MEDIA DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS: A CASE STUDY OF THE MEDIA INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
Creators: name: Abbott, Susan
Publisher: name: University of Westminster
Year: 2025

description: For nearly 30 years now, media development (or media assistance as it is also called) has been a cornerstone of foreign aid designed to support transitions to (Western) democracy and governance. The impact and the legacy of all the support that has gone to supporting democratic media transitions is an understudied and often misunderstood area of scholarship. There are several important questions that call for exploration, chief among them, has foreign aid aimed at supporting media development lived up to expectations, and have the seeds that were planted to support a free and independent media system started to bear fruit?

The purpose of this research project is to contribute to the academic and practitioner understanding of how donors impact the development of media systems in developing and transitioning countries.

The study reflects on the evolution of donor strategies in media development over the past 30 years since 1989, highlighting several key trends. Notably, the historical influence of the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) has had a significant impact on media development, shaping programs and values that continue to influence current donor guidelines and strategies. Despite criticism, NWICO’s principles have been foundational for media assistance. In addition, donor strategies initially focused on funding institutions and core needs; over time, this shifted towards more activity-based and program-based approaches, causing frustration among recipients. Moreover, based on opinions shared by respondents, there is an evolving sense of what it means to channel support to independent media as part of efforts to support democracy. Early optimism about democratic transitions has waned, with media development now seen as a rescue operation. A clear definition of ‘democracy’ has become blurred, with autocrats co-opting the term, leading to growing skepticism about its true meaning. The cynicism about democracy is joined by a sense of naïve expectations in that donors once believed that funding free and independent media would automatically strengthen other democratic institutions. This assumption has been challenged as reality proved more complex. When it came to specific feedback on donor strategies, respondents shared that donor funding initially supported traditional media infrastructure. With the rise of the internet and digital media, strategies shifted to support the digital transformation of journalism. Respondents also note that donor strategies have often shifted with geopolitical interests, leaving media development in regions like Eastern Europe and Southern Africa in flux. Wars and political changes have diverted funds and attention, impacting the sustainability of media projects. There is criticism that donors lack a coherent long-term strategy or clear goals for media development related investments. Many rely on Western NGOs to devise strategies, leading to concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of these efforts. Overall, the research undertaken underscores the need for more stable, well-defined, and strategically coherent donor approaches to support independent media development effectively. Finally, the study relayed concerns from local stakeholders that they feel there is a pressing need to localise practices and prioritize localisation to enhance long-term impact and sustainability.

This dissertation focuses on the post-1989 context, which was significant for the spread of democracy following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the end of apartheid in Africa. This period, often called the third wave of democratisation, was marked by a belief in the inevitable spread of democracy and liberal democratic order.

My research connects media development theories with practical applications in specific contexts examining how donor strategies affect journalism and press freedom, informed by scholarship on liberal democracy. The qualitative research, based on interpretivism/constructivism, probes donor impact on media space and evaluates program success, contributing to a theory of change in media development. The comparative research and grounded theory approach led to the development of a case study about the Media Institute of Southern Africa.

Findings and analysis are drawn from the perspectives from donors, program beneficiaries, implementers, academics, and experts. The research interprets the legacy of donor-supported media development in the context of democratisation efforts by Western government aid agencies and foundations.