perform to expectations. It sets forth principles and directives that guide the sector's legal regime.

  1. Language: closed linked to philosophy above, language has always been a highly contentious issue in policy formulation in many countries. In Tanzania the policy has always insisted on the use of Kiswahili or English in all the media throughout the country. The objective for the use of a national languange and the second official language which is English, is to ensure continued national cohesion and understanding.

In other countries, such as Kenya, Uganda and even in Zambia, other ethnic languages are allowed. Professor Isaac Abeku Blankson has treated in detail the issue of language in his article titled 'Negotiating the Use of Native Languages in Emerging Pluralistic and Independent Broadcast Systems in Africa'.[3] Professor Blankson has argued strongly for the use of other ethnic languanges, particularly in Community Media broadcasting.

  1. Technology: this is another key area that is normally addressed by the media policies because every media outlet uses technology for production of its products. Just last month in Tanzania there was a renewed debate on the 2003 Information and Broadcasting Policy after the government sought to change it to accommodate provisions that deal with, among other things, the control of internet, blogs and websites. There has also been the issue of frequency allocation which is also addressed by the media policy. Some policies tend to limit frequency allocation to particular ownership so as to promote diversity. Although many countries in Africa are now talking about going digital, as is the case in developed countries, this is another area that pose significant challenge, particularly on the question of costs and sustainability.
  2. Ownership/Operationalisation: this is another area that media policy has been focusing on. Many African governments know too well the power of mass media. The media policies have tried to set limits as to who should own which media in the country. Experience on the continent show that few governments are prepared to leave the media sector in diversified and hard to control hands. No wonder even Community Radio stations in many parts of Africa have had to go through a rigorous licensing procedure, often similar to other conventional radio or television stations.

But alongside ownership is the question of management, professionalism and reliability of the sector. In Tanzania, the policy has always stipulated that every media outlet seeking registration or license, must present a qualified editor who would be answerable in case of any future law suits.

  1. Content: this is another important areas that the policies have tended to focus on. In the case of Tanzania, from the first media policy of 1972 to the most recent, the question of content has been given particular emphasis. One area of content that the policy has tended to be explicit about is 'protection and promotion of national culture, values, as well as indigenous content'. The policies have also tended to give directives aimed at ensuring that the media, at all times, 'protect national security, public morality, minority and minors'.
  2. Training: this is another area that the media policies have tended to emphasise to ensure competence, professionalism and reliability. In Tanzania the 1993 Media Policy pointed out clearly that training of journalists had to aim for university degrees. The policy also tasked media owners to ensure that they had well planned training programmes for their employees.

By and large, many countries, particularly in Africa, have continued to grapple with the question of draconian legal regimes that heavily control the media sector. Of recent there has been, in many countries, a lot of effort to try and reform the laws affecting the media sector and so far there seem to be a glimmer of hope in that direction.

[1]Doctoral dissertation at the University of Tampere

[2]My Licentiate thesis (2009) at the University of Tampere

[3](Africa Media Review, Volume 13, Number 1, 2005, pp. 1–22. © Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, 2005 (ISSN 0258-4913).