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The Role of Autonomous Media on Development and the World Bank
Shykh Seraj
Published:22ndJuly,2004onTheDailyStar.
On the last 14th and 15th June, at the Headquarters of World Bank, situated in Washington DC, a symposium was held titled, "Symposium for Broadcasters on International Development". Almost 75 Broadcaster Representatives from 40 countries were present at the symposium. I was invited from the World Bank to attend the symposium. Two objectives of the symposium were evident: First, to scrutinize how media could work in creating awareness regarding the life-taking disease, Aids, as well as in other development issues, and second, to justify the situation that how much was actually reflected in the electronic media, concerning the worldwide assistance that the World Bank provided so far to the sectors, e.g., poverty eradication, infrastructural development and other sectors of the developing and the non-developed world.
The President of the World Bank, Mr. James Wolfensohn presented the welcoming speech at the Preston Auditorium of the World Bank Headquarters in the two day symposium. The Key Moderators were Mr. Tom Buhrow, Bureau Chief & Chief US Correspondent, and Mr. Frederick Nunce, Lead Management Consultant, World Bank. They repeatedly put forth the issue of the autonomy of the press media. Subsequently, as a member of the developing world, I came across a natural query: Although the "democracy-preaching" countries demand that they are the model of press media regarding autonomy, the contradiction of this issue arrives when we look two or three years back vis-à-vis their role in Iraq. Afghanistan or in the War on Terror: "Did they stand on the side of autonomy of the news media?"
World Bank clearly pointed out that the mass media, irrespective of government or private management, can surely push towards the advancement of the country's economy by playing significant role in the development issues. But, in this case, today autonomy of media is certainly required. And, the responsibility to the people from the autonomous media is to provide the best worth information and to expand this space of "Information Source" at the highest rate. Whereas, when we see at this portrait that few media of the developed world could not go beyond the state conservatism, corrupt influencing and information terrorism, consequently, in the World Bank arranged symposium, we get awfully discouraged to comment on the contribution of the developed world in the issue of the autonomy of mass media. After all this, there is no opportunity to deny that where and how the autonomy of the media is being subjected and World Bank has the comprehensible insight on this. And, they are not beyond their constraint of publicizing their view.
For so long, World Bank is disbursing billions of dollars in the development projects in South Asia as well as in the countries of this region. The works that have been done in the sectors like primary education, power and energy, and rural development and infrastructure through the assistance of the World Bank, was not highlighted in the mass media, specially electronic media, of this region. The high television officials of India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand agreed with my estimation.
In the meantime, I came to comprehend appropriately that this symposium is just but the promotion to uplift and transmit the works that have been done and the projects which are in process through the aid of worldwide economic donation of the World Bank and the main intention of this symposium is to determine the policy of mass dissemination of all such virtues of the World Bank in the electronic media. When the moderator cleared out the fog from the screen, then a Palestine television official haughtily asked, "Do you need coverage? Then pay for it," he added. "How do you expect the transmission/publicity without due payment?" he added further. Consequently, the environment of the symposium altered into the form of "open" and "easy-going". Another thought came into the discussion -- media could get financial assistance but what should be the strategy of it?
Contextually, it should be noted that South Africa was well positioned in this symposium. Comparatively, the attendance of their radio and television broadcasters was high.
To wipe out poverty, the prior needs are to increase the percentage of literacy, infrastructural development and to raise public opinion against the life-taking disease, Aids. At the very present, the most inevitable part in the press freedom is to ensure people's right of having the best output of the press media, no matter how remote their region is. Although this indication was plain in the symposium, the broadcasters of the developing world, for instance, I constantly asked myself: How our country is going to be benefited from this Symposium?
I am related with development journalism and programme making for at least 28 year and am directing a private satellite channel at present and from this experience, I could not figure out the reason of this symposium that could effect my country. From my professional activities, I realize that media can play the most effective role in bringing the socio-economic progress and in eliminating poverty. To my record, in the last 15 to 20 years, the virtue of media has brought massive change in agriculture and socio-economic sectors of this predominantly agricultural Bangladesh. Still, for the work purpose, I have to visit the remote villages. I have witnessed the picture of the steps toward development of the marginal cultivators; have heard from so many that they have got the liberty from their terrible poverty, only by watching with inspiration, the agricultural and development based programmes on television.
The immense publicity of the satellite culture has brought a change to the city life worldwide. Now, the conception of globalization is far easier. But, the soothing air of the satellite culture has not yet reached the every single parts of the rural life. The foremost condition to ensure the socio-economic development of the rural life is to ensure again the right of the mass media for each and every single people. The government electronic mass media, BTV has reached to so many rural people but due to their limitation and elected government's authority, the distant people can't have the full benefit from it. However, this issue was properly explained in the symposium. They have clearly proclaimed that the government media do not give more significance to the general people or the audience demand and subsequently they do not have to face the competition. On the other hand, the private satellite channels try to make positive and prosperous programmes so to increase the audience demand. The thing that is required here is to reach the root and distant people. But the problem lies there.
As our television channels are satellite, so it is not possible for us to reach every single people to play the role in the immense development. In reference to this, for the rapid development of this developing Bangladesh, World Bank could take the enterprise to take all these television channels to the rural stages and places of the country by providing them the terrestrial support by pressuring the government and naturally it would suffice the availability of true information. And for this, World Bank has its telecommunication department. Would they be able to resolve this agenda? They are also saying from their part that if the satellite channels propagate the development based activities of the World Bank regionally, it could become effective. But at this proposal, I, along with the broadcasters from the non-developed and developing countries, did not agree. Naturally, it could be visualized that the other Asian countries are developed at a high grade in the electronic mass media in comparison to us. Regarding this, the support and cooperation that they are going to attain and in return the way they are going to propagate for the sake of the World Bank by creating an instance, conversely is not only difficult for us but is totally impossible, as well. In this case, if the World Bank take the self-step through the publicity, propagation and the statistics of expansion of the mass media country wise, that could be acceptable. In that Symposium, it was clear that how the medias could get the expense of the cooperation and campaign-ship of the World Bank through its fund.
It is clearly evident to me that the less campaigning of the World Bank in the media lies heavily on the side of the World Bank itself. In the progress at the various sectors of the Developing countries the role that they have was not campaigned vastly due to their less intensity and interest towards the media sector. Each country has private channel, government channel, freelance broadcaster and effective production house who could reflect effectively the development and prosperity of the country and that could be locatable in their film, documentary, and drama.
I personally believe that for constructing the country and for the socio-economic development of the country, positive and development journalism could play a big role. The journalists who work in the mass medias of the country, has to have a positive outlook. The greater sake of the country should be counted at the very first stage, or else how greater loss could take place, one instance is enough for that. A few days ago, a rumour, concerning the Asian Bird Flu was disseminated through the mass media and the growing poultry industry faced immense loss due to this wrong campaign. In the mean time, many poultry farm were shut due to this. It is in doubt whether they are going to recover from this in the next few years. A misrepresentation of information not only demeans the country but it affects from individual to the class people and society as well as the nation. I am bringing this thought into discussion after so many years, because World Bank is thinking of their campaign and image. But, they are never trying to find out using their residential office that what are the successes of the country and who is the positive-minded broadcaster and who are really working for their country and labouring hard for the enrichment, development and prosperity. The opinion that I have, attending the symposium is, although the World Bank have massively contributed to the worldwide development, but they have never tried to find out that who are the media personalities or media organization of positive role for their country.
Shykh Seraj
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