How can media freedom and access to information support the wider development objective of empowering people? This book highlights freedom of expression and the right to information as fundamental human rights. Press freedom and access to information support participatory democracy and empower people by giving them information that can help them gain control over their own lives. An open, pluralistic media sector relies on political will and an enabling legal and regulatory environment.
Information can change the way we see the world around us, and our place in it. Fact-driven decision-making can significantly alter our political, social and economic perspectives. Empowerment is the natural by-product of access to accurate, fair and unbiased information representing many opinions. It allows citizens to gain control over their lives, to work cooperatively and to provide direction to leaders. The information flows must be on multiple levels and multi-dimensional, with many conversations feeding into the collective consciousness. Access to a free, independent and pluralistic media is essential for gaining awareness of issues that matter both nationally and internationally.
Press freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people. This supports participatory democracy by giving citizens the capacity to engage in public debate and to hold governments and others accountable. To make empowerment a reality, several conditions are necessary:
- Access to diverse media outlets: Media pluralism is critical and not easily attainable. Even in highly-saturated media markets, pluralism is often lacking.
- Political will: A legal and regulatory framework must exist that allows an open and pluralistic media sector to emerge.
- Analytical media consumption and related skills: People need the skills to produce, circulate, analyse and engage with the media.
When these conditions are in place, the media can serve as a watchdog, civil society engages with authorities and decision-makers, and information flows through and between communities. Further implications include the following:
- Media pluralism, an enabling legal environment and journalistic safety are essential to empowerment and access to information. Community media and audience participation are also important.
- Commitment is needed to remove obstacles to press freedom, improve conditions for independent and professional journalism and empower citizens to engage in public debate.
- Commitments to international protocols and declarations on media freedom need to be respected. Even where the state respects media freedom, so too should other social forces.
- New technology can provide enormous information benefits, but needs to be underpinned by measures that empower people to make use of it: quality education for all, universal access to information and knowledge, and respect for linguistic diversity.
