By Kate Noble
Unesco hosts World Press Freedom Day annually on 3 May to “keep press freedom at the forefront of the global agenda”. And up to December last year, organisations like the BBC WST working to support the media and freedom of expression around the world were beavering away on plans to do just that.
Under the theme ‘21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers’ we would, no doubt, have focused on decreasing freedoms in the context of increasing internet access; threats to journalists and citizen journalists in undemocratic societies; the growth and impact of the blogosphere; protection of information and Wikileaks; and the importance of social media.
As it turns out, this year we hardly need reminding at all.
Ongoing protests across the Middle East and North Africa have clearly demonstrated that a thirst for freedom of expression is not simply a Western democratic ideal, and that media and communication has a central role to play in achieving fundamental shifts in society.
Arguments over the extent of social media’s influence on these events abound. While some speak of the revolution that started with a hashtag, others dismiss the ‘myth’ of a Facebook revolution.
Annabelle Sreberny of SOAS, University of London hits both the middle ground and the nail on the head: “Clearly people have made revolution without [social media]. But in repressive regimes … Facebook provides a space where silence and fear are broken and trust can be built, where social networks can turn political, and where home and Diaspora can come together. Whatever the intentions of their developers, social media are being used to provide news and information; to plan and coordinate action; and to tell the world what is going on.”
In other words, social and new media matters, and will continue to do so. Which brings us to the most important question right now: what happens next?
Development assistance focused on democratisation is already being boosted, policy responses being formulated and programmes being developed for immediate implementation. There is no doubt that vast sums of money will be spent right across the region; now is the time to consider how best to do this.
Along with donors, private companies and non-governmental organisations working on media development and free speech are now in the process of working out how best to support both people working to bring about change and the communications technologies that have played a vital role in their efforts.
Several current initiatives that aim to address real needs are worth noting here.
In response to government internet blocking in Egypt in January, Google quickly partnered with Twitter and SayNow to develop the application ‘Speak-to-Tweet’, enabling users to tweet using only their mobile phone and without an internet connection. Google, as a sponsor of the global World Press Freedom Day event in theUS, is ramping up its work on freedom of expression and its partnerships with NGOs doing similar work.
At the governmental level, the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation, Gunilla Carlsson, has been talking a lot about a new digital reality entailing new demands on old policies.
In March she took the unusual move of inviting Swedes from all walks of life to submit their ideas on how information and communications technology solutions can be used in the service of freedom. She invited the best to meet with her and promised to feed their ideas into both Swedish and EU policy. It will be interesting to see how and whether the process is able to feed into Sida’s policy response to events in the region.
For its part, the BBC WST has been working inYemen and Syria for the past two years. Although in Yemen our radio programmes were taken off air shortly after protests started, in Syria, an online training academy involving aspiring journalists and bloggers has weathered the protests so far and will hopefully continue to do so.
At this point in proceedings, it’s particularly critical that the international community take a step back and consider its options in terms of support to media in the Middle East and Maghreb. What have we learned, what has worked (and not worked) and how can we ensure significant funds for democratisation and human rights in the region are spent sensibly and impactfully.
That’s why this year, World Press Freedom Day need not be an advocacy event, but should instead be leveraged as an opportunity to galvanise and continue these discussions.
The major global event is this year happening in Washington DC, organised by Unesco, the US State Department and over 20 civil society partners. Though planning pre-dated events in the Middle East, discussion will no doubt be focused to some extent on what these events have taught us, and how to respond. High profile activists and journalists from Egypt,Yemen and Tunisia are presenting, and many of the organisations who will undertake media support in those countries will be there to listen.
In previous years, World Press Freedom Day events started with the obligatory session reminding us all of the importance of freedom of expression. This year, in the midst of a series of revolutions in which media and communications are playing a central role, we should cut straight to the chase and sensibly work out what to do about it.
Kate Noble is Senior Projects Manager, Governance, at the BBC World Service Trust.
