Does the Western media impede media freedom in the countries that need it most?

The following is my (unsuccesful) entry into the UNESCO media freedom journalism competition:

By Andrew Webster

Western media can influence media freedom in other countries directly through their presence or indirectly through putting pressure on their own governments to lobby for change.

The extent to which western media organisations stick to the values of independence, impartiality and accuracy will determine how positive or negative their impact on media freedom across the world is.

In the past 15 years, western media’s presence in foreign countries has increased through 24 hour news channels and the internet. In the case of developing and dictatorial states the western model of media is often seen as something to aspire too.

Nicholas Jones, who was a BBC correspondent for thirty years, said: “The standards and political impartiality of public service broadcasting in the UK- and especially of course the BBC – do have a great impact in developing countries.”

But the influence of sensationalist and intrusive methods, as seen in UK’s tabloids, on editorial values in developing countries is a problem, said Jones.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that the lowering of editorial standards in the UK – which is something I am concerned about – does have an impact in developing countries which are building up their media industries,” he said.

Western Media: something to aspire to?
One place the influence of British journalism has been felt is Pakistan. Channels like the BBC and CNN have been viewed on increasingly large scale since the late 1990s and this has been something for Pakistani media to aspire to.

Saba Imtiaz, reporter for ‘The News International’, said: “Western mainstream news outlets have a large viewership in Pakistan and they often carry investigative news stories that propel the Pakistani media to follow up on them or carry stories by Pakistan’s political leadership that often ‘break’ news stories.”

But the same Pakistani journalists are worried about the perceptions of Pakistan that western media reinforces. Qaiser Mehmood, a journalist with 30 years of experience, said people are noticing that some western channels portray only what their governments want them to portray, which is considered biased against Pakistan.

He added, “If when reporting, you accuse the whole nation or whole population you create a negative perception in the mind of everyone.”

But it is difficult to be seen as impartial when reporting on issues concerning parties with different opinions, beliefs and agendas. A westerner working in the occupied West Bank, who asked not to be named, said an impartial organisation like the BBC is de-facto biased because of its even balanced reporting.

“To be biased regardless of the facts is to be biased to the more powerful party,” he said.

From this example, it is clear that western media can encourage media freedom in the countries that need it most by leading by example. But to do this they must ensure that they act impartially and maintain their high editorial standards. Although it is sometimes difficult to do this when operating in societies governed by certain political ideologies and agendas, it is essential that the western media stays true to values of impartiality and independence if they are to positively impact media freedom abroad.

Differing impact across the world
But in other areas where media freedom is needed, the impact of western media is questionable. The Israel, Palestine conflict is driven by an aggressive rhetoric through both sides’ media.

However western media in these countries is largely overlooked, meaning although it doesn’t impede media freedom, it doesn’t greatly help either.

Palestinian Omar Yasin, of Sharek Youth Forum in Ramallah, said: “The only people consuming western media are those who have lived abroad. The language plays a big role, as people can’t easily understand it.”

The BBC is also seen in the area as a few days behind so the information is already known before they report it. Mr Yasin said that Al-Jazeera was better at communicating things in a way people understand than western media.

It’s important to recognise that western media doesn’t have a huge influence in all of the countries it is present in, especially when there is a language barrier involved. However this doesn’t mean it can’t have an impact on media freedom in those countries.

Proactive Promotion of Media Freedom
Although Pakistani journalists acknowledge the improvements in media freedom in their country, they claim they are still subject to government and external pressures constraining their freedom.

Ms. Imtiaz said: “There is no protection for journalists covering high risk stories and there have been several direct attacks on the offices of media organisations that have either been orchestrated by the government or the government has turned a blind eye to them."

“Media freedom is still subject to the whims of those in power,” she said.

This was shown in November 2007 when President Musharraf called a State of Emergency and cut off all private news channels.

According to Ms. Imtiaz western media should champion the causes of media organisations, as too often they overlook media freedom violations so they can keep open communication with governments.

Numerous media freedom organisations are being formed independently to fill this role. The Doha Centre for Media Freedom, as well as directly supporting journalists, is trying to educate people on the issues.

During the recent attacks on the Gaza Strip, the Centre went to meet Arab and Israeli journalists involved. Their report said that a total media blackout was imposed on the Gaza strip for the duration of the war with the major Israeli newspapers content to go along with it.

Such a report can highlight the violations of media freedom to a global audience. But perhaps more effectively it can put media freedom on the global news agenda and pressure western media to take up the issues for themselves. If this happens, then there will be pressure on western governments to lobby for change in states that limit media freedom.

A media freedom centre with similar goals has been set up at the University of Sheffield, this time with the involvement of academia. Chair of the Centre, Professor Jackie Harrison said we are “dedicated to exposing ways in which news media freedom is abused and are committed to researching media standards of independence and truthfulness.”

On the whole western media have a positive impact on media freedom in other countries. However the extent of this impact is defined by how media organisations live their core journalistic values. With the rise of government PR machines across the western world, it is essential for journalists to get to the bottom of stories so they can hold their own governments accountable and educate people abroad.