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Background Public Broadcasting is the main source of news and opinion in the Southern African region and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. For this reason, it is important that public broadcasters, without undue interference, dedicate themselves to serving the function of informing citizens about matters of public interest. In the context |
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of
the region's transitional democracies, this also means taking up
a role as a watchdog of public affairs, including government activity
and policy. in the context of globalisation this may mean challenging international pressures to open public interest broadcasting to the ‘free market'. Globalisation challenges the very idea of public interest values, by treating broadcast media as just another product with only an economic value. Intellectual production, including journalism, is materially different from other products because it has a social, cultural and democratic quality. The drive to deregulate and to privatise public utilities, including key public sector activities such as health and education, is at the heart of globalisation strategies being developed and implemented by the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The concept of ‘public interest' itself is called into question when core services upon which everyone depends are brought in to the debate about privatisation. Public broadcasting – like education and health – risks becoming more about commercial profit, or the delivery of audiences to advertisers, than about social benefit. Public service broadcasting must provide an accurate reflection of the realities of modern life. An aspect of the public service ideal is that it inspires debate by accurately presenting the histories, issues and values of society. The principle of educating the public through high quality programming serves the vital function of giving everyone the opportunity to better themselves. The struggle for self-improvement is a part of the human condition and it is only fitting that the state should support this. Democratic ideals call for an informed and active citizenry. Public broadcasting is a small step towards eliminating financial and social inequalities inherent in today's societies. In SADC countries, we have not yet achieved a mature model for public service broadcasting. In many of our countries, TV is seen as a foothold for politicians, where the news is usually devoted to the government, the President and his family. Some countries have created a legal and constitutional framework to guarantee the independence of the media but in practice, independence depends on application. We need a diverse and pluralistic, usually accessible information source that supports the development democratic society. Civil society should be involved in the campaign for public broadcasting. The public has information needs that cannot be fulfilled by the market alone. Not least of these is the receipt of information in home languages. This imposes a responsibility on governments to ensure that the national broadcaster has both adequate funds and complete editorial independence. Government that fail to provide for independence and which interfere with the editorial content of public media are in breach of international standards. Currently a number of SADC governments interfere with the independence of broadcasters. Lesotho is no different in this regard, hence the present campaign to change the status quo. Back |
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